Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that infects nearly all warm-blooded animals, including humans (Montoya and Liesenfeld, 2004). It occurs worldwide and can persist for a lifetime in mammals. Humans get infected by eating undercooked meat of animals containing the tissue cysts of this parasite. In immune-competent individuals, T. gondii infection usually does not cause significant clinical symptoms, whereas in pregnant or immunocompromised individuals, T. gondii infection (toxoplasmosis) can cause more serious problems like abortion and even death (Dunn et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2017). A combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is usually used to treat toxoplasmosis, although it is generally inefficient and causes side effects (Alday and Doggett, 2017). Worse still, there is a lack of vaccines to prevent T. gondii infection in humans or animals.
Toxoplasma/enzymology* ; Animals ; Humans ; Toxoplasmosis ; Mitochondria/enzymology* ; Protozoan Proteins/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Zheng GanDecoction (ZGF) on tumor progression in a rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Seventy SD rats were subjected to regular intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg/kg) for 12 weeks to induce HCC tumorigenesis, with another 10 rats receiving saline injections as the normal control. After successful modeling, the rats were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) for daily treatment with distilled water ( model group), Huaier Granules (4 g/kg; positive control group), or ZGF at low, medium, and high doses (2, 4, and 8 g/kg, respectively) via gavage for 17 weeks. Body weight changes of the rats were monitored, and after completion of the treatments, the rats were euthanized for measurement of liver, spleen and thymus indices and morphological and histopathological examinations of the liver tissues using HE staining. The expressions of YAP, p-YAP, MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1 in the liver tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control rats, the rat models with DEN-induced HCC exhibited much poorer general condition with a significantly reduced survival rate, increased body weight and liver and spleen indices, and a lowered thymus index. ZGF treatment obviously reduced liver and spleen indices, increased the thymus index, and improved pathologies of the liver tissues of the rat models. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed a dose-dependent reduction of YAP expression and an increment of p-YAP expression in ZGF-treated rats, which also exhibited significantly upregulated hepatic expressions of MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1. CONCLUSIONS ZGF inhibits DEN-induced HCC in rats by activating the Hippo/YAP pathway via upregulating MST1 and LATS1 expression, which promotes YAP phosphorylation and degradation to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis of the tumor cells.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Diethylnitrosamine ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy* ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Hippo Signaling Pathway ; Male ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism*

Abstract In recent years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has risen rapidly, posing a serious threat to their physical and mental health. To provide scientific, systematic, and standardized weight management guidance for overweight and obese children and adolescents, the study focuses on the core concept of healthy lifestyle intervention, integrates multidisciplinary expert opinions and research findings,and proposes a comprehensive multidisciplinary intervention framework covering scientific exercise intervention, precise nutrition and diet, optimized sleep management, and standardized psychological support. It calls for the establishment of a multi agent collaborative management mechanism led by the government, implemented by families, fostered by schools, initiated by individuals, optimized by communities, reinforced by healthcare, and coordinated by multiple stakeholders. Emphasizing a child and adolescent centered approach, the consensus advocates for comprehensive, multi level, and personalized guidance strategies to promote the internalization and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. It serves as a reference and provides recommendations for the effective prevention and control of overweight and obesity, and enhancing the health level of children and adolescents.

Huangqitang comes from the Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang of the Song dynasty. It consists of four medicinal materials: Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus, Citrμs reticμlata， Cannabis sativa， and Apis cerana. It is a classic prescription for treating constipation in the elderly. This study systematically collated the literature records about Huangqitang in ancient Chinese medicine books and combined it with the current status of modern clinical applications to conduct in-depth analysis and research on the origin，composition， dosage, processing, preparation and administration, drug base, main symptoms， and other key information of the formula, so as to provide a strong reference for the development and clinical application of the classic Huangqitang compound preparation. Through systematic combing and textual research on the previous literature of Huangqitang， it can be seen that the formula of Huangqitang was first recorded in the Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang， and the medical books of the past dynasties mostly adopted this formula. In terms of drug base， the dried roots of the leguminous plant Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus are used， and for tangerine， the dried outer peel of the Rutaceae plant Citrus reticμlata and its cultivated varieties are used. The Moraceae plant Cannabis sativa with the peel removed is selected, and the Apis cerana is selected from the honey brewed by Apis cerana， an insect of the Apidae family. In terms of dosage， although the dosage of some drugs changed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the dosage records basically followed the original prescriptions from the Song dynasty. In terms of processing, preparation, and usage， although the drug processing， preparation， and usage of Huangqitang in the medical books of the past dynasties have changed slightly， they are basically the same as the original prescription of the Song dynasty. In terms of main symptoms, Huangqitang is designed to treat constipation in the elderly. From the Song dynasty to the Qing dynasty， it was mostly used to treat constipation， secret congestion, asthenia， etc. in the elderly. In modern times， it is clinically used to treat constipation due to Qi deficiency， functional constipation， irritable bowel syndrome， and other diseases in the elderly. No adverse reactions have been found yet. In the subsequent research and development， it is necessary to carry out mass spectrometry analysis of Huangqitang， in-depth exploration of its prescription efficacy and mechanism of action， and other multi-omics scientific research. At the same time， it is important to establish quality control standards to provide a reliable scientific basis for the research and development, clinical treatment， and drug supervision of Huangqitang compound preparations.

