Objective To compare the differences in alkaloids between Nelumbinis Semen and Nelumbinis Plumula and their inhibitory effects on the proliferation of HepG2 cells, and investigate the material basis for their anti-cancer activity differences. Methods Simultaneous Thermal Analysis was used to preliminarily compare the component differences between Nelumbinis Semen and Nelumbinis Plumula. Alkaloids were extracted from them by both using reflux extraction, and their contents were measured by UV and HPLC methods. The CCK-8 method was used to assess the in vitro inhibitory effects of the alkaloids on the HepG2 cells, and to verify pharmacological differences. Results Simultaneous thermal analysis revealed distinct peak shapes, positions, and sizes in the thermal analysis curves of Nelumbinis Semen and Nelumbinis Plumula at respective temperature stages. The contents of total alkaloids showed as follows: the total alkaloids in Nelumbinis Plumula > total extract of Nelumbinis Plumula > the total alkaloids in Nelumbinis Semen. The total alkaloids in Nelumbinis Plumula effectively inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation, while the total alkaloids in Nelumbinis Semen showed no impact. Conclusion Differences in the composition and content of alkaloids may be key factors underlying the biological activities differences between Nelumbinis Semen and Nelumbinis Plumula. This study provided a basis for exploring the material foundation of the differential efficacy and properties of Nelumbinis Semen and Nelumbinis Plumula, which could support their rational clinical application.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of acupuncture on improving ovarian hypofunction in aged rats from two perspectives: the overall regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and the local ovarian follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway. METHODS: Six 3-month-old female SPF-grade Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were selected as the blank group. Another twelve 9-month-old female SD rats were randomly divided into a model group and an acupuncture group, with six rats in each. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV20), "Guanyuan" (CV4), and bilateral "Ciliao" (BL32) for 20 min per session, once every other day, for a total of 10 sessions. Vaginal smear tests were performed daily to observe the estrous cycle of the rats. Ovarian morphology was observed using HE staining, and follicles at various stages were counted. ELISA was used to detect levels of serum FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E₂), anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), pituitary FSH and LH, and ovarian cAMP. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression of ovarian cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, FSH receptor (FSHR), and P450. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to measure mRNA expression levels of FSHR and P450 in ovarian tissue. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the model group showed an increased rate of estrous cycle disorder (P<0.01), reduced granulosa cell layers with blurred boundaries and disordered arrangement, decreased numbers of developing follicles at all stages, and increased numbers of atretic follicles (P<0.01); the serum levels of FSH and LH were increased (P<0.01), while E₂ and AMH levels were decreased (P<0.01); the hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary FSH and LH levels were elevated (P<0.01), and ovarian cAMP level was decreased (P<0.01); the positive expression and protein expression of ovarian P450, cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, and FSHR were reduced (P<0.01), and ovarian FSHR and P450 mRNA expression was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the acupuncture group showed a reduced rate of estrous cycle disorder (P<0.01), clear granulosa cell margins, increased numbers of primordial and secondary follicles, and decreased numbers of atretic follicles (P<0.01); the serum FSH and LH levels were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while E₂ and AMH levels were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); the hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary FSH and LH levels were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and ovarian cAMP level was increased (P<0.01); the positive expression and protein expression of ovarian P450, cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, and FSHR were elevated (P<0.01), and ovarian FSHR and P450 mRNA expression was increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Acupuncture could delay ovarian hypofunction in aged rats, possibly through regulating the HPO axis and the FSH/cAMP signaling pathway.
Animals ; Female ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/genetics* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Ovary/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Humans ; Cyclic AMP/metabolism* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/metabolism* ; Aging/metabolism* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Pituitary Gland/metabolism* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

