Zishen Huoxue decoction (ZSHX) enhances cardiomyocyte viability following hypoxic stress; however, its upstream therapeutic targets remain unclear. Network pharmacology and RNA sequencing analyses revealed that ZSHX target genes were closely associated with mitophagy and apoptosis in the mitochondrial pathway. In vitro, ZSHX inhibited pathological mitochondrial fission following hypoxic stress, regulated FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1)-related mitophagy, and increased the levels of mitophagy lysosomes and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta II (LC3II)/translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20 (TOM20) expression while inhibiting the over-activated mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Additionally, ZSHX regulated the stability of beta-tubulin through Sirtuin 5 (SIRT5) and could modulate FUNDC1-related synergistic mechanisms of mitophagy and unfolded protein response in the mitochondria (UPR^mt) via the SIRT5 and -β-tubulin axis. This targeting pathway may be crucial for cardiomyocytes to resist hypoxia. Collectively, these findings suggest that ZSHX can protect against cardiomyocyte injury via the SIRT5-β-tubulin axis, which may be associated with the synergistic protective mechanism of SIRT5-β-tubulin axis-related mitophagy and UPR^mt on cardiomyocytes.
Mitophagy/drug effects* ; Tubulin/genetics* ; Animals ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Sirtuins/genetics* ; Unfolded Protein Response/drug effects* ; Myocardial Ischemia/genetics* ; Rats ; Humans ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Male

ObjectiveTo improve the quality standard of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid in order to strengthen the quality control of this oral liquid. MethodThin layer chromatography（TLC） was used for the qualitative identification of Corydalis Rhizoma and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix in Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid by taking tetrahydropalmatine， corydaline reference substances and Corydalis Rhizoma reference medicinal materials as reference， and cyclohexane-trichloromethane-methanol（5∶3∶0.5） as developing solvent， Corydalis Rhizoma was identified using GF254 glass thin layer plate under ultraviolet light（365 nm）. And taking petroleum ether（60-90 ℃） -ether-formic acid（10∶10∶1） as developing solvent， Angelicae Dahuricae Radix was identified using a silica gel G TLC plate under ultraviolet light（305 nm）. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was performed on a Waters XSelect HSS T3 column（4.6 mm×250 mm， 5 μm） with acetonitrile（A）-0.1% glacial acetic acid solution（adjusted pH to 6.1 by triethylamine）（B） as the mobile phase for gradient elution（0-10 min， 20%-30%A； 10-25 min， 30%-40%A； 25-40 min， 40%-50%A； 40-60 min， 50%-60%A）， the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm， then the fingerprint of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid was established， and the contents of tetrahydropalmatine and corydaline were determined. ResultIn the thin layer chromatograms， the corresponding spots of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid， the reference substances and reference medicinal materials were clear， with good separation and strong specificity. A total of 12 common peaks were identified in 10 batches of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid samples， and the peaks of berberine hydrochloride， dehydrocorydaline， glaucine， tetrahydropalmatine and corydaline. The similarities between the 10 batches of samples and the control fingerprint were all >0.90. The results of determination showed that the concentrations of corydaline and tetrahydropalmatine had good linearity with paek area in the range of 0.038 6-0.193 0， 0.034 0-0.170 0 g·L^-1， respectively. The methodological investigation was qualified， and the contents of corydaline and tetrahydropalmatine in 10 batches of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid samples were 0.077 5-0.142 9、0.126 1-0.178 2 g·L^-1， respectively. ConclusionThe established TLC， fingerprint and determination are simple， specific and reproducible， which can be used to improve the quality control standard of Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid.

OBJECTIVE To establish a quantitative fingerprint analysis method for sugar components in Yuanhu Zhitong oral liquid using high performance liquid chromatography-charged aerosol detection(HPLC-CAD). METHODS Chromatographic column was NH2P-50 4E(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) column. Water(A) and acetonitrile(B) were used as the mobile phase in the gradient elute mode. The column temperature was 30 ℃. The injection volume was 10 μL. The flow rate was 0.6 mL·min−1. The evaporation temperature of CAD was 35 ℃. The acquisition frequency was 10 Hz. The power function value was 1.0. RESULTS The linear relationship of the quantitative component was good within the quantitative range, with R2>0.999. The relative standard deviations(RSDs) of instrument precision, intermediate precision and method repeatability were all <3%. The test solution was stable within 24 h. The average recoveries at low, medium and high concentration levels ranged 97.15%−101.13%. There were 5 common peaks in the fingerprint. The RSDs of instrument precision, method repeatability and sample stability were all <4%. CONCLUSION The established analytical method is stable, accurate and reproducible. It can be used to detect sugar excipients in the preparations.

