Charcoal-processed traditional Chinese herbal medicine has various therapeutic effects， including astringing， hemostasis， anti-diarrhea， clearing heat， tonifying， and warming the interior. This paper summarizes the clinical application features， compatible experiences， dosages， and precautions for over 20 types of charcoal-processed herbal medicine in the treatment of gynecological bleeding disorders caused by dysfunctions such as dysfunctional uterine bleeding， endometriosis， uterine incision pseudocavity， and vaginal bleeding resulting from threatened miscarriage. The charcoal-processed herbal medicine include Huangqin （Scutellaria Baicalensis） Charcoal， Dahuang （Rheum Palmatum） Charcoal， Cebai （Platycladus Orientalis） Charcoal， Diyu （Sanguisorba Officinalis） Charcoal， Daji （Cirsium Setosum） Charcoal， Xiaoji （Cirsium Japonicum） Charcoal， Shengdi （Rehmannia Glutinosa） Charcoal， Aiye （Artemisia Argyi） Charcoal， Paojiang （Zingiber Officinale） Charcoal， Xuduan （Dipsacus Asper） Charcoal， Duzhong （Eucommia Ulmoides） Charcoal， Qiancao （Rubia Cordifolia） Charcoal， Puhuang （Typha Angustifolia） Charcoal， Shanzha （Crataegus Pinnatifida） Charcoal， Jingjie （Schizonepeta Tenuifolia） Charcoal， Xueyu （Carthamus Tinctorius） Charcoal， Zonglyu （Areca Catechu） Charcoal， Wumei （Prunus Mume） Charcoal， Shudahuang （Rheum Officinale） Charcoal， Lianfang （Nymphaea Alba） Charcoal， Mianmaguanzhong （Clematis Armandii） Charcoal， and Oujie （Nelumbo Nucifera） Charcoal.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

The rich club, as a community of highly interconnected nodes, serves as the topological center of the network. However, the similarities and differences in how the rich club supports functional integration and segregation in the brain across different species remain unknown. In this study, we first detected and validated the rich club in the structural networks of mouse, monkey, and human brains using neuronal tracing or diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data. Further, we assessed the role of rich clubs in functional integration, segregation, and balance using quantitative metrics. Our results indicate that the presence of a rich club facilitates whole-brain functional integration in all three species, with the functional networks of higher species exhibiting greater integration. These findings are expected to help to understand the relationship between brain structure and function from the perspective of brain evolution.
Animals ; Humans ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice ; Male ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Macaca ; Female ; Neural Pathways/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Biological Evolution ; Adult ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Brain Mapping ; Species Specificity ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To evaluate the effect of acupuncture of Zhukeyuanluo principle and Buzhong Yiqi Decoction on obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Methods:Randomized controlled trial. A total of 104 patients with OSAHS in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2022 who met the inclusion criteria were divided into 2 groups according to random number table method, with 52 patients in each group. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) group was treated with Buzhong Yiqi Decoction on the basis of conventional western medicine treatment, and the acupuncture and medicine group was treated with the combination of primary and primary collaterals and acupoints. Both groups were treated continuously for 2 months. Epworth Lethargy Scale and Stanford Self-Rated Lethargy Scale (SSS) were used to assess the degree of lethargy. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 were detected by ELISA. The hemoglobin, RBC and mean RBC volume levels were detected by automatic blood cell analyzer. apnea hypopnea index (AHI), apnea index (AI), hypopnea index (HI) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2) were monitored by polysomnographic sleep monitor to evaluate the clinical effect. Results:The total effective rate was 94.2% (49/52) in the acupuncture group and 82.7% (43/52) in the TCM group, and there was significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=6.73, P=0.035). After treatment, the Epworth Lethargy Scale and SSS scores in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-8.19 and -5.48, respectively, P<0.01); AHI [(15.64±2.81) times/h vs. (19.82±3.05) times/h, t=-7.27], HI [(5.53±1.28) times/h vs. (7.37±1.34) times/h, t=-7.16], AI [(8.13±1.95) times/h vs. (10.98±2.26) times/h, t=-6.89] in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( P<0.01), SaO 2 [(92.77±2.91) % vs. (89.53±2.44) %, t=6.15] in the acupuncture and medicine group was significantly higher than that of the TCM group ( P<0.01). The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in serum in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-2.62, -3.14 and -6.58, P<0.01). The levels of hemoglobin, RBC and mean red blood cell volume were in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-2.11, -2.92, -2.48, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:The acupuncture of Zhukeyuanluo principle combined with Buzhong Yiqi Decoction can reduce the serum inflammatory cytokines level in OSAHS patients, increase SaO 2, reduce AHI, HI, AI and lethargy degree, and improve clinical effects.