Background The senescence of alveolar type II epithelial cells is an important driving factor for the progression of silicotic fibrosis, and the regulatory effects of oxamate on the senescence of alveolar type II epithelial cells is still unclear. Objective To explore whether lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor oxamate can alleviate silicotic fibrosis in mice by inhibiting senescence of alveolar type II epithelial cellsMethods This study was divided into two parts: in vivo experiments and in vitro experiments. In the first part, forty SPF C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into four groups with 10 in each group: control group, silicosis model group, low-dose oxamate treatment group, and high-dose oxamate treatment group. The silicotic mouse model was established by intratracheal instillation of 50 μL SiO₂ suspension (100 mg·mL⁻¹). The treatment models were prepared by intraperitoneal injection of 100 μL oxamate (225 mmol·L⁻¹ and 1125 mmol·L⁻¹). In the second part, induction of MLE-12 mouse alveolar type II epithelial cells was conducted with SiO₂. The in vitro experimental groups were ① SiO₂ induction groups: control group, 50 μg·mL⁻¹ SiO₂ group, 100 μg·mL⁻¹ SiO₂ group, and 200 μg·mL⁻¹ SiO₂ group, and ② oxamate treatment groups: control group, SiO₂ group (100 μg·mL⁻¹), low-dose oxamate (25 mmol·L⁻¹) treatment group, and high-dose oxamate (50 mmol·L⁻¹) treatment group. Pathological morphology of lung tissues was evaluated after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining; deposition of collagen in lung tissues was evaluated after sirius red staining; positive co-expression of prosurfactant protein C (Pro-SPC) and β-galactosidase was detected by immunofluorescence staining; positive expression of β-galactosidase in MLE-12 cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining. The protein expression levels of collagen type I (CoL I), fibronectin1 (FN1), hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), p-ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related kinase (ATR), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21, and p16 were detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the protein expression levels of HK2, PKM2, LDHA, p-ATR, p21, and p16 were significantly upregulated in the silicosis model group and the SiO₂-induced MLE-12 cells (P＜0.05). The in vivo studies showed that, compared with the control group, the silicon nodule area, the collagen deposition area, the proportion of β-galactosidase positive cells, and the protein expression levels of CoL I, FN1, LDHA, p-ATR, p21, and p16 were significantly upregulated in the silicosis model group (P＜0.05). Compared with the silicosis model group, the oxamate treatment groups showed significant downregulation of the silicon nodule area, the collagen deposition area, the proportion of β-galactosidase positive cells, and the the CoL I, FN1, LDHA, p-ATR, p21, and p16 protein expression levels, and the high-dose oxamate treatment group showed a higher efficacy on these indicators than the low-dose oxamate treatment group (P＜0.05). The in vitro studies showed that, compared with the control group, the proportion of β-galactosidase positive cells and the protein expression levels of p-ATR, p21, and p16 were significantly upregulated in the SiO₂-induced group (P＜0.05). Compared with the SiO₂ group, the proportion of β-galactosidase positive cells and the LDHA, p-ATR, p21 and p16 protein expression levels were significantly downregulated in the oxamate treatment groups, and the high-dose oxamate treatment group showed a higher efficacy on these indicators than the low-dose oxamate treatment group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor oxamate can alleviate silicotic fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the senescence of alveolar type II epithelial cells.

Objective To explore the effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction on neuronal cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia based on mediating Cav1 in regulating Wnt pathway.Methods Male wild-type(WT)and Cav1-/-(KO)C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group and Buyang Huanwu Decoction group(18.5 g/kg).Cerebral ischemia model was prepared using middle cerebral artery occlusion method,and drug intervention was given for 14 days.Neurobehavioral score was performed,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of ischemic cortical area of brain tissue,TUNEL staining was used to detect neuronal apoptosis in ischemic cortical area,immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of apoptosis related proteins and Wnt1,glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β)and β-catenin protein in ischemic cortical area.Results Compared with the same genotype sham-operation group,the neurobehavioral score of the model group mice significantly increased,neuronal cells in the ischemic cortical area showed vacuolar changes,with nuclear condensation and widened intercellular spaces,the apoptosis rate of nerve cells significantly increased,with increased expressions of Bax,GSK3β and decreased expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin(P<0.01).Compared with the same genotype model group,the neurobehavioral score of mice in Buyang Huanwu Decoction group were significantly decreased,the pathological damage of the ischemic cortical area improved,the apoptosis rate of nerve cells decreased,the expressions of Bax and GSK3β decreased,and the expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin increased(P<0.01).Compared with the WT model group,the KO model group showed an increase in neurobehavioral score,aggravated damage in ischemic cortical area,significantly increased neuronal apoptosis rate,and increased expression of GSK3β(P<0.05).Compared with the WT Buyang Huanwu Decoction group,the KO Buyang Huanwu Decoction group showed an increase in neurobehavioral score,aggravated damage in ischemic cortical area,significantly increased neuronal apoptosis rate,increased expressions of Bax and GSK3β,and decreased expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin(P<0.01).Conclusion Buyang Huanwu Decoction can inhibit neuronal cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia,and its mechanism may be related to regulating the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins by mediating Cav1 to regulate the Wnt signaling pathway.

