Chronic visceral pain is a persistent and debilitating condition arising from dysfunction or sensitization of the visceral organs and their associated nervous pathways. Increasing evidence suggests that imbalances in central nervous system function play an essential role in the progression of visceral pain, but the exact mechanisms underlying the neural circuitry and molecular targets remain largely unexplored. In the present study, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was shown to mediate visceral pain in mice. Visceral pain stimulation increased c-Fos expression and Ca²⁺ activity of glutamatergic VTA neurons, and optogenetic modulation of glutamatergic VTA neurons altered visceral pain. In particular, the upregulation of NMDA receptor 2A (NR2A) subunits within the VTA resulted in visceral pain in mice. Administration of a selective NR2A inhibitor decreased the number of visceral pain-induced c-Fos positive neurons and attenuated visceral pain. Pharmacology combined with chemogenetics further demonstrated that glutamatergic VTA neurons regulated visceral pain behaviors based on NR2A. In summary, our findings demonstrated that the upregulation of NR2A in glutamatergic VTA neurons plays a critical role in visceral pain. These insights provide a foundation for further comprehension of the neural circuits and molecular targets involved in chronic visceral pain and may pave the way for targeted therapies in chronic visceral pain.
Animals ; Male ; Visceral Pain/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation/physiology* ; Ventral Tegmental Area/metabolism* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Neurons/drug effects* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism* ; Chronic Pain/metabolism* ; Glutamic Acid/metabolism*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), a treasure of the Chinese nation, contains abundant chemical components and demonstrates unique pharmacological activities, showing important values in clinical applications. With profound connotations and broad application prospects, TCM urgently needs us to further explore and conduct systematic research. Puerarin is a small-molecule natural isoflavonoid carbon glycoside extracted from plants of Pueraria. It is also the main active ingredient of Puerariae Lobata Radix, a Chinese herbal medicine with both medicinal and edible values. Puerarin has a variety of pharmacological effects such as blood pressure-lowering, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-ischemia-reperfusion injury, antithrombotic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting, nerve cell-protecting, and intestinal microbiota-regulating effects. It is also an active ingredient that has been widely studied. This article comprehensively reviews the research progress in the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of puerarin over the years, aiming to provide references and theoretical support for the in-depth research and development as well as clinical application of puerarin.
Isoflavones/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Pueraria/chemistry*

This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress via the inositol-requiring enzyme 1α(IRE1α)/apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1(ASK1)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK) pathway to improve neurological function in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury(CIRI). SPF-grade male sprague-dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into Sham group, model group, Buyang Huanwu Decoction group, and edaravone group. Except for the Sham group, the other groups were subjected to the modified suture method to establish a middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion(MCAO/R) model. After treatment, neurological function was assessed using the Zea Longa scoring system. Gait analysis was used to detect the motor function. Detection of relative infarct area in brain tissue using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC) staining. Nissl staining was used to observe the structure of neuronal cells. Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR) were used to detect IRE1α, ASK1, JNK, B cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2 related X protein(Bax), and Caspase-3 in the brain tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the positive expression of IRE1α, ASK1, and JNK. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the fluorescence expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3. The results showed that compared with the Sham group, the model group exhibited increased neurological scores(P<0.01), increased ratio of ground contact area and strength in both forelimbs(P<0.01), enlarged relative infarct area of brain tissue(P<0.05), and a reduced number of Nissl staining-positive cells(P<0.01). The protein and mRNA expression levels of IRE1α, ASK1, JNK, Bax, and Caspase-3 in brain tissue were significantly elevated, while those of Bcl-2 were decreased(P<0.05). Compared with the model group, both the Buyang Huanwu Decoction group and edaravone group showed reduced neurological scores(P<0.05), decreased ratio of ground contact area and strength in both forelimbs(P<0.05), smaller relative infarct area(P<0.05), alleviated neuronal damage, and increased number of Nissl staining-positive cells(P<0.05). The expression levels of IRE1α, ASK1, JNK, Bax, and Caspase-3 protein and mRNA in brain tissue were significantly reduced, while those of Bcl-2 were significantly increased(P<0.05). The results indicated that Buyang Huanwu Decoction can effectively improve brain injury in CIRI rats, and its mechanism of action may be related to regulating the endoplasmic reticulum stress IRE1α/ASK1/JNK signaling pathway.
Animals ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats ; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5/genetics* ; Ischemic Stroke/physiopathology* ; Humans ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Endoribonucleases/genetics* ; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/drug effects* ; Multienzyme Complexes

