BACKGROUND:Liuwei Dihuang Wan takes"three tonifying and three reducing effects"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys,while Zuogui Wan takes"seeking yin in yang"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys by promoting yang.Both of them belong to the same method of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys,and have better curative effects at the symptomatic and cellular molecular levels. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Liuwei Dihuang Wan and Zuogui Wan in bone metabolism,and to explore their mechanism of action in the osteoprotegerin(OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL)osteoblastic pathway. METHODS:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into model,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,Zuogui Wan,and sham operation group,with eight rats in each group.Osteoporosis models were prepared using removal of both ovaries in the first three groups.Starting at 30 days postoperatively,rats in the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group were gavaged with Liuwei Dihuang Wan 1.125 g/kg/d;rats in the Zuoqui Wan group were gavaged with Zuogui Wan 2.25 g/kg/d;and rats in the sham operation group and the model group were gavaged with saline 10 mL/kg/d.After 12 weeks of gavage,the rat tibia was taken to measure bone mineral density.The serum levels of estrogen,bone alkaline phosphatase,and cAMP/cGMP were measured using ELISA,and the expression of OPG/RANKL in the femur was detected using western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham operation group,the model group showed a decrease in bone mineral density and levels of estrogen and bone alkaline phosphatase(P＜0.05)and an increase in cAMP/cGMP level(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group and the Zuogui Wan group significantly increased bone mineral density(P＜0.05)and bone alkaline phosphatase levels(P＜0.05);the Zuogui Wan group significantly decreased cAMP/cGMP levels(P＜0.05)and upregulated OPG expression(P＜0.05);the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group upregulated OPG expression and downregulated RANKL expression(P＜0.05);and both groups were unable to significantly increase estrogen levels(P＞0.05).To conclude,Zuogui Wan,which seeks yin from yang,can effectively increase the expression of OPG but cannot downregulate the expression of RANKL.However,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,which has three tonifying and three reducing effects,can bidirectionally regulate the expression of OPG and RANKL.This result suggests that Liuwei Dihuang Wan can significantly inhibit osteoclastic function compared with Zuogui Wan,and further research is needed to verify this conclusion.

BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: The purinergic receptor P2X2 (P2RX2) encodes an ATP-gated ion channel permeable to Na⁺, K⁺, and especially Ca²⁺. Loss-of-function mutations in P2RX2 are known to cause autosomal dominant nonsyndromic deafness 41 (DFNA41), which manifests as high-frequency hearing loss, accelerated presbycusis, and increased susceptibility to noise-induced damage. Zebrafish, owing to their small size, rapid development, high fecundity, transparent embryos, and high gene conservation with humans, provide an ideal model for studying human diseases and developmental mechanisms. This study aims to generate a p2rx2 knockout zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system to investigate the effect of p2rx2 deficiency on the auditory system, providing a basis for understanding P2RX2-related hearing loss and developing gene therapy strategies. METHODS: Two CRISPR targets (sgRNA1 and sgRNA2) spaced 47 bp apart were designed within the zebrafish p2rx2 gene. Synthesized sgRNAs and Cas9 protein were microinjected into single-cell stage Tübingen (TU)-strain zebrafish embryos. PCR and gel electrophoresis verified editing efficiency at 36 hours post-fertilization (hpf). Surviving embryos were raised to adulthood (F0), tail-clipped, genotyped, and screened for positive mosaics. F1 heterozygotes were generated by outcrossing, and F2 homozygous mutants were obtained by intercrossing. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with sequencing verified mutation type and heritability. At 5 days post-fertilization (dpf), YO-PRO-1 staining was used to examine hair cell morphology and count in lateral line neuromasts and the otolith region. Auditory evoked potential (AEP) thresholds at 600, 800, 1 000, and 2 000 Hz were measured in nine 4-month-old wild type and mutant zebrafish per group. RESULTS: A stable p2rx2 knockout zebrafish line was successfully established. Sequencing revealed a 66 bp insertion at the first target site introducing a premature stop codon (TAA), leading to early termination of protein translation and loss of function. Embryos developed normally with no gross malformations. At 5 dpf, mutants exhibited significantly reduced hair cell density in the otolith region compared with wild type, although lateral line neuromasts were unaffected. AEP testing showed significantly elevated auditory thresholds at all 4 frequencies in homozygous mutants compared with wild type (all P<0.001), indicating reduced hearing sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS We successfully generated a p2rx2 loss-of-function zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. p2rx2 deficiency caused hair cell defects in the otolith region and increased auditory thresholds across frequencies, indicating its key role in maintaining zebrafish auditory hair cell function and hearing perception. The phenotype's restriction to the otolith region suggests tissue-specific roles of p2rx2 in sensory organs. This model provides a valuable tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of P2RX2-related hearing loss and for screening otoprotective drugs and developing gene therapies.
Animals ; Zebrafish/genetics* ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X2/deficiency* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Phenotype ; Zebrafish Proteins/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal

