The effect of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction on the intestinal flora of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) was investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing technology. Sixty rats were randomly divided into a normal group(10 rats) and a modeling group(50 rats). After one week of adaptive feeding, a high-fat diet + streptozotocin was given for modeling, and fasting blood glucose >16.7 mmol·L~(-1) was considered a sign of successful modeling. The modeling group was randomly divided into the model group, high-, medium-, and low-dose groups of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, and metformin group. After seven days of intragastric treatment, the feces, colon, and pancreatic tissue of each group of rats were collected, and the pathological changes of the colon and pancreatic tissue of each group were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The changes in the intestinal flora structure of each group were observed by the 16S rRNA sequencing method. The results showed that compared with the model group, the high-, medium-, and low-dose of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction reduced fasting blood glucose levels to different degrees and showed no significant changes in body weight. The number of islet cells increased, and intestinal mucosal damage attenuated. Alpha diversity analysis revealed that Huanglian Jiedu Decoction reduced the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora in rats with T2DM; at the phylum level, low-and mediam-dose of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction reduced the abundance of Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, and Desulfobacterota and increased the abundance of Firmicute and Bacteroidota/Firmicutes, while the high-dose of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota/Firmicutes ratio, and decreaseal the relative; abundance of Firmicute; at the genus level, Huanglian Jiedu Decoction increased the relative abundance of Allobaculum, Blautia, and Lactobacillus; LEfse analysis revealed that the biomarker of low-and medium-dose groups of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction was Lactobacillus, and the structure of the intestinal flora of the low-dose group of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction was highly similar to that of the metformin group. PICRUSt2 function prediction revealed that Huanglian Jiedu Decoction mainly affected carbohydrate and amino acid metabolic pathways. It suggested that Huanglian Jiedu Decoction could reduce fasting blood glucose and increase the number of islet cells in rats with T2DM, and its mechanism of action may be related to increasing the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing strains and Lactobacillus and affecting carbohydrate and amino acid metabolic pathways.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Rats ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Bacteria/drug effects* ; Blood Glucose/metabolism*

This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis(CS) in ameliorating heart aging and injury in mice based on animal experiments and network pharmacology. A mouse model of heart aging was established by continuously subcutaneous injection of D-galactose(D-gal). Thirty mice were randomly assigned into a normal group, a model group, a low-dose CS(CS-L) group, a high-dose CS(CS-H) group, and a vitamin E(VE) group. Mice in these groups were administrated with normal saline, different doses of CS suspension, or VE suspension via gavage daily. After 60 days of treatment with D-gal and various drugs, all mice were euthanized, and blood and heart tissue samples were collected for determination of the indicators related to heart aging and injury in mice. Experimental results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated the aging phenotype, improved the heart index and myocardial enzyme spectrum, restored the expression levels of proteins associated with cell cycle arrest and senescence-associated secretory phenotypes(SASP), and alleviated the fibrosis and histopathological changes of the heart tissue in model mice. From the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),259 active ingredients of CS were retrieved. From Gene Cards and OMIM, 2 568 targets related to heart aging were identified, and 133common targets shared by CS and heart aging were obtained. The Gene Ontology(GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes( KEGG) pathway enrichment revealed that the pathways related to heart aging involved oxidative stress,apoptosis, inflammation-related signaling pathways, etc. The animal experiment results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated oxidative stress and apoptosis in the heart tissue to varying degrees in model mice. Additionally, CS-H and VE activated the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) pathway and inhibited the expression of key proteins in the nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) pathway in the heart tissue of model mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated based on network pharmacology and animal experiments that CS may alleviate heart aging and injury in aging mice by reducing oxidative stress,apoptosis, and inflammation in the heart via the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB pathway.
Animals ; Cordyceps/chemistry* ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Aging/genetics* ; Male ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Network Pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics* ; Heart/drug effects* ; Humans ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics*