Objective: To explore the current status of hyperopic reserve and its related factors among non-myopia preschool and primary school students aged 5 to 12 years in Guangdong Province, so as to provide a basis for formulating intervention strategies for the pre myopia stage of children. Methods: From October to December 2023, by using stratified cluster random sampling method, a survey on hyperopic reserve among preschool children and primary school students in Guangdong were conducted. And a total of 10 567 children from the senior class of kindergarten to the sixth grade of primary school who completed autorefraction measurements with and without cycloplegia and the questionnaire survey were included in the study. The prevalence characteristics of low hyperopic reserve among non-myopia children were analyzed, and multivariable Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors. Results: The prevalence rate of low hyperopic reserve among 8 790 non-myopia children was 62.4%. The average spherical equivalent (SE) for children aged 5 to 12 years was 0.88 (0.25, 1.25)D, decreasing from 1.13 ( 0.75 , 1.50)D in senior kindergarten to -1.00 (-2.50, 0.38)D in sixth grade, with the difference was statistically significant ( H=2 475.3, P <0.01). Multivariable Logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounders including gender, urban and rural, and grade, revealed that parental myopia was a risk factor for low hyperopic reserve in the preschool stage (one parent with myopia: OR=1.62, 95%CI =1.35-1.93; both parents with myopia: OR=2.05, 95%CI = 1.66 -2.55); in the lower primary school stage, parental myopia (one parent with myopia: OR=1.46, 95%CI =1.27-1.68; both parents with myopia: OR=1.58, 95%CI =1.33-1.89), frequently or always reading or using electronic screens while lying down or on one s stomach ( OR=1.43, 95%CI =1.13-1.81), and never or occasionally maintaining a viewing distance of over 3 meters when watching TV/playing video games ( OR=1.34, 95%CI =1.04-1.72) were risk factors; in the higher primary school stage, failing to take a break every hour during near work ( OR=1.79, 95%CI =1.16-2.75) was a risk factor (all P <0.05). Conclusions The emmetropization of children aged 5-12 years in Guangdong Province is accelerated, and non-myopia children generally exhibit insufficient hyperopic reserve. The contributing factors for insufficient hyperopia reserve in non-myopia children vary across different educational stages, necessitating targeted precision interventions.

BACKGROUND:Growth factor is the key effect molecule that plays a role in platelet-rich plasma in clinical treatment.There are differences in the concentration of growth factor after different activators activate platelet-rich plasma,which is an important factor affecting clinical efficacy. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the influence of different activators on the mass concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma. METHODS:Totally 12 healthy volunteers were recruited to collect EDTA-K2 anticoagulant venous blood.Secondary centrifugation was used to prepare platelet-rich plasma.The difference in mass concentrations of growth factors was compared between venous blood and platelet-rich plasma.The platelet-rich plasma was mixed with four activators(normal saline,thrombin,calcium gluconate,calcium gluconate+thrombin)according to the volume ratio of 10:1,and incubated in a constant temperature water bath at 37 °C for 30 minutes.After centrifugation,the supernatant was extracted and the mass concentration of growth factor was detected.The bacterial growth in supernatant was measured by blood agar plate.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between different activators and the mass concentration of growth factor in platelet-rich plasma,and the correlation between the value of thrombocytometer and the mass concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The mass concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor-BB,platelet-derived growth factor-AB,vascular endothelial growth factor,and epidermal growth factor in platelet-rich plasma were 8.7,22.2,2.3,and 2.8 times of those in venous blood,respectively(P<0.05).(2)Compared with normal saline group,the mass concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor BB,platelet-derived growth factor AB,vascular endothelial growth factor,and epidermal growth factor were increased in the thrombin group,calcium gluconate group,and calcium gluconate+thrombin group(P<0.05).The mass concentration of platelet-derived growth factor BB in the thrombin group and calcium gluconate group was higher than that in the calcium gluconate+thrombin group(P<0.05),and the mass concentration of platelet-derived growth factor AB in the thrombin group was higher than that in the calcium gluconate group and calcium gluconate+thrombin group(P<0.05).Epidermal growth factor mass concentration in the thrombin group was lower than that in the calcium gluconate group and calcium gluconate+thrombin group(P<0.05).(3)The results of blood agar plate test showed no bacterial growth in the supernatant of the four groups.(4)Pearson correlation analysis showed that the mass concentration of platelet-derived growth factor BB in platelet-rich plasma was strongly positively correlated with thrombin(r=0.683,P<0.05),and the mass concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor was strongly positively correlated with thrombin,calcium gluconate,calcium gluconate+thrombin stimulant(r=0.730,0.789,0.686,P<0.05).There was no correlation between the value of thrombocytometer and the mass concentration of four kinds of growth factors(P>0.05).(5)The results suggest that different activators have an impact on the concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma.It is suggested to choose different activators to improve clinical efficacy according to different growth factor mass concentrations and treatment needs.

