ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms by which ligustilide （LIG） exerts neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke （IS） by inhibiting the release of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）， promoting blood-brain barrier repair， and alleviating post-ischemic neuroinflammation， thereby providing a new direction for IS treatment. MethodsA middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model was established in rats. The rats were divided into the sham operation （Sham） group， model （Model） group， low- and high-dose LIG groups （20， 40 mg·kg^-1）， and the NET inhibitor CI-amidine group （CI-amidine， 10 mg·kg^-1）. Drug treatments were administered for 3 days. Neurological injury after ischemia was evaluated by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， neurological deficit scoring， and brain index measurement. Flow cytometry and Western blot were used to analyze changes in neutrophil expression. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the fluorescence intensity of the NET marker citrullinated histone H3 （H3Cit）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of blood-brain barrier tight junction-related proteins and inflammatory factors， including interleukin-18 （IL-18） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， the Model group exhibited significant brain tissue injury （P<0.05）， significantly increased neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.05）， significantly impaired blood-brain barrier permeability （P<0.05）， and significantly increased expression of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）. Compared with the Model group， both low- and high-dose LIG significantly alleviated brain tissue injury in rats （P<0.01）， inhibited neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.01）， reduced blood-brain barrier damage （P<0.01）， and suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， thereby ultimately exerting a neuroprotective effect. ConclusionThe neuroprotective effect of LIG in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury may be related to inhibition of neutrophils and the NETs induced by them.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms by which ligustilide （LIG） exerts neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke （IS） by inhibiting the release of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）， promoting blood-brain barrier repair， and alleviating post-ischemic neuroinflammation， thereby providing a new direction for IS treatment. MethodsA middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model was established in rats. The rats were divided into the sham operation （Sham） group， model （Model） group， low- and high-dose LIG groups （20， 40 mg·kg^-1）， and the NET inhibitor CI-amidine group （CI-amidine， 10 mg·kg^-1）. Drug treatments were administered for 3 days. Neurological injury after ischemia was evaluated by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， neurological deficit scoring， and brain index measurement. Flow cytometry and Western blot were used to analyze changes in neutrophil expression. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the fluorescence intensity of the NET marker citrullinated histone H3 （H3Cit）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of blood-brain barrier tight junction-related proteins and inflammatory factors， including interleukin-18 （IL-18） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， the Model group exhibited significant brain tissue injury （P<0.05）， significantly increased neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.05）， significantly impaired blood-brain barrier permeability （P<0.05）， and significantly increased expression of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）. Compared with the Model group， both low- and high-dose LIG significantly alleviated brain tissue injury in rats （P<0.01）， inhibited neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.01）， reduced blood-brain barrier damage （P<0.01）， and suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， thereby ultimately exerting a neuroprotective effect. ConclusionThe neuroprotective effect of LIG in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury may be related to inhibition of neutrophils and the NETs induced by them.

The liver has diverse functions such as metabolism， detoxification， and immune defense， and the maintenance of hepatic microenvironment homeostasis is crucial for overall bodily health. The hepatic microenvironment consists of the components such as parenchymal cells， non-parenchymal cells， and non-cellular components. Chronic inflammatory responses induced by various etiological factors may promote the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. During the dynamic progression of liver fibrosis， from the early to advanced stages， various components within the hepatic microenvironment undergo a series of changes， which can promote the malignant progression of liver fibrosis. An in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying such changes in each component of the liver fibrosis microenvironment is of great significance for understanding the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and discovering potential treatment strategies.