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Dahuang Zhechong Pills(DHZCP) in delaying heart aging(HA) and explore the potential mechanism. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were employed to explore the targets and potential mechanisms of DHZCP in delaying HA. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were conducted with the DHZCP-containing serum to verify key targets and pathways in D-galactose(D-gal)-induced aging of cardiomyocytes. Active components of DHZCP were searched against the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCSMP), and relevant targets were predicted. HA-related targets were screened from the GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), and DisGeNET. The common targets shared by the active components of DHZCP and HA were used to construct a protein-protein interaction network in STRING 12.0, and core targets were screened based on degree in Cytoscape 3.9.1. Metaspace was used for Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses of the core targets to predict the mechanisms. Molecular docking was performed in AutoDock Vina. The results indicated that a total of 774 targets of the active components of DHZCP and 4 520 targets related to HA were screened out, including 510 common targets. Core targets included B-cell lymphoma 2(BCL-2), serine/threonine kinase 1(AKT1), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit A(HIF1A). The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that DHZCP mainly exerted its effects via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway, HIF-1α signaling pathway, longevity signaling pathway, and apoptosis signaling pathway. Among the pathways predicted by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway was selected for verification. The cell-counting kit 8(CCK-8) assay showed that D-gal significantly inhibited the proliferation of H9c2 cells, while DHZCP-containing serum increased the viability of H9c2 cells. SA-β-gal staining revealed a significant increase in the number of blue-green positive cells in the D-gal group, which was reduced by DHZCP-containing serum. TUNEL staining showed that DHZCP-containing serum decreased the number of apoptotic cells. After treatment with DHZCP-containing serum, the protein levels of Klotho, BCL-2, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT1/AKT1, and HIF-1α were up-regulated, while those of P21, P16, BCL-2 associated X protein(Bax), and cleaved caspase-3 were down-regulated. The results indicated that DHZCP delayed HA via multiple components, targets, and pathways. Specifically, DHZCP may delay HA by reducing apoptosis via activating the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway.
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Animals ; Rats ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Aging/metabolism* ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Heart/drug effects* ; Network Pharmacology

This study explores the role and underlying molecular mechanisms of fucoidan sulfate(FPS) in regulating heme oxygenase-1(Hmox1)-mediated ferroptosis to ameliorate myocardial injury in diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM) through in vivo and in vitro experiments and network pharmacology analysis. In vivo, a DCM rat model was established using a combination of "high-fat diet feeding + two low-dose streptozotocin(STZ) intraperitoneal injections". The rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal, model, FPS, and dapagliflozin(Dapa) groups. In vitro, a cellular model was created by inducing rat cardiomyocytes(H9c2 cells) with high glucose(HG), using zinc protoporphyrin(ZnPP), an Hmox1 inhibitor, as the positive control. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure blood glucose(BG), serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST), serum lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), and serum creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB) levels. Echocardiography was used to assess rat cardiac function, including ejection fraction(EF) and fractional shortening(FS). Pathological staining was performed to observe myocardial morphology and fibrotic characteristics. DCFH-DA fluorescence probe was used to detect reactive oxygen species(ROS) levels in myocardial tissue. Specific assay kits were used to measure serum brain natriuretic peptide(BNP), myocardial Fe~(2+), and malondialdehyde(MDA) levels. Western blot(WB) was used to detect the expression levels of myosin heavy chain 7B(MYH7B), natriuretic peptide A(NPPA), collagens type Ⅰ(Col-Ⅰ), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), ferritin heavy chain 1(FTH1), solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal(4-HNE), and Hmox1. Immunohistochemistry(IHC) was used to examine Hmox1 protein expression patterns. FerroOrange and Highly Sensitive DCFH-DA fluorescence probes were used to detect intracellular Fe~(2+) and ROS levels. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe changes in mitochondrial morphology. In network pharmacology, FPS targets were identified through the PubChem database and PharmMapper platform. DCM-related targets were integrated from OMIM, GeneCards, and DisGeNET databases, while ferroptosis-related targets were obtained from the FerrDb database. A protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed for the intersection of these targets using STRING 11.0, and core targets were screened with Cytoscape 3.9.0. Molecular docking analysis was conducted using AutoDock and PyMOL 2.5. In vivo results showed that FPS significantly reduced AST, LDH, CK-MB, and BNP levels in DCM model rats, improved cardiac function, decreased the expression of myocardial injury proteins(MYH7B, NPPA, Col-Ⅰ, and α-SMA), alleviated myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, and reduced Fe~(2+), ROS, and MDA levels in myocardial tissue. Furthermore, FPS regulated the expression of ferroptosis-related markers(Hmox1, FTH1, SLC7A11, GPX4, and 4-HNE) to varying degrees. Network pharmacology results revealed 313 potential targets for FPS, 1 125 targets for DCM, and 14 common targets among FPS, DCM, and FerrDb. Hmox1 was identified as a key target, with FPS showing high docking activity with Hmox1. In vitro results demonstrated that FPS restored the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins, reduced intracellular Fe~(2+) and ROS levels, and alleviated mitochondrial structural damage in cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, FPS improves myocardial injury in DCM, with its underlying mechanism potentially involving the regulation of Hmox1 to inhibit ferroptosis. This study provides pharmacological evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of FPS for DCM-induced myocardial injury.
Animals ; Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Rats ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies/physiopathology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Humans ; Cell Line ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)

