This study aims to systematically characterize the targeted effects of Quanduzhong Capsules on cartilage lesions in knee osteoarthritis by integrating spatial transcriptomics data mining and animal experiments validation, thereby elucidating the related molecular mechanisms. A knee osteoarthritis model was established using Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats, via a modified Hulth method. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining was employed to detect knee osteoarthritis-associated pathological changes in knee cartilage. Candidate targets of Quanduzhong Capsules were collected from the HIT 2.0 database, followed by bioinformatics analysis of spatial transcriptomics datasets(GSE254844) from cartilage tissues in clinical knee osteoarthritis patients to identify spatially specific disease genes. Furthermore, a "formula candidate targets-spatially specific genes in cartilage lesions" interaction network was constructed to explore the effects and major mechanisms of Quanduzhong Capsules in distinct cartilage regions. Experimental validation was conducted through immunohistochemistry using animal-derived biospecimens. The results indicated that Quanduzhong Capsules effectively inhibited the degenerative changes in the cartilage of affected joints in rats, which was associated with the regulation of Quanduzhong Capsules on the thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP)-NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)-bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2(BMPR2)-fibronectin 1(FN1)-matrix metallopeptidase 2(MMP2) signal axis in the articular cartilage surface and superficial zones, subsequently inhibiting cartilage matrix degradation leading to oxidative stress and inflammatory diffusion. In summary, this study clarifies the spatially specific targeted effects and protective mechanisms of Quanduzhong Capsules within pathological cartilage regions in knee osteoarthritis, providing theoretical and experimental support for the clinical application of this drug in the targeted therapy on the inflamed cartilage.
Animals ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Male ; Humans ; Capsules ; Female ; Disease Models, Animal

This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

Acute lung injury(ALI) is a critical clinical condition primarily characterized by refractory hypoxemia and infiltration of inflammatory cells in lung tissue, which can progress into a more severe form known as acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). Immune cells and inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the progression of the disease. Due to its unclear pathogenesis and the lack of effective clinical treatments, ALI is associated with a high mortality rate and severely affects patients' quality of life, making the search for effective therapeutic agents particularly urgent. Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, the dried root of the perennial herb Panax ginseng from the Araliaceae family, contains active ingredients such as saponins and polysaccharides, which possess various pharmacological effects including anti-tumor activity, immune regulation, and metabolic modulation. In recent years, studies have shown that ginsenosides exhibit notable effects in reducing inflammation, ameliorating epithelial and endothelial cell injury, and providing anticoagulant action, indicating their comprehensive role in alleviating lung injury. This review summarizes the pathogenesis of ALI and the molecular mechanisms through which ginsenosides act at different stages of ALI development. The aim is to provide a scientific reference for the development of ginsenoside-based drugs targeting ALI, as well as a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the treatment of ALI.
Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Acute Lung Injury/immunology* ; Animals ; Panax/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Objective: To investigate the distribution characteristics and related factors of weight loss behavior among middle school students in Shanghai, so as to provide a reference for guiding scientific weight loss among middle school students. Methods: From May to June 2021, a stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 16 758 junior and high school students in 16 districts of Shanghai. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was administered to assess the basic condition and weight loss behaviors of the students. An unordered multinomial Logistic regression model was employed to analyze the factors associated with weight loss behaviors. Results: A total of 5 881 (35.09%) reported engaging in exercise for weight loss, 6 344 (37.86%) reported dieting for weight loss, and 461 (2.75%) engaged in unhealthy weight loss behaviors. The unordered multinomial Logistic regression analysis indicated that compared with the no weight loss behavior group, students from urban areas( OR =1.35,95% CI =1.10-1.66), those with Internet addiction ( OR =1.71,95% CI =1.23-2.38), those with victims of bullying ( OR =2.09, 95% CI =1.68-2.61), those experiencing insomnia ( OR =2.33,95% CI = 1.74-3.11), those feelings of sadness or despair ( OR =3.10, 95% CI =2.42- 3.97 ), and those who perceived their body weight as slightly heavy ( OR =2.77, 95% CI = 2.17-3.55) or very heavy ( OR =3.41, 95% CI =2.44-4.75) were more likely to engage in unhealthy weight loss behaviors ( P <0.05). Conclusions There are significant differences in weight loss behaviors among middle school students with varying characteristics in Shanghai. Negative emotions such as insomnia and feelings of sadness or despair, Internet addiction, cognitive bias in weight and experiences of bullying are identified as related factors for unhealthy weight loss behaviors. Targeted intervention measures should be implemented to guide students towards scientific approaches to weight management.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. Given the substantial number of OSA patients, it is urgently in need to address the burden on society. Current available evidence linking outdoor light at night (LAN) to OSA is scarce. Objective To explore the relationships regarding outdoor LAN and OSA among residents in Southern China. Methods A total of 3925 hospitalized patients in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Sleep Center were recruited between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015. The severity of OSA was determined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using polysomnography or home sleep test. The annual Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS)-like LAN data with a 500 m spatial resolution were used to evaluate outdoor LAN levels of the participants 1, 3, and 5 years before undergoing sleep monitoring. Generalized linear regression models were utilized to examine the associations of outdoor LAN with OSA. Results The ORs (95%CIs) of OSA, mild OSA, and moderate OSA were 1.175 (1.021, 1.351), 1.215 (1.038, 1.421), and 1.195 (1.003, 1.425) respectively for per interquartile range (IQR) increment in three-year average outdoor LAN. The results of stratified analyses showed a higher OR of 1.933 (95%CI: 1.424, 2.637) in female than male participants (P _interaction < 0.001). Additionally, the ORs of OSA did not substantially change using one-year/ five-year instead of three-year average outdoor LAN. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that an elevated outdoor LAN is significantly associated with higher odds of OSA (especially mild and moderate OSA) in Southern China, especially in females. An effective outdoor LAN management and policy-making framework has been suggested as potential preventive measures to reduce burden of OSA.

Object To study the efficacy and potential mechanism of Tongbianling capsule in constipation. Methods The effects of Tongbianling capsule on intestinal motility in normal mice and carbon powder propulsion rate in small intestine of constipation model mice after were observed administration. The potential targets and key pathways of Tongbianling capsule in treating constipation were identified through network pharmacology. To verify the mechanism, the expression of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT and CASP3 proteins in mouse colon tissue was detected by the western blot. Results The time for mice to excrete the first black stool was shortened and the number of fecal particles was increased in Tongbianling capsule administration group, and the carbon powder propulsion rate of mice in each Tongbianling capsule administration group was increased. The results of network pharmacology showed that treatment of constipation by Tongbianling capsule may be related to signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and 5-HT. The protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, and CASP3 in mouse colon tissue could be significantly downregulated in administration group. Conclusion Tongbianling capsule could effectively promote intestinal peristalsis in mice, increase the frequency of defecation, and effectively treat constipation. The mechanism of its action may be related to the direct or indirect regulation of intestinal motility by the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.