Objective:To observe the changes of left ventricular energy loss(EL) and apical wall shear stress(WSS) in patients with ventricular aneurysm by using vector flow mapping (VFM).Methods:Twenty-seven patients with ventricular aneurysm were selected as the case group, and they were divided into the ventricular aneurysm group(16 cases) and ventricular aneurysm thrombus group(11 cases) according to whether the apex of the heart was accompanied by thrombosis. Twenty healthy people were collected as the control group. Ventricular structure and cardiac function parameters were measured and the VFM offline analysis was performed. Systolic and diastolic phases were determined based on time-flow curve(T-F curve) and the open-close of valves, the corresponding left ventricular energy loss and the parameters of the WSS of the apex segment of the heart were obtainedand then compared between groups.Results:①In diastolic and systolic phases, EL values of left ventricular apical segment in ventricular aneurysm group and ventricular aneurysm thrombus group were lower than that in control group (all P<0.05). ②In diastolic phase, the peak WSS values of septal apical, lateral apical and anterior apical segments in ventricular aneurysm group and ventricular aneurysm thrombus group were lower than those in control group (all P<0.05), and the mean WSS of anterior apical segment in aneurysm group was lower than that in control group ( P<0.05). ③In systolic phase, the peak WSS values of anterior wall in ventricular aneurysm group and ventricular aneurysm thrombus group were lower than those in control group, and the mean WSS of anterior wall in ventricular aneurysm group was lower than that in control group (all P<0.05). The mean WSS of anterior wall in ventricular aneurysm thrombus group was higher than that in ventricular aneurysm group( P<0.05). Conclusions:VFM technology can quantitatively evaluate the EL and WSS of patients with left ventricular aneurysm, and provide a new perspective for further understanding of intracardiac hemodynamics in patients with left ventricular aneurysm with or without thrombus.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of point-of-care ultrasonography(PoCUS) in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism(PE).Methods:Consecutive 196 patients suspected of acute PE were enrolled in East Branch, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2017 to November 2017. All the patients were categorized into no PE group( n=143) and PE group( n=53) based on CTPA results. PoCUS was performed and considered diagnostic for PE if one or more right ventricular dysfunction (right ventricular dilation, right ventricular free wall hypokinesia, increased tricuspid regurgitation velocity or decreased tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion), deep venous thrombosis(DVT) or subpleural infarcts were detected. Results:With CTPA as the gold standard for diagnosis, the sensitivity (94.34%), Youden index (0.531) and the area under the ROC curve(AUC) (0.765) of the combined diagnosis of PE by transthoracic echocardiography(TTE), lower limb vein compression ultrasonography(CUS) and lung ultrasonography (LUS) were the highest. The specificity (94.41%) and accuracy (81.63%) of LUS in the diagnosis of PE were the highest, and the misdiagnosis rate (5.59%) of LUS the lowest. The sensitivity of the combined triple PoCUS (TTE, CUS, and LUS) diagnosis of PE was higher than TTE and CUS combined diagnosis ( P=0.016), and the sensitivity and specificity were higher than TTE and CUS combined diagnosis as a whole ( P<0.005). Conclusions:The combined triple PoCUS (TTE, CUS, and LUS) has the highest accuracy in the diagnosis of PE, while LUS has a high specificity and a low misdiagnosis rate in the diagnosis of PE. Therefore, it is recommended to apply the combined triple PoCUS in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the value of prenatal echocardiographic diagnosis of anomalies of the right aortic arch ( RAA ) and its branch type ,and provide rapid diagnostic methods . Methods A retrospective analysis of 55 cases of RAA of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis results ,and their imaging characteristics were summarized . Results There were 55 cases of anomalies of the RAA ,included 42 cases of RAA with aberrant left subclavian artery ( RAA-ALSA ) and 13 cases of RAA with mirror image branching pattern( RAA-MB) ,1 case of double aortic arch(DAA) was misdiagnosed as RAA . The prenatal echocardiographic characteristics of RAA-ALSA :in three-vessel-aortic arch view ,the first branch of the aortic arch was the left carotid artery ,which ran in front of the trachea ,and ALSA ran behind the trachea and esophagus . The prenatal echocardiographic characteristics of RAA-MB :the first branch of the aortic arch was the brachiocephalic trunk ,which ran in front of the trachea and was divided to the left carotid artery and the left subclavian artery . Conclusions Prenatal ultrasound can qunickly and accurately diagnose anomalies of the right aortic arch and its branch type according to the direction ,thickness and secondary branches of the first branch of the aortic arch . The location of arterial duct is helpful to judge the formation of vascular ring .

