ObjectiveTo conduct a comparative quality analysis of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos and calyx of Inulae Flos， elucidating the scientific connotation of the "removing calyx" process in the traditional processing of Inulae Flos. MethodsInulae Flos decoction pieces were collected， and the fuzz and calyx of Inulae Flos were prepared according to the experiences of old medicine workers. Subsequently， according to the methods under the "Inulae Flos" item in the 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， the appearance characteristics and thin-layer chromatography（TLC） identification of these samples were tested， and the moisture content， total ash content， extract content were also measured. The characteristic fingerprint patterns of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were established by high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， followed by similarity evaluation， principal component analysis（PCA）， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）. The contents of cryptochlorogenic acid， caffeic acid， 1，3-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid， 1，5-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid， and 1-O-acetyl britannilactone were determined to compare the quality differences of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos. ResultsThe moisture content of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos was all<10%. The determination results of total ash content were as follows：Calyx of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>fuzz of Inulae Flos， and the determination results of alcohol-soluble extract content were as follows：Fuzz of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>calyx of Inulae Flos. HPLC fingerprint patterns of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were established， and 22 common peaks were identified. The similarity analysis and PCA showed that the overall quality of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos was similar， while the overall quality of calyx of Inulae Flos differed significantly from that of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos. PLS-DA results showed that Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos clustered into distinct groups， indicating significant differences among them. Cryptochlorogenic acid and caffeic acid had relatively high contents in calyx of Inulae Flos， the contents of 1，3-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid and 1，5-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid in Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were higher than those in calyx of Inulae Flos. The order of 1-O-acetyl britannilactone content was determined as follows：fuzz of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>calyx of Inulae Flos. ConclusionThe scientific nature of "Removing Calyx" process in the cleansing of Inulae Flos by old medicine workers is demonstrated by the resulting fuzz of Inulae Flos decoction pieces exhibiting enhanced cleanliness and higher content of the index component 1-O-acetyl britannilactone. This study provides a reference basis for further improving and enhancing the processing method and quality control standards of Inulae Flos.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic etiology of 46 Chinese pedigrees affected with Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) and provide genetic counseling and reproductive intervention. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were carried out on 87 patients from the 46 pedigrees to analyze the variants of EXT1 and EXT2 genes. Pathogenicity of the variants was assessed based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP). Prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) were provided for couples with identified pathogenic mutations. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: LL-SC-SG-2014-010). RESULTS: In total 17 and 22 pathogenic variants were respectively identified in the EXT1 and EXT2 genes, among which 5 EXT1 and 12 EXT2 variants were unreported previously. Three patients with no family history were found to harbor de novo variants of the EXT1 gene. Twenty nine couples had opted for PGT or underwent prenatal diagnosis following natural conception, and 17 healthy babies were born. CONCLUSION This study has clarified the genetic etiology of 45 HME pedigrees and identified 17 novel variants, which has enriched the mutational spectrum of the EXT1 and EXT2 genes. Reproductive intervention through PGT and prenatal diagnosis have prevented the recurrence of HME in these families.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Pedigree ; Exostoses, Multiple Hereditary/diagnosis* ; N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases/genetics* ; Adult ; Exostosin 1 ; Asian People/genetics* ; Genetic Testing ; Exostosin 2 ; Mutation ; China ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Pregnancy ; Genetic Counseling ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; Exome Sequencing ; East Asian People

This study aims to investigate the effect of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula on the neuroinflammation of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through the regulation of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2(TREM2)/complement protein C1q signaling pathway. Rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive drug group, as well as a high, medium, and low-dose groups of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other groups were injected with p-chlorophenylalanine and exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish the rat model of insomnia complicated with depression. The sucrose preference experiment, open field experiment, and water maze test were performed to evaluate the depression in rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the damage in nucleus accumbens neurons. Western blot and immunofluorescence were performed to detect TREM2, C1q, postsynaptic density 95(PSD-95), and synaptophysin 1(SYN1) expressions in rat nucleus accumbens, respectively. Golgi-Cox staining was utilized to