OBJECTIVES: The integrated endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitor (ISRIB) is a selective inhibitor of the protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) signaling pathway within endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and can improve spatial and working memory in aged mice. Although ERS and oxidative stress are tightly interconnected, it remains unclear whether ISRIB alleviates cognitive impairment by restoring the balance between ERS and oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the effects and mechanisms of ISRIB on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cognitive impairment in mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old male ICR mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: Normal saline (NS) group, LPS group, and ISRIB+LPS group. NS and LPS groups received daily intraperitoneal injections of normal saline for 7 days; on day 7, LPS group mice received intraperitoneal LPS (0.83 mg/kg) to establish a cognitive impairment model. ISRIB+LPS group received ISRIB (0.25 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for 7 days, with LPS injected 30 minutes after ISRIB on day 7. Cognitive ability was evaluated by the novel place recognition test (NPRT). Real-time fluorogenic quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect changes in nitric oxide synthase (NOS), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), and catalase (CAT) gene expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), were measured in hippocampal and prefrontal cortex tissues. RESULTS: Compared with the NS group, mice in LPS group showed a significant reduction in novel place recognition ratio, upregulation of hippocampal NOS-1 and NOS-2 mRNA, downregulation of SOD-1 and CAT mRNA, increased MDA and GSSG, decreased GSH, and reduced GSH/GSSG ratio (all P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group, mice in ISRIB+LPS group exhibited significantly improved novel place recognition, downregulated NOS-1 and NOS-2 mRNA, upregulated SOD-1 and CAT mRNA, decreased MDA and GSSG, increased GSH, and an elevated GSH/GSSG ratio in the hippocampus (all P<0.05). No significant changes were observed in the prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS ISRIB improves LPS-induced cognitive impairment in mice by restoring the oxidative/antioxidant balance in the hippocampus.
Animals ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Male ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy* ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/drug effects* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/genetics* ; Guanidines/pharmacology* ; eIF-2 Kinase/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism*

Bio-mineralization has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance vaccine immunogenicity. This study optimized the calcium phosphate (CaP) mineralization process of foot-and-mouth disease virus-like particles (FMD VLPs) to achieve high mineralization efficiency and scalability. Key parameters, including concentrations of Ca²⁺, HPO₄^2-, NaCl, and VLPs, as well as stirring speed, were systematically optimized. Stability of the scaled-up reaction system and immunogenicity of the mineralized vaccine were evaluated. Optimal conditions [25.50 mmol/L Ca(NO₃)₂, 15 mmol/L Na₂HPO₄, 300 mmol/L NaCl, 0.75 mg/mL VLPs, and 1 500 r/min] yielded CaP-mineralized VLPs (VLPs-CaP) with high mineralization efficiency, uniform morphology, and a favorable particle size. Scaling up the reaction by 25 folds maintained consistent mineralization efficiency and particle characteristics. Immunization in mice demonstrated that VLPs-CaP induced higher titers of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies than unmineralized VLPs (P < 0.05). Higher IgG2a/IgG1 ratio and enhanced IFN-γ secretion (P < 0.05) further indicated robust cellular immune responses. We establish a stable and scalable protocol for VLPs-CaP, providing a theoretical and technical foundation for developing high-efficacy VLPs-CaP vaccines.
Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle/immunology* ; Immunogenicity, Vaccine ; Calcium Phosphates/chemistry* ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus ; Biomineralization ; Particle Size ; Animals ; Mice ; Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood* ; Antibodies, Viral/blood* ; Immunity, Cellular

