Objective:To investigate the clinical significance and inducing factors of abnormal intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) signals during surgery for cervical degenerative diseases.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 586 patients who underwent cervical degenerative disease surgery with IONM at the Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, from April 2015 to April 2024. Surgical approaches included 380 anterior spinal canal decompression and fusion procedures, 154 posterior spinal canal decompression and fusion procedures (including single-door laminoplasty, total laminectomy, and hemilaminectomy), and 52 combined anterior-posterior surgeries. The multimodal IONM protocol employed transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials (TES-MEP) and cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (CSEP), combined with electromyography (EMG). Bilateral deltoid muscles, thenar/hypothenar muscles and abductor hallucis muscles were monitored in all patients. Intraoperative MEP, SEP, and EMG results were recorded to analyze the causes of abnormal signals, intraoperative response strategies, and postoperative neurological function and outcomes. Fourfold table chi-square tests were used to analyze factors possibly associated with IONM alerts.Results:Among the 586 cervical surgeries, 17 cases (2.9%) exhibited abnormal IONM signals. These included 4 cases of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), 4 cases of anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF), and 2 cases of combined anterior-posterior surgeries for cervical spondylotic myelopathy; and 5 posterior surgeries and 2 anterior ACCF procedures for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The rate of abnormal IONM signals was significantly higher in patients with maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC)>60% (5.8%, 12/208) than in those with MSCC≤60% (χ 2=9.417, P=0.002); in patients with intraoperative hypotension during posterior surgery (mean arterial pressure reduction>20% from baseline, cumulative duration>20 min), the abnormal IONM rate was 22.2% (6/27), which was significantly higher than that in patients without intraoperative hypotension (χ 2=33.542, P<0.001); in patients who underwent calcified tissue removal during anterior surgery, the abnormal IONM rate was 9.3% (5/54), which was significantly higher than that in patients without calcified tissue removal (χ 2=13.162, P=0.003). Thus, MSCC>60%, intraoperative hypotension during posterior surgery, and calcified tissue removal during anterior surgery may be inducing factors for abnormal IONM signals. Among the 17 patients with monitoring abnormalities, 8 cases showed no significant improvement after corresponding intraoperative treatments, and 7 of these 8 cases experienced varying degrees of muscle strength decline and sensory numbness immediately after surgery; 9 cases showed partial or complete recovery of signals, among which 8 cases had no new-onset neurological impairment after surgery, and 1 case developed unilateral upper limb grip strength decline. IONM demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.8750 and specificity of 0.8889. Conclusions:Multimodal IONM can detect electrophysiological abnormalities of spinal cord nerve function during cervical degenerative disease surgery, providing real-time warning of potential nerve damage during the operation. The proportion of abnormal IONM signals is relatively high in cases with MSCC>60%, intraoperative hypotension during posterior cervical surgery, or calcified tissue removal during anterior cervical surgery.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, pathologic characteristics, treatment and prognosis of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) in children.Methods:Clinical data including clinical manifestations, treatment, clinical efficacy of 8 cases of childhood PMBCL treated in Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2017 to February 2024 were collected retrospectively, the clinical characteristics and prognosis of them were summarized.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 5 males and 3 females. The age at the time of initial diagnosis was 11.0 (10.3, 13.5) years. The first clinical symptoms were cough (8 cases) and stridor (6 cases). The lesions most often involved the mediastinum (8 cases), lungs (5 cases, hilum more often), pericardium (5 cases), and pleura (4 cases). Extra thoracic invasion was present in 4 cases, 7 cases had huge tumor lesions and 7 cases were phase Ⅲ clinical stage. Except for 1 case who underwent surgical resection of the tumor, the remaining 7 cases were treated with DA-EPOCH+R (dose adjusted-etoposide+prednisone+vincristine+cyclo-phosphamide+doxorubicin+rituximab) chemotherapy. The follow-up time was 25.0 (10.5, 43.3) months, with 7 cases in complete and partial metabolism response, 1 case had disease progression. All 8 cases survived.Conclusions:PMBCL is most common in school-age boys and most of them present with huge mediastinal tumor focus. PMBCL expresses B-cell spectrum antigens and weakly expresses CD30.The application of DA-EPOCH+R is effective in the treatment of PMBCL in children.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical characteristics, pathology, treatment and prognosis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in children.Methods:Clinical data (including gender, age of disease onset, affected sites, treatment, timing of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), etc.) of 7 children with BPDCN who were admitted to Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from December 2018 to December 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical outcomes were also assessed, with patients followed up until December 2024.Results:Among 7 patients, there were 3 males and 4 females. Age at disease onset ranged from 3.2 to 12.9 years. Initial presentations included subcutaneous nodules in 5 cases, rash in 1 case, and ankle pain in 1 case. Extra-cutaneous involvement was seen in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and central nervous system. Six patients received induction chemotherapy using a modified lymphoblastic lymphoma regimen, 1 patient received the high-risk protocol for pediatric lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia and salvage therapy regimens. Allo-HSCT was performed soon after chemotherapy remission. The time to bridge allo-HSCT was 3.5 to 6.5 months. The follow-up time was 1.6 to 6.0 years. Six patients were in disease-free survival, while 1 patient survived with disease after recurrence following transplantation.Conclusions:BPDCN is rare in children and presents diverse clinical manifestations, with skin involvement being the predominant feature. Early allo-HSCT following complete remission with chemotherapy can improve prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance and inducing factors of abnormal intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) signals during surgery for cervical degenerative diseases.