Asian ginseng mostly appeared in herbal medical books in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.In modern literature,it is believed that this drug is alias of vigorously cultivated ginseng,Talinum paniculatum(Jacq.)Gaertn.,Pananis Japonici Rhizoma,Arctii Fructus and other drugs,and the origin is confused.This article made a textual research on the name,origin,producing areas,processing,property and taste,and efficacy.It is concluded that the Asian ginseng was earlier included in the Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi in the Qing Dynasty,and was named Asian ginseng because it was produced in Japan.The original plant is Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer,which is a kind of Araliaceae plant.It takes Yunzhou,Huijin and Xinzhou of Japan as the true land,and is also cultivated in Northeast China.Asian ginseng medicinal materials are made by processing techniques such as net whiskers,boiling,cooling,and exposure to dryness.They are warm in property,sweet and slightly bitter in taste.They are good at tonifying qi and generating fluid,and can treat all deficiency syndromes of fluid and qi.In the Qing Dynasty,they were often used as Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma.The identification of false was also attached for distinguishing.

Objective·To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of the chromobox protein homolog 8(CBX8)in prostate cancer metastasis from transcriptome and epigenetic modification perspectives.Methods·The correlation between the expression of CBX proteins and prostate adenocarcinoma(PRAD)in The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)was examined through an analysis based on cBioPortal database.A stable CBX8 knockdown DU 145 prostate cancer cell line was established via short hairpin RNA(shRNA)transfection.Subsequently,the proliferation and invasion of the CBX8 knockdown cells were analyzed by CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay,respectively.Transcriptome changes of the CBX8 knockdown cells were investigated through RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)coupled with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA).To further evaluate the functional implications of these transcriptomic alterations,Gene Ontology(GO)for functional analysis was deployed.Moreover,to identify potentially affected signalling pathways,the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)was utilized for pathway enrichment analysis.Lastly,the levels of H3K27me3,a key histone modification associated with CBX8,in the knockdown cells were determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing(ChIP-seq).Results·Bioinformatic analysis with cBioPortal database,based on TCGA-PRAD cohorts,unveiled a high CBX8 mRNA expression in PRAD.Knockdown of CBX8 did not significantly affect the proliferation of DU 145 cells(P＞0.05),but caused a a significant increase in their invasiveness(P＜0.05).The RNA-seq analysis revealed that CBX8 knockdown led to the upregulation of 750 genes and the downregulation of 951 genes.Notably,branched-chain-amino-acid aminotransferase 1(BCAT1),a gene implicated in the metastasis of various types of cancers,showed a significant increase in expression following CBX8 knockdown.GSEA showed that the expression levels were of the affected genes were related to the functions of the polycomb repressive complex 1(PRC1).A further investigation using GO and KEGG analyses identified several enriched pathways in the CBX8 knockdown cells,including transfer RNA(tRNA)aminoacylation,DNA replication,changes in aminoacyl-tRNA ligase activity,and cadherin binding.Interestingly,in terms of cell component of GO functional analysis,cell-substrate junction-related genes associated with tumor metastasis appeared to be enriched.ChIP-seq results showed a global decrease in H3K27me3 levels.Significantly,97 reduced H3K27me3 peaks were found located nearby genes that were upregulated upon CBX8 knockdown,including the transcriptional start site of BCAT1.Conclusion·CBX8 is highly expressed in prostate cancer.CBX8 suppresses prostate cancer cell invasion,possibly by recruiting the transcriptional repressive PRC1 complex to the transcription site of BCAT1,thereby inhibiting BCAT1 transcription and tumor metastasis.