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

Objective To explore the impact of paricalcitol(Pal)on the oxidative stress-induced tight junction dam-age of mouse hepatocytes and its mechanism.Methods A model of cholestatic liver injury was created by routine bile duct ligation.The mice were randomly divided into control group(control),model group(BDL)and treatment group(BDL+Pal).HE staining microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of liver tissues.The human hepa-toma cell line HepG2 was cultured and divided into blank group,model group(400 μmol/L H2O2)and treatment group(400 μmol/L H2O2+20 nmol/L Pal).Western blot was used to examine the level of tight junction protein 1(ZO-1),occludin,phosphorylated p65(p-p65),phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK)and phosphorylated myosin II regulated light chain(p-MLC)protein were checked in each group.Results Compared with the control group,the level of p-p65,p-ERK and p-MLC in the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.000 1 or P＜0.01 or P＜0.001).The protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).HE staining mi-croscopy showed an increased hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration.In contrast,the above levels in the treatment group showed an opposite trend relative to the model group.Conclusions Pal is able to alleviate the damage of hepatocyte tight junctions by inhibiting oxidative stress in cholestatic mice and HepG2 cells.Its mecha-nism is potentially related to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species and NF-κB/p65 and ERK signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND:The mechanisms and targets of alendronate in the treatment of osteoporosis still need to be investigated in depth. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the mechanism by which alendronate regulates bone metabolism in rats with osteoporosis and to perform a bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed proteins. METHODS:Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups(n=12 per group):model group,alendronate group and sham-operated group.Animal models of osteoporosis were prepared using ovariectomy in the model and alendronate groups.At 4 weeks after modeling,rats in the alendronate group were gavaged with alendronate;the other two groups were given the equal volume of normal saline.After 12 weeks of continuous gavage,the bone mineral density of the tibia was measured and the lumbar spine of the rats was taken for proteomic analysis using Tandem mass tag-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique to identify differentially expressed proteins for gene ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and protein-protein interaction analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 32 up-regulated proteins and 51 down-regulated proteins identified between the alendronate group and model group.Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in molecular functions,such as binding and catalytic activity,and in biological processes,such as cellular process and metabolic process.Kyoto Encylopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins in the alendronate group and model group were mainly involved in the biosynthesis of pantothenate and coenzyme A.Protein-protein interaction analysis indicated that among the differentially expressed proteins in the alendronate group and model group,Hspa1l,Enpp3,Unc45a,Myh9 and Cant1 were located at the nodes of the protein-protein interaction network and were closely related to bone metabolism.Overall,these findings indicate that alendronate may regulate bone metabolism in the rat model of osteoporosis by regulating the expression of differentially expressed proteins and biosynthesis of pantothenate and coenzyme A.

Objective To analyze the diversity and composition changes of gut fungal communities between mouse model of total parental nutrition(TPN)and normal control mice.Methods After mouse model of TPN was constructed,fresh feces were collected from TPN mice(n=5)and normal control mice(n=5).Internal transcribed spacer(ITS)DNA sequencing was applied to determine intestinal fungi,and then bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify the differences in fungal diversity,structure,and functional properties between the 2 groups of mice.Results There were significant differences in Alpha diversity(P＜0.05)and Beta diversity(P＜0.01)of intestinal fungi between the 2 groups.In the TPN model group,the relative abundances of Candida,Penicillium,Aspergillus and Talaromyces were obviously reduced(all P＜0.01).LEfSe analysis indicated that the above 4 strains were notably enriched in the normal control mice.Conclusion TPN mice exhibit characteristic changes in the composition of gut fungal flora compared to normal control mice.Dysfunction of gut fungal community may promote the occurrence of TPN related complications,and regulating the balance of gut fungal community may become a new strategy for preventing TPN related complications.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and prognoses of severe autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy (GFAP-A).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed. The clinical data of 12 patients with severe GFAP-A admitted to Department of Neurology, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital from January 2018 to June 2023 were collected, including demography, clinical manifestations, MRI features, laboratory examination results (such as antibodies), treatments and prognoses.Results:Among the 12 patients, 9 were male and 3 were female, with an average onset age of (46.58±17.53) years. Primary symptoms included headache, limb weakness, limb numbness, mental disorder, epileptic seizure, and urinary and defecation disorder; 9 patients had fever before onset. With aggravated severe GFAP-A, 12 patients had impaired consciousness, 12 had respiratory failure, 6 had unstable blood pressure and heart rate, and 2 had status epilepticus. Cranial MRI indicated abnormal lesions in all 12 patients, including 10 with brainstem involvement (7 had involved medulla oblongata); 10 showed soft meningeal enhancement. In 8 patients received MRI of the whole spinal cord, 7 had abnormal spinal cord lesions; point-like enhancement of the whole spinal meninges was observed in 6 of the 7 patients. All 12 patients had positive cerebrospinal fluid GFAP-IgG, and 3 patients also had positive serum GFAP-IgG. All patients accepted glucocorticoids and immunoglobulin immunotherapy, and 1 patient was supplemented with mycophenolate mofetil; 8 patients had good prognosis, and 4 patients died. Pulmonary infection, hyponatremia, hypoproteinemia, and deep vein thrombosis were the common complications.Conclusion:Patients with severe GFAP-A mainly manifest as meningoencephalitis and meningoencephalomyelitis, and are likely involved medulla oblongata, enjoying rapid clinical progression; even with early immunotherapy, high mortality rate is still noted.