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 586 patients who underwent cervical degenerative disease surgery with IONM at the Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, from April 2015 to April 2024. Surgical approaches included 380 anterior spinal canal decompression and fusion procedures, 154 posterior spinal canal decompression and fusion procedures (including single-door laminoplasty, total laminectomy, and hemilaminectomy), and 52 combined anterior-posterior surgeries. The multimodal IONM protocol employed transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials (TES-MEP) and cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (CSEP), combined with electromyography (EMG). Bilateral deltoid muscles, thenar/hypothenar muscles and abductor hallucis muscles were monitored in all patients. Intraoperative MEP, SEP, and EMG results were recorded to analyze the causes of abnormal signals, intraoperative response strategies, and postoperative neurological function and outcomes. Fourfold table chi-square tests were used to analyze factors possibly associated with IONM alerts.Results:Among the 586 cervical surgeries, 17 cases (2.9%) exhibited abnormal IONM signals. These included 4 cases of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), 4 cases of anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF), and 2 cases of combined anterior-posterior surgeries for cervical spondylotic myelopathy; and 5 posterior surgeries and 2 anterior ACCF procedures for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The rate of abnormal IONM signals was significantly higher in patients with maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC)>60% (5.8%, 12/208) than in those with MSCC≤60% (χ 2=9.417, P=0.002); in patients with intraoperative hypotension during posterior surgery (mean arterial pressure reduction>20% from baseline, cumulative duration>20 min), the abnormal IONM rate was 22.2% (6/27), which was significantly higher than that in patients without intraoperative hypotension (χ 2=33.542, P<0.001); in patients who underwent calcified tissue removal during anterior surgery, the abnormal IONM rate was 9.3% (5/54), which was significantly higher than that in patients without calcified tissue removal (χ 2=13.162, P=0.003). Thus, MSCC>60%, intraoperative hypotension during posterior surgery, and calcified tissue removal during anterior surgery may be inducing factors for abnormal IONM signals. Among the 17 patients with monitoring abnormalities, 8 cases showed no significant improvement after corresponding intraoperative treatments, and 7 of these 8 cases experienced varying degrees of muscle strength decline and sensory numbness immediately after surgery; 9 cases showed partial or complete recovery of signals, among which 8 cases had no new-onset neurological impairment after surgery, and 1 case developed unilateral upper limb grip strength decline. IONM demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.8750 and specificity of 0.8889. Conclusions:Multimodal IONM can detect electrophysiological abnormalities of spinal cord nerve function during cervical degenerative disease surgery, providing real-time warning of potential nerve damage during the operation. The proportion of abnormal IONM signals is relatively high in cases with MSCC>60%, intraoperative hypotension during posterior cervical surgery, or calcified tissue removal during anterior cervical surgery.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, pathologic characteristics, treatment and prognosis of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) in children.Methods:Clinical data including clinical manifestations, treatment, clinical efficacy of 8 cases of childhood PMBCL treated in Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2017 to February 2024 were collected retrospectively, the clinical characteristics and prognosis of them were summarized.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 5 males and 3 females. The age at the time of initial diagnosis was 11.0 (10.3, 13.5) years. The first clinical symptoms were cough (8 cases) and stridor (6 cases). The lesions most often involved the mediastinum (8 cases), lungs (5 cases, hilum more often), pericardium (5 cases), and pleura (4 cases). Extra thoracic invasion was present in 4 cases, 7 cases had huge tumor lesions and 7 cases were phase Ⅲ clinical stage. Except for 1 case who underwent surgical resection of the tumor, the remaining 7 cases were treated with DA-EPOCH+R (dose adjusted-etoposide+prednisone+vincristine+cyclo-phosphamide+doxorubicin+rituximab) chemotherapy. The follow-up time was 25.0 (10.5, 43.3) months, with 7 cases in complete and partial metabolism response, 1 case had disease progression. All 8 cases survived.Conclusions:PMBCL is most common in school-age boys and most of them present with huge mediastinal tumor focus. PMBCL expresses B-cell spectrum antigens and weakly expresses CD30.The application of DA-EPOCH+R is effective in the treatment of PMBCL in children.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical characteristics, pathology, treatment and prognosis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in children.Methods:Clinical data (including gender, age of disease onset, affected sites, treatment, timing of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), etc.) of 7 children with BPDCN who were admitted to Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from December 2018 to December 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical outcomes were also assessed, with patients followed up until December 2024.Results:Among 7 patients, there were 3 males and 4 females. Age at disease onset ranged from 3.2 to 12.9 years. Initial presentations included subcutaneous nodules in 5 cases, rash in 1 case, and ankle pain in 1 case. Extra-cutaneous involvement was seen in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and central nervous system. Six patients received induction chemotherapy using a modified lymphoblastic lymphoma regimen, 1 patient received the high-risk protocol for pediatric lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia and salvage therapy regimens. Allo-HSCT was performed soon after chemotherapy remission. The time to bridge allo-HSCT was 3.5 to 6.5 months. The follow-up time was 1.6 to 6.0 years. Six patients were in disease-free survival, while 1 patient survived with disease after recurrence following transplantation.Conclusions:BPDCN is rare in children and presents diverse clinical manifestations, with skin involvement being the predominant feature. Early allo-HSCT following complete remission with chemotherapy can improve prognosis.