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*

Objective:To explore the possibility of using a inferior gluteal artery perforator flap (IGAPF) for breast reconstruction in the patient who did not have suitable donor site in back and abdomen.Methods:In November 2024, a 25-year-old unmarried and childless woman with right breast cancer received immediate right breast reconstruction by a right free IGAPF after modified right mastectomy in the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University. The locations of perforators were confirmed by both Multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) and portable Doppler blood flow detector before surgery. The IGAPF was designed to take the inferior gluteal wrinkle as the lower edge, the axis of the flap was parallel to the inferior gluteal wrinkle, and the width of the flap was estimated where the incision could be directly closed. The size of right IGAPF was 6.0 cm×19.0 cm. Sharp dissection was performed between the sarcolemma and muscle fibres of gluteus, then the perforators were dissected along the direction of muscle fibres of gluteus. The vascular pedicle was kept at about 8.0 cm in length. The diameter of artery was about 2.0 mm and that for the veins was about 1.5 mm. End-to-end anastomoses with the right thoracodorsal artery and vein were successfully carried out. The donor site was directly closed, and it was hidden in the inferior gluteal wrinkle. Postoperative outpatient clinical review was made.Results:Pathological examination reported: an invasive carcinoma of right breast, axillary lymph node metastasis (2/10). The patient recovered well and the flap survived without any complication, i.e. ischemic necrosis, infection and haematoma. The patient was off-bed at 3 days and discharged at 13 days after surgery. At the 40 days of postoperative follow-up, the patient achieved a good recovery and the lower limb activity was not affected by the surgery. The patient was satisfied with the reconstructed breast and donor site recovery. The patient followed with scheduled chemotherapy and subsequent radiotherapy. The volume of reconstructed breast was smaller than the other breast, of which the patient was fully informed before the surgery.Conclusion:A free IGAPF provides an alternative donor sites for achieving a breast reconstruction due to the reliable pedicle vessels and invisible donor scars.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of periosteal induction technique combined with transfer of sural neurovascular flap in treatment of post-traumatic osteomyelitis of calcaneus with soft tissue defect.Methods:Clinical data, from January 2017 to December 2022, of 17 patients in the Army Institute for Traumatic Orthopaedics, the 920th Hospital of Joint Service Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Amy with post-traumatic calcaneal osteomyelitis combined with soft tissue defect were retrospectively studied. The patients were 11 males and 6 females, with 46.5 (17-68) years in average. All patients received surgical treatment with periosteal induction technique in 2 phased surgies. Thorough debridement, antibiotics blended bone cement filling and wound coverage with sural neurovascular flap were carried out in phase-I surgery; The phase-II surgery were performed at 6-8 weeks after infection control to remove bone cement and then to transfer bone grafts for periosteal induction. After surgery, flap healing and infection control were observed. The infection control, pain improvement, recovery of ankle function and improvement of quality of life were evaluated by comparison of following parameters before and after surgery per phase: infection indicators [white blood cell count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP)], Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, and MOS 36-item Short form Health Survey (SF-36, Boston Institute of Health, USA).Results:All 17 patients completed the two-phased surgical treatment, with an average interval of 9.4 (8-16) weeks between phase-I and phase-II surgery. All patients were included in the postoperative follow-up of 25.8 (13-40) months. After debridement in phase-I surgery, the sizes of soft tissue defect were found at 3.0 cm×2.0 cm-6.0 cm×8.0 cm. All flaps survived from the reconstructive surgery of sural neurovascular flap. Postoperative distal flap necroses occurred to 4 patients but all healed after further debridement. Recurrence of postoperative infection occurred to 2 patients and the infection control was achieved after the phase-I rescue surgery. Good outcomes without recurrence of infection were achieved after phase-II surgery. The postoperative follow-up at 1 year after phase-II surgery showed a statistically significant improvement of infection in blood indicators and reductions in VAS score, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score and SF-36 score in comparison with those before surgery ( P<0.05). In addition to WBC, there were also significant differences in pairwise comparisons between each group at different time points ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of post-traumatic calcaneal osteomyelitis with soft tissue defect, a combination of periosteal induction technique and sural neurovascular flap is beneficial to infection control, bone defect reconstruction, recovery of ankle function and improvement of quality of life.

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

A novel analytical method was developed in this study by combining online solid phase extraction with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(Online SPE-UPLC-MS/MS)for simultaneous determination of 50 kinds of steroid hormones in surface water.Specifically,after high-speed centrifugation of 4 mL water samples,the supernatant was directly injected into an Oasis HLB online SPE column for enrichment and purification.Subsequently,the target compounds were transferred to the analytical column via valve switching for separation and analysis.The chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Acclaim RSLC C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,2.2 μm),using a mobile phase composed of 5 mmol/L ammonium fluoride aqueous solution and acetonitrile.Mass spectrometric detection was conducted in positive ion mode,utilizing multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)with quantification achieved by the internal standard method.The method validation demonstrated that the limits of detection(LOD)for the 50 kinds of steroid hormones ranged from 0.02 to 0.50 ng/L,while the limits of quantification(LOQ)were between 0.08 and 1.67 ng/L.The average recoveries in surface water samples at spiked concentrations of 5,20 and 200 ng/L were between 74.1％and 119％,with relative standard deviations(RSDs)of 0.2％to 9.9％.This method was applied to analyze 11 surface water samples collected from sites surrounding a pharmaceutical and chemical industrial park.A total of 44 kinds of steroid hormones were detected,with concentrations ranging from 0.11 to 88.6 ng/L,revealing the presence of hormone contamination in the environmental waters surrounding industrial areas.Compared with the traditional offline SPE methods,the proposed online SPE technique significantly reduced sample volume requirements and pretreatment time,while minimizing the loss of target compounds during the pretreatment process.Moreover,compared to reported online SPE techniques,this method achieved high-throughput analysis of multiple classes of steroid hormones,with lower detection limits and higher recoveries.Overall,this method provided rapid sample preparation,high sensitivity,and excellent stability,making it suitable for the direct analysis of trace steroid hormones in surface water.

[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.

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 molec-ular 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 demon-strated 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.