ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Yueju Wan on the 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） signaling pathway in rats with functional dyspepsia （FD） and to explore its therapeutic mechanism in the treatment of FD. MethodsSixty Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a normal group， model group， mosapride group （1.575 mg·kg^-1）， and Yueju Wan low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （0.735， 1.47， and 2.94 g·kg^-1， respectively）. The FD rat model was established using GUO's tail-clamping stimulation combined with irregular feeding. After 14 days of modeling， rats were administered the corresponding drugs by gavage for 28 days. After treatment， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were measured. Serum levels of 5-HT， tryptophan hydroxylase （TPH）， and substance P （SP） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and acetylcholine （ACh） levels were determined by chemical methods. Histopathological changes in the gastric antrum were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor （5-HT4R）， SP， and acetylcholinesterase （AChE） in colon tissue， as well as 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor （5-HT3R）， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to examine the expression of 5-HT and 5-HT4R in the colon and 5-HT and 5-HT3R in the hypothalamus. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Serum levels of 5-HT， SP， ACh， and TPH were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed irregular arrangement of glands in the gastric antrum， slight mucosal atrophy， and mild inflammatory cell infiltration. The mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-HT4R， SP， and AChE in colon tissue， as well as 5-HT3R， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue， were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and 5-HT protein expression in both the colon and hypothalamus was also significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Yueju Wan groups showed significantly increased gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate （P<0.01）. The glands in the gastric antrum were more regularly arranged， with no inflammatory cell infiltration observed. Serum levels of 5-HT， SP， ACh， and TPH were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-HT4R， SP， and AChE in colon tissue and 5-HT3R， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue were significantly upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and 5-HT protein expression in both the colon and hypothalamus was significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionYueju Wan has preventive and therapeutic effects on FD， and its mechanism may be related to regulation of the 5-HT signaling pathway， promotion of brain-gut peptide secretion， and enhancement of gastric motility.

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of Xielitang on dextran sulfate sodium （DSS）-induced ulcerative colitis （UC） mice and its possible mechanism. MethodsDSS was used to establish UC model. Sixty mice were randomly divided into a normal group， a model group， a sulfasalazine group （0.6 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Xielitang groups （1.67， 3.34， 6.68 g·kg^-1）. After treatment for 42 d， the colon length was recorded， and the disease activity index （DAI） score was calculated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathomorphological changes of colon. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of farnesoid X receptor （FXR）， small heterodimer partner （SHP）， liver receptor homolog-1 （LRH-1）， cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1）， and fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 （FGFR4） in liver and FXR， sodium-dependent bile acid transporter （ASBT）， and fibroblast growth factor 15 （FGF15） in ileum. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the intestinal flora. Moreover， ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect the bile acid content. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly decreased colon length， IL-10 content， α-diversity index， abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus， and content of deoxycholic acid （DCA） and lithocholic acid （LCA） （P<0.01）， significantly increased DAI score， IL-6 and TNF-α content， abundance of Bacteroidetes， and the content of cholic acid （CA）， chenodeoxycholic acid （CDCA）， and taurocholic acid （TCA） （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly down-regulated protein expression of FXR， SHP， and FGFR4 in liver and FXR， ASBT， and FGF15 in ileum （P<0.01）， and significantly up-regulated protein expression of LRH-1 and CYP7A1 in liver （P<0.01）. In addition， the structure of colonic mucosa was destroyed， and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the model group. Compared with the model group， Xielitang could significantly increase the colon length， IL-10 content， α-diversity index， the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus， and