OBJECTIVE: Varied acupoint selections represent a potential cause of the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Skin temperature, a guiding factor for acupoint selection, may help to address this issue. This study explored thermal sensitization of acupoints used for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS: This cross-sectional case-control study enrolled cases aged 45-75 years with symptomatic knee OA and age- and gender-matched non-knee OA controls in a 1:1 ratio. All participants underwent infrared thermographic imaging. The primary outcome was the relative skin temperature of acupoint (STA), and the secondary outcome was the absolute STA of 11 acupoints. The Z test was used to compare the relative and absolute STAs between the groups. Principal component analysis was used to extract the common factors (CFs, acupoint cluster) in the STAs. A general linear model was used to identify factors affecting the STA in the knee OA cases. For the group comparisons of relative STA, P < 0.0045 (adjusted for 11 acupoints through Bonferroni correction) was considered to indicate statistical significance. For other analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The analysis included 308 participants, consisting of 151 cases (mean age: [64.58 ± 6.67] years; male: 25.83%; mean body mass index: [25.70 ± 3.16] kg/m²) and 157 controls (mean age: [63.37 ± 5.96] years; male: 26.11%; mean body mass index: [24.47 ± 2.84] kg/m²). The relative STAs of ST34 (P = 0.0001), EX-LE2 (P < 0.0001), EX-LE5 (P = 0.0006), SP10 (P < 0.0001), BL40 (P = 0.0012) and GB39 (P = 0.0037) were higher in the knee OA group. No difference was found in the STAs of ST35, ST36, SP9, GB33 and GB34. Four CFs were identified for relative STA in both groups. The acupoints within each CF were consistent between the groups. The mean values of the relative STAs across each CF were higher in the knee OA group. In the knee OA cases, no factors were observed to affect the relative STA, while age and gender were found to affect the absolute STA. CONCLUSION Among patients with knee OA, thermal sensitization occurs in the acupoints of the lower extremity, exhibiting localized and regional thermal consistencies. The thermally sensitized acupoints that we identified in this study, ST34, SP10, EX-LE2, EX-LE5, GB39 and BL40, may be good choices for the acupuncture treatment of knee OA. Please cite this article as: Tu JF, Wang XZ, Yan SY, Wang YR, Yang JW, Shi GX, Zhang WZ, Jing LN, Yang LS, Liu DH, Wang LQ, Mi BH. Thermal sensitization of acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 289-296.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Skin Temperature ; Acupuncture Therapy

