ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of action of Wendantang on ApoE^-/- hyperlipidemic mice using non-targeted metabolomics technology. MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice served as the normal control group （n=6）， and they were fed with regular chow， while male ApoE^-/- mice constituted the high-fat group （n=30）， and they were fed with a 60% high-fat diet. After 11 weeks of model establishment， the mice in the high-fat group were randomly divided into the model group， simvastatin group （3.3 mg·kg^-1）， and high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose groups of Wendantang （26， 13， 6.5 g·kg^-1， respectively， in terms of crude drug amount）， with six mice in each group. The normal control group and the model group were gavaged with an equivalent volume of normal saline， and all groups continued to be fed their respective diets， receiving daily medication for 10 weeks with weekly body weight measurements. Serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， free fatty acids （NEFA）， blood glucose （GLU）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were detected in the mice. Pathological changes in liver tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was employed for metabolomic analysis of mouse liver tissue. ResultsCompared to the normal control group， the model group exhibited significantly increased body weight， blood lipid levels， and liver function （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with disordered liver tissue structure， swollen hepatocytes， and accompanying vacuolar fatty degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared to the model group， the simvastatin group and Wendantang groups showed significantly reduced body weight， TG， NEFA， GLU， ALT， and AST levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with a significant increase in HDL-C levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， demonstrating a dose-dependent effect. The lesion of the liver tissue section was obviously improved after administration， tending towards a normal liver tissue morphology. Analysis of liver metabolites revealed 86 differential metabolites between the normal control group and the model group， with the high-dose group of Wendantang able to regulate 56 of these metabolites. Twenty-two differential metabolites associated with hyperlipidemia were identified， mainly including chenodeoxycholic acid， hyocholic acid， taurine， glycocholic acid， dihydroceramide， hydroxy sphingomyelin C14∶1， arachidonic acid， and linoleic acid， enriching 22 metabolic pathways， with 4 being the most significant （P<0.05）， namely primary bile acid biosynthesis， sphingolipid metabolism， unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis， and linoleic acid metabolism pathways. ConclusionWendantang can improve blood lipid levels and liver function in ApoE^-/- hyperlipidemic mice， which may be related to the regulation of primary bile acid biosynthesis， sphingolipid metabolism， unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis， and linoleic acid metabolism pathways.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which the combination of berberine （BBR） and baicalin （BAI） ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat from the perspectives of gut microbiota and metabolomics. MethodsAntibiotics were used to induce pseudo-sterile mice. Thirty pseudo-sterile mice were randomized into a normal fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=10） and a T2DM （syndrome of internal accumulation of dampness-heat） fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=20）. The mice were then administrated with suspensions of fecal microbiota from healthy volunteers and a patient with T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by gavage， respectively. Each mouse received 200 µL suspension every other day for a total of 15 times to reshape the gut microbiota. The T2DM model mice were then assigned into a model group （n=8） and a BBR-BAI group （n=11）. BBR was administrated at a dose of 200 mg·kg^-1， and BAI was administrated in a ratio of BBR-BAI 10∶1 based on preliminary research findings. The administration lasted for 8 consecutive weeks. Fasting blood glucose （FBG）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， insulin （INS）， triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （CHOL）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels were measured to evaluate the effects of the BBR-BAI combination on glucose and lipid metabolism and liver function in T2DM mice. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the colon tissue. The expression of claudin-1， zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and occludin in the colon tissue was determined by Western blot. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was employed to assess the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the colon tissue. The fecal microbiota composition and differential metabolites were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， respectively. ResultsThe BBR-BAI combination lowered the FBG， HbA1c， and INS levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） and alleviated insulin resistance （P<0.01） in T2DM mice. Additionally， BBR-BAI elevated the levels of ZO-1， occludin， and claudin-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated the expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 in the colon （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that BBR-BAI increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus， Phascolarctobacterium， and Akkermansia （P<0.05）， while significantly decreasing the relative abundance of Alistipes， Odoribacter， and Colidextribacter （P<0.05）. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS identified 28 differential metabolites， which were primarily involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and α-linolenic acid metabolism. ConclusionBBR-BAI can ameliorate T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by modulating the relative abundance of various bacterial genera in the gut microbiota and the expression of fecal metabolites.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of different drying conditions on the appearance and intrinsic quality indicators of Pinelliae Rhizoma for screening suitable drying conditions， so as to provide reference for its standardized production and quality evaluation. MethodsDifferent dried samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma were prepared by lime-assisted sweating method and intermittent drying method. Visual analysis was employed to measure the color brightness values（L^*） of the surface， cross-section and powder of the samples， texture analyzer was used to determine the hardness of the samples under different drying conditions. The total starch content was calculated by measuring the contents of amylose and amylopectin in the samples with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of seven nucleoside components（uracil， hypoxanthine， uridine， inosine， guanosine， β-thymidine and adenosine） in the samples. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between the external characteristics and intrinsic indicators of the different dried samples. Principal component analysis（PCA） was used to comprehensively rank the data of various indicators， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was used to screen differential components with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Furthermore， the difference between the optimal drying condition for Pinelliae Rhizoma and the traditional sun-drying method was explored by independent samples t-test. ResultsWith the increase of temperature， the color of the intermittently dried samples gradually deepened， while their hardness gradually decreased. Concurrently， the contents of extract， total starch， uridine and adenosine exhibited an upward trend， whereas the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine displayed a downward trajectory. Compared with the intermittent drying group， the content of extract in the samples subjected to lime-assisted sweating increased. With the increase of lime dose， the hardness and the total content of nucleoside components in the samples showed a downward trend， while the total starch content showed an upward trend. Correlation analysis showed that the comprehensive score of L^* was negatively correlated with the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine， and positively correlated with the contents of uridine， guanosine and adenosine. Hardness was negatively correlated with adenosine content， and positively correlated with the contents of inosine， uracil and hypoxanthine. Through comprehensive consideration and comprehensive score of principal components， the method of 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days emerged as the top-ranking approach. Except for the extract， the results of independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days and the traditional sun-drying in terms of other content indicators. ConclusionThe whiteness and firmness of Pinelliae Rhizoma exhibit significant correlations with its chemical composition， while uridine， uracil， guanosine， adenosine and inosine are the key constituents responsible for the quality difference of Pinelliae Rhizoma under different drying conditions. The lime-assisted sweating method optimized in this study can be proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional sun-drying method. This method not only ensures the quality of the medicinal material but also effectively reduces the drying time and prevents mold contamination， which provides a valuable reference for the standardization of drying conditions and the establishment of quality evaluation criteria for Pinelliae Rhizoma.

