Hepatic encephalopathy is a difficult and critical disease with rapid progression and limited treatment methods in the field of liver disease， and it is urgently needed to make breakthroughs in its pathogenesis. Selection of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies is of great importance in delaying disease progression and reducing the incidence and mortality rates. This article reviews the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine， proposes a new theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， analyzes the scientific connotations of “turbid”， “toxin”， and the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， and constructs the “four-step” prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy， thereby establishing the new clinical prevention and treatment regimen for hepatic encephalopathy represented by “four prescriptions and two techniques” and clarifying the effect mechanism and biological basis of core prescriptions and techniques in the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy， in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the incidence, clinical features, genetic variant characteristics and prognosis of Glutaric acidemia type I (GA1) among neonates from Henan Province. METHODS: A total of 814 625 neonates undergoing screening for inherited metabolic diseases by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to December 2022 were selected as the study subjects. A retrospective method was adopted to collect the clinical data of the patients. Whole exome sequencing was carried out to detect GCDH gene variants in individuals with positive results by GA1 newborn screening, and Sanger sequencing was used to verify the candidate variants. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the pathogenicity of candidate variants was rated. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics Number: 2019 Medical Ethics Review No. 67). RESULTS: Eight cases of GA1 were diagnosed among the 814 625 neonates. Blood glutaryl carnitine (C5DC) and urine glutaric acid (GA) levels of the 8 children were higher than the normal reference values. In total 12 variants were detected, all of which were missense variants. c.1064G>A (p.Arg355His) was the most common one, accounting for 21.4% (3/14). Three GCDH gene variants, including 1297G>C (p.Ala433Pro), c.467G>A (p.Gly156Asp) and c.1125T>G (p.Cys375Trp), were previously unreported. REVEL software analysis predicted that all of the three variants were harmful. 3D protein structure modeling indicated that the three variants may cause amino acid residue alterations, and c.1297G>C (p.Ala433Pro) and c.1125T>G (p.Cys375Trp) may result in increase in hydrogen bonds and affect the function of GCDH protein. By December 2023, one of the eight children had deceased, and another child had severe clinical symptoms with poor prognosis. Six children had a good prognosis, of which two had mild motor development delay and four had normal development without clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION The incidence of GA1 in newborns screened by MS/MS in Henan Province is 1/101 828, and the carrier rate of pathogenic GCDH variants is 1/160. The c.1064G>A (p.Arg355His) may be the hotspot variant of the GCDH gene among children with GA1 in Henan. Discovery of the three novel variants has enriched the mutational spectrum of the GCDH gene and provide a basis for the early diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and genetic counseling of this disease.
Humans ; Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors/epidemiology* ; Glutaryl-CoA Dehydrogenase/chemistry* ; Infant, Newborn ; Female ; Neonatal Screening/methods* ; Male ; Brain Diseases, Metabolic/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Mutation ; Genetic Variation ; Glutarates

Objective To explore the activation of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)signaling pathway and the expressions of the associated inflammatory factors in NPHP1-defective renal tubular epithelial cells.Methods A human proximal renal tubular cell(HK2)model of lentivirus-mediated NPHP1 knockdown(NPHP1KD)was constructed,and the expressions of TNF-α,p38,and C/EBPβ and the inflammatory factors CXCL5,CCL20,IL-1β,IL-6 and MCP-1 were detected using RT-qPCR,Western blotting or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.A small interfering RNA(siRNA)was transfected in wild-type and NPHP1KDHK2 cells,and the changes in the expressions of TNF-α,p38,and C/EBPβ and the inflammatory factors were examined.Results NPHP1KDHK2 cells showed significantly increased mRNA expressions of TNF-α,C/EBPβ,CXCL5,IL-1β,and IL-6(P<0.05),protein expressions of phospho-p38 and C/EBPβ(P<0.05),and IL-6 level in the culture supernatant(P<0.05),and these changes were significantly blocked by transfection of cells with siRNA-C/EBPβ(P<0.05).Conclusion TNF-α signaling pathway is activated and its associated inflammatory factors are upregulated in NPHP1KDHK2 cells,and C/EBPβ may serve as a key transcription factor to mediate these changes.