Objective To analyze the pharmacological mechanism of Shenling Baizhu powder in the treatment of cancer cachexia based on the network pharmacological method and provide a reference for the clinical application of classical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions. Methods Through TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM databases, the main chemical components and their targets of the TCM prescription of Shenling Baizhu powder were obtained, and the active components of the TCM were screened according to ADME. The main targets of cancer cachexia were obtained through OMIM, Genecards, Disgenet and DRUGBANK databases, and protein interaction analysis was conducted using String platform to build a PPI network. The “drug-active ingredient-target” network of Shenling Baizhu powder was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.2 software, and then the biological processes and pathways involved were analyzed by using Metascape platform. Finally, molecular docking verification was conducted by Discovery Studio. Results The core active ingredients of Shenling Baizhu powder in the treatment of cancer cachexia were quercetin, kaempferol, pyrolignous acid, stigmasterol, luteolin, β-sitosterol, etc. The core targets were AKT1, TP53, TNF, IL-6, MAPK3, CASP3, JUN, CTNNB1, HIF1A, EGFR, etc. The molecular docking test also showed that the top 10 active ingredients, such as pyrolignous acid, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, had good binding activities with most of the target sites. The biological pathway of Shenling Baizhu powder in treating cancer cachexia wss mainly to regulate tumor related pathway, metabolism related pathway, inflammatory factors and appetite related pathway. Conclusion This study preliminarily revealed the mechanism of action of Shenling Baizhu powder in treating cancer cachexia with multi components, multi targets and multi pathways, which provided a basis for the clinical development and utilization of Shenling Baizhu powder.

ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of maternal postpartum depression (PPD) at 2 months postpartum on caregiving for infants aged2 to 24 months, and to provide a scientific basis for future maternal and infant healthcare services. MethodsBased on the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort, 1 060 mother-child pairs were selected from those fully participating in follow-up visits at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months postpartum. Pregnancy and childbirth-related information was collected using standardized questionnaire surveys and hospital obstetric and maternity records. The Edinburgh postpartum depression scale was used to assess the maternal postpartum depressive symptoms at 2 months postpartum. At 2, 6, 12, and 24 months postpartum, questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the maternal responsiveness in caregiving and the provision of early learning opportunities for infants. Scores for responsive caregiving and early learning opportunities at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months were grouped based on the 25th percentile (P₂₅) of total scores. The mixed-effects model was used to analyze the longitudinal impact of maternal postpartum depression at 2 months on the caregiving of 2 to 24-month-old infants. ResultsThe longitudinal results from the mixed-effects model did not show an impact of maternal PPD on infant responsive caregiving within 12 months and early learning opportunities within24 months. However, cross-sectional analysis revealed that, compared to the non-PPD group, the risk of low responsive caregiving at 2 months in the PPD group was 93% higher (OR=1.931, 95%CI: 1.113‒3.364, P=0.019). The risks for low provision of early learning opportunities at2 months and 24 months increased by 59% (OR=1.589, 95%CI: 1.082‒2.324, P=0.017) and 60% (OR=1.598, 95%CI:1.120‒2.279, P=0.010), respectively. ConclusionMaternal postpartum depression increases the risk of low responsive caregiving at 2 months, but its long-term effects warrant further research.

ObjectiveTo investigate the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the level of serum homocysteine (Hcy) in association with the incidence of stroke in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. MethodsBased on the chronic disease risk factor surveillance cohort in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, excluding those with stroke in baseline survey, T2DM patients who joined the cohort from January 2016 to October 2020 were selected as the research subjects. During the follow-up period, a total of 318 new-onset ischemic stroke patients were selected as the case group, and a total of 318 individuals matched by gender without stroke were selected as the control group. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to adjust for confounding factors and explore the serum TyG index and the Hcy biochemical indicator in association with the risk of stroke. ResultsThe Cox proportional hazards regression results showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients with 10 μmol·L⁻¹-¹ and Hcy>15 μmol·L⁻¹ was 1.532 times (95%CI: 1.017‒2.309 times, P=0.041) and 1.738 times (95%CI: 1.119‒2.699 times, P=0.014) higher respectively, compared to T2DM patients with Hcy≤10 μmol·L⁻¹. T2DM patients with TyG>9.074 had 1.396 times higher risk of stroke (95%CI: 1.091‒1.787, P=0.008) compared to those with TyG≤9.074. The study found that urea and α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) were independent risk factors for the incidence of stroke in T2DM patients. For every unit increase in urea andα1-AT, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients increased by 233.6% (HR=3.336, 95%CI: 1.588‒7.009, P=0.001) and 11.3% (HR=1.113, 95%CI: 1.028‒1.205, P=0.008), respectively. Cumulative risk curves showed that Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and TyG>9.074 accelerated the time to stroke occurrence in T2DM patients. ConclusionElevated levels of Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and a higher TyG index are risk factors for stroke in T2DM patients. Effective interventions for Hcy and TyG should be conducted for diabetic patients to reduce the incidence of stroke.