Objective:To investigate the multimorbidity of myopia and obesity, as well as myopia and malnutrition, among children and adolescents aged 7-18 in Guangdong Province and analyze their epidemiological characteristics and related factors.Methods:A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 274 939 children and adolescents aged 7-18 from 21 cities in Guangdong Province in 2023. Physical examination information such as height, weight, distance vision, and diopter, as well as questionnaire survey information on dietary behavior, physical activity, screen behavior, sleep time, etc., were collected to analyze the current status and trends of multimorbidity between myopia and obesity, myopia and malnutrition. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of multimorbidity.Results:The multimorbidity rates of myopia and obesity, myopia and malnutrition in children and adolescents aged 7-18 in Guangdong Province in 2023 were 4.43% and 6.40%, respectively. The multimorbidity rates for males were 5.44% and 6.88%, respectively, which were higher than those for females, about 3.31% and 5.88% (both P<0.001). The multimorbidity rates of urban students were 5.03% and 6.73%, respectively, which were higher than those of county students at 4.03% and 6.18% (both P<0.001). The multimorbidity rates of myopia and obesity, myopia and malnutrition increased with the increase of academic stage (all P<0.001). The multimorbidity rates of myopia and obesity, as well as myopia and malnutrition, fluctuated with age, with the first decrease occurring at the age of 12. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared to children and adolescents aged 7-18 who had daily after-school tutoring <2 hours, daily screen time <2 hours, did not consume sugary drinks every day, sleep time that could meet health requirements daily, and exercised≥60 minutes of moderate-to vigorous-physical activity ≥60 minutes for at least 3 days per week, those who had daily after-school tutoring ≥2 hours ( OR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.11-1.26), daily screen time ≥2 hours ( OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.16), consumed sugary drinks every day ( OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.11-1.30), daily sleep time that could not meet the health requirements ( OR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23), and no exercise per week ( OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.18) had a higher risk of multimorbidity of myopia and obesity. Compared to children and adolescents who exercised≥60 minutes of moderate-to vigorous-physical activity ≥60 minutes for at least 3 days per week, those who exercised <3 days per week ( OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.34) had a higher risk of multimorbidity of myopia and malnutrition. Conclusion:The multimorbidity rates of myopia and obesity, as well as myopia and malnutrition, in children and adolescents aged 7-18 in Guangdong Province are relatively low and fluctuate with age. Physical activity, screen time, consumption of sugary drinks, and sleep time may be associated with these multimorbidities.

Objective To explore the value of ultrasound deep learning(DL)model for diagnosis and classification of cystocele.Methods Totally 696 female patients who underwent pelvic floor ultrasound were retrospectively collected and divided into model development dataset(n=576)and test set(n=120).The former included 432 cases of cystocele and 144 cases of non-cystocele,while the latter included 90 cases of cystocele and 30 cases of non-cystocele.Patients in model development dataset were randomly divided into training set(n=460,including 345 cases of cystocele and 115 cases of non-cystocele)and validation set(n=116,including 87 cases of cystocele and 29 cases of non-cystocele)at the ratio of 8∶2.DL model was trained and established using Vision Transformer architecture based on pelvic floor ultrasound data in training and validation sets for diagnosis and classification of cystocele(non-or Green Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ type).Taken diagnostic results of senior ultrasound physicians as standard,the diagnostic efficacy of DL model was evaluated,and its diagnostic efficacy and efficiency were compared with those of 2 junior ultrasound physicians.Results The macro average precision,F1 score,area under the curve(AUC)and overall accuracy of DL model for diagnosis and classification of cystocele in validation set was 90.84％,89.28％,0.97 and 89.66％,respectively,while in test set was 80.85％,79.92％,0.92 and 80.00％,respectively.The overall diagnostic accuracy of 2 junior ultrasound physicians for diagnosis and classification of cystocele in test set was 70.00％(84/120)and 68.33％(82/120),respectively,both lower than that of DL model(P=0.023,0.011).The diagnostic time of DL model was 0.098 s for each case,of junior ultrasound physicians was 46(36,56)s for each case,the former had better diagnostic efficacy(P＜0.001).Conclusion Ultrasound DL model could be used for diagnosis and classification of cystocele.

Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome caused by multiple factors,which seriously affects the quality of life and prognosis of patients.Its overall pathogenesis is related to the deficiency of spleen qi,insufficiency of kidney essence,internal generation of turbid toxins,and the obstruction of the production of qi,blood and essential qi,which cannot nourish the muscles and bones.Under the guidance of the dynamic diagnosis and treatment system of"spleen and kidney exhaustion as the root cause and internal accumulation of turbid toxins as the manifestation",the overall regulation is carried out from four dimensions:opening and closing the spleen and stomach,nourishing the kidney and promoting transportation,transforming turbid toxins and detoxification,and tonifying qi and nourishing yin.It has shown unique value in the intervention of cancer cachexia and can provide ideas and references for the clinical practice of TCM in treating cancer cachexia.

Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (⁹⁰Y-SIRT) is a treatment technique that delivers radioactive microspheres precisely to the arterial vascular bed of neoplasms, utilizing beta radiation to administer a high local dose of radiation to the neoplasm tissues. This technology has demonstrated significant efficacy in patients with unresectable pirmary liver cancers and liver metastases. This article systematically reviews the development history and clinical application status of ⁹⁰Y-SIRT in the treatment of liver cancer, and looks forward to future development directions.