OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and potential mechanism of Qiangxin decoction on mitochondrion of rats with chronic heart failure （CHF）. METHODS The CHF model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. Modeled rats were divided into model group， Qiangxin decoction low-dose and high-dose groups （12.25， 24.50 g/kg， calculated by crude drug）， and chemical medicine group （Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablets， 10.42 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group； control group was set up without treatment. Each group of rats was orally administered with the corresponding medication or normal saline twice a day for 28 consecutive days. After the last medication， the contents of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in serum and phosphatidic acid （PA） and cardiolipin （CL） in myocardial tissue were all detected； the pathological damage and collagen fibrosis of rat myocardial tissue were observed； the apoptosis of myocardial cells was determined； the ultrastructure of myocardial tissue was observed； the protein expressions of mitofusin 1 （Mfn1）， Mfn2， optic atrophy protein 1 （OPA1） and dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1） were all detected in myocardial tissue. RESULTS Compared with control group，the serum content of NT-proBNP， apoptotic rate of myocardial cells， and relative expressions of S-OPA1 and Drp1 proteins were all increased significantly； serum content of ATP，contents of PA and CL， and relative expressions of Mfn1， Mfn2 and L-OPA1 proteins were all significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. There were abnormal membrane tissue structure in various layers of myocardial tissue， degeneration and necrosis of myocardial cells， and severe fibrosis； the mitochondria were swollen， with reduced or absent cristae， and uneven matrix density. After intervention with Qiangxin decoction， the levels of the aforementioned quantitative indicators in serum and myocardial tissue of rats （excluding CL content in the Qiangxin decoction low- dose group） were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）； the pathological damage of myocardial tissue had significantly improved， fibrosis had significantly reduced， mitochondrial morphology tended to be normal， cristae had increased， and matrix density was uniform. CONCLUSIONS Qiangxin decoction can regulate myocardial mitochondrial function and structural integrity of CHF rats， thereby improving myocardial energy metabolism and antagonizing myocardial fibrosis， the mechanism of which may be associated with activating PA/Mfn/CL signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and potential mechanism of Qiangxin decoction on mitochondrion of rats with chronic heart failure （CHF）. METHODS The CHF model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. Modeled rats were divided into model group， Qiangxin decoction low-dose and high-dose groups （12.25， 24.50 g/kg， calculated by crude drug）， and chemical medicine group （Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablets， 10.42 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group； control group was set up without treatment. Each group of rats was orally administered with the corresponding medication or normal saline twice a day for 28 consecutive days. After the last medication， the contents of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in serum and phosphatidic acid （PA） and cardiolipin （CL） in myocardial tissue were all detected； the pathological damage and collagen fibrosis of rat myocardial tissue were observed； the apoptosis of myocardial cells was determined； the ultrastructure of myocardial tissue was observed； the protein expressions of mitofusin 1 （Mfn1）， Mfn2， optic atrophy protein 1 （OPA1） and dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1） were all detected in myocardial tissue. RESULTS Compared with control group，the serum content of NT-proBNP， apoptotic rate of myocardial cells， and relative expressions of S-OPA1 and Drp1 proteins were all increased significantly； serum content of ATP，contents of PA and CL， and relative expressions of Mfn1， Mfn2 and L-OPA1 proteins were all significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. There were abnormal membrane tissue structure in various layers of myocardial tissue， degeneration and necrosis of myocardial cells， and severe fibrosis； the mitochondria were swollen， with reduced or absent cristae， and uneven matrix density. After intervention with Qiangxin decoction， the levels of the aforementioned quantitative indicators in serum and myocardial tissue of rats （excluding CL content in the Qiangxin decoction low- dose group） were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）； the pathological damage of myocardial tissue had significantly improved， fibrosis had significantly reduced， mitochondrial morphology tended to be normal， cristae had increased， and matrix density was uniform. CONCLUSIONS Qiangxin decoction can regulate myocardial mitochondrial function and structural integrity of CHF rats， thereby improving myocardial energy metabolism and antagonizing myocardial fibrosis， the mechanism of which may be associated with activating PA/Mfn/CL signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for pulmonary infection in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF),and to establish a predictive model.