DCA and LCA content （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decrease DAI score， abundance of Bacteroidetes， and the content of IL-6， TNF-α， CA， CDCA， and TCA （P<0.01）， up-regulate the protein expression of FXR， SHP， and FGFR4 in liver and FXR， ASBT， and FGF15 in ileum （P<0.01）， and down-regulate the protein expression of LRH-1 and CYP7A1 in liver （P<0.01）. The pathological damage of colonic mucosa was obviously alleviated. ConclusionXielitang protects against UC probably by regulating the "intestinal microbiota-bile acid" axis， regulating intestinal flora imbalance， and maintaining bile acid homeostasis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical application effect of the along-axis extraction method in the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars (IMTM) and to compare the biomechanical characteristics of different root extraction techniques through three-dimensional finite element analysis. METHODS: A total of 68 patients requiring IMTM extraction were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group underwent the along-axis extraction method, while the control group underwent the traditional buccal bone removal and root extraction method. The duration of the procedure, intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Three-dimensional finite element analysis further revealed the stress distribution in the tooth root, jawbone, periodontal ligament, and mandibular canal during different root extraction methods. RESULTS: The duration of root extraction, pain score and swelling on the first postoperative day in the control group were (7.87±3.90) min, 4.62±1.90 and (11.37±5.12) mm, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the experimental group [(5.74±2.37) min, 3.87±1.19 and (7.22±3.39) mm, respectively]. The root fracture rate and lingual bone plate fracture rate in the control group were significantly higher than those in the experimental group (P < 0.05). The results of finite element analysis showed that the control group ' s lingual al-veolar bone had the higher peak equivalent stress, and lingual bone plate fracture was prone to occur. The periodontal ligament of the experimental group had the higher equivalent stress value, making it more likely to rip and more likely to cause root displacement. When subjected to force, the experimental group' s instantaneous root displacement was higher, but the control group ' s root displacement was more pronounced in the lingual direction. CONCLUSION This study suggests that the along-axis extraction me-thod can not only effectively shorten the operative time but also reduce postoperative complications after extraction of impacted mandibular third molars, and enhance the safety of the operation and the patient' s comfort. Three-dimensional finite element analysis shows the biomechanical characteristics of various root extraction techniques visually, serves as a valuable guide for choosing and refining clinical surgical techniques, and confirms that extracting a tooth' s root along its long axis yields better clinical results.
Humans ; Finite Element Analysis ; Tooth, Impacted/surgery* ; Tooth Extraction/methods* ; Molar, Third/surgery* ; Mandible/surgery* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Female ; Adult ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Male ; Tooth Root/surgery* ; Young Adult ; Adolescent

To explore the feasibility of using UAV-LiDAR for measuring the leaf area index (LAI) of crop canopies, we employed UAV-LiDAR to scan sugarcane canopies during the tillering and elongation stages, acquiring canopy point cloud data. Subsequently, features such as average row height, projected row area, point cloud density at different canopy layers, and the ratios between these parameters were extracted. Three feature selection methods-partial least squares regression (PLSR), XGBoost feature importance (XGBoost-FI), and random forest-recursive feature elimination (RF-RFE)-were adopted to evaluate and identify the optimal input variables for modeling. With these selected variables, LAI inversion models were developed based on random forest (RF) and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithms, and their performance was assessed. Among the extracted features, the projected row area S_p and the total row point count C_total exhibited strong correlations with LAI, with correlation coefficients of 0.73 and 0.72, respectively. The AdaBoost-based LAI inversion model, using the projected row area S_p, average height H_avg, mid-layer point cloud density C_m, and total row point count C_total as input variables, achieved the best performance, with a coefficient of determination (R_v²) of 0.713 and a root mean square error (RMSE_v) of 0.25 on the validation set. This study provides an effective method for high-throughput acquisition of LAI in field crops, offering valuable scientific support for sugarcane field management and breeding efforts.