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jiawei Ditan Decoction on cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats with chronic intermittent hypoxia based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control,low-oxygen intervention,and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups using the random number table method,with 10 rats per group.The low-oxygen and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups were treated with intermittent hypoxia chamber for modeling,with 8 h of intervention daily.Gavage administration was performed before and after daily intervention.The intervention group received a dosage of 16.38 g/kg Jiawei Ditan Decoction,whereas the other two groups received normal saline.The experimental intervention period was 12 weeks.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of myocardial tissue.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes.Biochemical detection was used to measure the Fe2+and malondialdehyde(MDA)content in myocardial tissue.Phosphorylated-phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p-PI3K),PI3K,phosphorylated-protein kinase B(p-Akt),Akt,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),and acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)protein expression in myocardial tissue were measured using western blotting.The rat cardiomyocyte cell line,H9c2,was cultured in high glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium,and the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect drug components in Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell survival rate of cells treated with different concentrations of Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The cells were divided into the normoxic,erastin,and erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups,and p-Akt and GPX4 protein expression was measured using western blotting.p-PI3K and GPX4 protein expression were detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P groups.The p-PI3K,PI3K,p-Akt,Akt,and GPX4 protein expression was detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 6 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low-dose,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction medium-dose,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction high-dose groups(drug concentrations of 5,10,and 20 g/L,respectively).Results The myocardial cells in the low-oxygen intervention group were disordered and swollen and the mitochondrial arrangement of myocardial cells was disordered,with increased mitochondrial membrane density,ruptured cristae,and vacudar degeneration compared with those in the normal control group.The myocardial cells in the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group were arranged neater,and the morphology of mitochondria was relatively regular than those in the low-oxygen intervention group,and no apparent swelling was observed.Compared with the normal control group,the low-oxygen intervention group showed an increase in the MDA and Fe2+content,a decrease in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,decreased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and increased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the low-oxygen intervention group,the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed a decrease in MDA and Fe2+content,an increase in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,increased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and decreased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Jiawei Ditan Decoction contained DL-stachydrine,D-(+)-malicacid,adenosine,etc.The cell survival rate of the 10.00 g/L group increased(P＜0.05)compared to that of the Jiawei Ditan Decoction 0,1.25,2.50,5.00,and 20.00 g/L groups.Compared with the normoxic group,p-Akt and GPX4 expression decreased in the erastin group(P＜0.05);compared with the erastin group,the erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed increased p-Akt and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,p-PI3K and GPX4 expression decreased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group(P＜0.01);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group,the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P group showed increased p-PI3K and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,GPX4 expression and the p-Akt/Akt and p-PI3K/PI3K were reduced in the low-oxygen intervention 6 and 12 h groups(P＜0.05);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 6 h and 12 h groups,the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values increased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low,medium,and high-dose groups(P＜0.05).GPX4 expression was also increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Jiawei Ditan Decoction may improve cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,thereby playing a protective role against chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac injury in rats.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jiawei Ditan Decoction on cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats with chronic intermittent hypoxia based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control,low-oxygen intervention,and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups using the random number table method,with 10 rats per group.The low-oxygen and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups were treated with intermittent hypoxia chamber for modeling,with 8 h of intervention daily.Gavage administration was performed before and after daily intervention.The intervention group received a dosage of 16.38 g/kg Jiawei Ditan Decoction,whereas the other two groups received normal saline.The experimental intervention period was 12 weeks.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of myocardial tissue.