AIM To explore the clinical effects of Jinfukang Oral Liquid combined with thymosin α1 on patients with non-small cell lung cancer due to Dual Deficiency of Qi and Yin.METHODS Seventy-five patients were randomly assigned into thymosin α1 group(15 cases)for 4-week administration,Jinfukang Oral Liquid group(30 cases)for 4-week administration,and combination group(30 cases)for 4-week administration.The changes in TCM clinical syndrome effects,immunity indices(CD3+T,Th,CTL,total NK,CD56dim CD16+NK,NKT,Treg,MDSC),lethality/inhibition ratios(CTL/Treg,total NK/Treg,NKT/Treg,CTL/MDSC,total NK/MDSC,NKT/MDSC)and FACT-L scores were detected.RESULTS The Jinfukang Oral Liquid group and combination group demonstrated higher total effective rates than the thymosin α1 group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the Jinfukang Oral Liquid group and combination group displayed increased NKT(P＜0.05)and decreased MDSC(P＜0.05),which were more obvious than those in the thymosin α1 group(P＜0.05),and higher NKT was observable in the Jinfukang Oral Liquid group(P＜0.05);the Jinfukang Oral Liquid group and combination group displayed increased lethality/inhibition ratios(P＜0.05),among which NKT/Treg,CTL/MDSC,total NK/MDSC,NKT/MDSC were higher than those in the thymosin α1 group(P＜0.05),and higher CTL/MDSC,NKT/MDSC were observable in the Jinfukang Oral Liquid group(P＜0.05);the Jinfukang Oral Liquid group(except for physiological status,society and family status)and combination group(except for society and family status)displayed increased FACT-L scores(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with non-small cell lung cancer due to Dual Deficiency of Qi and Yin,Jinfukang Oral Liquid single use or combined with thymosin α1 can enhance peripheral blood immune surveillance,inhibit immune escape,restore the balanced state of tumor immune responses,and improve TCM syndromes and life quality.

Trichinella spiralis zinc metalloproteinase NAS-36 gene(TsNas36)is a member of the zinc metalloproteinase family found in excretory secretory products(ESP)of T.spiralis.In this study,TsNas36 gene was cloned and expressed,and its biological characteristics and temporal and spatial characteristics were identified.These results provide a theoretical and material basis for ex-ploring the biological function of TsNas36 gene.Bioinformatics analysis showed that TsNas36 was 470 amino acids(AA)in length with a molecular weight of about 54.69 kDa,no transmembrane region,and contained a signal peptide(1-20 AA),an Astacins domain(116-320 AA)and a CUB domain(355-470 AA).There were five active site residues located at amino acids 216(His),217(Glu),220(His),226(His)and 275(Tyr).The expression plasmid pET-28a(+)/TsNas36 was constructed and induced to express in E.coli BL21(DE3)to obtain the recombinant protein rTs-Nas36.The recombinant protein was used to immunize rabbits to obtain anti-rTsNas36 polyclonal antibody serum.Indirect ELISA results showed that the antibody titer reached 1∶105.qRT-PCR and Western blot results showed that the transcription levels of TsNas36 were significantly higher in newborn larvae(NBL)than in adult worm(AW)and muscle larva(ML)stages.Immunofluo-rescence results showed that TsNas36 was only localized in the epidermis of NBL.In summary,this study characterized the biological characteristics of the TsNas36 gene and found that this gene is highly period-specific and may be involved in the unique developmental process of NBL.

Objective To investigate the ameliorative effects and mechanisms of six types of tea(green tea,cyan tea,red tea,white tea,black tea and yellow tea)on metabolic disorders in obesity mice induced by high-fat diet(HFD).Methods Four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 8 groups with 7 mice per group.An HFD-induced obese mouse model was established,and the mice in control group maintained on standard diet followed by intragastric administration of different teas for 5 weeks.The body weight,liver weight ratio,fasting blood glucose,and lipid profile of the mice were measured to assess glucose and lipid metabolism.Serum inflammatory factors including IL-6,tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers[malondialdehyde(MDA)and superoxide dismutase(SOD)were measured.Additionally,liver histopathology and the expression of key glycolipid metabolism-related genes,adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1(CPT-1),were analyzed to explore underlying mechanisms.Results Cyan tea significantly suppressed weight gain,demonstrating superior weight control.White tea markedly reduced fasting blood glucose levels and decreased the area under the curve of oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)and insulin tolerance test(ITT),indicating synergistic improvements in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.Yellow tea exhibited exceptional anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,reducing hepatic IL-6 and MDA while enhancing SOD activity.Green tea activated the lipid oxidation pathway by upregulating AMPK/CPT-1 expression.All kinds of tea significantly attenuated hepatic lipid droplet accumulation.Conclusion All six types of tea alleviated metabolic disorders by reducing hepatic fat content in obesity mice.However,different types of tea exert their unique effects on improving metabolic disorders through differential mechanisms such as glucose metabolism regulation,lipid oxidation,and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions.