【Objective】 To compare the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous approach with Wiltse approach in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture without neurological deficit in young and middle-aged patients. 【Methods】 A prospective study was conducted in 108 patients with thoracolumbar fracture without neurological symptoms treated in Department of Orthopedics， The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from March 2015 to March 2018. We randomly assigned 54 patients to minimally invasive percutaneous approach group （Group A） and 54 ones to Wiltse approach group （Group B）. We compared the operation time， intraoperative blood loss， incision length， the number of intraoperative fluoroscopy times， and postoperative hospital stay of Group A and Group B. We also compared the VAS scores of the two groups before and 3 days after surgery and at each review， the vertebral frontal height compression ratio and Cobb Angle before and immediately after surgery， 3 months 1 year and 3 years after surgery， and ODI index before surgery and 3 months， 1 year and 3 years after surgery. 【Results】 All the 108 patients were followed up. There were no significant differences in operation time， intraoperative blood loss or postoperative hospital stay between the two groups （P>0.05）. The number of intraoperative fluoroscopy times was significantly smaller in Group B than in Group A （P<0.05）， and the incision length was shorter than that in Group A （P<0.05）. The two groups did not significantly differ in VAS score or ODI index before operation （P>0.05）， after operation， or at follow-up， while the anterior vertebral body height ratio and Cobb angle were significantly lower in Group B than in Group A （P<0.0125）. 【Conclusion】 Minimally invasive percutaneous approach and Wiltse approach are both safe and effective in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture without neurological deficit. However， the number of intraoperative fluoroscopy times of Wiltse approach was significantly reduced， the incision length was smaller than that of the percutaneous pedicle group， and the postoperative anterior vertebral compression rate and Cobb Angle were lower than those of the percutaneous group， indicating better clinical efficacy.

OBJECTIVE To study the mechanism of Suyu tongfeng prescription against gouty arthritis . METHODS Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group ，model group ，colchicine tablets group （positive control drug ，0.3 mg/kg） and high -dose，medium-dose and low -dose groups （5，2.5，1.25 g/kg）of Suyu tongfeng prescription according to body mass ，with 10 rats in each group . The rats in the administration group were orally given the corresponding drugs once a day （10 mL/kg）for 7 consecutive days . Rats in the normal control group and model group were given equal volume of water intragastrically . On the 6th day，1 h after administration ，except for normal control group ，the rats in other groups were injected with sodium urate into the joint to replicate the gouty arthritis model . The degree of joint swelling and the score of inflammatory indexes were measured at 2， 6 and 24 h after the establishment of the model . One hour after the last administration ，the activity of oxidative stress related indicators [superoxide dismutase （SOD），xanthine oxidase （XOD），malondialdehyde（MDA）] and the levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin 1β（IL-1β），IL-18，tumor necrosis factor α were detected in the serum . The histopathological changes of ankle joints in each group were observed ；the expressions level of thioredoxin interacting protein （TXNIP）， mail：150120239@qq.com NOD like receptor thermoprotein domain related protein 3 （NLRP3），apoptosis related spot like protein （ASC）in the @qq.com ankle joint of rats were detected . RESULTS After intervened with Suyu tongfeng prescription ，the swelling degree of joints ，the score of inflammation indexes ，the edema of synovial tissue and the amount of inflammatory cells were reduced . The activity of SOD in Suyu tongfeng prescription high -dose group was increased significantly（P＜0.01），while the activities of XOD and MDA as well as the levels of IL -1β，IL-18 and TNF -α were all decreased significantly（P＜0.01）. The level of ROS and the protein expressions of TXNIP ，NLRP3 and ASC in ankle joint were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The activities/levels of the above indexes were also significantly reversed in the middle-dose and low -dose groups of Suyu tongfeng prescription （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Suyu tongfeng prescription can inhibit the activation of NLRP 3 inflammasome through ROS/TXNIP/NLRP 3 signaling pathway ，and then play the role of anti -gouty arthritis .

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of Yinxing Mihuan oral solution （YM） on neovascularization and vascular remodeling in chemical photothrombosis-induced focal cerebral ischemia model in mice. MethodFifty SPF C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group， model group， ginaton group （12.5 mg·kg^-1）， and low- （YM-L， 412 mg·kg^-1） and high-dose （YM-H， 824 mg·kg^-1） YM groups， with 10 mice in each group. The focal cerebral ischemia model was established by chemical photothrombosis method. Drugs in each group were administered by gavage for 14 consecutive days after operation. The modified neurological severity score （mNSS） and measurement of forelimb grasping were used to evaluate the neurologic impairment of mice. The vascular density of infarct border-zone （IBZ） was measured by fluorescein labelled dextran （FITC-dextran） method. The morphology of IBZ was evaluated and observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The expression of proteins related to neovascularization and vascular remodeling in brain tissues， including vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， platelet and endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 （CD31）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， von Willebrand factor （vWF）， and angiogenin （ANG）， was detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the sham group， the model group showed manifest neurological deficits （P<0.01）， weakened forelimb grasping （P<0.01）， increased vascular density of IBZ （P<0.01）， and obvious pathological changes， such as neuronal necrosis and gliocyte proliferation. After treatment for 14 days， compared with the model group， the YM-H group showed improved neurological deficits （P<0.01）， and the YM-L group and the YM-H group showed strengthened forelimb grasping （P<0.01）. Moreover， the YM-L group displayed increased vascular density of IBZ （P<0.05）， reduced pathological damage， and up-regulated protein expression of CD31， ANG， HIF-1α， and vWF （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionYM could improve motor function and pathological morphological impairment in chemical photothrombosis-induced focal cerebral ischemia mouse model， and the underlying mechanism might be related to the promotion of neovascularization and vascular remodeling in IBZ.