A primary hallmark of pathological cardiac hypertrophy is excess protein synthesis due to enhanced translational activity. However, regulatory mechanisms at the translational level under cardiac stress remain poorly understood. Here we examined the translational regulations in a mouse cardiac hypertrophy model induced by transaortic constriction (TAC) and explored the conservative networks versus the translatome pattern in human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The results showed that the heart weight to body weight ratio was significantly elevated, and the ejection fraction and fractional shortening significantly decreased 8 weeks after TAC. Puromycin incorporation assay showed that TAC significantly increased protein synthesis rate in the left ventricle. RNA-seq revealed 1,632 differentially expressed genes showing functional enrichment in pathways including extracellular matrix remodeling, metabolic processes, and signaling cascades associated with pathological cardiomyocyte growth. When combined with ribosome profiling analysis, we revealed that translation efficiency (TE) of 1,495 genes was enhanced, while the TE of 933 genes was inhibited following TAC. In DCM patients, 1,354 genes were upregulated versus 1,213 genes were downregulated at the translation level. Although the majority of the genes were not shared between mouse and human, we identified 93 genes, including Nos3, Kcnj8, Adcy4, Itpr1, Fasn, Scd1, etc., with highly conserved translational regulations. These genes were remarkably associated with myocardial function, signal transduction, and energy metabolism, particularly related to cGMP-PKG signaling and fatty acid metabolism. Motif analysis revealed enriched regulatory elements in the 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs) of transcripts with differential TE, which exhibited strong cross-species sequence conservation. Our study revealed novel regulatory mechanisms at the translational level in cardiac hypertrophy and identified conserved translation-sensitive targets with potential applications to treat cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in the clinic.
Animals ; Humans ; Cardiomegaly/physiopathology* ; Ribosomes/physiology* ; Protein Biosynthesis/physiology* ; Mice ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/genetics* ; Ribosome Profiling

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

By consulting the ancient and moderm literature， this paper makes a textual research on the name， origin， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing of Olibanum， so as to provide a basis for the development of the famous classical formulas containing this medicinal material. According to the herbal textual research， the results showed that Olibanum was first described as a medicinal material by the name of Xunluxiang in Mingyi Bielu（《名医别录》）， until Ruxiang had been used as the correct name since Bencao Shiyi（《本草拾遗》） in Tang dynasty. The main origin was Boswellia carterii from Burseraceae family. The mainly producing areas in ancient description were ancient India and Arabia， while the modern producing areas are Somalia， Ethiopia and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The medicinal part of Olibanum in ancient and modern times is the resin exuded from the bark， which has been mainly harvested in spring and summer. It is concluded that the better Olibanum has light yellow， granular， translucent， no impurities such as sand and bark， sticky powder and aromatic smell. There were many processing methods in ancient times， including cleansing（water flying， removing impurities）， grinding（wine grinding， rush grinding）， frying（stir-frying， rush frying， wine frying）， degreasing， vinegar processing， decoction. In modern times， the main processing methods are simplified to cleansing， stir-frying and vinegar processing. Nowadays， the commonly used specifications include raw， fried and vinegar-processed products. Among the three specifications， raw products is the Olibanum after cleansing， fried products is a kind of Olibanum processed by frying method， vinegar-processed products is the processed products of pure frankincense mixed with vinegar. Based on the research results， it is recommended to select the resin exuded from the bark of B. carterii for the famous classical formulas such as Juanbitang containing Olibanum， processing method should be carried out in accordance with the processing requirements of the formulas， otherwise used the raw products if the formulas without clear processing requirements.

Biosensor analysis technology is a kind of technology with high specificity that can convert biological reactions into optical and electrical signals. In the development of drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to different disease hypotheses and targets, this technology plays an important role in confirming targets and screening active compounds. This paper briefly describes the pathogenesis of AD and the current situation of therapeutic drugs, introduces three biosensor analysis techniques commonly used in the discovery of AD drugs, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), biolayer interferometry (BLI) and fluorescence analysis technology, explains its basic principle and application progress, and summarizes their advantages and limitations respectively.