In order to investigate whether the effect of Yuxuebi Tablets on the peripheral and central inflammation resolution of mice with inflammatory pain is related to their regulation of G protein-coupled receptor 37(GPR37), an inflammatory pain model was established by injecting complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA) into the paws of mice, with a sham-operated group receiving a similar volume of normal saline. The mice were assigned randomly to the sham-operated group, model group, ibuprofen group(91 mg·kg~(-1)), and low-, medium-, and high-dose groups of Yuxuebi Tablets(60, 120, and 240 mg·kg~(-1)). The drug was administered orally from days 1 to 19 after modeling. Von Frey method and the hot plate test were used to detect mechanical pain thresholds and heat hyperalgesia. The levels of interleukin-10(IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-β) in the spinal cord were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the mRNA and protein expression of GPR37 in the spinal cord was measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Additionally, immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of macrosialin antigen(CD68), mannose receptor(MRC1 or CD206), and GPR37 in dorsal root ganglia, as well as the expression of calcium-binding adapter molecule 1(IBA1), CD206, and GPR37 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The results showed that compared with those of the sham-operated group, the mechanical pain thresholds and hot withdrawal latency of the model group significantly declined, and the expression of CD68 in the dorsal root ganglia and the expression of IBA1 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord significantly increased. The expression of CD206 and GPR37 significantly decreased in the dorsal root ganglion and dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and IL-10 and TGF-β levels in the spinal cord were significantly decreased. Compared with those of the model group, the mechanical pain thresholds and hot withdrawal latency of the high-dose group of Yuxuebi Tablets significantly increased, and the expression of CD68 in the dorsal root ganglion and IBA1 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord significantly decreased. The expression of CD206 and GPR37 in the dorsal root ganglion and dorsal horn of the spinal cord significantly increased, as well as IL-10 and TGF-β levels in the spinal cord. These findings indicated that Yuxuebi Tablets may reduce macrophage(microglial) infiltration and foster M2 macrophage polarization by enhancing GPR37 expression in the dorsal root ganglia and dorsal horn of the spinal cord of CFA-induced mice, so as to improve IL-10 and TGF-β levels, promote resolution of both peripheral and central inflammation, and play analgesic effects.
Inflammation/genetics* ; Pain/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Mice ; Freund's Adjuvant/pharmacology* ; Ibuprofen ; Pain Threshold/drug effects* ; Hyperalgesia/genetics* ; Ganglia, Spinal ; Interleukin-10/genetics* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics* ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tablets ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled

This study aimed to compare the ameliorative effects of Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos at different ratios on retinal damage in mice and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. A retinal injury model was established by intraperitoneal injection of sodium iodate(NaIO_3) solution. The mice were divided into the following groups: blank group, model group, positive drug(AREDS 2) group, low-and high-dose groups of Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos at 1∶1, low-and high-dose groups at 3∶1, and low-and high-dose groups at 1∶3. Administration was carried out 15 days after modeling. The visual acuity of the mice was assessed using the black-and-white box test. The fundus was observed using an optical coherence tomography device, and retinal thickness was measured. HE staining was used to observe the morphology and pathological changes of the retina. The levels of oxidative factors in serum and ocular tissues were measured using assay kits. The levels of inflammatory factors in serum and ocular tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NF-κB proteins in ocular tissues was analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that after administration of Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos at different ratios, the model group showed improved retinal thinning and disordered arrangement of retinal layers, elevated content of SOD and GSH in the serum and ocular tissues, and reduced levels of MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos at 1∶1 and 1∶3 showed better improvement effects. The combination significantly upregulated the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 and downregulated the expression of NF-κB p65. These results indicate that Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos at different ratios can improve retinal damage, reduce oxidative stress, and alleviate inflammation in both the body and ocular tissues of mice. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB signaling pathways in ocular tissues. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Lycii Fructus and Chrysanthemi Flos in the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration.
