ObjectiveTo observe the effect of the combination of total saponin of Astragali Radix-total alkaloids of Nelumbinis Folium on reversal cholesterol transport （RCT） in hyperlipidemia rats， and to discuss its mechanism. MethodSixty SD rats were randomly divided into control group， high-fat diet group， total saponin of Astragali Radix-total alkaloids of Nelumbinis Folium low （17 mg·kg^-1+40 mg·kg^-1）， middle （34 mg·kg^-1+80 mg·kg^-1）， high dose （68 mg·kg^-1+160 mg·kg^-1） groups and simvastatin （2.1 mg·kg^-1） group， with 10 mice in each group. The Hyperlipidemia model was duplicated by feeding rats with a high-fat diet for 6 weeks. From the 3rd week， except for the control group and the high-fat diet group given distilled water， other groups were given corresponding drugs intragastric treatment for 4 weeks. The changes in blood lipid and liver function of rats were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and oil red O staining were used to observe the pathological morphological changes and steatosis of rat liver tissue. The contents of total cholesterol （TC） and total bile acid （TBA） in rat liver tissue and feces were determined by a semi-automatic biochemical analyzer. The mRNA and protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors γ （PPARγ）， liver X receptors α （LXRα）， ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 （ABCG1） and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1） in rat liver tissue were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultCompared with the control group， the contents or activities of TC， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， TBA， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in serum were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the contents of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） in the high-fat diet group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The hepatocyte was clearly swollen like ballooning degeneration， with a lot of fat vacuoles and red fat droplets. The contents of TC and TBA in liver tissue and feces were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the mRNA and protein expression levels of PPARγ， LXRα， ABCG1， and CYP7A1 in liver tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the high-fat diet group， the contents or activities of TC， TG， LDL-C， TBA， AST， and ALT in the serum of rats in administered groups were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while the content of HDL-C was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Hepatocyte swelling was significantly reduced， and the ballooning degeneration， fat vacuoles， and red lipid droplets in liver tissue were significantly decreased. The contents of TC and TBA in liver tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the contents of TC and TBA in feces were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PPARγ， LXRα， ABCG1， and CYP7A1 in liver tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionTotal saponin of Astragali Radix-total alkaloids of Nelumbinis Folium has a positive effect on the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia rats， and its mechanism may be related to the activation of PPARγ/LXRα/ABCG1 signaling pathway and regulation of RCT.