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes.Biochemical detection was used to measure the Fe2+and malondialdehyde(MDA)content in myocardial tissue.Phosphorylated-phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p-PI3K),PI3K,phosphorylated-protein kinase B(p-Akt),Akt,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),and acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)protein expression in myocardial tissue were measured using western blotting.The rat cardiomyocyte cell line,H9c2,was cultured in high glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium,and the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect drug components in Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell survival rate of cells treated with different concentrations of Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The cells were divided into the normoxic,erastin,and erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups,and p-Akt and GPX4 protein expression was measured using western blotting.p-PI3K and GPX4 protein expression were detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P groups.The p-PI3K,PI3K,p-Akt,Akt,and GPX4 protein expression was detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 6 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low-dose,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction medium-dose,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction high-dose groups(drug concentrations of 5,10,and 20 g/L,respectively).Results The myocardial cells in the low-oxygen intervention group were disordered and swollen and the mitochondrial arrangement of myocardial cells was disordered,with increased mitochondrial membrane density,ruptured cristae,and vacudar degeneration compared with those in the normal control group.The myocardial cells in the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group were arranged neater,and the morphology of mitochondria was relatively regular than those in the low-oxygen intervention group,and no apparent swelling was observed.Compared with the normal control group,the low-oxygen intervention group showed an increase in the MDA and Fe2+content,a decrease in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,decreased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and increased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the low-oxygen intervention group,the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed a decrease in MDA and Fe2+content,an increase in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,increased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and decreased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Jiawei Ditan Decoction contained DL-stachydrine,D-(+)-malicacid,adenosine,etc.The cell survival rate of the 10.00 g/L group increased(P＜0.05)compared to that of the Jiawei Ditan Decoction 0,1.25,2.50,5.00,and 20.00 g/L groups.Compared with the normoxic group,p-Akt and GPX4 expression decreased in the erastin group(P＜0.05);compared with the erastin group,the erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed increased p-Akt and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,p-PI3K and GPX4 expression decreased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group(P＜0.01);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group,the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P group showed increased p-PI3K and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,GPX4 expression and the p-Akt/Akt and p-PI3K/PI3K were reduced in the low-oxygen intervention 6 and 12 h groups(P＜0.05);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 6 h and 12 h groups,the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values increased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low,medium,and high-dose groups(P＜0.05).GPX4 expression was also increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Jiawei Ditan Decoction may improve cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,thereby playing a protective role against chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac injury in rats.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jiawei Ditan Decoction on cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats with chronic intermittent hypoxia based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control,low-oxygen intervention,and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups using the random number table method,with 10 rats per group.The low-oxygen and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups were treated with intermittent hypoxia chamber for modeling,with 8 h of intervention daily.Gavage administration was performed before and after daily intervention.The intervention group received a dosage of 16.38 g/kg Jiawei Ditan Decoction,whereas the other two groups received normal saline.The experimental intervention period was 12 weeks.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of myocardial tissue.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes.Biochemical detection was used to measure the Fe2+and malondialdehyde(MDA)content in myocardial tissue.Phosphorylated-phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p-PI3K),PI3K,phosphorylated-protein kinase B(p-Akt),Akt,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),and acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)protein expression in myocardial tissue were measured using western blotting.The rat cardiomyocyte cell line,H9c2,was cultured in high glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium,and the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect drug components in Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell survival rate of cells treated with different concentrations of Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The cells were divided into the normoxic,erastin,and erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups,and p-Akt and GPX4 protein expression was measured using western blotting.p-PI3K and GPX4 protein expression were detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P groups.The p-PI3K,PI3K,p-Akt,Akt,and GPX4 protein expression was detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 6 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low-dose,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction medium-dose,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction high-dose groups(drug concentrations of 5,10,and 20 g/L,respectively).Results The myocardial cells in the low-oxygen intervention group were disordered and swollen and the mitochondrial arrangement of myocardial cells was disordered,with increased mitochondrial membrane density,ruptured cristae,and vacudar degeneration compared with those in the normal control group.The myocardial cells in the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group were arranged neater,and the morphology of mitochondria was relatively regular than those in the low-oxygen intervention group,and no apparent swelling was observed.Compared with the normal control group,the low-oxygen intervention group showed an increase in the MDA and Fe2+content,a decrease in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,decreased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and increased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the