Animals ; Mice ; Retina/injuries* ; Male ; Lycium/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Chrysanthemum/chemistry* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Humans ; Retinal Diseases/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics*

PURPOSE: Intertrochanteric fracture (ITF) classification is crucial for surgical decision-making. However, orthopedic trauma surgeons have shown lower accuracy in ITF classification than expected. The objective of this study was to utilize an artificial intelligence (AI) method to improve the accuracy of ITF classification. METHODS: We trained a network called YOLOX-SwinT, which is based on the You Only Look Once X (YOLOX) object detection network with Swin Transformer (SwinT) as the backbone architecture, using 762 radiographic ITF examinations as the training set. Subsequently, we recruited 5 senior orthopedic trauma surgeons (SOTS) and 5 junior orthopedic trauma surgeons (JOTS) to classify the 85 original images in the test set, as well as the images with the prediction results of the network model in sequence. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to compare the differences among the SOTS, JOTS, SOTS + AI, JOTS + AI, SOTS + JOTS, and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups. All images were classified according to the AO/OTA 2018 classification system by 2 experienced trauma surgeons and verified by another expert in this field. Based on the actual clinical needs, after discussion, we integrated 8 subgroups into 5 new subgroups, and the dataset was divided into training, validation, and test sets by the ratio of 8:1:1. RESULTS: The mean average precision at the intersection over union (IoU) of 0.5 (mAP50) for subgroup detection reached 90.29%. The classification accuracy values of SOTS, JOTS, SOTS + AI, and JOTS + AI groups were 56.24% ± 4.02%, 35.29% ± 18.07%, 79.53% ± 7.14%, and 71.53% ± 5.22%, respectively. The paired t-test results showed that the difference between the SOTS and SOTS + AI groups was statistically significant, as well as the difference between the JOTS and JOTS + AI groups, and the SOTS + JOTS and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups. Moreover, the difference between the SOTS + JOTS and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups in each subgroup was statistically significant, with all p < 0.05. The independent samples t-test results showed that the difference between the SOTS and JOTS groups was statistically significant, while the difference between the SOTS + AI and JOTS + AI groups was not statistically significant. With the assistance of AI, the subgroup classification accuracy of both SOTS and JOTS was significantly improved, and JOTS achieved the same level as SOTS. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the YOLOX-SwinT network algorithm enhances the accuracy of AO/OTA subgroups classification of ITF by orthopedic trauma surgeons.
Humans ; Hip Fractures/diagnostic imaging* ; Orthopedic Surgeons ; Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence

Objective To investigate the patterns of syndrome changes and their possible material basis in mouse models of chronic psychological stress during the modeling process.Methods A chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)method was employed to prepare a model of chronic psychological stress in mice.After 2 weeks of modeling,Xiaoyao powder(XYS group)and Sini powder(SNS group)were administered concurrently with the modeling process.General conditions,behavioral,and biochemical indicators were compared between the modeling mice(M4 and M6 group)and the mice treated for 2 weeks(S4 and X4 group)and 4 weeks(S6 and X6 group)after chronic psychological stress.Results Compared with M4 group mice,body mass,total distance and central distance in the open field test,serum NE concentration,and gastric Ghrelin expression were increased in S4 group and X4 group mice,and sugar water preference rate and serum D-xylose concentration were increased in S4 group mice.Compared with X4 group mice,total distance in the open field test and serum D-xylose concentration were increased in the S4 group mice.Compared with M6 group mice,body mass,serum NE concentration,serum D-xylose concentration,and gastric Ghrelin expression were increased in group S6 and X6 group mice;sugar water preference rate,total distance in the open field test,and active avoidance counts in the shuttle box test were increased in X6 group mice,while their serum CORT concentration was decreased.Compared with S6 group mice,body mass,total distance in the open field test,serum D-xylose concentration,and gastric Ghrelin expression in X6 group mice were increased.Conclusions During the process of modeling chronic psychological stress in mice,the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome evolved from liver qi stagnation to liver qi stagnation with spleen deficiency.The biological bases of the syndrome changes may be the combined changes in serum CORT and NE concentrations and the decrease in gastric Ghrelin levels.