observe the synaptic spine density of nucleus accumbens neurons. The results show that, compared with the model group, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can significantly increase the sucrose preference as well as the distance and number of voluntary activities, shorten the immobility time in forced swimming test and the successful incubation period of positioning navigation, and prolong the stay time of space exploration in the target quadrant test. The serum 5-HT, DA, and NE contents in the model group are significantly lower than those in the normal group, with the above contents significantly increased after the intervention of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In addition, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can alleviate pathological damages such as swelling and loose arrangement of tissue cells in the nucleus accumbens, while increasing the Nissl body numbers. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can improve synaptic damage in the nucleus accumbens and increase the synaptic spine density. Compared to the normal group, the expression of C1q protein was significantly higher in the model group, while the expression of TREM2 protein was significantly lower. Compared to the model group, the intervention with Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula significantly downregulated the expression of C1q protein and significantly upregulated the expression of TREM2. Compared with the model group, the PSD-95 and SYN1 fluorescence intensity is significantly increased in the groups receiving different doses of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In summary, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can reduce the C1q protein expression, relieve the TREM2 inhibition, and promote the synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and SNY1 expression. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula improves synaptic injury of the nucleus accumbens neurons, thereby treating insomnia complicated with depression.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Depression/complications* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/complications* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Receptors, Immunologic/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Synapses/metabolism*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Social anxiety arising from intensive social media usage (SMU) among adolescents and youth has gained extensive attention in recent years due to its negative influence on mental health and academic performance. In spite of that, there is a dearth regarding the etiology of SMU-related social anxiety. This study aims to further clarify the influence of introversion personality on SMU-related social anxiety and the mechanism underlying such an association and provide a new perspective for developing effective intervention strategies for the highly prevailing SMU-related anxiety among Chinese college students. METHODS: A cohort of 979 college students (266 males and 713 females) aged 20.90 ± 1.91 years was enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Four measures including the "extroversion" domain of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised, Short Scale (EPQ-R-S E), Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), and Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users (SAS-SMU) were used to evaluate the influence of introversion personality on SMU-related social anxiety that was potentially mediated sequentially by interaction anxiousness and mobile phone addiction. Hayes PROCESS was used for correlation and mediation analysis. RESULTS: Interaction anxiousness (indirect effect = -1.331, 95% CI : -1.559 - -1.122) partially mediated the association between introversion personality and SMU-related social anxiety. Besides, a sequential mediation of interaction anxiousness and mobile phone addiction in the link between introversion personality and SMU-related social anxiety was revealed (indirect effect = -0.308, 95% CI : -0.404 - -0.220). No significant mediating effect was found with mobile phone addiction in the association between introversion personality and SMU-related social anxiety. CONCLUSION: Targeting interaction anxiousness and mobile phone addiction may represent an efficient strategy alleviating SMU-related social anxiety among Chinese college students with introversion personality.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Social Media ; Students/psychology* ; Anxiety/psychology* ; Young Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Universities ; Behavior, Addictive/psychology* ; Cell Phone ; Adolescent ; Introversion, Psychological ; China ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Internet Addiction Disorder/psychology*

The translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) can noninvasively detect neuroinflammation associated with epileptogenesis and epilepsy. This study explored the role of the TSPO-targeting radioligand [¹⁸F]F-TFQC, an m-trifluoromethyl ER176 analog, in the PET neuroimaging of epileptic rats. Initially, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC was synthesized with a radiochemical yield of 8%-10% (EOS), a radiochemical purity of over 99%, and a specific activity of 38.21 ± 1.73 MBq/nmol (EOS). After determining that [¹⁸F]F-TFQC exhibited good biochemical properties, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC PET neuroimaging was performed in epileptic rats at multiple time points in various stages of disease progression. PET imaging showed specific [¹⁸F]F-TFQC uptake in the right hippocampus (KA-injected site, i.e., epileptogenic zone), which was most pronounced at 1 week (T/NT 1.63 ± 0.21) and 1 month (T/NT 1.66 ± 0.20). The PET results were further validated using autoradiography and pathological analysis. Thus, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC can reflect the TSPO levels and localize the epileptogenic zone, thereby offering the potential for monitoring neuroinflammation and guiding anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with epilepsy.

