Aromatic Chinese medicinal essential oils are volatile oils extracted from aromatic Chinese herbs， which can prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases through multiple synergistic mechanisms including pathogen inhibition， immune regulation， and inflammatory response regulation. Essential oils are primarily used externally on the body to prevent infections and alleviate symptoms through methods like inhalation， smearing， topical application， bathing， gargling or as a suppository. They can also be utilized in the environment for disinfection and air purification， through methods like diffusion， vaporization， or spraying. The external application of essential oils extracted from Chinese aromatic herbs has the advantages of convenience， quick absorption， and simultaneous influence on both the body and mind. However， there are still challenges and deficiencies in aspects such as the positioning of functions， indications， safety， and the research on the mechanism of action. It has been proposed to combine the theory of aromatic Chinese medicinals with the characteristics of essential oils， and formulate prescriptions of Chinese medicinal essential oils under the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation， and prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases efficiently， accurately， and safely， thereby expanding the clinical application of aromatic Chinese medicinals and the preventive theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of multiparametric imaging on the dual-source CT through acceptance and commissioning testing, and to provide a reference for standardized clinical application. Methods Both the adult and pediatric dual-source CT scanning modes were used to scan the electron density phantom, and identical multiparametric image reconstruction tasks were performed, including the conventional CT images, the mixed CT images, the virtual monoenergetic images, the iodine images, the electron density images, and the effective atomic number images. Results In the adult scanning mode, the virtual monoenergetic CT numbers showed the greatest difference for the cortical bone (1722 HU at 40 keV vs. 30 HU at 80 keV), with smaller differences observed for other materials as their atomic numbers decreased. The pediatric scanning mode exhibited a similar trend, with the largest difference occurring at 40 keV (1393 HU). In the adult scanning mode, the deviations between the theoretical and measured iodine concentration values were all within 5%, whereas in the pediatric scanning mode, the largest deviation was 15% for an iodine concentration of 2.0 mg/mL. For the electron density, the largest deviation between the theoretical and measured values occurred in the LN450 lung (9.18% in the adult scanning mode and 8.96% in the pediatric scanning mode); the deviations for the LN300 lung were all below 7.2%, for aluminum below 6.3%, and for other tissues within 3%. For the effective atomic number, the deviations between the theoretical and measured values were all within 5% in both scanning modes. Conclusion To ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of the dual-source CT applications, a comprehensive acceptance testing protocol should be established to guarantee the safety and precision of the CT localization process.

Stress is a critical inducer in the onset and progression of many chronic diseases. Prolonged or intense stress can disrupt the overall balance between the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. The resulting biological signals may act on corresponding receptors in the cervical spine region, leading to adverse pathological changes. The vertebral artery and the surrounding muscular and connective tissues are influenced by biomechanical abnormalities and inflammatory cascades associated with cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (CSA), which promotes the release of various hormones. These hormones, through the neuroendocrine-immune system, affect the central nervous system, inducing or exacerbating negative emotional feedback and thereby establishing a "central-local-central" vicious cycle. This article explores the mechanisms underlying the impact of stress on the key CSA symptoms through the neuroendocrine-immune network (NEI) theory, providing a more comprehensive framework for targeted therapeutic interventions in CSA.
Humans ; Neurosecretory Systems/immunology* ; Spondylosis/etiology* ; Vertebral Artery/immunology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications* ; Chronic Disease

Although a single nucleotide polymorphism for N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) has been identified in patients with early-onset stroke, the role of NAT10 in ischemic injury and the related underlying mechanisms remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence that NAT10, the only known RNA N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification "writer", is increased in the damaged cortex of patients with acute ischemic stroke and the peri-infarct cortex of mice subjected to photothrombotic (PT) stroke. Pharmacological inhibition of NAT10 with remodelin on Days 3-7 post-stroke or astrocytic depletion of NAT10 via targeted virus attenuates ischemia-induced infarction and improves functional recovery in PT mice. Mechanistically, NAT10 enhances ac4C acetylation of the inflammatory cytokine tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (Timp1) mRNA transcript, which increases TIMP1 expression and results in the accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and progression of astrocyte autophagy. These findings demonstrate that NAT10 regulates astrocyte autophagy by targeting Timp1 ac4C after stroke. This study highlights the critical role of ac4C in the regulation of astrocyte autophagy and proposes a promising strategy to improve post-stroke outcomes via NAT10 inhibition.

