ObjectiveTo investigate the material basis of the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemic injury with blood stasis and toxin syndrome and to explore the protective effects of Huayu Jiedu prescription （HYJDP） on neutrophil extracellular trap-related cell death （NETosis） in cerebral ischemic injury following acute cerebral infarction. MethodsSeventy-two Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into six groups （n=12 per group）： sham operation （Sham） group， blood stasis and toxin model （Model） group， low-， medium-， and high-dose HYJDP groups （HYJDP-L， HYJDP-M， and HYJDP-H； 9， 18， and 36 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and butylphthalide （NBP） group （0.06 g·kg^-1）. Except for the Sham group， rats in all other groups were subjected to carrageenan/dry yeast combined with a modified intraluminal filament method to establish a focal cerebral ischemia model of the middle cerebral artery with blood stasis and toxin syndrome. Neurological function was evaluated at 24 h after modeling using the Zea-Longa neurological deficit score. Cerebral infarction rate was assessed by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. Pathological morphology of brain tissue was observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine serum levels of interleukin-8 （IL-8）， myeloperoxidase-DNA complexes （MPO-DNA）， and citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3）. Protein expression of phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， protein kinase B （p-Akt）， mammalian target of rapamycin （p-mTOR）， sequestosome 1 （p62）， and CitH3 in brain tissue was detected by Western blot. Immunofluorescence （IF） was used to detect the expression of neutrophil-specific marker Ly6G， CitH3， and neuron-specific nuclear protein （NeuN） in brain tissue. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， neurological deficit scores and cerebral infarction rates in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01 for both）. HE staining showed varying degrees of neuronal degeneration and necrosis， characterized by blurred neuronal structures， nuclear pyknosis and fragmentation， cytoplasmic dissolution into a vacuolated reticular pattern， and mild glial cell proliferation. ELISA results showed that serum levels of IL-8， MPO-DNA， and CitH3 were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Western blot analysis demonstrated decreased expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， p-mTOR， and p62， while CitH3 expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）. IF results showed an increased number of NETs⁺ cells and a significant decrease in NeuN⁺ cells （P<0.01）. Compared with the Model group， neurological deficit scores in the HYJDP-H group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and cerebral infarction rates in the HYJDP-H and NBP groups were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. HE staining showed that brain tissue damage was markedly alleviated in the HYJDP-H group. ELISA results showed that levels of IL-8， MPO-DNA， and CitH3 were significantly decreased in the HYJDP-M， HYJDP-H， and NBP groups （P<0.01）. Western blot analysis showed that expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， p-mTOR， and p62 was significantly increased in the HYJDP-H and NBP groups， while CitH3 expression was significantly reduced in all drug intervention groups （P<0.01）. IF results showed that the number of NETs⁺ cells was significantly decreased and the number of NeuN⁺ cells was significantly increased in all drug intervention groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionNETs may be the material basis of the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemic injury characterized by blood stasis and toxin. HYJDP can regulate the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway， reduce the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and NETosis-related products， alleviate cerebral ischemic injury caused by autophagy-dependent NETosis， and thereby exert a neuroprotective effect.

Chronic liver diseases with common causes including viral infections， alcohol abuse， and autoimmune diseases. Alkaloids， as a class of plant-derived compounds， have shown significant potential in regulating chronic liver diseases. Recent studies have shown that alkaloids are able to exert a therapeutic effect on chronic liver diseases through multiple pathways. These compounds have a regulatory effect on key pathological processes such as liver fibrosis， inflammatory response， oxidative stress， and cell apoptosis， and they also regulate the metabolic homeostasis of hepatocytes by modulating multiple signaling pathways， thereby playing a role in regulating chronic liver diseases. This article reviews the role and mechanism of alkaloids in the treatment of chronic liver diseases， in order to provide new ideas and directions for the treatment of chronic liver diseases.