low-oxygen intervention group,the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed a decrease in MDA and Fe2+content,an increase in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,increased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and decreased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Jiawei Ditan Decoction contained DL-stachydrine,D-(+)-malicacid,adenosine,etc.The cell survival rate of the 10.00 g/L group increased(P＜0.05)compared to that of the Jiawei Ditan Decoction 0,1.25,2.50,5.00,and 20.00 g/L groups.Compared with the normoxic group,p-Akt and GPX4 expression decreased in the erastin group(P＜0.05);compared with the erastin group,the erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed increased p-Akt and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,p-PI3K and GPX4 expression decreased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group(P＜0.01);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group,the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P group showed increased p-PI3K and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,GPX4 expression and the p-Akt/Akt and p-PI3K/PI3K were reduced in the low-oxygen intervention 6 and 12 h groups(P＜0.05);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 6 h and 12 h groups,the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values increased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low,medium,and high-dose groups(P＜0.05).GPX4 expression was also increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Jiawei Ditan Decoction may improve cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,thereby playing a protective role against chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac injury in rats.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jiawei Ditan Decoction on cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats with chronic intermittent hypoxia based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control,low-oxygen intervention,and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups using the random number table method,with 10 rats per group.The low-oxygen and Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups were treated with intermittent hypoxia chamber for modeling,with 8 h of intervention daily.Gavage administration was performed before and after daily intervention.The intervention group received a dosage of 16.38 g/kg Jiawei Ditan Decoction,whereas the other two groups received normal saline.The experimental intervention period was 12 weeks.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of myocardial tissue.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes.Biochemical detection was used to measure the Fe2+and malondialdehyde(MDA)content in myocardial tissue.Phosphorylated-phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p-PI3K),PI3K,phosphorylated-protein kinase B(p-Akt),Akt,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),and acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)protein expression in myocardial tissue were measured using western blotting.The rat cardiomyocyte cell line,H9c2,was cultured in high glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium,and the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect drug components in Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell survival rate of cells treated with different concentrations of Jiawei Ditan Decoction.The cells were divided into the normoxic,erastin,and erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention groups,and p-Akt and GPX4 protein expression was measured using western blotting.p-PI3K and GPX4 protein expression were detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P groups.The p-PI3K,PI3K,p-Akt,Akt,and GPX4 protein expression was detected in the normoxic,low-oxygen intervention 6 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low-dose,low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction medium-dose,and low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction high-dose groups(drug concentrations of 5,10,and 20 g/L,respectively).Results The myocardial cells in the low-oxygen intervention group were disordered and swollen and the mitochondrial arrangement of myocardial cells was disordered,with increased mitochondrial membrane density,ruptured cristae,and vacudar degeneration compared with those in the normal control group.The myocardial cells in the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group were arranged neater,and the morphology of mitochondria was relatively regular than those in the low-oxygen intervention group,and no apparent swelling was observed.Compared with the normal control group,the low-oxygen intervention group showed an increase in the MDA and Fe2+content,a decrease in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,decreased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and increased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the low-oxygen intervention group,the Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed a decrease in MDA and Fe2+content,an increase in the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values,increased SLC7A11,GPX4,and Nrf2 expression,and decreased ACSL4 expression(P＜0.05).Jiawei Ditan Decoction contained DL-stachydrine,D-(+)-malicacid,adenosine,etc.The cell survival rate of the 10.00 g/L group increased(P＜0.05)compared to that of the Jiawei Ditan Decoction 0,1.25,2.50,5.00,and 20.00 g/L groups.Compared with the normoxic group,p-Akt and GPX4 expression decreased in the erastin group(P＜0.05);compared with the erastin group,the erastin+Jiawei Ditan Decoction intervention group showed increased p-Akt and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,p-PI3K and GPX4 expression decreased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group(P＜0.01);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 12 h group,the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+740Y-P group showed increased p-PI3K and GPX4 expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the normoxic group,GPX4 expression and the p-Akt/Akt and p-PI3K/PI3K were reduced in the low-oxygen intervention 6 and 12 h groups(P＜0.05);compared with the low-oxygen intervention 6 h and 12 h groups,the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt values increased in the low-oxygen intervention 12 h+Jiawei Ditan Decoction low,medium,and high-dose groups(P＜0.05).GPX4 expression was also increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Jiawei Ditan Decoction may improve cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,thereby playing a protective role against chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac injury in rats.