OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism by which the extract of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract promotes bone growth in mice by modulation of the expression of miR-34a-5p in brain tissue. METHODS: Mice were assigned to four experimental groups:a normal control group, a drug administration group (receiving 0.320 mg·g^-1 body weight of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract via intragastric administration), a positive control group (receiving 0.013 mg·g^-1 body weight of jujube seed saponin via intragastric administration), and a combination group administration with Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract plus a 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonist (intragastric administration of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract combined with intracerebroventricular injection of 8 μg P-MPPF per mice for the final three days of the experiment). Following a 20-day administration period, the effects of the interventions on bone growth, serum growth hormone (GH) levels, and 5-HT2AR expression in brain tissue were evaluated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that were differentially expressed in the brain tissues of mice exhibiting bone growth induced by Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract, as compared to those in normal mice, were identified using a gene chip approach. The interaction between miR-34a-5p and 5-HT2AR was subsequently validated through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chainreaction (RT-qPCR) and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. Subsequently, by utilizing the miR-34a-5p inhibitor group and mimics group, along with the normal control group, the drug administration group, the positive control group, and the drug administration combined with miR-34a-5p inhibitor group, the variations in 5-HT2AR expression in mouse brain tissue across all groups were examined, and the binding activity of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) to the 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor (5-HT1AR) in mice was assessed. RESULTS: The body lengths of the normal control group and the drug administration group were(8.9±0.3) and(10.4±0.4) cm;femur lengths were (8.5±0.3) and (9.1±0.5) mm;tibia lengths were (10.7±0.3) and (11.2±0.4) mm, respectively. The contents of GH levels were (58.6±8.2) and (72.9±6.1) ng·ml-1;and the contents of 5-HT2AR were (32.0±5.0) and (21.9± 5.5) ng·ml-1, respectively. Compared with the normal control group, the drug administration group promoted the growth of body length, femur, and tibia in mice, and increased GH secretion, showing statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Additionally, it significantly reduced the content of 5-HT2AR in brain tissue, with statistical significance (P<0.01). The gene chip analysis identified a total of 16 differentially expressed miRNAs, of which 13 were up-regulated and 3 were down-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the up-regulated miR-34a-5p could regulate the expression of 5-HT2AR, a prediction that was confirmed through a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, demonstrating a direct regulatory interaction between the two. Furthermore, in vivo experiments in mice revealed that overexpression and silencing of miR-34a-5p resulted in corresponding changes in the expression levels of 5-HT2AR in brain tissues/cells, as well as in the binding activity between 5-HT and 5-HT1AR. CONCLUSION The Semen Ziziphi Spinosae extract promotes animal bone growth by enhancing miR-34a-5p expression in brain tissue, downregulating the expression level of 5-HT2AR, improving the binding activity between 5-HT and 5-HT1AR, and extending slow-wave sleep duration, thereby stimulating GH secretion.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Mice ; Male ; Brain/metabolism* ; Ziziphus/chemistry* ; Bone Development/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Objective To study the changes of volume and cognitive function in hypothalamic subregions based on automated MRI segmentation at various stages of adult life and the correlation between them.Methods Totally 314 healthy subjects aged 20-89 years old were selected from the public database of Dallas Lifespan Brain Study(DLBS),and then divided into a youth group(20-35 years old),an early-middle age group(36-50 years old),a late-middle age group(51-65 years old)and an elderly age group(66-89 years old).The structural magnetic resonance imaging(sMRI)images of the 314 subjects were treated with Freesurfer software to determine the volumes of the anterosuperior,anterior-inferior,middle-superior,middle-inferior and posterior subregions of the right and left sides of the hypothalamus.Differences in hypothalamic subregion volumes between the 4 groups were compared using analysis of covariance,and multiple comparisons between the 4 groups were performed using Bonferroni correction.Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to analyze the correlations of the hypothalamic subregion volumes with the scores of mini mental state examination(MMSE),digit comparison(DC)test,digit symbol(DS)test,and Hopkins verbal learning test(HVLT).Results The volumes of all the hypothalamic subregions except the right anterior inferior part decreased significantly with age(P＜0.05).All the hypothalamic subregions except the right anterior inferior part had the volumes correlated with MMSE scores positively(P＜0.05);the DC test scores were correlated positively with all the hypothalamic subregion volumes(P＜0.05);the DS test scores were correlated positively with the volumes of the hypothalamic subregions except the bilateral anterior-inferior part(P＜0.05);the scores of HVLT immediate memory test were positively correlated with the anterior-superior,middle-superior and posterior subregion volumes of the right and left sides of the hypothalamus(P＜0.05);the scores of HVLT delayed memory test were correlated positively with the volumes of the bilat-eral anterior-superior and left-middle-superior subregions(P＜0.05);the scores of HVLT delayed recognition test did not cor-relate with all the hypothalamic subregions(P＞0.05);the volumes of the bilateral hypothalamus were positively correlated with the scores of MMSE,DC test,DS test and HVLT immediate memory test(P＜0.05).Conclusion Volume changes in some hy-pothalamic subregions are associated with age-related memory decline during adult aging,which can be used to assess the risk of memory loss throughout adulthood.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(5):8-15]

Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009 is a widely used natural oncolytic bacterium, which has great application potential given its unique characteristics, including clinical safety, tumor targeting specificity, and explicit genome sequence. Here, we show that tumor progression can be effectively reduced by intraperitoneal administration with VNP20009 in a mouse model of melanoma (all animal experiments were conducted in accordance with the Animal Ethics Committee of China Pharmaceutical University); co-culture experiment in vitro demonstrated that VNP20009 can induce the polarization of macrophage M1, accompanied by expression of inflammation-related factors; flow cytometry analysis showed that VNP20009 induced the increase of immune cell infiltration in tumor. Further analysis showed that T cells infiltration in tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) increased, and VNP20009 induced the activation of CD4⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells in tumor. Our results demonstrate that VNP20009 treatment significantly inhibited melanoma tumors by remodeling tumor-associated macrophages to an M1-like phenotype, as well as recruiting and activating cytotoxic T cells, combined with its own antigenic activity to exert anti-tumor immunity.

Objective: To explore the occupational protective effect of different protective devices on the operators during manual cleaning and oiling of dental handpieces, and to provide a basis for the selection of appropriate protective methods. Methods: From November 2020 to December 2021, 20 high-speed dental handpieces of the same brand were selected and randomly divided into disposable protective bag group and small aerosol safety cabinet group by drawing lots, with 10 in each group. After recording the model, they were distributed to the clinical fixed consulting room for use, and were collected by specially-assigned personnel every day for manual cleaning under the protection of the two devices. By measuring the number of airborne colonies, the concentrations of particulate matter and the satisfaction of operators, the occupational protection effect of the two protective devices on operators was evaluated. Results: Under the protection of the two devices, the average number of airborne colonies after operation was less than 1 CFU/ml. When no protective device was used, the number concentration of particulate matter produced during operation was (21595.70±8164.26) pieces/cm(3). The number concentrations of particles produced by disposable protective bag group [ (6800.24±515.05) pieces/cm(3)] and small aerosol safety cabinet group [ (5797.15±790.50) pieces/cm(3)] were significantly lower than those without any protective device (P<0.001). The number concentration of particle matter of small aerosol safety cabinet group was significantly lower than that of disposable protective bag group (P<0.001). In the satisfaction evaluation of operators, small aerosol safety cabinet group [ (3.53±0.82) points] was significantly better than disposable protective bag group [ (2.23±1.10) points] (P<0.001) . Conclusion: The use of small aerosol safety cabinet during manual cleaning and oiling of dental handpieces has good protective effect, superior safety performance and strong clinical applicability, and has advantages in occupational protection of clinical operators.
Aerosols ; Particulate Matter ; Protective Devices

Humans ; Brain Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Glioma/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities/metabolism* ; Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolism* ; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits/metabolism*

Objective: To systematically evaluate the acceptance of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China, so as to provide reference for the promotion of preventive drug use before human immunodeficiency virus exposure in China. Methods: By searching the databases of China national knowledge infrastructure, VIP database, Wanfan knowledge service platform, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and The Cochrane Library with key words of "men who have sex with men" "pre-exposure prophylaxis" "PrEP" and "MSM". The literature on the willingness of Chinese MSM population to accept PrEP was systematically collected, and the data of the literature meeting the inclusion criteria were extracted for Meta analysis. Results: A total of 12 articles were selected in this study, including 6 articles in English and 6 in Chinese. The score of bias risk assessment of eligible articles was 14-18, which was more than 70% of the total score. The total number of samples was 11 269. The overall acceptance rate of PrEP was 0.77(95%CI:0.71-0.82). In subgroup analysis, the acceptance rates of different nationalities, marriage, household registration, age, education background, income, sexual orientation, sexual behavior and awareness of PrEP were statistically significant. Conclusion: In general, the acceptance rate of PrEP in MSM population is higher, but the awareness rate is low. There are differences in the acceptance rate among different groups.
China/epidemiology* ; Female ; HIV Infections/prevention & control* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Homosexuality, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual and Gender Minorities