Methods: From September 3, 2018, to March 23, 2024, participants with essential hypertension (receiving antihypertensive medication treatment, hypertension group) and normal blood pressure (control group) were recruited from the Cardiology Department of Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Coronary Care Unit of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, the Physical Examination Center of Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Gaohang Community Health Service Center. This study employed the propensity score matching (PSM) method to reduce study participants selection bias. Spectral information in the facial visible light spectrum of the subjects was collected using a flame spectrometer, and the spectral chromaticity values were calculated using the equal-interval wavelength method. The study analyzed the differences in spectral reflectance across various facial regions, including the entire face, forehead, glabella, nose, jaw, left and right zygomatic regions, left and right cheek regions as well as differences in parameters within the Lab color space between the two subject groups. Feature selection was conducted using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, followed by the application of various machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), Naïve Bayes (NB), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). The reduced-dimensional dataset was split in a 7 : 3 ratio to establish a classification and assessment model for facial coloration related to primary hypertension. Additionally, model fusion techniques were applied to enhance the predictive power. The performance of the models was evaluated using metrics including the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was used to interpret the outcomes of the models. Results: A total of 114 participants were included in both hypertension and control groups. Reflectance analysis across the entire face and eight predefined areas revealed that the hypertensive group exhibited significantly higher reflectance of corresponding color light in the blue-violet region (P < 0.05) and a lower reflectance in the red region (P < 0.05) compared with control group. Analysis of Lab color space parameters across the entire face and eight predefined areas showed that hypertensive group had significantly lower a and b values than control group (P < 0.05). LASSO regression analysis identified a total of 18 facial color features that were highly correlated with hypertension, including the a values of the chin and the right cheek, the reflectance at 380 nm and at 780 nm of the forehead. The results of the multi-model classification showed that the RF classification model was the most effective, with an AUC of 0.74 and an accuracy of 0.77. The combined model of RF + LR + SVM outperformed a single model in their classification performance, achieving an AUC of 0.80 and an accuracy of 0.76. SHAP model visualization results indicated that the top three contributors to ideal prediction results based on the characteristics from the facial spectrum were the reflectance at 380 nm across the entire face and of the nose as well as the a value of the chin. Conclusion Within the same age group, patients with essential hypertension exhibited significant and regular changes in facial color and facial spectral reflectance parameters after the administration of antihypertensive drugs. Furthermore, facial reflectance indicators, such as the overall reflectance at 380 nm and the a value of the chin, could offer valuable references for clinically assessing the drug efficacy and health status of patients with essential hypertension.

Objective To analyze the diagnostic quality of imported malaria in Hubei Province from 2019 to 2022, and to further improve the diagnostic level and consolidate the achievements in eliminating malaria. Methods The samples of reported malaria cases in Hubei were collected by the provincial reference laboratory (PRL) from 2019 to 2022. The microscopy and fluorescent PCR were performed to confirm the infection of plasmodium species of each case．The positive coincidence rate and species coincidence rate were analyzed and compared． Results A total of 257 imported malaria cases were reported in Hubei Province from 2019 to 2022. Among 229 malaria cases were confirmed, the overall coincidence for malaria diagnosis was 91.24% (229/251), and the overall coincidence rate for parasite species identification was 86.03% (197/229). The difference in species coincidence rate among different years was statistically significant (χ²=10.458, P<0.05). The coincidence rates of malaria diagnosis and parasite species identification in different cities (prefectures) of Hubei Province were 71.43% to 100.00% and 50.00% to 100.00%, respectively, with significant differences among different regions (χ²=29.283, P<0.05). The coincidence rates of malaria diagnosis and parasite species identification were 72.73% to 100.00% and 0.00% to 100.00% in different diagnostic institutions, and the coincidence rate of species identification in hospitals (87.61%) was higher than that in Centers for Disease Control institutions (54.55%) (χ²=81.275, P<0.05). The coincidence rates of Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale identification were 91.50%, 88.57%, 80.00%, and 58.06%, respectively (χ²=19.777, P<0.05). Conclusion The quality of the qualitative diagnosis of malaria cases reported online from 2019 to 2022 is generally high. However, the ability of Plasmodium typing needs to be improved. In the future, technical training and quality control should be strengthened to improve the malaria surveillance capability during the post-elimination stage.