In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), astrocytes are the ubiquitous glial cells that have complex morphological and molecular characteristics. These fascinating cells play essential neurosupportive and homeostatic roles in the healthy CNS and undergo morphological, molecular, and functional changes to adopt so-called 'reactive' states in response to CNS injury or disease. In recent years, interest in astrocyte research has increased dramatically and some new biological features and roles of astrocytes in physiological and pathological conditions have been discovered thanks to technological advances. Here, we will review and discuss the well-established and emerging astroglial biology and functions, with emphasis on their potential as therapeutic targets for CNS injury, including traumatic and ischemic injury. This review article will highlight the importance of astrocytes in the neuropathological process and repair of CNS injury.
Astrocytes/drug effects* ; Humans ; Animals ; Central Nervous System/pathology* ; Central Nervous System Diseases/physiopathology*

AIM:To compare the formation and release of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)af-ter exposure to the high-altitude hypoxic environ-ment for different periods,and their relationship with the dynamic changes of microcirculatory disor-ders associated with pulmonary edema.METH-ODS:SD rats were raised under normoxic condi-tions at an altitude of 400 m and under hypoxic conditions at an altitude of 4 200 m.The rats raised under hypoxic conditions at an altitude of 4 200 m for 7 days were returned to normoxic con-ditions at 400 m to observe the changes in physio-logical and pathological indicators of the rats.The dynamic changes of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)release and microcirculatory disorders relat-ed to pulmonary edema after high-altitude hypoxia exposure and after returning to the plain were ex-plored by blood routine determination,rat arterial blood gas analysis,ELISA experiment,lung water content determination,H&E staining,and immuno-histochemical staining.RESULTS:In the hypoxic en-vironment at 4 200 m,rats exhibited significant re-ductions in arterial oxygen saturation(SaO2)and partial pressure of oxygen(PO2)(P＜0.01),accompa-nied by a marked increase in lung-tissue water con-tent(P＜0.01).The complete blood count revealed elevated levels of red blood cells,white blood cells,lymphocytes,and neutrophils(P＜0.01).In addition,the formation and release of NETs in neutrophils in-creased,accompanied by an aggravation of the in-flammatory response.After returning to the low-al-titude normoxic area at 400 m,the above indica-tors gradually returned to normal levels on the 7th day.Pathological changes such as alveolar epitheli-al cell shedding and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in the lung tissues of rats in the high-altitude area,and the pathological changes were restored after returning to the low-altitude normoxic environment.CONCLUSION:The release of NETs from neutrophils is closely related to the re-covery of pulmonary edema and pulmonary ede-ma-related microcirculatory disorders after high-al-titude hypoxia exposure.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between ubiquitin-specific protease 9X(USP9X),ubiquitin-specific protease 25(USP25)and expression of proliferative and invasive genes in breast cancer tissues.Methods:A total of 158 breast cancer patients who were admitted to our hospital from August 2020 to July 2023 were selected,cancer tissues and paracancer tissues were collected,the mRNA expressions of USP9X,USP25,the mRNA expressions of proliferative genes and invasive genes in the different tissues were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),the relationship between mRNA expressions of USP9X,USP25,mRNA expressions of proliferative genes and invasive genes were analyzed by pearson correlation,the differences in mRNA expressions of USP9X,USP25 in cancer tissues of patients with different clinicopathological features of breast cancer were compared.Results:The mRNA expressions of USP9X,USP25,proliferating genome protein Methyltransferase(EZH)2,signal transduction and transcriptional activation factor 3(STAT3),Yes associated protein 1(YAP1),gene Dickkopf-related protein 1(DKK-1),taurine up-regulated gene 1(TUG1)and NUAK family kinase 1(NUAK1)in cancer tissue were higher than those of paracancer tissues(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation test showed that,the mRNA expressions of USP9X and USP25 were positively correlated with those of EZH2,STAT3,YAP1,DKK-1,TUG1 and NUAK1(P＜0.05),the mRNA expressions of USP9X and USP25 in cancer tissue of patients with TNM stage Ⅲ was higher than that of patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ,and the mRNA expressions of USP9X and USP25 in cancer tissue of patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of patients without metastasis,the mRNA expressions of USP9X and USP25 in cancer tissue of patients with high Ki-67 expression were higher than those of patients with low KI-67 expression(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Elevated expressions of USP9X and USP25 in breast cancer tissues,which are closely associated with patients' proliferative genes and invasive genes expression,TNM stage,lymph node metastasis and Ki-67 expression.