Polygala tenuifolia,commonly known as Yuanzhi(YZ)in Chinese,has been shown to possess anti-insomnia properties.However,the material basis and the mechanism underlying its sedative-hypnotic effects remain unclear.Herein,we investigated the active components and neurochemical mechanism of YZ extracts using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)-based pharmaco-metabolomics and mass spectrometry imaging(MSI)-based spatial resolved metabolomics.According to the results,17 prototypes out of 101 ingredients in the YZ extract were detected in both the plasma and brain,which might be the major components contributing to the sedative-hypnotic effects.Network pharmacology analysis revealed that these prototypes may exert their effects through neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,serotonergic synapse,dopaminergic synapse,and dopaminergic synapse,among other pathways.LC-MS/MS-based targeted metabolomics and Western blot(WB)revealed that tryptophan-serotonin-melatonin(Trp-5-HT-Mel)and tyrosine-norepinephrine-adrenaline(Tyr-Ne-Ad)are the key regulated pathways.Dopa decarboxylase(DDC)upregulation and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase(PNMT)downregulation further confirmed these pathways.Furthermore,MSI-based spatially resolved metabolomics revealed notable alterations in 5-HT in the pineal gland(PG),and Ad in the brainstem,including the middle brain(MB),pons(PN),and hypothalamus(HY).In summary,this study illustrates the efficacy of an integrated multidimensional metabolomics approach in unraveling the sedative-hypnotic effects and neurochemical mechanisms of a Chinese herbal medicine,YZ.