Forty two general practice residents who participated in the standardized training in Suzhou Municipal Hospital from April to December 2022 were randomly divided into two groups with 21 in each group. The control group received the traditional teaching method, and the study group received additional training with a special management model for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. After 3 months of training, the teaching effects were evaluated with the improved Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini CEX) in two groups and the teaching satisfaction was also assessed. Compared with the control group, the study group showed significant better performance in outpatient service, including the treatment and rehabilitation planning ( t=3.82, P<0.001), humanistic care ( t=4.83, P<0.001), health education ( t=9.56, P<0.001), communication skills ( t=3.34, P=0.002), and overall performance ( t=3.13, P=0.003). The satisfaction of teaching in study group was also higher than that in the control group ( Z=-2.02, P=0.044). The study shows that incorporating the "specialized management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" model into the general practice standardized residency training can significantly improve the teaching effects.

Objective To compare and the advantages and disadvantages of 3 methods of bone grafting in the posterior treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of 258 thoracolumbar burst fractures treated with posterior short-segment fixation from March 2013 to March 2015 at Orthopedic Department One,Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Of them,87 were treated with transpedicular bone grafting (group A),87 with laminar and intertransverse process bone grafting (group B) and 84 with small joint turnover plus bone grafting (group C).The 3 groups were compared in terms of cobb angle,loss of correction,bony fusion,internal fixation failure,and Oswestry disability index (ODI).Results The 3 groups were comparable due to insignificant differences in the preoperative general data between them (P ＞ 0.05).The cobb angles in the 3 groups at one week after operation (4.9° ± 1.0°,4.8° ± 0.6° and 4.8° ± 0.6°) and at the final follow-up (6.1 o ± 1.5°,14.5° ± 3.7° and 15.3° ± 4.1 °) were significantly smaller than those before operation (27.5° ± 4.9°,27.6° ± 4.6° and 27.6° ± 4.2°) (P ＜ 0.05).The cobb angles in groups B and C at the final follow-up were significantly larger than those at one week after operation (P ＜0.05).At the final follow-up,both the cob angles and the loss of kyphoplasty correction in groups B and C were significantly larger than in group A (P ＜ 0.05).The fusion rate in group A (100％) was significantly larger than in group B (80.5％) and C (76.2％).There were no significant differences between the 3 groups in the rate of internal fixation failure (0,1.1％ and 2.4％) (x2 =2.108,P=0.348).The ODI for the 3 groups at 6 months after operation (28.5 ± 4.1,28.7 ± 3.9 and 28.8 ± 3.7) and at the final follow-up (10.7 ± 2.6,11.0 ± 2.7 and 11.4 ± 3.1) were all significantly lower than the preoperative values (94.3 ± 0.7,94.4 ± 0.9 and 94.4 ± 0.8) (P ＜ 0.001).In all the patients,the ODI at the final follow-up was significantly lower than that at 6 months after operation(P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions In the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures,all the posterior approach plus transpedicular bone grafting,posterolateral bone grafting and reversed bone grafting plus short segmental internal fixation can effectively restore vertebral height and result in a high rate of fusion.Although the latter 2 methods of bone grafting are effective,they may be disadvantageous in leading to long-term loss of vertebral height and kyphosis correction.

Objective To describe a rhesus monkey model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) established via repetitive unilateral intra-amygdala kainic acid (KA) injection and provide experimental basis for epileptogenic network and related research. Methods Eight male adult rhesus monkeys were randomly divided into KA injection group (n=6) and saline injection group (n=2). Brain stereotaxic technique, micro catheter implantation into the right amygdaloid nucleus, subcutaneous bladder connection, and continuous video-EEG monitoring were performed, and KA or saline injection into their right amygdala was achieved. Interictal epileptic discharges (IEDs), ictal discharges and behavioural performance between the two groups were compared right after injection and within 6 months of first discharge. Results Typical IEDs were recorded in the 6 monkeys from KA injection group after 2-4 times of KA injection, with focal spike waves discharges at the right temple area as manifestation; ictal discharges were recorded in 4 monkeys, with discharge patterns of discharges from the right temple area to the whole brain as manifestation, and during epileptic attack, these 4 monkeys suddenly stopped and dumbfounded without obvious limb seizures. Monkeys from the saline injection group showed no obvious abnormal behaviors. Conclusion Through a modified protocol of unilateral repetitive intra-amygdala KA injection, a rhesus monkey model with high similarity of behavioral and brain electrical features to TLE is developed.

