Objective To investigate the effect of dorsal repulsive axon guidance protein(Draxin)on the migration of trunk neural crest cells during the early development of embryonic mouse spinal cord.Methods Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization were used to detect the expression characteristics of Draxin in early embryonic spinal cord(8 mice each group);In situ hybridization was used to detect the change of migration characteristics of trunk neural crest cells in early embryonic spinal cord of different types of mouse(5 mice each group);in vitro culture method was used to check the effect of Draxin on the migration characteristics of embryonic mouse trunk neural crest cells(16 mice each group).Resultsβ-galactosidase gene Z(LacZ)gene was introduced when Draxin gene was knocked out to produce Draxin gene knockout mice.β-galactosidase staining was used to detect LacZ gene expression in Draxin knockout embryonic mice,and the result showed that Draxin expression was observed in the spinal cord of early embryonic mice since 9.5 days(E9.5).Draxin expression was obvious in the embryonic mice spinal cord in E10.5 period.In situ hybridization was used to detect the expression of Draxin gene in the spinal cord of wild type embryonic mice,and the result further verified the obvious expression of Draxin in the early embryonic mice spinal cord in El0.5 period.Sox10 in situ hybridization was used to detect neural crest cell migration in the spinal cord of embryonic mice in E10.5 period.The result showed that segmental migration of neural crest cells in the early embryonic spinal cord of some Draxin knockout mice was delayed compared with the wild type mice.The effect of Draxin on the migration of wild type early embryonic mice trunk neural crest cells in vitro was tested.The result showed that Draxin reduced the migration distance of neural crest cells in vitro.Conclusion In the early developmental stage of embryonic spinal cord(E9.5-E10.5),neural crest cells migrated exuberant.At the same time,Draxin plays an important inhibitory function in the formation of the specific migration pathways of trunk neural crest cells by promoting neural crest cells migrating away from Draxin expressing regions.

Objective To construct a knowledge graph of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)prevention and control course,and evaluate its usability.Methods Based on the constructivist learning theory and the analyze-de-sign-develop-implement-evaluate(ADDIE)model,knowledge from various sources such as books,guidelines,and literature related to HAI prevention and control were integrated.The knowledge graph of HAI prevention and con-trol course were designed and constructed with the support of knowledge graph technology in Chaoxing Fanya plat-form.Thirty medical students were selected by convenience sampling method to try out the course knowledge graph.System usability scale and usage effect questionnaire were filled out to evaluate the usability of the knowledge graph.Results The knowledge graph of HAI prevention and control course contained 379 knowledge points asso-ciated with 520 test questions and 56 learning resources.After testing,the total score([70.50±12.20]points)was obtained for the usability of the knowledge graph.Among the four dimensions of the usage effect agreement ques-tionnaire,satisfaction,learning attitude,learning ability,and learning resource support accounted for 93.33％-96.67％,90.00％,93.33％-96.67％,and 83.33％-90.00％,respectively,with a high overall satisfaction rate.Conclusion The knowledge graph of HAI prevention and control course has good usability,which can realize students'personalized independent learning and improve their learning efficiency.

Objective To investigate the effect of monitor unit(MU)optimization on volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)for nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).Methods Totally 21 NPC patients confirmed pathologically at some hospital from October 2022 to March 2023 were selected retrospectively,and for each patient a double-arc VMAT plan named base was designed without using the monitor unit objective(MUO)tool and optimized by the photon optimization algorithm.With the parameter kept constant,Plan base was reoptimized with only the MUO tool by regulating its Maximum MU to 30％of the total MU of Plan base and setting Strength values as 50,80 and 100 respectively to obtain Plan S50,S80 and S100.Plan base was compared with Plan S50,S80 and S100 in terms of dose distributions of the target volumes and organs at risk(OARs),MU,beam-on time and γ pass rate.SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results In Plan S100 only 4 patients had a decrease of more than 4％in theD98％to the PCTV2 target volume compared with that in Plan base.In Plan S80 only 2 patients had a decrease of between 3％and 4％in the Dmax to PGTV and PGTVnd and D98％to PCTV2 when compared with those in Plan base,and most of the dosimetric parameters to the other target volumes had the changing amplitudes lower than 2％.When compared with Plan base,Plan S50,S80 and S100 all increased theDmaxto the brainstem significantly(all P＜0.05),with the maximum increment not exceeding 1.5％.In Plan S50 the D502％and Dmean to the right and left parotid glands were lowered,and in Plan S80 there were decreases found in the Dmean to the right and left parotid glands andD50％to the left parotid gland,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.001),and in Plan S100 the D50％and Dmean to the right and left parotid glands and the Dmax to the spinal cord increased significantly when compared with those in Plan base(all P＜0.05).In Plan S80 and S100 the V40 of the thyroid relatively rose statistically when compared with that in Plan base(P＜0.05).In Plan S50,S80 and S100 the MU was decreased by 5.1％,21.5％and 30.9％respectively when compared with that in Plan base,and the average beam-on time of all the four plans was kept within 2.5 min.γ pass rates increased sequentially for Plan base,S50,S80 and S100 under 1％/1 mm conditions.Conclusion In NPC VMAT MU optimization effectively decreases the planned MU and improves γ pass rates under 1％/1 mm conditions while ensuring the dose to the target volume and OAR protection.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):56-62]

Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of end-stage renal diseases.In DN patients,key pathological mechanisms include proteinuria,glomerulo-sclerosis,and fibrosis,largely driven by poor glycemic control and oxidative stress caused by prolonged hyperglycemia.This stress damages renal podocytes and triggers inflammatory mesenchymal infiltration of renal tubular cells,exacerbating the progression of proteinuria and fibrosis.Human umbilical cord-de-rived mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)offer promising potential for treating DN due to their strong anti-oxidative properties.In this study,we developed a DN mouse model and treated the mouse via tail vein injections of hUC-MSCs(1×106 cells/mouse).The results indicated that hUC-MSCs significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels(22.5±3.0 vs 14.7±1.1,P＜0.01)and improved glucose toler-ance,as shown by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test(IPGTT)results(P＜0.05).Additionally,the renal function improved in hUC-MSCs-treated mice,with marked reductions in oxidative stress markers,including blood urea nitrogen(BUN),urinary creatinine(Ucr),urinary protein(PRO),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)(P＜0.05).Histological analyses through hematoxy-lin-eosin(H&E),Periodic Acid-Schiff(PAS),and Sirius red staining demonstrated alleviation of glo-merular mesangial hyperplasia,glomerular hypertrophy,and tubular inflammation.Furthermore,hUC-MSCs treatment downregulated the expression of oxidative stress-related proteins,such as NADPH oxi-dase 4(NOX4)and thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP),and reduced reactive oxygen species(ROS)production(P＜0.05).Meanwhile,human renal cortical proximal tubule epithelial cells(HK-2 cells)were selected for validation in vitro experiments using high glucose treatment followed by super-natants of hUC-MSCs(MSC-CM),and Western blotting showed that the expression of both NOX4 and TXNIP was inhibited(P＜0.05)and ROS expression was reduced.In conclusion,hUC-MSC treatment effectively lowered blood glucose levels and improved renal function in DN mice,likely through the sup-pression of NOX4 expression and TXNIP-mediated oxidative stress.

This study employed the "disease-medicine-dose" pattern to mine the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions containing Astragali Radix in ancient Chinese medical books, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines. The TCM prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were retrieved from databases such as Chinese Medical Dictionary and imported into Excel 2020 to construct the prescription library. Statical analysis were performed for the prescriptions regarding the indications, syndromes, medicine use frequency, herb effects, nature and taste, meridian tropism, dosage forms, and dose. SPSS statistics 26.0 and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 were used for association rules analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 2 297 prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were collected, involving 233 indications, among which sore and ulcer, consumptive disease, sweating disorder, and apoplexy had high frequency(>25), and their syndromes were mainly Qi and blood deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, Yin and Yang deficiency, and Qi deficiency and collateral obstruction, respectively. In the prescriptions, 98 medicines were used with the frequency >25 and they mainly included Qi-tonifying medicines and blood-tonifying medicines. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium were frequently used. The medicines with high frequency mainly have warm or cold nature, and sweet, pungent, or bitter taste, with tropism to spleen, lung, heart, liver, and kidney meridians. In the treatment of sore and ulcer, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to promote granulation and heal up sores. In the treatment of consumptive disease, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 37.30 g and combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma to tonify deficiency and replenish Qi. In the treatment of sweating disorder, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to consolidate exterior and stop sweating. In the treatment of apoplexy, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 7.46 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to dispell wind and stop convulsions. Astragali Radix can be used in the treatment of multiple system diseases, with the effects of tonifying Qi and ascending Yang, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and expressing toxin and promoting granulation. According to the manifestations of different diseases, when combined with other medicines, Astragali Radix was endowed with the effects of promoting granulation and healing up sores, tonifying deficiency and Qi, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and dispelling wind and replenishing Qi. The findings provide a theoretical reference and a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/history* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; History, Ancient ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; China ; Astragalus propinquus

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, is characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. Common treatments include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation therapy, interventional therapy, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). While exhibiting specific advantages, these approaches are associated with varying degrees of adverse effects. To alleviate patients' suffering and burdens, it is crucial to explore additional treatments and elucidate the pathogenesis of HCC, laying a foundation for the development of new TCM-based drugs. With emerging research on gut microbiota, it has been revealed that microbiota plays a vital role in the development of HCC by influencing intestinal barrier function, microbial metabolites, and immune regulation. TCM, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, has been increasingly recognized as a vital therapeutic treatment for HCC, particularly in patients at intermediate or advanced stages, by prolonging survival and improving quality of life. Recent global studies demonstrate that TCM exerts anti-HCC effects by modulating gut microbiota, restoring intestinal barrier function, regulating microbial composition and its metabolites, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing immune responses, thereby inhibiting the malignant phenotype of HCC. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbiota contributes to the development and progression of HCC and highlight the regulatory effects of TCM, addressing the current gap in systematic understanding of the "TCM-gut microbiota-HCC" axis. The findings provide theoretical support for integrating TCM with western medicine in HCC treatment and promote the transition from basic research to precision clinical therapy through microbiota-targeted drug development and TCM-based interventions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Self-limiting epilepsy syndrome（SeLES）can be classified into two types based on age of onset：one occurring in the neonatal to infant period and the other in the childhood period.These diseases can exhibit complete remission within a specific age range，or be completely controlled with anti-seizure drugs.Children with SeLES typically have normal cognition or only mild cognitive impairment.In recent years，advancements in genetic testing technology have led to a better understanding of the genetic etiologies of SeLES，offering more possibilities for precision treatment.This article aims to explore the role of genetic factors in SeLES，providing reference for the diagnosis，precise drug selection，and prognosis of this type of hereditary epilepsy syndrome，in order to provide theoretical support for the long-term management of patients，and improve their quality of life.