Advanced atherosclerosis is the major global cause of death, as featured by the aggregation of apoptotic cells (ACs) in necrotic cores. The defective efferocytosis and dysfunctional cholesterol efflux of macrophages are the main reasons for forming necrotic cores in advanced atherosclerosis. In this study, we constructed self-assembled procyanidins (PC) NPs for loading pitavastatin (Pita). The designed HA@PC@Pita NPs with hyaluronic acid (HA) modification combined the advantages of efferocytosis restoration of Pita and cholesterol efflux enhancement of PC. In vitro assay indicated that HA@PC@Pita NPs could induce M1/M2 repolarization and upregulate ERK5/Mertk expression to restore efferocytosis of macrophages. Simultaneously, HA@PC@Pita NPs notably promoted cholesterol efflux by promoting macrophage lipophagy, a selective autophagy of lipid droplets. In vivo study showed that HA@PC@Pita NPs cleared necrotic core and enhanced plaque stability in the ApoE ^-/- mice model with advanced atherosclerosis. Taken together, this study demonstrated the potential of HA@PC@Pita NPs for the treatment of advanced atherosclerosis.

The microsphere drug delivery systems have been extensively exploited for providing controllable drug release kinetics, enhancing drug stability and localized drug delivery. In past decade, dozens of microsphere drug delivery systems have been developed for clinical therapy of cancer, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and Parkinsonism). In this review article, we comprehensively summarized the fabrication methods of drug delivery systems and highlighted their advances for clinical application. Furthermore, we analyzed the potential and the challenges for clinical translation of the drug delivery systems.

AIM:This study investigates the effect of fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21)long-acting ana-logue PF-05231023 on promoting the"browning"of white adipose tissue(WAT)by inhibiting mitophagy in WAT and the molecular mechanisms involved.METHODS:Using a high-fat diet(HFD)to replicate an obesity model in mice,18 C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups:normal control(NC)group,HFD group,and PF-05231023 intervention(PF+HFD)group,each consisting of 6 mice.After 12 weeks of feeding,the mice were anaesthetized,their eyeballs were removed to collect blood samples,and serum was separated to measure levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)、alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in mouse serum.The inguinal WAT(iWAT),epididymal WAT(eWAT)and liver were collected.Part of the tis-sues were used for Western blot experiments to measure the protein levels of"browning"related markers uncoupling pro-tein-1(Ucp-1)and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α),as well as mitophagy-related markers PTEN-induced kinase 1(Pink1),parkin,beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-Ⅱ(LC3-Ⅱ).Another part of the tissues was fixed in paraformaldehyde for subsequent HE and immunohistochemical staining.3T3-L1 cells were induced to mature adipocytes using the classic"cocktail"method.The CCK-8 assay was used to assess the impact of different concentrations of PF-05231023 intervention on cell viability.After 48 h of PF-05231023 intervention,the 3T3-L1 cell clumps were collected for Western blot experiments to measure the expression levels of"browning"related markers Ucp-1 and PGC-1α,as well as mitochondrial autophagy-related markers Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ proteins.Oil red O staining was performed to detect cell accumulation,and immunofluorescence staining was used to mea-sure Ucp-1 protein content.Subsequently,3T3-L1 cells were divided into the normal group,PF-05231023 intervention group,Pink1 agonist MTK458 intervention group,and MTK458+PF-05231023 intervention group.Cell clumps were col-lected for Western blot experiments to measure the markers as mentioned above.RESULTS:The key findings of our study indicate that the PF-05231023 intervention did not affect energy intake in mice but significantly reduced the weight,liver weight,and fat weight of mice induced by a high-fat diet(P<0.05).The intervention also decreased lipid accumula-tion(TC,TG、LDL-C)and liver damage(ALT,AST)and alleviated hepatocyte vacuolization and adipocyte size(P<0.05).Compared with the HFD group,the PF-05231023 intervention increased the levels of Ucp-1 and PGC-1α protein expression in iWAT and eWAT(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical staining showed higher Ucp-1 protein content in the PF-05231023 intervention group than in the HFD group.The PF-05231023 intervention dose-dependently increased Ucp-1 and PGC-1α protein expression levels in mature 3T3-L1 cells(P<0.01),reduced cellular lipid accumulation,and immu-nofluorescence staining showed increased Ucp-1 protein content in mature 3T3-L1 cells after PF-05231023 intervention.The PF-05231023 intervention inhibited mitochondrial autophagy-related indicators Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels in iWAT,eWAT,and induced mature 3T3-L1 cells(P<0.05).The MTK intervention increased Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels,increased Ucp-1 protein expression level,compared with the MTK intervention group,after MTK and PF-05231023 co-intervention,partially decreased Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels,and partially restored Ucp-1 protein expression level(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:(1)Intervention with PF-05231023 can improve obesity and related metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet in mice;(2)PF-05231023 intervention can inhibit white adipose tissue(WAT)and induce mature 3T3-L1 cell mitochondria autophagy,promoting"browning"by inhibiting mitochondrial autophagy;(3)Its mechanism may be related to the inhibi-tion of the Pink1-parkin signalling pathway.