AIM:To explore the effects of endothelial indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) on the migration and the expression of contractile proteins in the pericytes.METHODS: Human pulmonary artery endothelial cells ( HPAECs) and rat cerebral microvascular pericytes were cultured in vitro.Over-expression of IDO in the HPAECs ( IDO-HPAECs) was established.The pericytes were treated with HPAEC-conditioned medium (control group), IDO-HPAEC conditioned medium (treatment group), or IDO-HPAECs-conditioned medium containing 1-methyl-DL-tryptophan (1-mT) ( inhibition group) .The concentrations of nitric oxide ( NO) , tryptophan and kynurenine in the co-culture system were de-termined.The viability, migration and the expression of the contractile proteins in the pericytes were compared.RE-SULTS:No statistical difference of the pericyte viability after treatment with IDO-HPAEC-conditioned medium at 6~48 h was observed (P>0.05).The migratory ability of the pericytes significantly decreased in treatment group compared with control group (P<0.01), and significantly increased in inhibition group compared with treatment group (P<0.01).The concentration of NO in the co-culture system had no significant difference among groups (P>0.05).The concentration of tryptophan was significantly lower in treatment group than that in control group (P<0.01), and significantly higher in in-hibition group than that in treatment group (P<0.01).The concentration of kynurenine was significantly higher in treat-ment group than that in control group (P<0.01), and significantly lower in inhibition group than that in treatment group (P<0.01).The expression ofα-smooth muscle actin and desmin was significantly lower in treatment group than that in control group (P<0.01), and significantly higher in inhibition group than that in treatment group (P<0.01).CON-CLUSION:Endothelial IDO inhibits the migration and the expression of the contractile proteins in the pericytes, and may play essential roles in the regulation of microvasculatures.

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether transplantation of autologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cells is a viable approach for treating patients with advanced cirrhosis,which is currently hindered by a shortage in liver donors.

METHODSA total of 100 patients with advanced cirrhosis and who had failed to respond to conservative therapy were recruited for transplantation of autologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cells.The success of transplantation was investigated 6-and 12-months later by measuring markers of liver biosynthesis function (coagulation,albumin level,indocyanine green clearance,Child-Pugh score) and assessing pathological changes (Knodell score) and morphologic changes in the liver tissue.Complications were also recorded during follow-up.

RESULTSThe 1-year cumulative survival rate was 100%. Fifty-two patients with massive ascites showed gradual reduction and disappearance of the ascites.Four patients experienced upper gastrointestinal bleeding and three patients developed with hepatic encephalopathy (I-II degree) at 3 months post-transplantation.All patients showed significantly improved liver biosynthesis function,liver elasticity and Knodell score after transplantation (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAutologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cell transplantation is a safe and effective treatment for advanced cirrhosis,and has high cost-benefit since it improves liver function,liver histology,and quality of life.

Ascites ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo compare the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the GATA and SMU classification systems for spinal tuberculosis and assess the clinical value of SMU classification.

METHODSOne hundred patients with spinal tuberculosis treated in our hospital from January 2004 to December 2011 were randomly selected for analysis, including 54 males and 46 females with a mean age of 45 years (range, 16-68 years). All the patients had X-ray, CT and MRI examinations. Five observers experienced in spinal tuberculosis independently assigned the classification using the GATA and SMU classification systems, and the assignment was repeated 3 months later to test its reproducibility. Kappa value was used to determine the intra- and inter-observer reliability.

RESULTSFor GATA and SMU classification systems, the inter-observer percentage of agreement averaged (59.9∓4.84)% (κ=0.412∓0.058) and (81.6∓6.06)% (κ=0.753∓0.068), and the intra-observer percentage of agreement was (75.6∓5.27)% (κ=0.624∓0.078) and (89.8∓2.28)% (κ=0.862∓0.037), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe SMU classification system of spinal tuberculosis has a higher inter-observer and intra-observer reliability than the GATA classification system, but its clinical value needs to be further tested in future clinical trials.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Observer Variation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Tuberculosis, Spinal ; classification ; diagnosis ; Young Adult