Objective:To analyze the methylation characteristics of the lymphocyte-specific protein-tyrosine kinase (LCK) promoter region in the peripheral blood circulation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and its correlation with clinical indicators.Methods:Targeted methylation sequencing was used to compare the methylation levels of 7 CpG sites in the LCK promoter region in the peripheral blood of RA patients with healthy controls (HC) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Correlation analysis and ROC curve construction were performed with clinical information.Results:Non-parametric tests revealed that compared with HC [0.53(0.50, 0.57)] and OA patients [0.59(0.54, 0.62), H=47.17, P<0.001], RA patients [0.63(0.59, 0.68)] exhibited an overall increase in methylation levels. Simultaneously, when compared with the HC group [0.38(0.35, 0.41), 0.59(0.55, 0.63), 0.60(0.55, 0.64), 0.59(0.55, 0.63), 0.58(0.53, 0.62), 0.45(0.43, 0.49), 0.57(0.54, 0.61)], the RA group [0.46(0.42, 0.49), 0.70(0.65, 0.75), 0.70(0.66, 0.76), 0.70(0.65, 0.75), 0.69(0.64, 0.74), 0.55(0.51, 0.59), 0.68(0.63, 0.73)] showed a significant elevation in methylation levels at CpG sites cg05350315_60, cg05350315_80, cg05350315_95, cg05350315_101, cg05350315_104, cg05350315_128, and cg05350315_142, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-5.63, -5.89, -5.91, -5.89, -5.98, -5.95, -5.95, all P<0.001). Compared with the OA group [0.65(0.59, 0.69), 0.65(0.60, 0.69), 0.64(0.58, 0.68), 0.50(0.45, 0.54), 0.63(0.58, 0.67)], the RA group [0.70(0.66, 0.76), 0.70(0.65, 0.75), 0.69(0.64, 0.74), 0.55(0.51, 0.59), 0.68(0.63, 0.73)] exhibited a significant increase in methylation levels at CpG sites cg05350315_95, cg05350315_101, cg05350315_104, cg05350315_128, and cg05350315_142, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.56, -3.52, -3.60, -3.67, -3.62; P=0.036, 0.042, 0.031, 0.030, 0.030). Furthermore, Pearson correlation coefficient analysis revealed a positive correlation between the overall methylation level in this region and C-reactive protein (CRP) ( r=0.19, P=0.004) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( r=0.14, P=0.035). The overall methylation level of the LCK promoter region in the CRP (low) group [0.63 (0.58, 0.68)] was higher than that in the CRP (high) group [0.65(0.61, 0.70)], with statistically significant differences ( Z=2.60, P=0.009). Finally, by constru-cting a ROC curve, the discriminatory efficacy of peripheral blood LCK promoter region methylation levels for identifying RA patients, especially seronegative RA patients, from HC and OA groups was validated, with an AUC value of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.93). Conclusion:This study provides insights into the methylation status and methylation haplotype patterns of the LCK promoter region in the peripheral blood of RA patients. The overall methylation level in this region is positively correlated with the level of inflammation and can be used to differentiate seronegative RA patients from the HC and OA patients.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of long intramedullary nails versus short intramedullary nails in the treatment of AO/OTA 31-A3 intertrochanteric fractures.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients with AO/OTA 31-A3 intertrochanteric femur fractures treated between March 2019 and August 2022. The patients were randomly divided into two groups (the long nail group and the short nail group). Thirty-four patients were treated with long intramedullary nails, including 16 males and 18 females, aged 68.41±17.84 years old (range 31-96 years). Twenty-six patients were treated with short intramedullary nails, including 13 males and 13 females, aged 72.23±13.97 years old (range 31-90 years). The causes of injury, fracture classification (AO/OTA classification), intraoperative blood loss, operation time, fracture healing time, imaging indexes (fracture reduction quality, postoperative neck trunk angle, and medial support), Harris score of the hip joint at the last follow-up, one-year mortality rates and complications were compared between the two groups.Results:The follow-up time was 24.26±6.67 months in the long nail group and 24.31±5.60 months in the short nail group, and the general information of the two groups were comparable. Between the long nail and short nail group, the intraoperative blood loss was 281.47±235.28 ml vs. 121.92±84.14 ml and the operation time was 110.44±24.63 min vs. 81.15±28.54 min with significant differences ( P<0.05). While the length of hospital stay was 12.35±4.81 d vs. 10.89±4.30 d, the good rate of fracture reduction was 55.9% vs. 61.53%, the fracture healing time was 120.44±16.43 d vs. 128.07±18.33 d, the presence rate of medial support was 67.6% vs. 79.4%, and the excellent rate of Harris score was 65.4% vs. 65.4% with no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). One-year mortality rates was 5.3% vs. 7.1% and complications was 11.7% vs. 15.4% with no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Both long intramedullary nails and short intramedullary nails are effective in the treatment of AO/OTA 31-A3 intertrochanteric femur fractures. However, surgical time and intraoperative blood loss was less in the short nail group.

The emergence of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has greatly promoted the genetic research of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P). There have been more than 40 regions concerning NSCL/P identified by GWAS, whereas specific susceptible loci and their potential function remains unclear. In the post-GWAS era, precise localization of susceptible loci in candidate regions and exploration of underlying biological mechanism will contribute to further understanding of genetic etiology of NSCL/P. The present article reviewed the genetic and functional research strategies of NSCL/P in post-GWAS era.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in middle-aged and elderly people. In particular, increasing evidence has showed that astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of PD. As a precious traditional Chinese medicine, bear bile powder (BBP) has a long history of use in clinical practice. It has numerous activities, such as clearing heat, calming the liver wind and anti-inflammation, and also exhibits good therapeutic effect on convulsive epilepsy. However, whether BBP can prevent the development of PD has not been elucidated. Hence, this study was designed to explore the effect and mechanism of BBP on suppressing astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation in a mouse model of PD. PD-like behavior was induced in the mice by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) (30 mg·kg^-1) for five days, followed by BBP (50, 100, and 200 mg·kg^-1) treatment daily for ten days. LPS stimulated rat C6 astrocytic cells were used as a cell model of neuroinflammation. THe results indicated that BBP treatment significantly ameliorated dyskinesia, increased the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and inhibited astrocyte hyperactivation in the substantia nigra (SN) of PD mice. Furthermore, BBP decreased the protein levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and up-regulated the protein levels of takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) in the SN. Moreover, BBP significantly activated TGR5 in a dose-dependent manner, and decreased the protein levels of GFAP, iNOS and COX2, as well as the mRNA levels of GFAP, iNOS, COX2, interleukin (IL) -1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in LPS-stimulated C6 cells. Notably, BBP suppressed the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) proteins in vivo and in vitro. We also observed that TGR5 inhibitor triamterene attenuated the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of BBP on LPS-stimulated C6 cells. Taken together, BBP alleviates the progression of PD mice by suppressing astrocyte-mediated inflammation via TGR5.
Humans ; Mice ; Rats ; Animals ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease/pathology* ; Astrocytes/pathology* ; Powders/therapeutic use* ; Ursidae/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/metabolism* ; Cyclooxygenase 2/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Bile ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microglia ; Disease Models, Animal