Spinal muscular atrophy(SMA)is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder.With the emergence of disease-modifying therapies,the prognosis of SMA has significantly improved,drawing increased attention to the importance of home rehabilitation and nursing management.Long-term,standardized home rehabilitation and nursing can delay the progression of SMA,enhance the psychological well-being,and improve the quality of life of both patients and caregivers.This article provides an overview of the goals of home rehabilitation,basic functional training methods,respiratory management,and nutritional management for SMA patients,as well as psychological health issues,emphasizing the significance of obtaining appropriate home rehabilitation and support during the care process.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(4):420-424]

Objective To investigate the effect of erector spinae plane block on postoperative delirium and cognitive function in elderly patients with lung cancer undergoing thoracoscopic radical surgery.Methods A total of 90 elderly patients with lung cancer underwent thoracoscopic radical surgery were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group,with 45 cases in each group.The patients in the control group were given general anesthesia,while the patients in the observation group were given erector spinae plane block before general anesthesia.The vital signs at different time points,opioid dosage,number of analgesic pump compressions,incision pain visual analogue scale(VAS)score,cognitive function and postoperative delirium of patients between the two groups were compared.Results At the end of anesthesia,the mean arterial pressure(MAP)and heart rate of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The dosage of remifentanil during operation,sufentanil during perioperative period and number of analgesia pumps compressions of patients in the observation group were significantly less than those in the control group(P<0.05).The incision pain VAS scores 6 hours,12 hours,24 hours and 48 hours after surgery of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The scores of cognitive function 6 hours and 24 hours after surgery of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05);and the incidence of delirium 6 hours and 24 hours after surgery in the control group was significantly higher than those in the observation group(P<0.05).Conclusion Erector spinae plane block can significantly relieve the perioperative pain of elderly patients with lung cancer undergoing thoracoscopic radical surgery,reduce the dosage of opioids and the incidence of postoperative delirium,improve the postoperative cognitive function of patients,which provides a new idea for reducing the incidence of postoperative mental diseases.

Objective To explore the effects of different CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressures during operation on delirium and cognitive function of elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods A total of 92 elderly patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer were selected as the research subjects,and the patients were randomly divided into H group and L group,with 46 cases in each group.Patients in H group used CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressure of 15 mmHg during surgery,while patients in L group used CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressure of 11 mmHg during surgery.The cognitive function scores,postoperative delirium,blood gas analysis results,vital signs and adverse reactions during anesthesia awakening period of patients in the two groups were compared.Results The cognitive function scores 6 hours and 24 hours after surgery of patients in L group were significantly higher than those in H group(P<0.05).The incidences of delirium 6 hours and 24 hours after surgery in L group were significantly lower than those in H group(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate or pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2)before and after pneumoperitoneum of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).There were statistically significant differences in pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO2)at the end of pneumoperitoneum of patients between the two groups(P<0.05).The incidences of delayed awakening and agitation during the awakening period of patients in H group were significantly higher than those in L group(P<0.05).Conclusion For elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer,CO2 pneumoperitoneum of 11 mmHg pressure has a smaller effect on postoperative cognitive function and a lower incidence of postoperative delirium and adverse reactions during the awakening period,which may be related to the level of PaCO2 in the blood of patients,and should be paid attention to.