Aim To investigate the effect of microinjection of EX527, a selective SIRT1 antagonist, into the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), and to explore the role of CREB/BDNF in it. Methods The cannulas were implanted bilaterally in the VLO of rats by brain stereotaxis surgery, and the model of morphine-induced CPP was established. The behavioral experiment consisted of four stages:habituation (d 1), pre-test (d 2-4), conditioning training (d 5-14) and test (d 15). At the stage of conditioning training, EX527 (1 μL, 5 g·L

Objective:To explore the short-term outcomes of reconstruction of tumorous critical bone defects at femoral shaft with a 3D printed ultra-short stem with a porous structure.Methods:From September 2016 to June 2018, 8 patients underwent reconstruction of critical bone defects with a 3D printed ultra-short stem with a porous structure after resection of femoral shaft malignant tumor at Department of Orthopaedics, West China Hospital. There were 4 males and 4 females, with an average age of 36.9 years (from 11 to 61 years). Their preoperative Enneking staging was stage Ⅱb in all. There were 3 osteosarcomas, 2 Ewing sarcomas, 2 chondrosarcomas and one periosteal osteosarcoma. Preoperative CT/MRI image fusion technology was used to define the surgical boundary, design the guide plate and prosthesis, and perform surgical simulation. Tomosynthesis-shimadzu Metal Artefact Reduction technology was used to evaluate osseointegration. Complications and bone oncology prognosis of the patients were documented. The lower limb function of the patients was evaluated using Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) 1993 scoring and knee range of motion.Results:The overall follow-up time ranged from 36 to 50 months, averaging 42.8 months. During operation one patient sustained a periprosthesis fracture, the union of which was followed up after wire assisted fixation. There was no local tumor recurrence, lung metastasis or death. The last follow-up revealed good osseointegration and basically isometric lower extremities in all cases. There was no such a complication as aseptic loosening of the prosthesis, deep infection or prosthesis fracture during the follow-up period. At the last follow-up in the 8 patients, the flexion range of the knee joint was 116.2°±9.1°, significantly improved compared with that before operation (98.8°±10.9°), and the MSTS score was (26.2±2.1) points, also significantly improved compared with that before operation [(21.6±1.8) points] ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Reconstruction with a 3D printed ultra-short stem with a porous structure is an accurate operation for femoral shaft tumorous bone defects. With careful preoperative design, intraoperative manipulation and strict postoperative follow-up management, this operation can lead to fine early curative outcomes for long shaft critical bone defects.

Objective:To study the effect of Gegen Qinliantang （GQT） on the structure of intestinal flora in dysbacterial diarrhea rats by 16S rRNA sequencing. Method:Sixty healthy SD rats were randomly and equally divided into a control group， a model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose GQT groups， and a Bifidobiogen group. The rat model was induced in the five groups except the control group by administration of mixed antibiotics （178.6 mg·kg^-1 cefradine and 31.25 mg·kg^-1 gentamicin sulfate） according to the dose. Drug intervention was carried out in each group （7.02， 3.51， and 1.755 g·kg^-1 GQT for the high-， medium-， and low-dose GQT groups， 0.125 g·kg^-1 bifidobacterium capsules for the Bifidobiogen group， and sterile distilled water for the control and model groups） with a volume of 10 mL·kg^-1 for seven days. Colon contents of rats were obtained under anesthesia. The extracted fecal DNA underwent 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and the results were analyzed. Result:GQT was proved capable of adjusting the species number and Alpha and Beta diversity， improving the biological richness and diversity of the flora， and positively regulating three differential phyla （Firmicutes， Proteobacteria， and Bacteroidetes） and 14 differential genera （Bacteroides， Parabacteroides， Blautia， etc.） in rat model of dysbacterial diarrhea. Conclusion:The present study confirmed the regulatory effect of GQT on intestinal flora of dysbacterial diarrhea rats， and revealed the physiological and pathological mechanism between intestinal flora and dysbacterial diarrhea.