OBJECTIVE To study the fingerprint of Denghong buyang huanwu granules （DBHG）， screen the quality markers， and establish the method for content determination of active ingredients. METHODS HPLC method was adopted. The fingerprints of 10 batches of DBHG （S1-S10） were established by using the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 edition）， and similarity evaluation was also performed. Traditional Chinese medicine pieces attribution analysis， cluster analysis （CA）， principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were conducted for common peaks， and quality biomarkers were screened based on variable importance projection （VIP） values＞1. The contents of 10 batches of samples were determined by the same HPLC method， such as salidroside， tyrosol， calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside， scutellarin and calycosin. RESULTS A total of 25 common peaks were obtained in the fingerprints for 10 batches of samples and 6 common peaks were identified， i.e. salidroside， tyrosol， paeoniflorin， calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside， scutellarin， calycosin. Their similarities were greater than 0.9， and 10 common peaks of them were unique components of Erigeron breviscapus. DBHG could be clustered into 2 categories by using CA and PCA； S4-S5， and S7 could be clustered into one category and other samples could be clustered into one category. The corresponding components of peaks 16 （scutellarin）， 12， 15 （calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside）， 13 （paeoniflorin）， and 14 were quality markers. The average contents of salidroside， tyrosol， calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside， scutellarin and calycosin were 1.64， 0.45， 0.31， 0.73， 0.15 mg/g in 10 batches of samples. CONCLUSIONS HPLC fingerprint for DBHG and a method for determining the contents of five active ingredients including salidroside are successfully established. Five quality markers have been screened. It can be used for the quality control of the preparation.

Objective To analyze the correlation between serum miR-939 and miR-15b expression and mi-crovascular injury in patients with diabetic retinopathy(DR).Methods A total of 176 patients with type 2 di-abetes diagnosed and treated in the Baoding Second Hospital from January 2021 to October 2022 were selected as the study objects.The subjects were divided into 74 patients without DR(NDR group),62 patients with non-proliferative DR(NPDR group)and 40 patients with proliferative DR(PDR group)according to whether or not DR occurred and the degree of lesions.Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of miR-939 and miR-15b in serum of all groups,the level of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the count percentage of en-dothelial cells(ECs),endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs)and circulating progenitor cells(CPCs)was detected by flow cytometry.Serum levels of miR-939,miR-15b,VEGF and ECs,EPCs and CPCs were compared in 3 groups.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between serum miR-939 and miR-15b and VEGF,ECs,EPCs and CPCs.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors affecting the oc-currence of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes.Results The relative expression levels of miR-939 and miR-15b in PDR group and NPDR group were lower than those in NDR group,while the serum VEGF levels were higher than those in NDR group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).ECs in PDR group and NPDR group were higher than those in NDR group,while EPCs and CPCs were lower than those in NDR group,the differ-ence was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Serum miR-939 was negatively correlated with VEGF and ECs(r=-0.407,-0.613,P＜0.05),and positively correlated with EPCs and CPCs(r=0.481,0.486,P＜0.05).Serum miR-15b was negatively correlated with VEGF and ECs(r=-0.539,-0.625,P＜0.05),and positively correlated with EPCs and CPCs(r=0.451,0.483,P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression anal-ysis showed that the duration of type 2 diabetes,hemoglobin A1c,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,VEGF,miR-939 and miR-15b were the influencing factors for the occurrence of DR in type 2 diabetes patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression of miR-939 and miR-15b in serum of DR patients is closely related to VEGF,ECs,EPCs and CPCs,and the expression of miR-939 and miR-15b in serum of DR patients can provide a certain reference for early judgment and evaluation of the degree of microvascular injury.