Objective:To develop the Symptom Assessment Scale for Patients Undergoing Bladder Irrigation Chemotherapy and evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods:Based on the theory of unpleasant symptoms, a preliminary version of the Symptom Assessment Scale for Patients Undergoing Bladder Irrigation Chemotherapy was developed through literature analysis, semi-structured interviews, and the Delphi method. After revising certain items in the pre-survey, convenience sampling was used to select patients who underwent bladder instillation chemotherapy in the Department of Urology Surgery of three ClassⅢ Grade A hospitals in Yunnan Province from January to July 2024 as research subjects to test the reliability and validity of the scale.Results:A total of 168 questionnaires were distributed, and 162 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid response rate of 96.429% (162/168). The Symptom Assessment Scale for Patients Undergoing Bladder Irrigation Chemotherapy covered two areas of symptom severity and symptom distress, comprising five dimensions and 27 items. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the total scale was 0.953, and the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.806. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the four common factors for symptom severity contributed to 73.196% of the cumulative variance, while the single common factor for symptom distress accounted for 68.285% of the cumulative variance. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that all indicators met the fit criteria, indicating that the model possessed good goodness-of-fit. The content validity index at the scale level was 0.940, while the content validity index at the item level ranged from 0.833 to 1.000.Conclusions:The Symptom Assessment Scale for Patients Undergoing Bladder Irrigation Chemotherapy developed in this study demonstrates good reliability and validity, and is suitable for evaluating symptoms in patients undergoing bladder infusion chemotherapy.

Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of combined therapy with a speaking valve and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for dysphagia in stroke patients post-tracheostomy.Methods:This retrospective case-control study enrolled 120 stroke patients with post-stroke tracheostomy-associated dysphagia, admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Huai′an Second People′s Hospital. Participants were randomly allocated to either a control group [45 males and 15 females, aged from 46 to 78 (65.78±8.68) years]receiving tDCS and conventional rehabilitation or an intervention group [41 males and 19 females, aged from 46 to 79 (66.32±9.18) years]receiving tDCS plus speaking valve therapy, with 60 patients per group. Swallowing function was assessed before and after a 3-week intervention using the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA), Water Swallowing Test (WST) grading, Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), and Swallowing-quality of life score (SWAL-QOL).The SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results:The intervention group demonstrated a significantly higher overall treatment response rate than the control group [95.0%(57/60) vs 78.3%(44/56), χ2=-6.056, P<0.001]. Post-treatment, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvements, as evidenced by a lower SSA score (21.50±1.82 vs 24.92±1.42, t=-11.480, P<0.001) and superior WST grades (observation group: 45 cases at grade 1, 12 cases at grade 2, 5 cases at grade 3; control group: 33 cases at grade 1, 11 cases at grade 2, 16 cases at grade 3, Z=5.484, P<0.001). Furthermore, the intervention group achieved significantly higher FOIS scores (observation group: 1 case at grade 1, 1 case at grade 2, 1 case at grade 4, 8 cases at grade 5, 7 cases at grade 6, 45 cases at grade 7; control group: 2 cases at grade 1, 7 cases at grade 2, 3 cases at grade 3, 4 cases at grade 4, 5 cases at grade 5, 6 cases at grade 6, 33 cases at grade 7, Z=-3.559, P<0.001) and greater improvements in SWAL-QOL scores ( P<0.001), indicating enhanced oral intake and quality of life. Conclusion:The combination of a speaking valve and tDCS effectively promotes the swallowing recovery and improves quality of life in stroke patients with post-tracheostomy dysphagia. This combined modality represents a promising and effective therapeutic strategy for this patient population.