In the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by dysregulated lipid metabolism in hepatocytes, the quest for safe and effective therapeutics targeting lipid metabolism has gained paramount importance. Sanhuang Xiexin Tang (SXT) and Baihu Tang (BHT) have emerged as prominent candidates for treating metabolic disorders. SXT combined with BHT plus Cangzhu (SBC) has been used clinically for Weihuochisheng obese patients. This retrospective analysis focused on assessing the anti-obesity effects of SBC in Weihuochisheng obese patients. We observed significant reductions in body weight and hepatic lipid content among obese patients following SBC treatment. To gain further insights, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of SBC in HFD-fed mice. The results demonstrated that SBC treatment mitigated body weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice. Pharmacological network analysis suggested that SBC may affect lipid metabolism, mitochondria, inflammation, and apoptosis-a hypothesis supported by the hepatic transcriptomic analysis in HFD-fed mice treated with SBC. Notably, SBC treatment was associated with enhanced hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis and the inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/NF-κB pathways. In conclusion, SBC treatment alleviates NAFLD in both obese patients and mouse models by improving lipid metabolism, potentially through enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. These effects, in turn, ameliorate inflammation in hepatocytes.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Retrospective Studies ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Obesity/metabolism* ; Liver ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Body Weight ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipids ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects*

Objective To explore the application value of automatic cytomorphological analyzer in the morphological analysis of white blood cells(WBC)in peripheral blood.Methods A total of 306 venous blood samples from inpatients and outpatients were randomly selected and prepared with automatic cytomorphological analyzer for WBC pre-classification.The differences between automatic cytomorphological analyzer counting,automatic blood cell analyzer counting and manual counting were compared,and the correlation between automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting method was analyzed.Results Compared with the other two methods,the automatic cytomorphologi-cal analyzer was able to detect more types of WBC,especially abnormal cells.There were no signifi-cant differences between automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting method for 6 ma-ture WBC types(band neutrophils,segmented neutrophils,lymphocytes,monocytes,eosinophils,and basophils),immature cells at different stages and atypical lymphocyte counts(P＞0.05).Re-sults of the 6 mature WBC types counted by the automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting had favorable correlations(r＞0.8).Conclusion The automatic cytomorphological analyzer can classify more types of WBC,provide WBC counting results that are highly consistent with manual microscopy,and the counting results of the two methods have a good correlation.

Objective To explore the application value of automatic cytomorphological analyzer in the morphological analysis of white blood cells(WBC)in peripheral blood.Methods A total of 306 venous blood samples from inpatients and outpatients were randomly selected and prepared with automatic cytomorphological analyzer for WBC pre-classification.The differences between automatic cytomorphological analyzer counting,automatic blood cell analyzer counting and manual counting were compared,and the correlation between automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting method was analyzed.Results Compared with the other two methods,the automatic cytomorphologi-cal analyzer was able to detect more types of WBC,especially abnormal cells.There were no signifi-cant differences between automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting method for 6 ma-ture WBC types(band neutrophils,segmented neutrophils,lymphocytes,monocytes,eosinophils,and basophils),immature cells at different stages and atypical lymphocyte counts(P＞0.05).Re-sults of the 6 mature WBC types counted by the automatic cytomorphological analyzer and manual counting had favorable correlations(r＞0.8).Conclusion The automatic cytomorphological analyzer can classify more types of WBC,provide WBC counting results that are highly consistent with manual microscopy,and the counting results of the two methods have a good correlation.