ObjectiveTo construct a mouse model of inflammation-associated colorectal cancer （CAC） by using azoxymethane （AOM）/dextran sulfate sodium （DSS） and investigate the effect of Huangqintang on the gut microbiota structure of mice during the occurrence and development of CAC by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. MethodA total of 225 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into 5 groups （n=45）： Normal， model， positive drug （mesalazine）， and high （18 g·kg^-1） and low （9 g·kg^-1）-dose Huangqintang. Except those in the normal group， each mouse was injected with 10 mg·kg^-1 AOM on day 1 and day 5 within 1 week and then given 1.5% DSS solution for 7 days， which was then changed to sterile water for 14 days. This process referred to as one cycle， and mice were treated for a total of 3 cycles. On the first day of DSS treatment， mice were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage， and the normal group and the model group were administrated with pure water by gavage， once a day until the end of the third cycle. The progression of CAC was divided into inflammation， proliferation， and tumorigenesis stages. At the end of each cycle， the body weight and colon length were measured for mice in each group， and the number of colon tumors in mice was recorded. Meanwhile， the disease activity index （DAI） was determined. The serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and carbohydrate antigen-199 （CA199）， a tumor marker in the gastrointestinal tract of mice， were measured by ELISA. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe colon lesions. At the same time， 3-5 pellets of fresh feces of mice in the normal group， model group， and high-dose Huangqintang group were collected， from which the fecal DNA of mice was extracted for 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed decreased body weight （P<0.01）， increased DAI， and shortened colon length （P<0.05） at the three stages. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed elevated levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.05） at the proliferation stage and elevated levels of CA199 at the inflammation， proliferation， and tumorigenesis （P<0.01） stages. Compared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells at the inflammation stage， thickening of the muscle layer and abnormal proliferation of mucosal layer cells at the proliferation and tumorigenesis stages， and final formation of advanced intraepithelial tumor lesions. Compared with the model group， the Huangqintang groups showed no significant improvement in the body weight， decreased DAI score， and increased colon length at the three stages， and the increase of colon length in the tumorigenesis stage was significant （P<0.01）. At the tumorigenesis stage， the administration of Huangqintang inhibited tumor formation and growth， reduced the number of tumors （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of IL-6 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and IL-1β at the three stages， and decreased CA199 at the inflammation stage as well as at the proliferation and tumorigenesis stages （P<0.01， P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the administration of Huangqintang reduced inflammation and abnormal cell proliferation， delaying the occurrence of tumors. Compared with the normal group， the model group showcased decreased alpha and beta diversity and altered structure of gut microbiota at the inflammation， proliferation， and tumorigenesis stages. The administration of Huangqintang adjusted the abundance and diversity of gut microbiota to the normal levels. At the inflammation stage， Huangqintang positively regulated two differential phyla （Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes） and three differential genera （Muribaculaceae， Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group， and Flavonifractor） in mice. At the proliferation stage， Huangqintang positively regulated two differential phyla （Bacteroidetes and Patescibacteria） and five differential genera （Muribaculaceae， Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group， Candidatus_Saccharimonas， norank_f__UCG-010， and Allobaculum）. At the tumorigenesis stage， Huangqintang positively regulated two differential phyla （Proteobacteria and Patescibacteria） and eight differential genera （Muribaculaceae， Candidatus_Saccharimonas， norank_f_UCG-010， Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006， Allobaculum， Bacteroides， Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group， and Flavonifractor） in mice. ConclusionHuangqintang can intervene in the AOM/DSS-induced transformation of inflammation to CAC in mice by correcting inflammation and short-chain fatty acid-related microbiota disorders.

Objective : To study the effect and mechanism of action of Silibinin on the differentiation of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes in murine． Methods : The effects of 0－400 μmol / L Silibinin on the proliferation of 3T3-F442A adi- pocytes at 24，48 and 72 h were detected by 3-(4，5-dimethylthiazol-2) -2，5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide ( MTT) assay，and the effects of Silibinin on the adipogenesis of 3T3-F442A adipocytes were visualized by Oil Red O stai- ning ; RT-qPCR , Western blot and ELISA assays were used to detect the effects of Silibinin on 3T3-F442A adipo- cyte differentiation-associated transcription factor CCAAT / enhancer binding protein ( C / EBP) α , C / EBP β , per- oxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ cular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) -α and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) ，matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2 and MMP-9，mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) and phosphorylated MEK (p-MEK) ，and extracellular regu- lated protein kinase (ERK) and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) expression. (PPARγ) ，adipocyte protein 2 (aP2) ，adipose generation-associated vas Results : MTT assay showed that the cell proliferation rate of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes decreased after 100，200，and 400 μmol /L Silibinin treatment compared with the control group (P＜0. 001) ; Oil Red O staining assay showed that the accumulation of red lipid droplets of the cells in the 160 μmol /L Silibinin assay group significantly decreased ; RT-qPCR assay showed that mRNA expression of C/EBPα , C/EBPβ , PPARγ , aP2，VEGF-α , VEGFR-2，MMP-2，and MMP-9 was down-reg- ulated in 3T3-F442A adipocytes treated with 160 μmol /L Silibinin compared with the control group (P＜0. 001) ; Western blot assay showed that protein expression of C /EBPα , C /EBPβ , PPARγ and aP2 was down-regulated in 3T3-F442A adipocytes treated with 160 μmol /L Silibinin (P＜0. 001) ，and the phosphorylation level of p-MEK/ MEK and p-ERK/ ERK proteins was down-regulated compared with the control group (P ＜0. 001) ; ELISA assay showed that the protein concentrations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cell supernatant were down-regulated (P < 0. 001) in 3T3-F442A adipocytes treated with 160 μmol /L Silibinin． Conclusion Silibinin inhibited 3T3-F442A adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis through inhibition of the MEK/ ERK pathway and matrix metalloproteinase activity.

