POEMS syndrome is a rare condition associated with plasma cell disorders， and it often involves multiple systems and has diverse clinical manifestations. This article reports two cases of POEMS syndrome with hepatosplenomegaly as the initial manifestation. During the course of the disease， the patients presented with lower limb weakness， hepatosplenomegaly， lymph node enlargement， ascites， hypothyroidism， positive M protein， and skin hyperpigmentation， and ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT imaging revealed bone lesions mainly characterized by osteolytic changes and plasma cell tumors. There was an increase in the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor. The patients were finally diagnosed with POEMS syndrome， and the symptoms were relieved after immunomodulatory treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the elderly population in rural areas of Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, and to provide an evidence for the development of LTBI prevention and control measures. MethodsBetween January and May 2024, elderly individuals participating in urban and rural residents’ health checkups were screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection using a domestically produced interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) kit. Individuals tested positive by IGRA but without active tuberculosis were classified as LTBI cases. The prevalence of LTBI among the participants was subsequently analyzed. ResultsAmong the 6 765 subjects, 637 tested positive by IGRA, including one identified active tuberculosis patient, resulting in a LTBI prevalence rate of 9.40%. There was a statistically significant difference in positivity rates across different IGRA methodologies (χ²=35.530, P<0.001). Higher LTBI rate was observed in males, individuals with a history of diabetes mellitus, and those with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis, exhibiting statistically significant differences (χ²=32.401, P<0.001; χ²=5.789, P=0.020; χ²=39.248, P<0.001, respectively.) No statistically significant difference in LTBI rate was found across different age groups (χ²=0.238, P=0.971). ConclusionThe prevalence of LTBI among the elderly rural residents in Changxing County is relatively low. Male, individuals with a history of diabetes mellitus, and those with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis have an increased risk of LTBI, warranting targeted risk monitoring and timely interventions.

Amoenucles A-F (1-6), six previously undescribed nucleoside derivatives, and two known analogs (7 and 8) were isolated from the culture of Aspergillus amoenus TJ507. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and chemical reactions. Notably, 3 and 4 represent the first reported instances of nucleosides with an attached pyrrole moiety. Of particular significance, the absolute configuration of the sugar moiety of 1-4 was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electric circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and a hydrolysis reaction, presenting a potentially valuable method for confirming nucleoside structures. Furthermore, 1, 2, and 5-8 exhibited potential tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitory activities, which may provide a novel chemical template for the development of agents targeting autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Aspergillus/chemistry* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Molecular Structure ; Nucleosides/isolation & purification* ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) remains a critical complication contributing to graft dysfunction following liver surgery. As part of an ongoing search for hepatoprotective natural products, five previously unreported homoadamantane-type polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs), named hyperhomanoons A-E (1-5), and one known analog, hypersampsone O (6), were isolated from Hypericum patulum. Among these, compound 6 demonstrated potent protective effects against CoCl₂-induced hypoxic injury in hepatocytes. Furthermore, in a murine model of hepatic IRI induced by vascular occlusion, pretreatment with 6 markedly alleviated liver damage and reduced hepatocyte apoptosis. This study is the first to identify PPAPs as promising scaffolds for the development of therapeutic agents targeting hepatic IRI, underscoring their potential as lead compounds in drug discovery efforts for ischemic liver diseases.
Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Animals ; Hypericum/chemistry* ; Phloroglucinol/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Humans ; Male ; Liver/blood supply* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Molecular Structure ; Protective Agents/pharmacology* ; Hepatocytes/drug effects* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Liver Diseases/drug therapy*

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Ershiwuwei Guijiu pill in preventing and treating postmenopausal osteoporosis （PMOP） by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway and inhibiting excessive autophagy. MethodFemale SD rats were ovariectomized and randomly divided into the sham operation group （Sham）， the operation group （OVX）， the Ershiwuwei Guijiu pill （GJ） group， and the raloxifene hydrochloride （RLX） group， with 10 rats in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and colorimetric methods were used to detect the levels of estrogen， bone metabolism markers in serum， and total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） in tibial tissue. Flow cytometry was used to detect reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Masson staining was used to observe pathological changes in the proximal tibia， and micro-computed tomography （Micro-CT） was used to observe changes in tibial microstructural parameters. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins Beclin1， microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 （LC3）， autophagy-related 5 （Atg5）， as well as PI3K， Akt， and mTOR in tibial tissue. ResultCompared with the Sham group， the OVX group showed a significant decrease in serum levels of estradiol （E₂） and calcium ion （Ca²⁺）， and T-SOD， GSH-Px， PI3K， Akt， and mTOR mRNA levels in bone tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly reduced bone mineral density （BMD）， bone surface/bone volume （BS/BV）， trabecular thickness （Tb.Th）， trabecular number （Tb.N）， and trabecular connectivity （Con） in the tibia （P<0.05， P<0.01）， thinner epiphyseal growth plate， and the bone marrow cavity filled with fat vacuoles. Moreover， the levels of phosphorus （P）， MDA， ROS， and mRNA and protein expression of Beclin1， LC3， and Atg5， as well as trabecular separation （Tb.Sp） were significantly elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the OVX group， the GJ and RLX groups showed significant increases in serum E₂ and Ca²⁺， and bone tissue levels of SOD， GSH-Px， and the mRNA levels of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly increased BMD， BS/BV， Tb.Th， Tb.N， and Con in the tibia， thickened epiphyseal growth plate， and significantly reduced fat vacuoles in the bone marrow cavity （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， the levels of P， MDA， ROS， Beclin1， LC3， Atg5 mRNA and proteins， and Tb.Sp were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and p-mTOR/mTOR， which were significantly reduced in the OVX group （P<0.01）， were significantly increased in the GJ and RLX groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe Ershiwuwei Guijiu pill reduces oxidative stress and inhibits autophagy， thereby preventing and treating postmenopausal osteoporosis. Its mechanism may be related to the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway， which inhibits autophagy.

