Natural products (NPs) have historically been a fundamental source for drug discovery. Yet the complex nature of NPs presents substantial challenges in pinpointing bioactive constituents, and corresponding targets. In the present study, an innovative natural product virtual screening-interaction-phenotype (NP-VIP) strategy that integrates virtual screening, chemical proteomics, and metabolomics to identify and validate the bioactive targets of NPs. This approach reduces false positive results and enhances the efficiency of target identification. Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), a herb with recognized therapeutic potential against ischemic stroke (IS), was used to illustrate the workflow. Utilizing virtual screening, chemical proteomics, and metabolomics, potential therapeutic targets for SM in the IS treatment were identified, totaling 29, 100, and 78, respectively. Further analysis via the NP-VIP strategy highlighted five high-confidence targets, including poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), amyloid precursor protein (APP), glutamate-ammonia ligase (GLUL), and glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67). These targets were subsequently validated and found to play critical roles in the neuroprotective effects of SM. The study not only underscores the importance of SM in treating IS but also sets a precedent for NP research, proposing a comprehensive approach that could be adapted for broader pharmacological explorations.

Objective:To explore the genetic etiology of a child with primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy(PHO).Methods:A child who was admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University on July 27, 2021 was selected as the study subject. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents and subjected to whole exome sequencing. Suspected splicing variant was verified by Sanger sequencing of family members. In vitro function was validated through a minigene assay, whilst the suspected exonic deletion was validated by long-fragment PCR. This study was approved by the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No. 2023-K-011). Results:Whole exome sequencing revealed that the child has harbored compound heterozygous variants of HPGD gene, including a heterozygous deletion (Exon 3 del) derived from his father and a splicing variant (c.421+ 1G>T) derived from his mother. Long-fragment PCR verified that the child and his father had both harbored a 7 565 bp heterozygous deletion (c.218-1304_324+ 6156del), whilst the minigene assay proved that the splicing variant has resulted in skipping of exon 4. Conclusion:The heterozygous c. 218-1304_324+ 6156del deletion and the c. 421+ 1G>T splicing variant of the HPGD gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in this child. Above finding has enriched the mutational spectrum of the HPGD gene and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for this family.

Heart failure is a fatal stage of end-stage cardiovascular disease,which brings a huge medical burden to the society because of its high mortality and re-hospitalisation rates.Intestinal microecology is the largest and most com-plex microecosystem of human body.It is inhabited by tens of thousands of microorganisms in human gastrointestinal tract.In recent years,with the deepening of the study of intestinal flora,more and more studies have found that the im-balance of intestinal microecology can cause changes of metabolites in heart failure patients,which is one of the key triggers for the development of heart failure,therefore,using the intestinal microbial homeostasis as a new entry point for the treat-ment of heart failure will be a hotspot in medical research.However,the theory of Chinese medicine,"the spleen is the guardian",covers the physiological functions of the spleen,such as the spleen's main function of transporting,spleen's main function of ascending and clearing,and its main function of hiding camping,etc.,and the functions of intestinal flora and the"spleen is the guardian"are similar to a certain extent.Therefore,this paper starts from a holistic viewpoint and takes the theory of"spleen as the guardian"in Chinese medicine as an entry point to elaborate on the pathogenesis of intes-tinal microecological imbalance and heart failure,so as to provide a reference for Chinese medicine treatment or drug re-search.