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 585 ACLF patients who were admitted to Department of Infectious Diseases,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University,from January 2009 to September 2022,and according to the condition of pulmonary infection after admission,they were divided into infection group with 213 patients and non-infection group with 372 patients.The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The clinical data of these patients were collected.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for pulmonary infection in ACLF patients and establish a predictive model,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted to assess the predictive value of the model.The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the degree of fitting of the model,and the ROC curve and the area under the ROC curve(AUC)were used to assess the predictive performance of the model.Results Among the 585 patients with ACLF,213 experienced pulmonary infection,with an infection rate of 36.41%.The multivariate logistic analysis showed that upper gastrointestinal bleeding(odds ratio[OR]=2.463,P=0.047),infection at other sites(OR=2.218,P=0.004),femoral vein catheterization(OR=2.520,P＜0.001),and combined use of two or more antibiotics(OR=2.969,P＜0.001)were risk factors for pulmonary infection in ACLF patients.These factors were included in the risk factor predictive model of Logit(P)=-1.869+0.901×upper gastrointestinal bleeding+0.755×infection at other sites+0.924×femoral vein catheterization+1.088×combined use of two or more antibiotics.The ROC curve analysis showed that the model had a good predictive value(Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2=3.839,P=0.698),with an AUC of 0.753(95%confidence interval:0.700-0.772).Conclusion There is a relatively high incidence rate of pulmonary infection in patients with ACLF,and upper gastrointestinal bleeding,spontaneous peritonitis,femoral vein catheterization,and combined use of two or more antibiotics are related risk factors.The model established based on these factors can effectively predict the onset of pulmonary infection in ACLF patients.

Objective To verify the molecular mechanism of Qiangxin Decoction in treating CHF,which was created by Professor Lu Jianqi,a famous old Chinese medicine and Qihuang scholar in Guangxi,based on network pharmacological methods,molecular docking technology and animal experiments.Methods Firstly,TCMSP database and related literatures were searched to find the important compounds of Qiangxin decoction;Through TCMSP database and STITCH database,find the target of Qiangxin Tang;Get the main target points of CHF with the help of GeneCards,DisGeNET,OMIM and other databases;The Venny platform was selected to obtain the intersection target of the two;Using STRING platform and Cytoscape 3.6.1,build a"component target"network and a PPI network of Qiangxin Tang target CHF target;The DAVID 6.8 database was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis;Use AutoDock Vina software for molecular docking.Finally,the model of CHF after AMI was established by ligating the anterior descending branch of left coronary artery in rats,and the expression of core target protein was detected by Western blot.Results 185 important active components including quercetin,kaempferol,luteolin,tanshinone iia and naringenin were obtained from the analysis of network pharmacological results.The core targets were signal transduction and transcription activation factor 3(STAT3),mycobacterium tuberculosis regulatory protein(RELA),phosphorylated protein kinase 1(AKT1)100 therapeutic targets,such as mitogen activated protein kinase 1(MAPK1)and interleukin-6(IL-6),preliminarily indicate that Qiangxin decoction may regulate cytokine mediated signal pathway,positive regulation of gene expression,response to hypoxia The reaction to lipopolysaccharide,drug and other biological processes play a role in the treatment of CHF.The results of molecular docking showed that the important compounds of Qiangxin Tang had strong binding ability to the core target;The results of animal experiments showed that the components of Qiangxin decoction could significantly reduce the phosphorylation expression level of STAT3 protein and MAPK1 protein and the expression level of IL6 protein(P<0.05).The high dose group of Qiangxin Decoction was slightly better than the low dose group.Conclusion This study preliminarily clarified that Qiangxin decoction can play a role in treating CHF by reducing the phosphorylation of STAT3 protein and MAPK1 protein and the expression level of IL6 protein,and also verified that Qiangxin decoction has the characteristics of multiple components,multiple targets,and multiple ways of synergistic effect in treating CHF.Animal experiments provide experimental theoretical basis for clinical doctors to treat CHF and further research.