BACKGROUND: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) have emerged as potential alternatives to drug-eluting stents in specific lesion subsets for de novo coronary lesions. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a method based on the three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography and contrast flow velocity during coronary angiography (CAG), obviating the need for an invasive fractional flow reserve procedural. This study aimed to assess the serial angiographic changes of de novo lesions post-DCB therapy and further explore the cut-off values of lesion and vessel QFR, which predict vessel restenosis (diameter stenosis [DS] ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up. METHODS: The data of patients who underwent DCB therapy between January 2014 and December 2019 from the multicenter hospital were retrospectively collected for QFR analysis. From their QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images at follow-up, we divided them into two groups: group A, showing target vessel DS ≥50%, and group B, showing target vessel DS <50%. The median follow-up time was 287 days in group A and 227 days in group B. We compared the clinical characteristics, parameters during DCB therapy, and QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images between the two groups, in need to explore the cut-off value of lesion/vessel QFR which can predict vessel restenosis. Student's t test was used for the comparison of normally distributed continuous data, Mann-Whitney U test for the comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the evaluation of QFR performance which can predict vessel restenosis (DS ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up using the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 112 patients with 112 target vessels were enrolled in this study. Group A had 41 patients, while group B had 71. Vessel QFR and lesion QFR were lower in group A than in group B post-DCB therapy, and the cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR in the ROC analysis to predict target vessel DS ≥50% post-DCB therapy were 0.905 (AUC, 0.741 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.645, 0.837]; sensitivity, 0.817; specificity, 0.561; P < 0.001) and 0.890 (AUC, 0.796 [95% CI: 0.709, 0.882]; sensitivity, 0.746; specificity, 0.780; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR can assist in predicting the angiographic changes post-DCB therapy. When lesion/vessel QFR values are <0.905/0.890 post-DCB therapy, a higher risk of vessel restenosis is potentially predicted at follow-up.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Coronary Restenosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial ; Humans ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

After one-month of oral treatment with traditional Chinese medicine decoction, without using other drugs, the lung inflammatory exudate, pulmonary fibrosis and quality of life of a 61-year-old female patient with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were significantly improved. No recurrence or deterioration of the patient's condition was found within seven weeks of treatment and follow-up, and no adverse events occurred, indicating that oral Chinese medicine decoction was able to improve the pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in a patient recovering from COVID-19, but further research is still needed.
Administration, Oral ; COVID-19/virology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Exudates and Transudates ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation/etiology* ; Lung/pathology* ; Magnoliopsida ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/etiology* ; SARS-CoV-2

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with domestic prostheses in patients with severely stenotic bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods: This study was a prospective single-center non-randomized controlled study. Patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS), who underwent TAVR with domestic prostheses at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2016 to April 2020 were consecutively included in our study. Patients were divided into BAV group and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) group according to the aortic valve morphology. Baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes were compared between the two groups, and the primary endpoint was one-month all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 100 patients aged (69.8±8.9) years were enrolled, including 71 (71%) males. There were 51 cases in BAV group and 49 cases in TAV group. Compared with TAV group, patient in the BAV group was younger ((67.1±8.6) years vs. (72.7±8.4) years, P=0.002) and had larger ascending aortic diameter at proximal part ((39.7±5.7) mm vs. (36.0±4.2) mm, P<0.001), lower Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Predicted Risk of Mortality (STS-PROM) score (3.1 (1.9, 5.4) % vs. 5.9 (2.6, 12.3) %, P=0.002). In BAV group and TAV group, the incidence of 2nd prosthesis implantation was 15.7% (8/51) and 18.4% (9/49) (P=0.721), the incidence of moderate or severe paravalvular regurgitation was 2.0% (1/51) and 0 (P=1.000), the rate of device success was 82.4% (42/51) and 81.6% (40/49) (P=0.925), respectively. One-month all-cause mortality was 2.0% (1/51) and 10.2% (5/49) (P=0.108), respectively. Echocardiography showed that postprocedural mean pressure gradient (PGmean) was higher in the BAV group (13.0 (10.0, 16.0) mmHg vs. 9.0 (7.0, 14.0) mmHg, P=0.003) (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), but the PGmean decrease post procedure as compared with that before TAVR was similar between the two groups ((36.7±16.6) mmHg vs. (36.2±17.5) mmHg, P=0.893). Conclusion: Favorable safety and efficacy are evidenced in patients with severely stenotic BAV undergoing TAVR with domestic prostheses.