ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of jujuboside A （JuA） on the learning and memory abilities and histopathological changes in the rat model of vascular cognitive impairment （VCI） and explore the potential mechanisms by which JuA treats VCI. MethodsA total of 50 male SPF-grade SD rats were randomized into a sham operation group （n=10）， a blank control group （n=10）， and a modeling group （n=30）. The rats in the modeling group underwent bilateral carotid artery ligation （2-VO） for the modeling of VCI. After stabilization， the VCI rats were randomized into model， JuA （20 mg·kg^-¹）， and donepezil （0.45 mg·kg^-¹） groups. After 4 weeks of gavage， the novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests were conducted to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of rats. Nissl staining was employed to evaluate the morphology and number of hippocampal neurons. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β）， cAMP response element-binding protein （CREB）， B cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）， and protein kinase B （Akt） in the hippocampal tissue. Western blot was employed to quantify the protein levels of GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β， p-CREB， Bcl-2， PI3K， p-PI3K， Akt， and p-Akt in the hippocampal tissue. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group exhibited declines in the learning and memory abilities （P<0.01）， neuronal damage and decreased neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region （P<0.01）， up-regulation in the mRNA level of GSK-3β （P<0.01）， and down-regulation in the mRNA levels of PI3K， Akt， CREB， and Bcl-2， as well as the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， p-GSK-3β， p-CREB， and Bcl-2 （P<0.01）. In comparison to the model group， both the JuA and donepezil groups demonstrated improvements in the learning and memory abilities （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with reduced neuronal damage and increased neurons （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， the two groups showed down-regulation in the mRNA level of GSK-3β （P<0.01） and up-regulation in the mRNA levels of PI3K， Akt， CREB， and Bcl-2 and the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， p-GSK-3β， p-CREB， and Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. There were no statistically significant differences between the blank control and sham operation groups in terms of the learning and memory abilities， neuron count， and mRNA and protein levels of PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway-related factors. ConclusionJuA can ameliorate the cognitive impairment in the rat model of VCI by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， reducing the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons， and alleviating the hippocampal neuronal damage.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of calcitriol on sepsis-induced immunosuppression and its potential mechanism. METHODS A sepsis-induced immunosuppression mice model was established using cecal ligation and puncture （CLP）. The 7-day survival rate， serum levels of tumor necrosis factor- α （TNF- α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and IL-1β were determined in sham operation group， CLP group and calcitriol group （1 μg/kg）； the morphological changes of lung tissue in mice were observed. Lipopolysaccharide （LPS） tolerance macrophage models （representing sepsis-induced immunosuppression） were established using mice macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells. The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in cell supernatants as well as mRNA expressions of IL-1β， nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 （NLRP3）， IL-18 and caspase-1 were assessed in culture medium group， LPS group， LPS tolerance group， and calcitriol （5 μmol/L） group. The following parameters were measured： propidium iodide （PI）-positive cell ratio， caspase-1 activity， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） release， and Ca2+ levels. RESULTS Compared with CLP group， 7-day survival rate and serum levels of TNF-α， IL-6 and IL-1β were increased significantly in calcitriol group （P＜0.05）. Additionally， pulmonary tissue damage was markedly attenuated in calcitriol group. Compared with LPS tolerance group， the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in cell supernatants， mRNA expressions of IL- 1β， NLRP3， IL-18 and caspase-1， PI-positive cell ratio， caspase-1 activity， LDH release， and Ca2+ levels were all increased significantly in calcitriol group （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Calcitriol can reverse sepsis-induced immunosuppression， and the mechanism of action may be E-mail：yarfwy@163.com achieved by the binding of calcitriol to vitamin D receptor，which promotes the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum， thereby driving the NLRP3/caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis pathway.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot is a complex condition with high incidence, recurrence, mortality, and disability rates. Current treatments for diabetic foot ulcers are often insufficient. This study was conducted to identify potential therapeutic targets for diabetic foot. METHODS: Datasets related to diabetic foot and diabetic skin were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using R software. Enrichment analysis was conducted to screen for critical gene functions and pathways. A protein interaction network was constructed to identify node genes corresponding to key proteins. The DEGs and node genes were overlapped to pinpoint target genes. Plasma and chronic ulcer samples from diabetic and non-diabetic individuals were collected. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to verify the S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9), inflammatory cytokine, and related pathway protein levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to measure epidermal layer thickness. RESULTS: In total, 283 common DEGs and 42 node genes in diabetic foot ulcers were identified. Forty-three genes were differentially expressed in the skin of diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. The overlapping of the most significant DEGs and node genes led to the identification of S100A9 as a target gene. The S100A9 level was significantly higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic plasma (178.40 ± 44.65 ng/mL vs. 40.84 ± 18.86 ng/mL) and in chronic ulcers, and the wound healing time correlated positively with the plasma S100A9 level. The levels of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-1, and IL-6) and related pathway proteins (phospho-extracellular signal regulated kinase [ERK], phospho-p38, phospho-p65, and p-protein kinase B [Akt]) were also elevated. The epidermal layer was notably thinner in chronic diabetic ulcers than in non-diabetic skin (24.17 ± 25.60 μm vs. 412.00 ± 181.60 μm). CONCLUSIONS S100A9 was significantly upregulated in diabetic foot and was associated with prolonged wound healing. S100A9 may impair diabetic wound healing by disrupting local inflammatory responses and skin re-epithelialization.
Calgranulin B/therapeutic use* ; Diabetic Foot/metabolism* ; Humans ; Datasets as Topic ; Computational Biology ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Animals ; Mice ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Immunohistochemistry