Objective:To analyze the value of 68Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI)-04 PET/CT in the detection of myocardial injury in patients treated with anti-tumor therapy. Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 164 patients who underwent 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT to evaluate the efficacy of anti-tumor therapy in Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University between August 2021 and March 2024. The patients were divided into 68Ga-FAPI-04-positive group ( n=63, 36 males, 27 females, age (66.7±9.6) years) and 68Ga-FAPI-04-negative group ( n=101, 42 males, 59 females, age (55.2±14.1) years) based on the uptake of left ventricular myocardium (LVM). Moreover, FAPI-04 uptake was analyzed based on different types and locations, and the corresponding SUV max differences were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. The differences of SUV max between 68Ga-FAPI-04-positive group and 68Ga-FAPI-04-negative group were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. The clinical factors such as gender, age, body mass index (BMI), previous history of coronary heart disease, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), smoking history, hypertension, diabetes, cancer types and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment were collected, and their predictive values for LVM 68Ga-FAPI-04 uptake were investigated by the binary logistic regression analysis. Results:Fifty patients of the 68Ga-FAPI-04-positive group (79.4%, 50/63) showed focal uptake of LVM, 7 patients (11.1%, 7/63) showed multifocal myocardial uptake, and 6 patients (9.5%, 6/63) showed diffuse myocardial uptake. A total of 127 uptake lesions were found, and most of them were located in the septum (37.8%, 48/127). The SUV max of LVM in 68Ga-FAPI-04-positive group and 68Ga-FAPI-04-negative group were 4.00(3.10, 5.40) and 1.31(1.20, 1.40) respectively ( z=-10.82, P<0.001). Differences of the SUV max among focal uptake group, multifocal myocardial uptake group, and diffuse myocardial uptake group were not significantly different (4.00(3.00, 5.10) vs 7.60(3.60, 9.30) vs 3.95(3.05, 5.05); H=3.81, P=0.149). There is no statistically significant difference either in FAPI uptake among different sites of LVM ( H=1.51, P=0.825). Age, previous history of coronary heart disease, BMI, LVEF and ICIs treatment were independent predictive factors for positive 68Ga-FAPI-04 uptake in the LVM (odds ratio ( OR) values: 0.87-10.43, all P<0.05). Conclusion:68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT is a potential new imaging method for the visualization of myocardial injury in patients with anti-tumor therapy.

Financial toxicity has a significant impact on the material, psychological, health, and behavior of colorectal cancer patients, leading to poor prognosis and even death. This article reviews the generation, current status, evaluation tools, influencing factors, and response strategies of financial toxicity in colorectal cancer patients, in order to provide reference for domestic research on financial toxicity.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of the total bakkenolides from P.tricholobus on improving hypoxia tolerance in mice. Methods Mice normobaric pressure hypoxia model and oxygen glucose deprivation model in PC12 cells were established, and the effects of PTB on survival time, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, brain and heart superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) activities, brain tissue pathological changes and cell survival were observed. Results The total bakkenolides from P.tricholobus had prolonged the survival time of mice in confined spaces, increased the activity of SOD and GSH, reduced the production of lipid peroxidation, decreased the degree of anaerobic glycolysis, protected the structure and function of neural cells, and improved the survival rate of OGD-treated cells. Conclusion The total bakkenolides from P.tricholobus could promote the hypoxia tolerance in mice which might be related to scavenging oxygen free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation reaction and protecting the structures and functions of nerve cells.

Purpose: This study compared the diagnostic performance of the Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS), the Risk of Malignancy Index 4 (RMI4), the International Ovarian of Tumor Analysis Logistic Regression Model 2 (IOTA LR2), and the IOTA Simple Rules (IOTA SR) in predicting the malignancy of adnexal masses (AMs). Methods: This retrospective study included 575 women with AMs between 2017 and 2020. All clinical messages, ultrasound images, and pathological findings were collected. Two senior doctors (group I) and two junior doctors (group II) used the four systems to classify AMs. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was used as the gold standard to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to test the diagnostic performance. The interrater agreement between the two groups was tested using kappa values. Results: Of all 592 AMs, 447 (75.5%) were benign, 123 (20.8%) were malignant, and 22 (3.7%) were borderline. The intergroup consistency test yielded kappa values of 0.71, 0.92, 0.68, and 0.77 for the O-RADS, RMI4, IOTA LR2, and IOTA SR, respectively. To predict malignant lesions, the areas under the curve of the O-RADS, RMI4, IOTA LR2, and IOTA SR systems were 0.90, 0.89, 0.90, and 0.86 for group I and 0.89, 0.87, 0.88, and 0.84 for group II, respectively. The O-RADS had the highest sensitivity (91.0% in group I and 84.8% in group II). Conclusion The four diagnostic systems could compensate for junior doctors’ inexperience in predicting malignant adnexal lesions. The O-RADS performed best and showed the highest sensitivity.

Objective:To explore the mediating effect of nurses′ self-efficacy in palliative care between the past behavioral experience of end-of-life care and core competence, and provide theoretical reference for improving the core competence of clinical nurses in palliative care.Methods:579 clinical nurses from 2 tertiary general hospitals in Shandong Province were investigated by convenience sampling method using general information questionnaire, nurses′ self-efficacy questionnaire for palliative care and palliative care nurses′ core competency questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0.Results:The total score of core competence of hospice care of 579 nurses was (71.41 ± 22.74), nurses′ self-efficacy of palliative care was positively correlated with their core competence ( r = 0.648, P<0.01), past behavior experience was positively correlated with self-efficacy ( r = 0.479, P<0.01), positively correlated with core competence ( r = 0.427, P<0.01). Nurses′ self-efficacy of palliative care played a partial mediating role between the pastbehavioral experience and core competence, which accounted for 64.67% of the total effect. Conclusions:The past behavioral experience of end-stage nursing can directly or indirectly affect the core competence of nurses in palliative care through self-efficacy. It can improve the core competence of palliative care by taking active measures to enrich the past behavioral experience of end-of-life care and improve self-efficacy.