Plant Leaves/growth & development* ; Saccharum/growth & development* ; Algorithms ; Unmanned Aerial Devices ; Remote Sensing Technology/methods* ; Crops, Agricultural/growth & development*

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy and mechanism of Danshen Zexie decoction in treating the rats with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）. MethodSixty male SD rats were randomized into control group， model group， essentiale （polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules， 0.144 g·kg^-1） group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Danshen Zexie decoction （1.16， 2.32， and 4.64 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. The rat model of MAFLD was established with high fat diet， and 8-week therapy started at the induction of MAFLD. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， as well as the liver levels of TC， TG， free fatty acid （FFA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA）， were measured. The pathological changes of liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and oil red O staining， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area were calculated. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the liver was detected by immunofluorescence. The protein levels of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， p-AMPK， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit （GCLC）， glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit （GCLM）， and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate： quinine oxidoreductase （NQO1） in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with control group， the modeling of MAFLD elevated the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of SOD and GSH and down-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylation（p）-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further， a large number of lipid droplet vacuoles and balloon-like lesions appeared in the hepatocytes， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area increased in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， Danshen Zexie decoction lowered the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， increased the levels of SOD and GSH and up-regulated the protein levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the decoction alleviated the degree of liver steatosis （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanshen Zexie decoction protects against MAFLD by activating AMPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Broussonetiae Fructus （BF） in preventing and treating drug-induced liver injury （DILI） induced by acetaminophen （APAP） through the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway. MethodSixty C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， silybin group （3.4 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium- and low-dose BF groups （3.0， 1.5， 0.75 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group. The DILI model was induced by intragastric administration of APAP at 800 mg·kg^-1， and drugs were administered simultaneously for 10 consecutive days. The serum contents or activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， total bilirubin （TBIL）， and direct bilirubin （DBIL） were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in liver tissues. The morphological changes in liver mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The activities or content of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）， glutathione （GSH）， glutathione disulfide （GSSG）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in the serum and liver tissues were detected by the colorimetric method. The expression of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in liver tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. The gene expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）， CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein （CHOP）， and c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） in liver tissues was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased serum activities or content of ALT， AST， TBIL， and DBIL （P<0.01）， increased MDA and GSSG contents （P<0.01）， decreased contents or activities of SOD， T-AOC， GSH， GSH-Px， and ATP （P<0.01）， swollen hepatocytes with inflammatory infiltration and lamellar necrosis， swollen and broken mitochondria of hepatocytes， and increased mRNA expression of GRP78， CHOP， and JNK （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the groups with drug intervention showed decreased serum content or activities of ALT， AST， TBIL， and DBIL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced MDA and GSSG contents（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased contents or activities of SOD， T-AOC， GSH， GSH-Px， and ATP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved swollen hepatocytes， inflammatory infiltration， and lamellar necrosis， recovered bilayer membrane structure in mitochondria of hepatocytes， and decreased mRNA expression of GRP78， CHOP， and JNK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBF has preventive and therapeutic effects on APAP-induced DILI mice， and the mechanism may be related to the reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress level in vivo.

Objective:To explore the progress and prospect of evaluation methods for infertility patients.Methods:From September 2017 to December 2020,199 cases of infertility patients who have accepted mini-hysteroscopy examination in the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology,Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital,Capital Medical University.The patients who had primary ovary insufficiency,tubal infertility were excluded;patients with hysteroscopy contradiction,such as acute or sub-acute vaginal tract inflammation,en-dometrium lesion or endometrium carcinoma,severe cardiovascular,liver or kidney insufficiency were excluded.40 patients were excluded and 15 patients lost follow up,144 patients were eventually included in the analysis.The patient's age,body mass index,infertility etiology,preoperative and postoperative stimulate ovulation cycle,pregnancy state and pregnancy time were recorded.The effect of mini-hysteroscopy on ovulation induction cycle was analyzed in pregnant patients.Results:The average age of 144 patients was 32.10±4.67 years old.96 (66.67％) patients were found to have intrauterine abnormalities,while 48 (33.33％) patients were found to have normal intrauterine cavity.48 cases of pregnancy,accounting for 33.33％;the median and interquartile ranges[M (Q1,Q3)]of ovulation induction cycles before and after surgery were respectively[3 (0,5)],[2 (1,3)],the difference was statistically significant(P ＜ 0.05).Among the 48 pregnant patients,32 of them had no structural lesions in hysteroscopy,the ovula-tion induction cycle of these patients before and after hysteroscopy were respectively[5 (0,9)],[1 (0,3)],the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion:Uterine cavity evaluation is important for the assessments of fertility.As an advanced diagnosis instrument,mini-hysteroscopy can not only timely detect the intrauterine abnormalities of patients,but also with great application value in shorten the ovulation cycle in infertility patients and increase the pregnancy rate.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Modified Rhizoma Alismatis decoction on the expression of aquaporin 8 (AQP8) in liver tissue of hyperlipemia model rats, and to investigate the mechanism of preventing and treating hyperlipemia.METHODS: Total of 60 rats were randomly divided into blank control group (distilled water), model group, positive control group (simvastatin 1. 89 mg/kg) and modified Rhizoma Alismatis decoction high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose groups (29. 56, 14. 78, 7. 39 g/kg, calculated by crude drug), with 10 rats in each group. Those groups were given high-fat diet to induce hyperlipemia model and given relevant medicine intragastrically once a day for consecutive 5 weeks except that blank control group was given normal diet. After administration, the serum contents of TG, TC, HDL-C and LDL-C in rats were detected, and the pathomorphology changes of liver tissue were observed; the mRNA and protein expression of AQP8 in liver tissue were detected. RESULTS: Compared blank control group, the serum contents of TG, TC and LDL-C in model group were increased significantly (P<0. 05 or P<0. 01),while the serum content of HDL-C was decreased significantly (P<0. 01); pathological changes were found in liver tissue, such as irregular cell arrangement and hepatic sinusoidal hyperemia and edema; mRNA and protein expression of AQP8 in liver tissue were increased significantly (P<0. 01). Compared with model group, above indexes of treatment groups were improved significantly (P<0. 05 or P<0. 01); the structure of liver tissue tended to be normal and the fatty degeneration was obviously alleviated. CONCLUSIONS: Modified Rhizoma Alismatis decoction can regulate the mRNA and protein expression of AQP8 in liver tissue so as to play the effects on the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia.

