This study aims to investigate the effect of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula on the neuroinflammation of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through the regulation of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2(TREM2)/complement protein C1q signaling pathway. Rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive drug group, as well as a high, medium, and low-dose groups of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other groups were injected with p-chlorophenylalanine and exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish the rat model of insomnia complicated with depression. The sucrose preference experiment, open field experiment, and water maze test were performed to evaluate the depression in rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the damage in nucleus accumbens neurons. Western blot and immunofluorescence were performed to detect TREM2, C1q, postsynaptic density 95(PSD-95), and synaptophysin 1(SYN1) expressions in rat nucleus accumbens, respectively. Golgi-Cox staining was utilized to observe the synaptic spine density of nucleus accumbens neurons. The results show that, compared with the model group, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can significantly increase the sucrose preference as well as the distance and number of voluntary activities, shorten the immobility time in forced swimming test and the successful incubation period of positioning navigation, and prolong the stay time of space exploration in the target quadrant test. The serum 5-HT, DA, and NE contents in the model group are significantly lower than those in the normal group, with the above contents significantly increased after the intervention of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In addition, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can alleviate pathological damages such as swelling and loose arrangement of tissue cells in the nucleus accumbens, while increasing the Nissl body numbers. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can improve synaptic damage in the nucleus accumbens and increase the synaptic spine density. Compared to the normal group, the expression of C1q protein was significantly higher in the model group, while the expression of TREM2 protein was significantly lower. Compared to the model group, the intervention with Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula significantly downregulated the expression of C1q protein and significantly upregulated the expression of TREM2. Compared with the model group, the PSD-95 and SYN1 fluorescence intensity is significantly increased in the groups receiving different doses of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In summary, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can reduce the C1q protein expression, relieve the TREM2 inhibition, and promote the synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and SNY1 expression. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula improves synaptic injury of the nucleus accumbens neurons, thereby treating insomnia complicated with depression.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Depression/complications* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/complications* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Receptors, Immunologic/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Synapses/metabolism*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.08.005.].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

This study investigated the role of the nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoplasmic and nuclear NFATc3 levels were elevated in human and mouse AAD. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced thoracic AAD (TAAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression in mice, contrary to VSMC-NFATc3 overexpression. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and maintained the VSMC contractile phenotype. Nuclear NFATc3 targeted and transcriptionally upregulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and MMP2, promoting ECM degradation and AAD development. NFATc3 promoted VSMC phenotypic switching by binding to eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and inhibiting its phosphorylation in the VSMC cytoplasm. Restoring eEF2 reversed the beneficial effects in VSMC-specific NFATc3-knockout mice. Cabamiquine-targets eEF2 and inhibits protein synthesis-inhibited AAD development and progression in VSMC-NFATc3-overexpressing mice. VSMC-NFATc3 promoted VSMC switch and ECM degradation while exacerbating AAD development, making it a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing and treating AAD.

Identifying drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is essential to prevent adverse effects from polypharmacy. Although deep learning has advanced DDI identification, the gap between powerful models and their lack of clinical application and evaluation has hindered clinical benefits. Here, we developed a Multi-Dimensional Feature Fusion model named MDFF, which integrates one-dimensional simplified molecular input line entry system sequence features, two-dimensional molecular graph features, and three-dimensional geometric features to enhance drug representations for predicting DDIs. MDFF was trained and validated on two DDI datasets, evaluated across three distinct scenarios, and compared with advanced DDI prediction models using accuracy, precision, recall, area under the curve, and F1 score metrics. MDFF achieved state-of-the-art performance across all metrics. Ablation experiments showed that integrating multi-dimensional drug features yielded the best results. More importantly, we obtained adverse drug reaction reports uploaded by Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from 2021 to 2023 and used MDFF to identify potential adverse DDIs. Among 12 real-world adverse drug reaction reports, the predictions of 9 reports were supported by relevant evidence. Additionally, MDFF demonstrated the ability to explain adverse DDI mechanisms, providing insights into the mechanisms behind one specific report and highlighting its potential to assist practitioners in improving medical practice.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) .Methods:In this multicenter, retrospective clinical study, adult patients aged ≥18 years who underwent allo-HSCT for sAML at four centers of the Zhejiang Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Collaborative Group from January 2014 to November 2022 were included, and the efficacy and prognostic factors of allo-HSCT were analyzed.Results:A total of 95 patients were enrolled; 66 (69.5%) had myelodysplastic syndrome-acute myeloid leukemia (MDS-AML) , 4 (4.2%) had MDS/MPN-AML, and 25 (26.3%) had therapy-related AML (tAML) . The 3-year CIR, LFS, and overall survival (OS) rates were 18.6% (95% CI 10.2%-27.0%) , 70.6% (95% CI 60.8%-80.4%) , and 73.3% (95% CI 63.9%-82.7%) , respectively. The 3-year CIRs of the M-AML group (including MDS-AML and MDS/MPN-AML) and the tAML group were 20.0% and 16.4%, respectively ( P=0.430) . The 3-year LFSs were 68.3% and 75.4%, respectively ( P=0.176) . The 3-year OS rates were 69.7% and 75.4%, respectively ( P=0.233) . The 3-year CIRs of the groups with and without TP53 mutations were 60.0% and 13.7%, respectively ( P=0.003) ; the 3-year LFSs were 20.0% and 76.5%, respectively ( P=0.002) ; and the 3-year OS rates were 40.0% and 77.6%, respectively ( P=0.002) . According to European LeukmiaNet 2022 (ELN2022) risk stratification, the 3-year CIRs of patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 8.3%, 17.8%, and 22.6%, respectively ( P=0.639) . The three-year LFSs were 91.7%, 69.5%, and 65.6%, respectively ( P=0.268) . The 3-year OS rates were 91.7%, 71.4%, and 70.1%, respectively ( P=0.314) . Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced disease at allo-HSCT and TP53 mutations were independent risk factors for CIR, LFS, and OS. Conclusion:There was no significant difference in the prognosis of patients who underwent allo-HSCT among the MDS-AML, MDS/MPN-AML, and tAML groups. Advanced disease at transplantation and TP53 mutations were poor prognostic factors. ELN2022 risk stratification had limited value for predicting the prognosis of patients with sAML following allo-HSCT.

Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60％participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10％participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

Aim To examine the neuroprotective im-pacts of total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii maxim(TST)on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI)in rats and delve into the mechanisms of ferroptosis.Methods The CIRI model was prepared by dividing male SD rats into the model group,TST(0.1 g·kg-1)group,Donepezil hydrochloride(0.45 mg·kg-1)group,and sham group.The cognitive functions of rats in each group were assessed through the Morris water maze test,the changes in neurological function were evaluated using the Zea-Longa method,the infarct area was observed via TTC staining,and the pathologi-cal alterations in brain tissue were analysed using HE and Nissl staining.To further investigate the underly-ing mechanism,the mitochondrial structural changes were examined using transmission electron microscopy,and the levels of GSH-PX,MDA,and SOD were ana-lyzed.Additionally,the expressions of GPX4 and Nrf2 proteins were evaluated through immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.Furthermore,the protein lev-els of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathways in rats were examined using Western blot-ting.Results The rats in the model group displayed diminished learning and memory capabilities in com-parison to those in the sham group,as well as a signifi-cantly increased cerebral infarction area and higher neurological function scores(P＜0.01),significantly increased cerebral infarct area,disordered and loosely arranged neurons,and reduced Nissl bodies.Addition-ally,mitochondria showed typical signs of ferroptosis.Changes related to ferroptosis included decreased activ-ities of SOD and GSH-PX(P＜0.01)and increased MDA levels(P＜0.01).The expression of GPX4 and Nrf2-positive cells was significantly reduced,along with decreased fluorescence intensity of GPX4.Further-more,the protein expression of Keap1,Nrf2,HO-1,GPX4,SLC7A11 in the hippocampus decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Following the administration of TST,these effects showed improvement.Conclusions TST has neuroprotective effects,enhancing learning and memory abilities while reducing oxidative stress levels.The mechanism may involve the inhibition of ferroptosis through the Keap-1/Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/SLC7 A11/GPX4 pathways.

Mytilus is one of bivalves with great economic and ecological values.The innate immune de-fense of Mytilus shows great significance in the study of marine biological immunology.Hemolymph is the main immune tissue for Mytilus.The Nanopore full-length transcriptome of Mytilus coruscus hemocytes,and the serum differential proteomics based on SDS-PAGE analysis were performed to identify key pro-teins involving in the immune response of Mytilus hemolymph in response of different bacteria and fungi stresses.A total of 44 proteins were identified in the serum induced by different microorganisms.Among them,26 proteins showed significant differential expression level in response to different microbial stres-ses,and their functions were involved in protein folding protection,cell autophagy and apoptosis regula-tion,reactive oxygen species production,energy metabolism regulation,cell detoxification,and immune regulation.The changes in expression levels of these proteins varied in response to different bacterial and fungal stresses,suggesting that Mytilus has different immune response strategies to different bacterial and fungal stresses.The results provide a new scientific basis for understanding the differential immune mech-anism of Mytilus innate immune system in response to different types of microbial invasion,as well as the screening of specific biomarker proteins for microbial infection,and provide ideas for the healthy develop-ment and disease prevention of shellfish aquaculture.