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of Xingzhi Yinao (XZYN) particles combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cognitive impairment and motor dysfunction in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP). Methods Sixty-seven patients with DEACMP were admitted to the Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2011 to December 2015, and they were randomly divided into a control group (given conventional treatment such as inhalation of oxygen, cytidine diphosphate cholin and vitamin B, 19 cases), a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment group (given conventional treatment + hyperbaric oxygen therapy once a day, 24 cases) and a XZYN particles treatment (XZYN group, given conventional treatment, hyperbaric oxygen and XZYN particles, 24 cases), the therapeutic course being 2 months in the three groups. Before and after treatment for 1 and 2 months, the cognitive function and motor function of the patients were evaluated by the use of activity of daily living (ADL) scale, Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale; the severity of cerebral white matter injury was assessed by age related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale; and the electromyographic evoked potential was used to detect the amplitude and latency of P300 to assess the severity of cognition impairment and prognosis. Results With the prolongation of therapeutic time, after treatment, the neurological function scores of ADL, MoCA, MMSE and amplitude of P300 were increased, while ARWMC was decreased and the latency of P300 was shortened gradually in the three groups, and the changes of above indexes after treatment for 2 months in XZYN group were more significant than those in either HBO group or control group[ADL score: 70.2±8.3 vs. 60.5±8.1, 23.0±6.1, MoCA score: 26.1±3.1 vs. 22.2±2.7, 18.2±3.6, MMSE score:25.9±4.1 vs. 22.4±3.5, 18.1±4.5, ARWMC score: 7.0±2.1 vs. 8.7±2.2, 15.2±3.3, latency of P300 (ms):332.9±20.4 vs. 352.5±23.6, 381.7±30.3, amplitude of P300 (μV): 6.5±1.6 vs. 5.6±1.3, 4.1±1.5, all P < 0.05]. Conclusion The hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with XZYN particles for treatment of patients with DEACMP can significantly improve their cognitive and motor functions and ameliorate the severity of cerebral white matter injury.

Objective:To explore the effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on TGF-β1/Smad 2,3 signal pathway during the dentin injury and repair.Methods:Among 25 Sprague-Dawley rats,5 rats served as a blank control group without treatment.The remaining 20 rats received modified caries preparation inbilateral maxillary first molars to establish a model of dentin-pulp injury and repair.The right maxillary first molars served as a LIPUS group,which received LIPUS irradiation (frequency:1.5 MHz,pulse width:200 μs,pulse repetition frequency:1 kHz,spatial averaged temporal averaged intensity:30 mW/cm2,20 min/d),and the left maxillary first molars served as a cavity-prepared group,which received fake LIPUS irradiation.The rats were sacrificed at 1,3,5,7 and 14 days after LIPUS irradiation.Immunohistochemical staining and Image-pro plus 6.0 were applied to detect the expression and distribution of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) and small mothers against decapentaplegic 2/3(Smad 2 and Smad 3).Results:Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad 2,3were low innormal pulp,but they were increased in different degree after dentin injury.The result of image analysis showed that the expression of TGF-β1 in the cavity-prepared group gradually increased at the first day and peaked at day 5,and then it returned to normal level at day 14.However,the expression of TGF-β 1 in the LIPUS group were significantly higher than that in the cavity-prepared group at day 3 and 5 (bothP＜0.05).The expressions of Smad 2,3 in both the LIPUS group and the cavity-prepared group were consistently increased all the way, but the expressions in the LIPUS group were higher compared with that in the cavity-prepared group (P＜0.05).Conclusion:The TGF-β1/Smad 2,3 signal pathway can be activated during the dentin injury and repair.LIPUS can up-regulate the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad 2,3 in the early period,which may take part in the dentin-pulp complex injury and repair process.