INTRODUCTION: Lecanemab has shown promise in treating early Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its safety and efficacy in Chinese populations remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and 6-month clinical outcomes of lecanemab in Chinese patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild AD. METHODS: In this single-arm, real-world study, participants with MCI due to AD or mild AD received biweekly intravenous lecanemab (10 mg/kg). The study was conducted at Hainan Branch, Ruijin Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Patient enrollment and baseline assessments commenced in November 2023. Safety assessments included monitoring for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and other adverse events. Clinical and biomarker changes from baseline to 6 months were evaluated using cognitive scales (mini-mental state examination [MMSE], montreal cognitive assessment [MoCA], clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes [CDR-SB]), plasma biomarker analysis, and advanced neuroimaging. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were enrolled in this ongoing real-world study. Safety analysis revealed predominantly mild adverse events, with infusion-related reactions (20.3%, 13/64) being the most common. Of these, 69.2% (9/13) occurred during the initial infusion and 84.6% (11/13) did not recur. ARIA-H (microhemorrhages/superficial siderosis) and ARIA-E (edema/effusion) were observed in 9.4% (6/64) and 3.1% (2/64) of participants, respectively, with only two symptomatic cases (one ARIA-E presenting with headache and one ARIA-H with visual disturbances). After 6 months of treatment, cognitive scores remained stable compared to baseline (MMSE: 22.33 ± 5.58 vs . 21.27 ± 4.30, P = 0.733; MoCA: 16.38 ± 6.67 vs . 15.90 ± 4.78, P = 0.785; CDR-SB: 2.30 ± 1.65 vs . 3.16 ± 1.72, P = 0.357), while significantly increasing plasma amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) (+21.42%) and Aβ40 (+23.53%) levels compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Lecanemab demonstrated a favorable safety profile in Chinese patients with early AD. Cognitive stability and biomarker changes over 6 months suggest potential efficacy, though high dropout rates and absence of a control group warrant cautious interpretation. These findings provide preliminary real-world evidence for lecanemab's use in China, supporting further investigation in larger controlled studies. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT07034222.
Humans ; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism* ; Biomarkers ; East Asian People

Eight butyl-phthalides, senkyunolide K(1), senkyunolide N(2), butylphthalide(3), senkyunolide I(4), senkyunolide H(5),(Z)-butylidenephthalide(6),(Z)-ligustilide(7), and 3-butylidene-7-hydroxyphthalide(8) were isolated from the aerial part of Ligusticum sinense by column chromatography on silica gel column, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical data, especially NMR and MS. Compound 1 was a new butyl-phthalide and compounds 2-8 were isolated from the aerial part of L. sinense for the first time. Furthermore, the inhibitory activities of compounds 1-8 against the nitric oxide(NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages in vitro were evaluated. The results showed that compounds 1-8 exerted inhibitory activities on NO production with IC_(50) of 19.34-42.16 μmol·L~(-1).
Animals ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis* ; Ligusticum/chemistry* ; Benzofurans/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Macrophages/immunology* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Molecular Structure

Hypertension is a major factor leading to cardiovascular events and death, and accurate blood pressure measurement is a fundamental means of evaluating blood pressure levels, achieving hypertension diagnosis, and observing antihypertensive efficacy. Compared to traditional brachial pressure, central aortic pressure (CAP) exhibits a stronger correlation with cardiovascular events. However, its non-invasive detection technology has not yet been widely adopted in clinical practice. In order to promote the clinical application of CAP and optimize blood pressure management, this article systematically summarizes the research progress of CAP estimation algorithms. These algorithms were categorized into three types: direct substitution methods, generalized model-based methods and personalized estimation methods. The characteristics and clinical adaptability of each algorithm were analyzed. The findings highlight that CAP estimation algorithms are moving towards personalization and non-linearity.
Algorithms ; Humans ; Blood Pressure Determination/methods* ; Hypertension/physiopathology* ; Arterial Pressure/physiology* ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Aorta/physiology*