Objective:To develop and validate the Pain nursing Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for Nursing Students to provide an effective tool for measuring the pain management competency of nursing students in China.Methods:The questionnaire was constructed through literature review, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, Delphi expert consultation, and a pre-survey. From September 2023 to January 2024, a convenience sampling method was used to select 250 nursing students from Hangzhou Normal University and Lishui University in Zhejiang Province for the survey. Reliability and validity of the developed questionnaire were tested. A random sample of 30 nursing students was selected for retesting after two weeks.Results:A total of 10 female experts were consulted through correspondence. The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students consists of 36 items. Through exploratory factor analysis, five common factors were extracted: pain health education, comprehensive pain assessment, pain screening and assessment, analgesic interventions, and analgesic side effects nursing, which together explained 61.695% of the variance. The content validity of the questionnaire was 0.96, and the item-level content validity index ranged from 0.900 to 1.000. The overall Cronbach′s α coefficient was 0.924, and the Cronbach′s α coefficients for the five dimensions ranged from 0.856 to 0.915. The test-retest reliability was 0.831. Conclusions:The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students developed in this study has good reliability and validity. It can be used as a tool to assess nursing students′ competency in pain care and provides a reference for the design and optimization of pain care courses and clinical practice programs for nursing students in undergraduate institutions.

Objective To investigate the incidence of anaemia in patients with psoriatic arthritis(PsA)and explore the relationship between serum hemoglobin(Hb)levels and disease activity and treatment outcomes.Methods Clinical data of PsA patients who visited the Department of Rheuma-tology and Immunology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from March 2019 to May 2024 were collected.Anemia was determined based on Hb values(female＜110 g/L,male＜120 g/L),and clinical characteristics were compared between anemic and non-anaemic patients.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with treatment response.Results Among anemic patients,the proportion of males was higher than that of females,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.03).The incidence of skin lesions(P=0.002),pe-ripheral arthritis(P＜0.001),spondylitis(P＜0.001),and enthesitis(P＜0.001)was higher in the anemic group than in the non-anemic group,with statistically significant differences.Patients with anemia had higher composite psoriatic disease activity index(CPDAI)(P＜0.008)and acute-phase reactant levels(P＜0.001),and the differences were statistically significant.Multivariate logistic re-gression analysis showed that patients with concomitant anemia were less likely to achieve the Ameri-can College of Rheumatology 20％improvement criteria(ACR20)than those without concomitant anemia(OR=0.36,P=0.02).Conclusion Anaemia is a common complication of PsA,associated with high disease activity and is a predictor of poor treatment response.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) processing is a unique and highly distinctive pharmaceutical technology in China. Utilizing modern scientific methods to elucidate the connotations of traditional processing theory and its effects is expected to facilitate the inheritance, development, innovation, and enhancement of TCM processing, and lead to more original research outcomes in the field of TCM. The breakthrough in TCM processing lies in the study of its underlying principles, and analyzing these principles involves researching the transformation mechanisms of chemical components and the biological effect mechanisms of the transformed components. This paper proposed the concept of "TCM processing chemical biology"(TCMPCB) for the first time. Under the guidance of TCM theory, the active components transformed during TCM processing were used as chemical tools to study their targets and molecular regulatory mechanisms, aiming to clarify the scientific principles by which TCM processing affected biological effects in the organism. The research findings also provided new directions for discovering novel active components, new lead compounds, creating new decoction pieces, and developing new TCM drugs. This paper provided a detailed introduction to the background, definition, research content, research ideas, research methods, and prospects of TCMPCB, with the aim of offering new research perspectives for analyzing the principles of TCM processing and providing new pathways for achieving the "four new and eight transformations" in TCM processing.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Humans ; Animals