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Scutellaria baicalensis(Huangqin)in ameliorating postoperative cognitive dysfunction in surgical patients through network pharmacology approaches combined with experimental validation.Methods Network pharmacology was used to screen the relevant targets and pathways of Huangqin in relation to postoperative cognitive dysfunction,followed by molecular docking to verify the affinity of core components with key targets.HT22 cell line of mouse hippocampal neurons was cultured,and an inflammation injury model was induced by LPS stimulation.Huangqin was selected for intervention treatment,divided into five groups:control group,model group,low-dose Huangqin group(10 μmol/L),medium-dose Huangqin group(50 μmol/L),and high-dose Huangqin group(100 μmol/L).After co-culturing for 24 h,the expression of key target proteins HIF1A,MAPK1(ERK2/p-ERK2),and SIRT1 were detected by Western blotting,and the mRNA expression of these proteins was measured by qRT-PCR.Results A total of 27 active components of Huangqin were screened by network pharmacology,corresponding to 379 targets,with 220 disease targets related to POCD,resulting in 35 intersecting genes.Molecular docking results showed that components like baicalein and oroxylin A had strong affinity with targets such as HIF1A,MAPK1,and SIRT1.In vitro experimental results indicated that baicalein significantly downregulated the expression and transcription levels of HIF1A and MAPK1(ERK2/p-ERK2),while upregulating the expression and transcription levels of SIRT1,effectively improved the inflammatory response in HT22 cells and reduced neuronal damage.Conclusion The traditional Chinese medicine Huangqin can reduce the occurrence and development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction by improving the expression of key proteins,controlling inflammatory responses,and protecting neuronal function.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of integrating clinical pathological characteristics with genetic testing for occult lymph node metastasis(OLNM)in patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC).Methods A total of 104 PTMC patients admitted to our hospital between May 2023 and May 2025 were included in the study.All patients showed no evidence of suspicious lymph node metastasis on preoperative imaging and underwent standard thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection.Based on postoperative pathological con-firmation of central lymph node metastasis status,patients were classified into an OLNM-positive group(n=53)and an OLNM-negative group(n=51).Baseline characteristics,clinicopathological features,BRAFV600E gene mutation status,and TERT promoter mutation status were compared between the two groups.To identify factors independently associated with OLNM in PTMC patients,multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)was utilized to assess the predictive performance of a combined model incorporating clinical,pathological,and genetic features for OLNM.Results Compared with the OLNM-negative group,the OLNM-positive group exhibited significantly higher preoperative thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)levels(P<0.05).Moreover,the OLNM-positive group demonstrated significantly greater proportions of tumors with diameter>0.5 cm,multifocality,microcalcifications,capsule invasion,extrathyroidal extension,T3 stage,BRAFV600E mutation,and TERT promoter mutation(all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified preoperative TSH level,tumor diameter>0.5 cm,multifocal lesions,capsule invasion,extrathyroidal extension,T stage,BRAFV600E mutation,and TERT promoter mutation as independent risk factors for OLNM in patients with PTMC(all P<0.05).ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the integrated model combining clinical pathological features-including tumor diameter,number of lesions,microcalcification,capsule invasion,extrathy-roidal extension,and T stage-with genetic markers(BRAFV600E and TERT promoter mutations)exhibited the highest predictive performance,yielding an AUC of 0.940.This was significantly higher than the model based solely on clinical pathological features(AUC=0.736)or those relying exclusively on genetic testing(BRAFV600E:AUC=0.860;TERT:AUC=0.882),with all comparisons reaching statistical significance(P<0.05).Conclusions The integration of clinical pathological features with genetic testing significantly improved the predictive accuracy of OLNM in PTMC patients,surpassing models based solely on individual clinical pathological characteristics or genetic tests alone.This multimodal strategy offers a robust,evidence-based foundation for personalized surgical planning and enhances the precision of clinical decision-making in the management of PTMC.