The Masquelet technique, also known as the induced membrane technique, is a surgical technique for repairing large bone defects based on the use of a membrane generated by a foreign body reaction for bone grafting. This technique is not only simple to perform, with few complications and quick recovery, but also has excellent clinical results. To better understand the mechanisms by which this technique promotes bone defect repair and the factors that require special attention in practice, we examined and summarized the relevant research advances in this technique by searching, reading, and analysing the literature. Literature show that the Masquelet technique may promote the repair of bone defects through the physical septum and molecular barrier, vascular network, enrichment of mesenchymal stem cells, and high expression of bone-related growth factors, and the repair process is affected by the properties of spacers, the timing of bone graft, mechanical environment, intramembrane filling materials, artificial membrane, and pharmaceutical/biological agents/physical stimulation.
Humans ; Bone Transplantation/methods* ; Membranes, Artificial ; Bone Regeneration ; Animals

OBJECTIVES: Pelvic floor dysfunction is common among pregnant and postpartum women and significantly impacts quality of life. This study aims to translate the German Pelvic Floor Questionnaire for Pregnant and Postpartum Women into Chinese and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the Chinese population. METHODS: The questionnaire was translated using the Brislin model. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant and postpartum women to assess the content validity, construct validity, Cronbach's α coefficient, test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability of the Chinese version. RESULTS: A total of 72 women were included, with 6.9% being pregnant and 93.1% postpartum; the age was (32.3±3.6) years. The Chinese version of the questionnaire contains 4 dimensions and 45 items. The content validity index of individual items ranged from 0.833 to 1.000, with a scale-level content validity index of 0.977 and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) exceeding 0.90. The overall Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.891, with subscale coefficients ranging from 0.732 to 0.884 (all ICCs>0.70). The test-retest reliability of the total scale was 0.833, and for the 4 dimensions, bladder, bowel, prolapse, and sexual function, the values were 0.776, 0.579, 0.732, and 0.645, respectively. The split-half reliability was 0.74. CONCLUSIONS The Chinese version of the questionnaire demonstrated good reliability and validity, indicating its applicability in assessing pelvic floor dysfunction and associated risk factors during pregnancy and postpartum.
Humans ; Female ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Postpartum Period ; Psychometrics ; Pelvic Floor Disorders/diagnosis* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Quality of Life ; Pelvic Floor/physiopathology* ; Reproducibility of Results ; China ; Translations ; Young Adult

Interfering hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid assembly holds promise as a therapeutic approach for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Novel anti-HBV agents are urgently needed to overcome drug resistance challenges, with targeted protein degradation (TPD) emerging as a hopeful strategy. Herein, we report the first degradation of HBV core protein (HBC), a multifunctional structural protein, using small-molecule degraders developed by hydrophobic tagging (HyT) technology. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis identified compound HyT-S7, featuring an adamantyl group, exhibiting potent inhibitory activity (EC₅₀ = 0.46 μmol/L, HepAD38 cells) and degradation ability (DC₅₀ = 3.02 ± 0.54 μmol/L) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the autophagy-lysosome pathway was a potential driver of HyT-S7-induced HBC degradation. Remarkably, HyT-S7 effectively degraded 11 drug-resistant mutants, including highly resistant strains P25G and T33N, to Phase III drug GLS4. Furthermore, cellular thermal shift assay, surface plasmon resonance assay, and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the precise mode of HyT-S7 binding to HBC with the adamantyl group potentially mimicking protein misfolding to facilitate HBC degradation. This first proof-of-concept study highlights the potential of HyT-mediated TPD in HBC as a promising avenue for discovering novel HBV and other antiviral agents with favorable drug resistance profiles.

Approximately 30%-40% of epilepsy patients do not respond well to adequate anti-seizure medications (ASMs), a condition known as pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The management of pharmacoresistant epilepsy remains an intractable issue in the clinic. Its early prediction is important for prevention and diagnosis. However, it still lacks effective predictors and approaches. Here, a classical model of pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was established to screen pharmacoresistant and pharmaco-responsive individuals by applying phenytoin to amygdaloid-kindled rats. Ictal electroencephalograms (EEGs) recorded before phenytoin treatment were analyzed. Based on ictal EEGs from pharmacoresistant and pharmaco-responsive rats, a convolutional neural network predictive model was constructed to predict pharmacoresistance, and achieved 78% prediction accuracy. We further found the ictal EEGs from pharmacoresistant rats have a lower gamma-band power, which was verified in seizure EEGs from pharmacoresistant TLE patients. Prospectively, therapies targeting the subiculum in those predicted as "pharmacoresistant" individual rats significantly reduced the subsequent occurrence of pharmacoresistance. These results demonstrate a new methodology to predict whether TLE individuals become resistant to ASMs in a classic pharmacoresistant TLE model. This may be of translational importance for the precise management of pharmacoresistant TLE.
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/diagnosis* ; Animals ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy/drug therapy* ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Rats ; Anticonvulsants/pharmacology* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Male ; Humans ; Phenytoin/pharmacology* ; Adult ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Young Adult ; Convolutional Neural Networks