AIM:To explore the mechanism of PX-12 induced apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.METHODS:Human hepatoma cell line Huh7 was se-lected as the main research object.After the cells were treated with thioredoxin inhibitor PX-12,the cell viability was detected by CCK8 method,the cell mi-gration ability was detected by cell scratch test,the cell proliferation ability was detected by cell prolif-eration kit,the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and apoptosis were detected by flow cy-tometry,and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the cell viability,migration ability and proliferation ability of PX-12 treatment group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species was increased(P＜0.05)in a concentration-dependent manner.Apoptosis inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK and antioxidant NAC could restore the cell viability,and NAC could reduce the accumulation of intracel-lular reactive oxygen species induced by PX-12 and restore the apoptosis induced by PX-12(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:PX-12 induces apoptosis of hepato-cellular carcinoma cells through oxidative stress.

Objective To report single-center experience on CBA combined with LAAC in treat-ment of AF.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 27 AF patients undergoing one-stop surgery of CBA combined with LAAC in Department of Cardiovascular Diseases of the People's Hospital of Liaoning Provincie from August 2020 to November 2022.The efficacy and safety of the surgery were analyzed.Results There were 22 patients(81.5％)with LAmbre and 5 patients with Watchman(18.5％,including one case of 24 mm Watchman FLX).All the patients achieved complete pulmonary vein isolation,and conversion to sinus rhythm during operation.During a mean follow-up of 30.0±9.2 months,24 patients(88.9％)maintained sinus rhythm at 12-month follow-up,and 22 patients(81.5％)maintained sinus rhythm at 24-month follow-up.TEE at 3 months after operation displayed that all the devices were in good positions and no PDL or DRT was observed.In the 11 patients undergoing cardiac enhanced CT in 12-36 months after surgery,PDL was detected in one patient(9.1％),and uncomplete endothelialisation of the device was observed in another one(9.1％)using the Watchman device.TEE at 26 months revealed one patient(3.7％)of DRT.Conclusion One-stop surgery of CBA combined with LAAC is a feasible treatment option for patients with NVAF and at high risk of stroke.

Solitary cervical submental nodule is a relatively rare case in clinical procedure and prone to miss diagnosis.Differential diagnosis with various head and neck diseases is necessary.This article reported a case of solitary cervical submental metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma received in the department of surgery,Civil Aviation Shanghai Hospital,Ruijin Gubei Branch,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.The patient came to the outpatient clinic for treatment due to"consciously larger submental tubercle than before".Ultrasound examination revealed suspicious lesions in both the thyroid and submental regions.Ultrasound-guided final needle aspiration biopsy diagnosed as malignant tumor.Surgical resection was performed and the central group lymph nodes dissected Pathological examination confirmed papillary thyroid carcinoma with solitary submental metastasis.This article reported the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this case,in order to improve the disease recognition for clinicians,and make differential diagnosis with other rare neck diseases,and avoid missing diagnoses.

Background::Limited information exists regarding the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on psoriasis patients. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with the prognosis of psoriasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods::A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between March and May 2023. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related psoriasis outcomes. The study included 2371 psoriasis patients from 12 clinical centers, with 2049 of them having been infected with SARS-CoV-2.Results::Among the infected groups, lower exacerbation rates were observed in individuals treated with biologics compared to those receiving traditional systemic or nonsystemic treatments (22.3% [236/1058] vs. 39.8% [92/231] vs. 37.5% [140/373], P <0.001). Psoriasis progression with lesions (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.197, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 5.685–11.820, compared to no lesions), hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.068–2.343), traditional systemic (adjusted OR = 1.887, 95% CI= 1.263–2.818), and nonsystemic treatment (adjusted OR= 1.602, 95% CI= 1.117–2.297) were found to be associated with exacerbation of psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not biologics (adjusted OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.680–1.274, compared to no treatment), according to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusions::A reduced risk of psoriasis exacerbation after SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed with biologics compared to traditional systemic and nonsystemic treatments. Significant risk factors for exacerbation after infection were identified as existing psoriatic lesions and hypertension.