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the current status and research hot spots of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）in the prevention and treatment of myocardial ischemia -reperfusion injury （MIRI），and to provide reference for developing relevant studies. METHODS A bibliometric analysis was performed with the literature on TCM treatments for MIRI included in the Web of Science as the data source . RESULTS A total of 972 literatures were included in this study . The research on TCM for prevention and treatment of MIRI in recent 10 years showed an increasing trend year by year ，and the literature published in 2021 were cited most frequently ；most research scholars focused in China ；Peking Union Medical College ，Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences had the most papers in this field ，and a lot of collaboration with other institutions ，which had a large influence in the field ；Sun Guibo and Sun Xiaobo were high -yielding authors in the field ，but the global authorship was not very close and had not formed cooperative teams of some scale ；Molecular Medicine Reports was perhaps the most popular journal in the field . Co-citation analysis found that the research direction in this field was mostly focused on exploring the pathogenesis of MIRI and finding intervention targets . Key words analysis revealed that TCM regulated apoptosis ， pyroptosis， mitochondrial dysfunction ， miRNA and other pathways to improve MIRI research was a hot spot in the field ，and more studies had focused on the Nrf 2 pathway，NF-κB pathway ，NLRP3 inflammasomepathway， TNF pathway ， SIRT3 pathway， JNK pathway ，PI3K/Akt pathway and AMPK pathway . CONCLUSIONS Much attention has been paid to the prevention and treatment of MIRI by TCM in the past 10 years，and the current hot spots in this field are mostly focused on the studies about the intervention mechanism of TCM ’s active ingredients and Chinese patent medicines on MIRI . Moreover，the research about TCM in the treatment of MIRI is mostly focused on the field of basic experiments at present ，and it is recommended that many large -scale，high-quality， multicenter，randomized controlled clinical studies should be carried out in the future ，to provide high -grade evidence -based evidence for the application of TCM in clinic .

Objective: To explore the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C gene polymorphisms and toxicity of Methotrexate(MTX) chemotherapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: From January 2015 to June 2018, 128 pediatric patients with ALL in southern Fujian who were admitted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.Their peripheral blood 2 mL was collected and genomic DNA was extracted.The MTHFR genotype was detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) direct sequencing method, and the clinical significance of HD-MTX on ALL children with toxic and side effects was evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria. Results: Among 128 children, 54 cases(42.2%) presented rash, 48 cases (37.5%)with mucosal lesions, 51 cases (39.8%) with liver function damage, 23 cases (18.0%) with renal function damage, 52 cases (40.6%) with gastrointestinal reactions, 38 cases (29.7%)with leukopenia, 34 cases (26.6%) with thrombocytopenia and 63 cases (49.2%) with hemoglobin reduction.There was no significant difference in the incidence of MTX adverse reactions (rash, mucosa lesions, liver and renal function damage, gastrointestinal reaction, leukopenia, hemoglobin decrease and thrombocytopenia) between the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms (all P>0.05). The different clinical risk (MTX dose) of the children was not statistically signi-ficant in the MTHFR C677T and A1298C genotypes and allele frequencies (χ²=2.573, 2.264, 1.615, 0.267; all P>0.05). There was no significant difference among the abnormal incidence of MTX at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (all P>0.05). Conclusions MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms do not seem to be good markers of MTX-related toxicity and/or outcome in pediatric ALL in southern Fujian, and its clinical application still needs further discussion.

Objective To evaluate the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism and susceptibility to methotrexate (MTX) adverse reaction in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) chemotherapy. Method The data bases of The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, EMCC, OVID, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched for relevant articles published in English and Chinese up to March 2016. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed bias risk in the included studies. The RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12 software were used to analyze the association between gene polymorphism and the adverse reaction of MTX chemotherapy with the recessive, dominance, co-dominance, addition and allele gene model respectively. Results A total of 12 studies were included and all of them were case-control study, with 1419 cases in case group and 2188 cases in control group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the MTHFR gene polymorphism was unrelated to the untoward effect of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hemoglobin reduction, mucosal damage and liver function damage during MTX chemotherapy in children with ALL under the 5 analytical models. Under the co-dominance gene model, the association between MTHFR polymorphism C677T and overall adverse reaction of MTX was statistically significant (OR=1.39, 95％CI: 1.02～1.91, P=0.04). In the recessive gene model, the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR was associated with a reduced risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions during MTX chemotherapy (OR=3.31, 95％CI: 1.03～10.59, P=0.04). In the dominance gene model, the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR was associated with a reduced risk of skin damage induced by MTX chemotherapy (OR=3.05, 95％CI: 1.25～7.41, P=0.01). Conclusion There is no significant association between the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR and the adverse effects of MTX chemotherapy, butfurther studies with larger sample size are needed.