HDAC7, a member of class IIa HDACs, plays a pivotal regulatory role in tumor, immune, fibrosis, and angiogenesis, rendering it a potential therapeutic target. Nevertheless, due to the high similarity in the enzyme active sites of class IIa HDACs, inhibitors encounter challenges in discerning differences among them. Furthermore, the substitution of key residue in the active pocket of class IIa HDACs renders them pseudo-enzymes, leading to a limited impact of enzymatic inhibitors on their function. In this study, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology was employed to develop HDAC7 drugs. We developed an exceedingly selective HDAC7 PROTAC degrader B14 which showcased superior inhibitory effects on cell proliferation compared to TMP269 in various diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Subsequent investigations unveiled that B14 disrupts BCL6 forming a transcriptional inhibition complex by degrading HDAC7, thereby exerting proliferative inhibition in DLBCL. Our study broadened the understanding of the non-enzymatic functions of HDAC7 and underscored the importance of HDAC7 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, particularly in DLBCL and AML.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vision-threatening disorder that leads to pathological growth of the retinal vasculature due to hypoxia. Here, we investigated the potential effects of alamandine, a novel heptapeptide in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), on hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization and its underlying mechanisms. In vivo, the C57BL/6J mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) were injected intravitreally with alamandine (1.0 μmol/kg per eye). In vitro, human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) were utilized to investigate the effects of alamandine (10 μg/mL) on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and tubular formation under vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulation. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) matrix data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and RAS-related genes from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) were sourced for subsequent analyses. By integrating scRNA-seq data across multiple species, we identified that RAS-associated endothelial cell populations were highly related to retinal neovascularization. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed a significant decrease in alamandine levels in both the serum and retina of OIR mice compared to those in the control group. Next, alamandine ameliorated hypoxia-induced retinal pathological neovascularization and physiologic revascularization in OIR mice. In vitro, alamandine effectively mitigated VEGF-induced proliferation, scratch wound healing, and tube formation of HRMECs primarily by inhibiting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/VEGF pathway. Further, coincubation with D-Pro⁷ (Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (MrgD) antagonist) hindered the beneficial impacts of alamandine on hypoxia-induced pathological angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Our findings suggested that alamandine could mitigate retinal neovascularization by targeting the MrgD-mediated HIF-1α/VEGF pathway, providing a potential therapeutic agent for OIR prevention and treatment.
Animals ; Retinal Neovascularization/prevention & control* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Oligopeptides/therapeutic use* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Endothelial Cells/drug effects* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/drug therapy* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Cells, Cultured

Objective To investigate the relationships of serum amyloid A(SAA),eotaxin and pentraxin 3(PTX3)levels with Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA(MP-DNA)level,lung function and prognosis in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP).Methods A total of 163 chil-dren with MPP were enrolled in MPP group and divided into good prognosis group(n=109)and poor prognosis group(n=54)based on prognosis;another 124 healthy children with physical examinations in the same period were included as control group.Levels of serum SAA,eotaxin and PTX3 were measured in the children.Multivariable Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore risk fac-tors for poor prognosis in children with MPP.Results Compared with the control group,the MPP group had significantly increased levels of SAA,eotaxin,PTX3 and MP-DNA positivity(P＜0.01);the MPP group also had significantly lower values of peak expiratory flow(PEF),forced expiratory volume in the first second(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),tidal expiratory flow time to total expiratory time(tPTEF/TE),and tidal volume compared with the control group(P＜0.01).Compared with the good prognosis group,the poor prognosis group had significantly increased MP-DNA level,SAA,eotaxin and PTX3 levels,as well as decreased values of PEF,FEV1,FVC,tPTEF/TE and tidal volume(P＜0.01).Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that high MP-DNA lev-el,high SAA,eotaxin and PTX3 levels,low values of PEF,FEV1,FVC,tPTEF/TE and tidal vol-ume were risk factors for poor prognosis in children with MPP(P＜0.01).The SAA,PTX3 and eotaxin levels in children with MPP were positively correlated with their MP-DNA level and negative-ly correlated with lung function indicators(P＜0.05).Conclusion SAA,PTX3 and eotaxin lev-els are positively correlated with MP-DNA level and negatively correlated with lung function indica-tors in children with MPP.SAA,PTX3 and eotaxin levels can be used to assess the prognosis of children with MPP.

Objective: To establish a progressive research strategy for “colonic components analysis - efficacy verification and mechanism exploration - gut microbiota”, screen pharmacodynamic substances, and investigate their mechanism via gut microbiota. Methods: The pharmacodynamics of Gegen Qinlian decoction (GQD) were assessed using a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis (UC). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer was used to identify the prototype and metabolic components of GQD in the colon during UC. To analyze the structure and function of characteristic genera of GQD and its active components, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed. Results: We identified 67 prototypic and 14 metabolic components of GQD in the UC colon. The primary prototype components are flavonoids and alkaloids, including puerarin (PUE), baicalin (BAI), and berberine (BER). The metabolism was predominantly sulfonation. Efficacy verification showed that the main active components, puerarin, baicalin, and berberine, had good therapeutic effects on UC. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that GQD improved UC by regulating the structure and function of the gut microbiota. The abundance of gut microbiota involved in the metabolism of the prototype components was influenced by the corresponding components. The function prediction results showed that PUE was the most comparable to GQD, with 24 consistent pathways. BAI and BER showed comparable gut microbiota regulation pathways. Characteristic pathways of BER include glucometabolic processes. Conclusion This study focused on the key issues in the gut microbiota pathway and developed a progressive research strategy to understand the transformation mechanisms of colonic components. This research systematically analyzed the active components and metabolic transformation of GQD in the colon during the pathological state of UC, as well as changes in the structure and function of the gut microbiota, clarified the mechanism of GQD and its active components in improving UC via the gut microbiota pathway.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the peak wideband acoustic immittance(WAI)values reflecting the tympanic membrane absorption characteristics during the measurement process in patients with congenital middle ear malformation.METHODS We selected 36 patients diagnosed with congenital middle ear malformation by CT as subjects and evaluated their tympanic membrane absorption characteristics by measuring their acoustic impedance peak pressure.Then,we divided these data into two groups based on the pathological malformation obseved during the surgical process,namely the auditory ossicular chain soft connection group and the auditory ossicular chain fixation group.Calculate the absorption rate values of the tympanic membrane at each frequency corresponding to the peak pressure value of the tympanogram,and the relative area of absorption rate.By conducting independent t-tests,we compared two groups-normal children and patients who had undergone ossicular chain fixation surgery-to analyze the absorption area and peak absorption rate of their tympanic peak pressure values.RESULTS Under peak pressure,there were significant differences(P<0.001)in the full frequency range tympanic membrane absorption rate and peak absorption rate between the group with fixed ossicular chain and the normal group.However,there was no difference in the full frequency range tympanic membrane absorption rate and peak absorption rate between the group with soft ossicular chain and the normal group.Under peak pressure,the absorption area of the ossicular chain fixation group was significantly lower than that of the normal group in the low frequency range of 226-1 000 Hz(P<0.001),while the absorption area of the ossicular chain soft connection group was significantly higher than that of the normal group in the low frequency range of 226-1 000 Hz(P<0.001).CONCLUSION When conducting broadband acoustic impedance test,there is a significant difference in the relative area of tympanic membrane absorption rate of acoustic impedance peak pressure between the auditory ossicular chain soft connection group and the auditory ossicular chain fixation group across 226-1 000 Hz.It has application value as a clinical rapid screening and diagnostic tool for middle ear malformations.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between clinical features and human papillomavirus(HPV)infection and the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in patients with pharyngeal and laryngeal papilloma.METHODS Adult patients with pharyngeal and laryngeal papilloma admitted to Beijing Tongren Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from October 2022 to February 2024 were selected as the test group,and adult patients with non-inflammatory non-tumor throat lesions were selected as the control group.Clinical data and pathological tissue samples were collected.The differences of pharyngeal and laryngeal papilloma patients in symptoms,age,gender,smoking,drinking,the number of lesion involved sites and the number of operations were compared.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression of HPV DNA,HIF cDNA and VEGF cDNA in the pathological tissues.RESULTS The symptoms of pharyngeal papilloma are less severe than those of laryngeal papilloma.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender and alcohol consumption(P>0.05),but there were statistically significant differences in terms of age,smoking,the number of lesions involved and the number of operations(P<0.05).The number of lesion involved sites was positively correlated with the expression of HIF and VEGF(r=0.3553、r=0.2693,P<0.05).The number of operations was positively correlated with the expression of VEGF(r=0.2515,P<0.05).The expression levels of HIF and VEGF in laryngeal papilloma were higher than those in pharyngeal papilloma and control group(F=9.174,H=23.737,P<0.001).The expression levels of HIF and VEGF in HPV-positive tissue were higher than those in HPV-negative tissue(t=3.899,t=6.463,P<0.001).The HPV positive rate of laryngeal papilloma(97.9%,46/47)was higher than that in pharyngeal papilloma(21.7%,10/46)and control group(13.6%,3/22)(χ2=53.114、χ2=46.647,P<0.001).CONCLUSION HPV infection is one of the important causes of pharyngeal papilloma.The low infection status of pharyngeal papilloma may lead to low expression of HIF and VEGF in the tumor,which makes its clinical features different from laryngeal papilloma.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improved anesthesia method of arytenoid cartilage reduction under general anesthesia in the treatment of arytenoid dislocation.METHODS The clinical data of 12 patients who underwent modified arytenoid cartilage reduction under general anesthesia in Beijing Tongren Hospital from July 2020 to March 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.To evaluate and analyze the modified anesthesia method of maintaining low degree of neuromuscular block during operation,the recovery of arytenoid cartilage movement and sound after operation.RESULTS All the 12 patients successfully completed arytenoid cartilage reduction.The articulation,arytenoid movement and glottis closure were improved significantly.Compared with the total voice handicap index(VHI),physical scores,functional scores and emotional scores before reduction,the scores at 1 month after surgery were significantly lower[83.5(75-91)vs.13(7-19),30.5(26.5-33)vs.5.5(3-7),25.5(22.5-29)vs.4(2-6),26(23.5-30)vs.4(1.5-6),P<0.001].No complications such as laryngeal spasm and laryngeal edema occurred during perioperative period.CONCLUSION Arytenoid cartilage reduction under modified general anesthesia has high safety,good patient cooperation and high reduction success rate.It provides a new option for the treatment of arytenoid dislocation.