This study aims to investigate the effects of Pulsatilla powder(PP)on colonic intestinal flora and tryptophan metabolism in piglets with diarrhea.Twenty-four weaned piglets were ran-domly divided into the normal control group,model group,self-healing group,and PP group.The model of piglet diarrhea was established by the compound factor of external evil+internal injury+epi-demic virus,and treated with PP.During the modeling period,the body weight,mental status and fecal patterns of piglets were monitored daily.After the experiment,the colon tissues were collect-ed for histopathological observation,and the inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-6 in the colon tis-sue was detected by ELISA,16S rRNA was used to analyze colonic intestinal flora and RT-qPCR was used to determine the expression of genes related to tryptophan metabolism in the colon.The results showed that,compared with the model group,PP significantly improved the pathological status of the colon in piglets with diarrhea,with elevated body mass and a significant increase in goblet cells(P＜0.05);and significantly reduced the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in the colon of diar-rhea piglets(P＜0.05).The results of intestinal flora showed that PP increased the abundance of Firmicutes(P＜0.01),Spirochaeota(P＜0.01)and Lactobacillus(P＜0.05),reduced the abun-dance of Bacteroidota(P＜0.05)、Prevotella_NK3B31_group(P＜0.05)and Clostridium_sensu_stricto 1(P＜0.01).Meanwhile,PP significantly reduced the expression level of TPH1 mRNA(P＜0.05),increased the expression levels of AhR(P＜0.05)and IL-22 mRNA in the co-lon of diarrhea piglets.These results indicates that PP may alleviate diarrhea in piglets by regula-ting colonic intestinal flora and genes related to intestinal tryptophan metabolism.This study pro-vides data support for the subsequent investigation of piglet diarrhea prevention and treatment.

Through molecular docking and experimental validation,24 SPF male KM mice were ran-domly divided into four groups:the control group(CON),model group(LPS),high-dose Yang Shuhua group(YSH-H),which was gavaged with drug solution containing 1 g/mL crude Yang Shuhua,and the low-dose Yang Shuhua group(YSH-L),which was gavaged with drug solution containing 0.5 g/mL crude Yang Shuhua for a 17-day experimental period.Mouse body weight was recorded during the experiment,and fecal scoring was done 1 h after intraperitoneal injection of LPS.At the end of the experiment,histopathological changes in the jejunum tissue were examined,and the expression of tight junction protein-related genes was detected.Compared to the CON group,mice in the LPS group showed significant decreases in villus height,villus height/crypt depth(V/C)ratio(P＜0.01),and significant increase in crypt depth(P＜0.01).The mRNA ex-pression levels of ZO-1 and claudin-1 were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).Compared to the LPS group,mice in the YSH-H group showed significant decrease in crypt depth(P＜0.05),significant increase in villus height(P＜0.05),and significant increase in V/C ratio(P＜0.01).The YSH-L group showed a significant increase in V/C ratio(P＜0.05),a trend of decreased crypt depth,and an increasing trend of villus height.The mRNA expression of ZO-1 in the YSH-H group showed a significant increase(P＜0.05)and claudin-1 showed an increasing trend.Luteolin,quercetin,kaempferol,eriodictyol,and the top 5 potential key targets TP53,IL-1β,TNF,AKT1,and IL-10 exhibited molecular docking scores less than-20.95 kJ/mol,indicating strong activity.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that Yang Shuhua compounds might act on enteritis through the TNF signaling pathway,IL-17 signaling pathway,and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.The qPCR results showed an upward trend in the mRNA expression levels of TLR4 and AKT1,significant in-crease in Caspase-1 and ASC(P＜0.05),and significantly increased expression of NF-κB and NL-RP3(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression level of AKT1,TLR4,NLRP3,ASC,Caspase-1,and NF-κB decreased compared to the LPS group,with significant differences in Caspase-1 and NF-κB(P＜0.05).This study suggests that Yang Shuhua exerts anti-enteritis effects through multiple compo-nents and pathways,with blockade of the TLR4-AKT-NF-κB pathway possibly being a key thera-peutic mechanism for treating enteritis.