BACKGROUND:Nerve growth factor has been shown to play an important role in bone healing, but little is reported on the effect of growth factor composite scaffolds via the immediate implantation in the repair of canine bone defects. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the effect of nerve growth factor composite scaffolds via the immediate implantation for the repair of canine bone defects. METHODS:Nerve growth factor composited strontium apatite scaffolds were prepared. Canine mandibular defect models were established and divided into three groups, fol owed by implanted with composite scaffold (experimental group), strontium apatite (positive control group), or nothing (blank control group). The three-dimensional CT reconstruction and hematoxylin-eosin staining of canine mandibular bone defects were observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the blank control group, there were few new bones surrounding bone defect. Trabecular bones spread from the defect center to the surrounding tissues in the experimental and positive control groups. The bone density, volume, thickness, and implant-bone contact were significantly increased, while the trabecular separation was significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the positive control and blank control groups (P<0.05), and al above indicators in the positive contro group were significantly higher than those in the blank control group (P<0.05). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that in the experimental group, there were a large number of new bones that contacted with the surrounding bones closely, and trabecular bones arranged regularly. In the positive control group, newborn osteoid, trabeculare, and a smal amount of debris were found. In the blank control group, few new bones were connected with the surrounding bones untightly and trabecular bone arranged irregularly. These results indicate that the nerve growth factor composite scaffold can promote the bone regeneration in the canine bone defects after immediate implantation.

BACKGROUND:Now experimental and clinical research on suitable bone substitutes for alveolar bone defects after dental implantation is an issue of concern.OBJECTIVE:To study the therapeutic effect of titanium core/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) composite material on alveolar bone defects after immediate implant placement.METHODS:Twenty-four New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned into normal group (no intervention),experimental group or control group.Animal models of bone femoral greater trochanter defect were made in the experimental and control groups.Dental implant and titanium core/BMP composite material were implanted in the experimental group,while dental implant and titanium core were implanted in the control group.Percentage of CD4+,CD8+ T lymphocytes,natural killer cell activity and interleukin 2 level were detected at postoperative 4 weeks;bone mineral density and osteogenesis around the implant were detected at postoperative 16 weeks through X-ray and histological examinations.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:X-ray results showed that the bone mineral density in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).Histological results showed that in the experimental group,different degrees of cell lysis around the composite,more bone cells and bone matrices were found,implant-bone osseointegration formed well,and red-dyed mature bone tissues were detective inside the implant.Compared with the experimental group,lower number of bone cells and fibrocytes were found in the control group.Additionally,the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes,natural killer cell activity and interleukin 2 level in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).To conclude,the titanium core/BMP composite material can effectively repair alveolar bone defects after immediate implant placement to guide the growth of bone cells.

Objective: To detect the changes of serum level of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and to study the correlation between CTGF level and the maximal activity of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). Methods: Our research included 2 groups of patients: STEMI group and unstable angina (UA) group. All patients were treated in our hospital from 2013-07 to 2014-06,n=50 in each group. In STEMI group, the serum levels of CTGF were examined by ELISA at 24h, 2, 7, 14 days of onset, and in UA group, CTGF level was examined at 24h of onset. The CK-MB activity levels were measured in STEMI group at the same time points by immunosuppression method. Results: The serum level of CTGF in UA patients at 24 h of onset was (10.34 ± 2.00) ng/mL, and in STEMI patients were (16.76 ± 3.17) ng/mL at 24h, (29.87 ± 4.90) ng/mL at 2d, (45.02 ± 8.35) ng/mL at 7d and (31.61 ± 4.40) at 14d. The CTGF levels in STEMI group at different time points were all higher than UA group at 24h of onset,P<0.01. In STEMI group, the CTGF levels were increasing from 24h to 7d, then decreasing at 14d, allP<0.01. In STEMI group, the highest protein concentration of CTGF was positively related to the maximal activity of CK-MB at 7 days of onset (r=0.859,P=0.000). Conclusion: CTGF expression has been up-regulated in STEMI patients which might be related to myocardial ifbrosis. The protein level of CTGF is related to MI size, it shows certain predictive value in relevant patients.