Objective:To investigate the demand and influencing factors of home care social support services for the elderly with dementia in urban areas, and provide a decision-making basis for improving home care social support services for the elderly with dementia.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. From March 2021 to March 2022, 386 family caregivers of elderly people with dementia were randomly selected from tertiary hospitals in four central urban areas of Wuhan by stratified sampling method. A questionnaire was used to investigate the current situation and attributes of the demand for home care social support services for the elderly with dementia in urban areas. The importance of the demand for home care social support services for the elderly with dementia in urban areas was calculated by the Better-Worse coefficient method and sensitivity formula method. The optimal scale regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors and influencing forces of independent variables on service demand.Results:The score of social support service demand for home care was (88.6 ± 29.71) points. The Better coefficient of demand for all social support services was greater than the absolute value of the Worse coefficient. One requirement (pressure ulcer prevention and treatment guidance) was a one-dimensional attribute, and the remaining 29 items were charm attributes. The top 6 items in importance ranking were 2 items of informational support (pressure ulcer prevention and treatment guidance; telephone counselling guidance for family caregivers), 1 items of instrumental support (financial assistance for family caregivers) and 3 items of social companionship support(cultural recreation/physical activity activities, door-to-door accompaniment, accompany the elderly to social activities). Optimal scale regression model test: all four models of social support service demand were statistically significant ( F values were 2.75-4.23, all P <0.01). The gender, education level, number of children of the elderly with dementia, age,education level, self rated physical condition of family caregivers, the average monthly income of families, and the relationship between family caregivers and the elderly with dementia were the influencing factors of self-esteem support (all P<0.05). The educational level, marital status, type of dementia of the elderly with dementia, educational level, self rated physical condition of family caregivers, the average monthly income of the family, and the relationship between family caregivers and the elderly with dementia were the influencing factors of informational support (all P <0.05). The educational level and type of dementia of the elderly with dementia, the educational level, self rated physical condition of family caregivers, and the average monthly income of families were the influencing factors of social companionship support (all P <0.05). The type of dementia of the elderly with dementia, the self rated physical condition of family caregivers, the average monthly income of families, and the relationship between family caregivers and elderly relatives were the influencing factors of instrumental support (all P <0.05). Five times for caregiver human resources, 3 times for family economic resources and 3 times for the elderly with dementia, and 1 time for relatives resource factors were the top 3 times of independent variable influence force entered the ranking. Conclusions:The demand for social support services for home care of the elderly with dementia is low, with the characteristics of expectant tendency and centralized demand. The provision of home-based care social support services should give priority to meeting the needs of "pressure ulcer prevention and treatment guidance", and provide financial assistance, counseling and guidance, social companionship and other services as much as possible. Caregiver human resources are the key factors affecting home care social support services, family economic resources and the elderly with dementia are important factors, it is recommended to fully tap the potential of relatives resources and community resources.

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy and mechanism of Danshen Zexie decoction in treating the rats with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）. MethodSixty male SD rats were randomized into control group， model group， essentiale （polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules， 0.144 g·kg^-1） group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Danshen Zexie decoction （1.16， 2.32， and 4.64 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. The rat model of MAFLD was established with high fat diet， and 8-week therapy started at the induction of MAFLD. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， as well as the liver levels of TC， TG， free fatty acid （FFA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA）， were measured. The pathological changes of liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and oil red O staining， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area were calculated. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the liver was detected by immunofluorescence. The protein levels of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， p-AMPK， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit （GCLC）， glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit （GCLM）， and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate： quinine oxidoreductase （NQO1） in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with control group， the modeling of MAFLD elevated the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of SOD and GSH and down-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylation（p）-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further， a large number of lipid droplet vacuoles and balloon-like lesions appeared in the hepatocytes， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area increased in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， Danshen Zexie decoction lowered the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， increased the levels of SOD and GSH and up-regulated the protein levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the decoction alleviated the degree of liver steatosis （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanshen Zexie decoction protects against MAFLD by activating AMPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.