This study aims to investigate the medication rules of patented traditional Chinese medi-cine(TCM)compound formulas and molecular mechanisms of core drugs for treating sepsis using data mining and network pharmacology approaches.In the present study,we first searched the PubMed database,Web of Science database,and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)since the establishment of the library to April 30,2024 for the relevant literature on the treatment of sepsis by traditional Chinese medicine.The prescriptions were then statistically ana-lyzed for drug frequency and association analysis to obtain the core drugs.Then we screened the ef-fective active ingredients of the core drugs by TCMSP and other database platforms,obtained sep-sis-related genes in GeneCards and other databases,and statistically intersected targets,and predic-ted the mechanism of action of the core TCMs by subjecting the intersected targets to PPI analy-sis,GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.Finally,the relationship between key tar-gets and herbal components was examined in reverse by molecular docking method.The results showed that 64 compound formulas were obtained,with a total of 150 Chinese medicines,which were mostly sweet in taste,cold in nature,and belonged to the spleen,stomach and intestinal me-ridians.According to the association rules,the core drugs were identified as"mirabilite-peach ker-nel-rheum officinale".There were 79 intersecting targets between the core drugs and sepsis,with core targets such as IL-1β,EGFR and SRC.MAPK,TNF,IL-17 and other signaling pathways are involved to mediate inflammatory responses,apoptosis and other biological processes to exert ther-apeutic effects on sepsis.The molecular docking results indicated that the docking activity of the key targets with the main components of the drug,and sennoside E_qt has the lowest binding ener-gy and the best docking activity with SRC.In conclusion,this study showed that the prescription of Chinese medicine for sepsis is mostly based on tonifying the spleen and clearing heat.The mecha-nism of action of the core drug"mirabilite-peach kernel-rheum officinale"in the treatment of sep-sis is multilevel and multifaceted,which provides a certain theoretical basis for the treatment of sepsis by traditional Chinese medicine.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

Objective The aim of this study was to detect the expression of miR-383-5p in bladder cancer tissues and bladder cancer 5637 cells,BIU-87 cells,TCCSUP cells and HT-1376 cells,and to explore the effects of miR-383-5p on the prolif-eration,invasion,migration and apoptosis of bladder cancer cells by targeting CIP2A.Methods The expression of miR-383-5p was detected by qRT-PCR in human bladder cancer tissues and their corresponding adjacent tissues,5637 cells,BIU-87 cells,TCCSUP cells,HT-1376 cells,human bladder transitional epithelial cells.BIU-87 cells with low miR-383-5p expression were selected for subsequent experiments.BIU-87 cells were divided into the blank group(normal culture),miR-383-5p NC group(negative control,transfected with miR-383-5p negative control),miR-383-5p mimic group(transfected with miR-383-5p mimic),and miR-383-5p mimic+pc-CIP2A group(co-transfected with miR-383-5p mimic and CIP2A overexpression plasmid pc-CIP2A).CCK-8 kit was used to detect the viability of BIU-87 cells in each group;Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis of BIU-87 cells;Transwell assay was used to measure cell invasion ability of BIU-87 cells;Scratch assay was used to measure cell migration ability of BIU-87 cells;Western blot was used to determine the expression of proteins related to apoptosis,invasion(MMP-2,MMP-9),and CIP2A/PP2A in BIU-87 cells;The dual luciferase assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-383-5p and CIP2A in BIU-87 cells.Results The expression of miR-383-5p was low in bladder cancer tissues and bladder cancer cells.Compared with the blank group,BIU-87 cells in the miR-383-5p mimic group showed a significant increase the level of miR-383-5p(0.91±0.10 vs.1.67±0.24,P<0.01)and a significant decrease in the expression of CIP2A protein(1.32±0.17 vs.0.45±0.03,P<0.001),the cell viability,invasion,migration abilities,the expression of proteins related to invasion(MMP-2,MMP-9),and the expression of Bcl-2 protein[(100.00±4.36)% vs.(32.15±2.65)% ,(150.20±12.95)vs.(82.35±7.01),(77.91±3.63)% vs.(46.12±2.54)% ,1.02±0.11 vs.0.22±0.04,1.03±0.18 vs.0.21±0.04,1.01±0.14 vs.0.27±0.05,P<0.001];The apoptosis rate,the expression of caspase-3 and Bax proteins related to apoptosis,and PP2A expression were significantly increased[(14.02±2.29)% vs.(38.21±3.20)% ],0.81±0.11 vs.1.78±0.24,0.83±0.12 vs.1.72±0.24,0.27±0.02 vs.0.95±0.16,P<0.001].Compared with the miR-383-5p mimic group,BIU-87 cells in the miR-383-5p mimic+pc-CIP2A group significantly increased the cell viability,invasion,migration abilities,the expression of proteins related to invasion,and the expression of Bcl-2 protein[(32.15±2.65)% vs.(50.18±3.77)% ,(82.35±7.01)% vs.(116.30±13.70),(46.12±2.54)% vs.(58.43±3.15)% ,0.22±0.04 vs.0.60±0.08,0.21±0.04 vs.0.5 8±0.06,0.27±0.05 vs.0.64±0.08,P<0.05];The apoptosis rate,the expression of caspase-3,Bax,and PP2A was signifi-cantly reduced in the miR-383-5p mimic+pc-CIP2A group[(38.21±3.20)% (23.15±2.74)% ,1.78±0.24 vs.1.25±0.21,1.72±0.24 vs.1.23±0.18,0.95±0.16 vs.0.60±0.13,P<0.05].The results of dual luciferase experiments showed a corresponding tar-geting relationship between miR-383-5p and CIP2A.Conclusion Increasing the expression of miR-383-5p can inhibit the prolif-eration,invasion and migration of bladder cancer BIU-87 cells,and enhance the ability of apoptosis,which may be achieved by targe-ted regulation of CIP2A.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