ObjectiveTo induce the rat model of ulcerative colitis （UC） with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency and liver depression， and explore the efficacy and mechanism of Sishenwan combined with Tongxie Yaofang （SSW&TXYF） based on the therapeutic principles of tonifying spleen， soothing liver， warming kidney， and astringing intestine. MethodSixty male SD rats were randomized into normal， model， mesalazine， and high-， medium-， and low-dose SSW&TXYF groups. The rats in other groups except the normal group were administrated with Sennae Folium decoction and hydrocortisone and received tail clamping for 14 days. On day 14， rats received enema with TNBS-ethanol solution to induce UC. The rats were administrated with corresponding drugs from day 15 of modeling， and the body weight and mental state were observed and recorded. The sucrose preference test was performed from day 25. On day 28， the rectal temperature was measured， and the rats were administrated with 3% D-xylose solution at a dose of 10 mL·kg^-1 by gavage. Blood was sampled 1 h later， from which the serum was collected for measurement of the D-xylose content. The serum， hippocampus， and colorectum samples of rats were collected on day 29. The levels of gastrin （GAS）， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， corticosterone （CORT）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）， interleukin （IL）-4， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， and interferon （IFN）-γ in the serum and 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） in the hippocampus were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to reveal the colonic lesions. The mRNA and protein levels of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， and c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） in the colon tissue were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blot， respectively. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed decreased body weight， anal temperature， and D-xylose content in the serum and increased GAS content （P<0.01）. The modeling led to cAMP/cGMP unbalance and decreased the ACTH and CORT content in the serum （P<0.01）， the preference for sucrose water， and the 5-HT content in the hippocampus （P<0.01）. Moreover， it shortened the colorectal length and caused massive infiltration of inflammatory cells and severe structural damage in the colon tissue. High， medium， and low doses of SSW&TXYF improved above indicators （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced inflammatory infiltration， and repaired the pathological damage of the tissue. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed lowered IL-4 level （P<0.01） and elevated TNF-α and IFN-γ levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） in the serum， as well as up-regulated expression of p38 MAPK， ERK， and JNK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， SSW&TXYF elevated the IL-4 level （P<0.01）， lowered the TNF-α and IFN-γ levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of p38 MAPK， ERK， and JNK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionA rat model of UC with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency and liver depression was successfully established. SSW&TXYF can significantly mitigate this syndrome by reducing the inflammatory response in the colon and inhibiting the MAPK pathway.

Objective: To study the association between 24 h activities and Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using compositional data analysis, and the expected changes in FMS after isochronous substitution of each activity, in order to provide reference basis for improving FMS levels in children with ASD. Methods: From October 2023 to April 2024, a total of 301 children with ASD aged 6-10 from 7 special education schools in Jinan, were investigated by cluster random sampling, and 24 h movement behaviors were calculated based on accelerator data. Test of Gross Motor Development- 2 was used to assess FMS. R software was used to perform the descriptive statistical, multiple linear regression and isochronous substitution analyses. Results: The proportion of moderatevigorous physical activity (MVPA) in children with ASD was positively related with FMS scores, locomotor, and object control skills ( β=12.42, 6.32, 6.10, P <0.01). Reallocating 15 min from sleep (SLP) to MVPA resulted in respective increases of 3.66, 1.91, and 1.75 points in FMS scores, locomotor skills, and object control skills ( P <0.05). Reallocating 15 min from sedentary behavior (SB) to MVPA resulted in respective increases of 3.72, 1.88 , and 1.83 points in FMS scores, locomotor skills, and object control skills ( P <0.05). Reallocating 15 min from light physical activity (LPA) to MVPA resulted in respective increases of 3.32, 1.57, and 1.74 points in FMS scores, locomotor skills, and object control skills ( P <0.05). Moreover, reallocating 15 min from SB to LPA resulted in an increase of 0.28 points in locomotor skills ( P <0.05). Dose response analysis revealed that substitution of MVPA for SLP, SB, and LPA in children with ASD enhanced their FMS levels, and their substitution was asymmetrical; and substitution of LPA for SB enhanced locomotor skills level. Conclusions Among the 24 h movement behaviors, increasing the time spent on MVPA and LPA have positive impacts on the FMS of children with ASD. Schools and families should optimize the allocation of 24 h activity time in children with ASD, so as to promote the improvement of FMS levels of children with ASD.