This article introduced TCM master Zhang Zhen's experience of using theory of"one body with two wings,regulating qi movement"in the treatment of thyroid nodules.The onset of thyroid nodules is due to liver depression and qi stagnation,and the booster of the onset is spleen and kidney dysfunction.The main pathogenesis is liver depression and qi stagnation,spleen deficiency and phlegm coagulation,kidney deficiency and blood stasis.The disease is located in the liver,spleen,and kidney.The general principle for treating thyroid nodules is to regulate the liver to regulate"the body",while the key points for treating thyroid nodules are to supplement the spleen and kidneys to supplement"the two wings".The combination of promoting blood circulation and dispersing nodules is the target for treating thyroid nodules.The clinical treatment of thyroid nodules with Shutiao Xiaohe Decoction has a significant therapeutic effect.

Neutrophils play an important role in infectious diseases by clearing pathogens in the early stages of the disease and damaging the surrounding tissues along with the disease progress. Low-density neutrophils (LDNs) are a crucial and distinct subpopulation of neutrophils. They are a mixture of activated and degranulated normal mature neutrophils and a considerable number of immature neutrophils prematurely released from the bone marrow. Additionally, they may be involved in the occurrence and development of diseases through the changes in phagocytosis, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the enhancement of the ability to produce neutrophils extracellular traps and immunosuppression. We summarizes the role of LDNs in the pathogenesis and their correlation with the severity of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), AIDS, and tuberculosis.
Humans ; Neutrophils ; COVID-19/pathology* ; Phagocytosis ; Extracellular Traps ; Communicable Diseases ; Reactive Oxygen Species

Berberine (BBR) as one of the most effective natural products has been increasingly used to treat various chronic diseases due to its immunosuppressive/tolerogenic activities. However, it is unknown if BBR can be applied without abrogating the efforts of vaccination. Here we show that priming of CD8⁺ T cells in the presence of BBR lead to improved central memory formation (Tcm) with substantially reduced effector proliferation, primarily orchestrated through activation of AMPK and Stat5. Tcm derived from vaccinated mice fed with BBR were able to adoptively transfer protective immunity to naïve recipients. Vaccination of BBR-fed mice conferred better memory protection against infection without losing immediate effector efficacy, suggesting appreciable benefits from using BBR in vaccination. Thus, our study may help to lay the groundwork for mechanistic understanding of the immunomodulatory effects of natural products and their potential use as adjuvant that allows the design of novel vaccines with more desirable properties.

Humans ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Biological Therapy

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Tibetan medicine Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan against osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats through the classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. MethodForty-eight 3-month-old SD female rats were randomized into model group （equivalent volume of normal saline）， sham operation group （equivalent volume of normal saline）， estradiol group （0.1 mg·kg^-1 estradiol valerate）， and high-， medium-， low-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan groups （800， 400， 200 mg·kg^-1， respectively）. For the modeling， some adipose tissue near the ovaries was removed in the sham operation group， and ovaries were excised in other groups. Administration （ig， once a day） started two weeks after the operation and lasted 12 weeks. After sampling， based on hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， the morphological changes of the right femur and lumbar spine of the rats were observed. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to detect the serum levels of rat tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b （TRAP5b）， collagen type Ⅰ C-terminal peptide （CTX-Ⅰ）， bone alkaline phosphatase （BALP）， amino-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ procollagen （PINP）， and bone Gla-protein （BGP）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was performed to examine the mRNA expression of β-catenin and Runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2） in femur， and Western blot to detect the protein expression of β-catenin， Runx2， and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-5 （Lrp-5）. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed disordered and sparse bone trabecula with fewer connections， decrease in serum levels of BALP， BGP， and PINP （P<0.01）， increase in levels of CTX-Ⅰ and TRAP5b （P<0.01）， reduction in mRNA expression of β-catenin and Runx2 in femoral tissue （P<0.01） and protein expression of Lrp-5， β-catenin， and Runx2 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， estradiol and each dose of Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan increased the volume of bone trabecula， made thebone trabecula closely arranged， reduced the loss of the trabecular meshwork， raised the serum levels of BALP and BGP （P<0.01）， and lowered TRAP5b level （P<0.01）. PINP level was significantly increased in the high-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan group and estradiol group （P<0.01） and CTX-Ⅰ level was significantly decreased in the high-dose Erwenwuwei Guijiuwan group and the estradiol group （P<0.01） compared with those in the model group. The mRNA expression of β-catenin in femoral tissue and protein expression of Lrp-5 and β-catenin in estradiol group and three Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan groups were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the levels of Runx2 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in the high-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan group and the estradiol group （P<0.01） compared with those in the model group. ConclusionTibetan medicine Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan is effective for the osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats， which may be related to the classic Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. It affects bone metabolism by up-regulating the expression of osteogenesis-related genes in the signaling pathway.