Thirty SPF Kunming male mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly divided into five groups:the control group,the model group,and the low,medium,and high dose groups of Dilong.Except for the control group,the other mice were continuously injected intraperitoneally with 80 mg/kg cyclophosphamide for 3 days to prepare an immunosuppressive model.After the model-ing was completed,the control group and the model group were given an equal amount of physio-logical saline by gavage,while the low,medium,and high dose Dilong groups were given 100,200,and 400 mg/kg of Dilong fermented material by gavage,respectively.The treatment lasted for 14 days,and thymus,spleen,blood,and intestinal contents were collected 2 hours after the last admin-istration.The results showed that cyclophosphamide caused a weight loss in mice during the exper-iment,reduced thymus index,white blood cells,lymphocytes,granulocytes,immunoglobulin levels in the blood,and disrupted gut microbiota.Dilong fermented material can effectively improve the decrease in body weight and thymus index of mice,increase the levels of immune cells and immu-noglobulin in the blood,improve the diversity and richness of intestinal microbiota,and increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria.Dilong fermented can effectively alleviate the immune suppres-sion and intestinal microbiota disorder caused by cyclophosphamide in mice.Considering all fac-tors,the optimal dosage is 200 mg/kg.

Polyethylene (PE) is widely used due to its excellent properties. However, the improper disposal of PE waste has led to serious environmental pollution. Microbial degradation of PE is a low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and highly efficient method of homogeneous recycling. The use of microbial degradation technology to treat polyethylene waste has become one of the current research hotspots. As a result, employing microbial degradation technology to address polyethylene waste has become a key focus of current research. A PE-degrading strain ETX1 was screened from waste plastics in a landfill by the enrichment culture method. The strain was identified as Lysinibacillus sp.. After incubating PE powder with the strain for 20 days, a weight loss of 29.41% was observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that special absorption peaks such as carbonyl and hydroxyl groups appeared, proving that ETX1 had the effect of degrading PE. The degradation effect of this strain was characterized by the weight loss of PE film, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle. The results showed that ETX1 reduced the PE film weight by up to 5.23% within 120 days. The film structure was damaged, with holes formed by erosion on the film surface, and the hydrophilicity was enhanced. Additionally, a stronger carbonyl absorption peak appeared. The discovery of the PE-degrading strain ETX1 not only enriches the resources of PE plastic-degrading strains but also lays a foundation for mining efficient PE-degrading elements, obtaining degrading enzymes, and deciphering related degradation pathways.
Polyethylene/chemistry* ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Bacillaceae/classification* ; Plastics/metabolism*