Objective To observe the improvement of motor dysfunction and serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),blood glucose and blood lipid in post-stroke patients treated with scalp acupuncture at different needle retention time.Methods A total of 120 patients with motor dysfunction after stroke were randomly divided into control group,observation group 1 and observation group 2,with 40 cases in each group.The patients in the 3 groups were treated with scalp acupuncture,body acupuncture and routine rehabilitation exercise,once a day and 6 times a week,lasting for 2 weeks.The control group was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 30 minutes,the observation group 1 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for one hour,and the observation group 2 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 2 hours.Before and after treatment,the 3 groups were observed in the changes of the scale scores of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),Fugl-Meyer Assessment(FM A),Berg Balance Scale(BBS)and modified Barthel Index(MBI),and the levels of laboratory indicators of peripheral blood CRP,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C).After treatment,the clinical safety of the three groups was evaluated.Results(1)After treatment,the scale scores of NIHSS in the three groups were lower(P＜0.01)and the scale scores FMA,BBS and MBI were higher than those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The comparison of post-treatment scale scores showed that the differences among the three groups were statistically significant(P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the decrease of NIHSS score and the increase of FMA,BBS and MBI scores in the observation group 2 were significantly superior to those in the control group and the observation group 1(P＜0.01);the improvement of FMA score in the observation group 1 was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01),while the improvement of NIHSS,BBS and MBI scores tended to be superior to that in the control group without statistically significant differences(P＞0.05).The results indicated that the curative effect of scalp acupuncture plus exercise regimen was positively correlated with the duration of needle retention for scalp acupuncture.(2)After treatment,the laboratory indicator levels of CRP and FPG in the peripheral blood of the three groups,the levels of TG and LDL-C in the two observation groups and the level of HDL-C in the observation group 2 were improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Statistically significant differences were presented in the post-treatment levels of CRP and TG in peripheral blood among the three groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the improvement of CRP and TG levels in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the improvement of CRP level in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the observation group 1,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The TC level in the three groups after treatment did not differ from that before treatment,and there was no significant difference in TC level after treatment among the three groups either(P＞0.05).(3)During the treatment,no adverse reactions such as fainting,needle breaking and hematoma occurred in the three groups,the vital signs of the patients were stable,and there were no obvious abnormal changes in pulse,blood pressure and respiratory rate.Conclusion Scalp acupuncture can effectively improve the motor function of post-stroke patients in a pasitive time-effect relationship with the needle retention,and better the curative effect can be achieved by retaining of the needle for 2 h.

The gallium-based liquid metals were introduced in terms of the advantages when applied in medical field,application status in medical imaging,drug delivery,antibiosis and tumor therapy and cutting-edge application in flexible e-skin,wearable sensor and flexible medical device.The deficiencies of the gallium-based liquid metals in durability,potential toxicity,high cost of preparation and difficulty of process control were analyzed when applied in medical fields.The future development directions of the gallium-based liquid metals were pointed out.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):97-102]

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Shuilu Erxian Pills combined with Modified Didang Decoction on patients with early and middle stage diabetic nephropathy.METHODS Eighty-three patients were randomly assigned into control group(42 cases)for 12-week administration of Irbesartan Tablets,and observation group(41 cases)for 12-week administration of Shuilu Erxian Pills,Modified Didang Decoction and Irbesartan Tablets.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,blood glucose indices(FBG,HbA1c),blood lipid indices(TC,TG),renal function indices(BUN,Scr,24 h UTP,eGFR),inflammatory factors(IL-1β,hs-CRP,IL-6,TNF-α,IL-18,TGF-β1),immune function indices(lymphocyte,neutrophil,CD8+,CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+)and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the observation group displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,blood glucose indices,blood lipid indices,BUN,Scr,24 h UTP,inflammatory factors,CD8+(P＜0.05),reduced lymphocyte,neutrophil(P＜0.05),and increased eGFR,CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+(P＜0.05),which were more obvious than those in the control group(except for HbA1c,TG,SCr,24 h UTP,lymphocyte,neutrophil)(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with early and middle stage diabetic nephropathy,Shuilu Erxian Pills combined with Modified Didang Decoction can safely and effectively improve clinical symptoms,whose mechanism may contribute to the reduction of inflammatory levels and improvement of immune functions.