Objective To investigate the different exposure and treatment methods for the chorda tympanic nerve in middle ear surgery, and discuss the surgery techniques and the feasibility of the chorda tympanic nerve protection.Methods From September 2013 to March 2016, 155 cases of middle ear surgeries at Zhujiang hospital were included in this study, including 24 cases of type I tympanoplasty, 6 cases of atticotomy and type I tympanoplasty, 22 cases of atticotomy and type II tympanoplasty, 23 cases of canal-wall-up mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty,74 cases of canal-wall-down mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty, 6 cases of stapedotomy.The conditions of exposure and protection of the chorda tympanic nerve in the operation were compared, and their taste function at 3 days to 1 months postoperatively through questionnaires were evaluated.Results The preservation rate of the chorda tympanic nerve was up to 89.03%(138/155).There were 17 cases of chorda tympanic nerve injuries, of which 15 cases suffered hypogeusia with the rate being 88.2%(15/17).In 126 cases of the complete protection of the chorda tympanic nerve, 13 of them appeared hypogeusia at 10.3% (13/126), but they recovered within 1 months postoperatively.One case of delayed facial paralysis occurred in 16 days postoperatively, and recovered completely after 2 weeks of treatment with glucocorticoids.There was a significant difference in the incidence of postoperative abnormal taste between the complete protection of the chorda tympanic nerve and fracture during operation.Conclusion According to the different position and exposure of chorda tympanic nerve, the individual measures should be taken in middle ear surgery to protect the chorda tympanic nerve.

Objective To explore the effect of vitamin K2 on β-glycerophosphate(β-GP)-induced rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) calcification and and the mechanism.Methods VSMCs were obtained from rat aortic,and identified by immunocytochemistry,then randomly divided into control group,high phosphorus group,vitamin K2 group (the group was settled three subgroups according to the concentration of vitamin K2 based on the high phosphorus medium,namely 10 μmol/L,25 μmol/L,50 μmol/L) and noggin (bone morphogenetic protein pathway inhibitor) group.Calcification was visualized by Alizarin red staining,calcium load in cells was quantified by o-cresolphthalein complexone method and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured after stimulating 14 days,gene expressions of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2),SMAD1,SMAD7 and Runx2 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR,Runx2 protein levels was detected by Western blotting after stimulating 3 days.Results Compared with the cells in control group,high phosphorus induced cell calcification,increased ALP activity,up-regulated the expression of BMP-2,SMAD1,Runx2 mRNA (P ＜ 0.05) and down-regulated the expression of SMAD7 (P ＜ 0.01),while compared with high phosphorus group,the calcium deposition,ALP activity and the expression of BMP-2,SMAD1,Runx2 mRNA were remarkably reduced in a dose-dependent manner by treatment with vitamin K2 (P ＜ 0.05) and the expression of SMAD7 was increased (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with high phosphorus group,SMAD1 and Runx2 expression in noggin group were remarkably reduced(P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Vitamin K2 inhibits β-glycerophosphate-induced VSMCs calcification which correlates with the suppression of the expression of osteoblast markers through the down-regulation of bone morphogenetic protein pathway.