Objective To investigate the impacts of catalpol(CAT)on lead-induced neurotoxicity of PC 12 cells by regulating Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)signal pathway.Methods PC 12 cells were randomly grouped into blank group(blank medium treatment),model group(25 μmol·L-1 lead acetate),experimental-L group(25 μmol·L-1 lead acetate+2.5 mg·L-1 CAT),experimental-H group(25 μmol·L-1 lead acetate+5.0 mg·L-1 CAT)and experimental-H+colivelin group(25μmol·L-1lead acetate+5.0 mg·L-1CAT+0.5 μmol·L-1 colivelin).Lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)assay was applied to detect cell damage;the apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry;the level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)was detected by fluorescence staining;the mRNA expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction;Western blot was applied to detect the expression of JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway and apoptosis-related proteins in cells.Results The expression levels of B cell lymphomal/leukemia-2 protein in the blank group,model group,experimental-H group,experimental-H+colivelin group were 0.80±0.08,0.33±0.03,0.74±0.07 and 0.45±0.04;the cell LDH levels were(214.28±12.07),(376.50±28.46),(243.25±14.88)and(332.49±18.15)U·L-1;the ROS relative fluorescence intensity were 1.00±0.00,1.89±0.19,1.20±0.12 and 1.75±0.17;the cell apoptosis rates were(4.35±0.57)％,(26.59±1.96)％,(11.07±1.08)％and(21.63±2.06)％;the expression levels of JAK2 mRNA were 1.00±0.00,1.86±0.18,1.28±0.13 and 1.30±0.13;the expression levels of STAT3 mRNA were 1.00±0.00,1.94±0.19,1.34±0.13 and 1.72±0.17;the phosphorylation levels of p-JAK2/JAK2 were 0.26±0.03,0.78±0.08,0.38±0.04 and 0.36±0.07;the phosphorylation levels of p-STAT3/STAT3 were 0.23±0.02,0.84±0.08,0.42±0.04 and 0.75±0.07;the expression levels of Bax protein in cells were 0.31±0.03,0.86±0.08,0.40±0.04 and 0.69±0.07.The above indicators in the model group showed statistically significant differences compared to the blank group(all P＜0.05);the above indicators in the experimental-H group showed statistically significant differences compared to the model group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion CAT may reduce the lead-induced neurotoxicity of PC 12 cells by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway.

In order to provide the basis for the development of famous classical formulas， the name， origin， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing of Eucommiae Cortex were systematically researched by consulting the ancient herbal and medical books， combining with the modern literature. According to the textual research， materia medica in the past dynasties used Eucommiae Cortex as the correct name. Combined with characteristics， origin and efficacy， Eucommiae Cortex in ancient times to the present is the dry bark of Eucommia ulmoides from family Eucommiaceae. The earliest producing areas of Eucommiae Cortex are Henan， Shanxi， Shaanxi and Sichuan. Since the Ming dynasty， the producing areas have expanded to most of the regions in the country， and Sichuan， Shaanxi， Chongqing， Guizhou and Hubei are regarded as the authentic producing areas. It has been concluded that the quality of Eucommiae Cortex is best if the bark has thick body， large block， scraped rough skin， multi silk section and dark purple internal surface. In ancient times， the processing methods of Eucommiae Cortex were mainly included removing rough bark and cutting for raw use， processing with auxiliary materials such as honey， ginger juice， salt water， wine， and so on. While in modern times， the processing methods have become increasingly simplified which are mainly cutting raw materials after cleansing and salt processing. It is need to excavate the connotation of different processed products and restore the traditional main processing methods through standards. Based on the requirement of Eucommiae Cortex in Sanbitang， it is suggested to use ginger-processed products according to the research results， which is used ginger juice as auxiliary material and processed with stir frying method according to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Aim To investigate the effect of curcumin extract on melanin production and melanosome transport, and to explore the possible mechanism of the curcumin extract on microenvironment. Methods (1) B16F10 and HaCaT cells were cultured with different concentrations of curcumin. The proliferation ability was detected by MTT method. Melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity in B16F10 cells were detected by NaOH pyrolysis method and Oxidation dopamine response in vitro. The expression levels of key proteins were detected by Western blot. (2) B16F10 cells were cultured with different concentrations of ISG15 protein. NaOH pyrolysis method and Oxidation dopamine response in vitro were used to detect melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity in B16F10 cells. Results Curcumin could directly inhibited tyrosinase activity and melanin production, and inhibit melanocyte migration within a certain concentration range. ISG15 protein could enhance the melanin production, tyrosinase activity. Curcumin could reduce the expression of the ISG15 in HaCaT cell, change the microenvironment of melanocyte, and indirectly inhibit melanin synthesis through ISG15. Conclusions In addition to directly inhibiting melanin synthesis, curcumin can also play an indirect role in inhibiting melanin synthesis by inhibiting the expression of ISG15 protein and altering the microenvironment of melanocytes.