Objective:To compare the effectiveness, safety and postoperative recurrence of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) with Holmium laser for upper urinary calculi in Uyghur and Han pediatric patients.Methods:The data of 123 Uyghur and 71 Han pediatric patients with upper urinary calculi admitted to First People's Hospital of Kashgar, Xinjiang and Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University respectively, from August 2018 to August 2023, were retrospectively reviewed. The gender [males 73 (59.3%) vs.46 (64.8%) ], laterality (single/bilateral: 94/29 vs. 59/12), hydronephrosis [115 (93.5%) vs. 63 (88.7%)] and anatomical abnormalities [2(1.6%) vs. 5(7.0%)] of Uyghur and Han children were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Uyghur children were older than Han children [5 (3, 7) vs. 3 (2, 6) years old], with a higher proportion of emaciated children [27 (21.9%) vs. 6 (8.5%) cases], a larger maximum stone diameter [(2.30±0.78) vs. (1.96±1.50) cm] and a lower proportion of multiple stones [46 (37.4%) vs. 52 (73.2%) cases] (all P<0.05). All the patients were treated with Holmium laser PCNL. The channels of the procedures in this study include F12-18 small channels and visual puncture channels. The operation datas, stone-free rate (SFR), complication rate (CR) and stone recurrence rate of the two groups were compared. Meanwhile, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing these indicators. Results:The operation time for Uyghur children was significantly longer than that of Han children [75.0 (58.0, 93.0) vs. 30.0 (20.0, 48.8) min]. Additionally, a greater proportion of Uyghur children underwent PCNL with F12-18 small channels than Han children [119 (96.7%) vs. 49(69.0%) cases]. The SFR [89.4%(110/123)vs.88.7%(63/71)], and postoperative CR [31.7%(39/123)vs. 26.8%(19/71)] in Uyghur and Han patients were not significantly different (all P>0.05). The recurrence rate in Uyghur children was higher than that observed in Han children [28.1%(25/89) vs. 15.6%(10/64), P=0.033]. The multivariate logistic regression analysis results indicated that the maximum stone diameter was an independent risk factor for SFR in both groups ( OR=0.401, 95% CI 0.191-0.842, P=0.016). Similarly, maximum stone diameter ( OR=1.896, 95% CI 1.088-3.304, P=0.024) and multiple stones ( OR=3.225, 95% CI 1.409-7.384, P=0.024) were identified as independent risk factors for CR. Ethnicity was not independent risk factor for SFR( OR=0.679, 95% CI 0.215-2.140), CR( OR=1.047, 95% CI 0.495-2.215) and stone recurrence rate( OR=0.820, 95% CI 0.285-2.356, all P>0.05). Conclusions:In comparison to Han pediatric patients during the same period, Holmium laser PCNL had similar SFR and CR for treating Uyghur children with upper urinary calculi, who were older, more emaciated and had larger average stone diameters. The higher postoperative recurrence rate of Uyghur children is likely to be associated with higher stone burden. The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that ethnicity was not an influential factor in SFR, complication rates, and stone recurrence rates. The findings need to be further validated in larger prospective cohort studies.

Objective To evaluate the degree of brain atrophy in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3(SCA3)patients based on artificial intelligence(AI)technology,and to explore the correlation between the degree of brain atrophy and the severity of the disease.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 23 SCA3 patients(SCA3 group)and 24 healthy controls(HC)(HC group)were collected.The International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale(ICARS)was used to evaluate the severity of ataxia in patients with SCA3.AI technology was used to process the 3D-T1 WI MR image data of the SCA3 and HC groups to segment and measure the volume and volume percentage of brain,followed by correlation analyses between brain structural alterations and the severity of ataxia in SCA3 patients.Results There were no significant differences in gender and age between the two groups(P＞0.05).The SCA3 group had a significant reduction in the volume and volume percentage of various brain regions,such as the frontal,temporal,parietal,occipital,limbic,right cerebral white mat-ter,subcortical gray matter,cerebellum and brainstem,compared to the HC group(multiple hypothesis testing adjusted P＜0.01).In the SCA3 group,the ICARS showed positive correlation with patient age(r=0.571,P=0.004)and negative correlation with the vol-ume of the left cerebellar white matter,vermis,medulla oblongata,and the volume percentages of bilateral cerebellar white matter,vermis,pons,medulla oblongata(P＜0.05).Conclusion The significant atrophy of the supratentorial and subtentorial regions of the brain in SCA3 patients.The globus pallidus exhibits the most substantial atrophy,suggesting its potential as an imaging diagnostic marker of SC A3.

Metastasis accounts for 90% of breast cancer deaths, where the lethality could be attributed to the poor drug accumulation at the metastatic loci. The tolerance to chemotherapy induced by breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) and their particular redox microenvironment further aggravate the therapeutic dilemma. To be specific, therapy-resistant BCSCs can differentiate into heterogeneous tumor cells constantly, and simultaneously dynamic maintenance of redox homeostasis promote tumor cells to retro-differentiate into stem-like state in response to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Herein, we develop a specifically-designed biomimic platform employing neutrophil membrane as shell to inherit a neutrophil-like tumor-targeting capability, and anchored chemotherapeutic and BCSCs-differentiating reagents with nitroimidazole (NI) to yield two hypoxia-responsive prodrugs, which could be encapsulated into a polymeric nitroimidazole core. The platform can actively target the lung metastasis sites of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and release the escorted drugs upon being triggered by the hypoxia microenvironment. During the responsiveness, the differentiating agent could promote transferring BCSCs into non-BCSCs, and simultaneously the nitroimidazole moieties conjugated on the polymer and prodrugs could modulate the tumor microenvironment by depleting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH) and amplifying intracellular oxidative stress to prevent tumor cells retro-differentiation into BCSCs. In combination, the BCSCs differentiation and tumor microenvironment modulation synergistically could enhance the chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity, and remarkably suppress tumor growth and lung metastasis. Hopefully, this work can provide a new insight in to comprehensively treat TNBC and lung metastasis using a versatile platform.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-tumor effects of the components of Ganoderma lucidum(Gc) based on the two-dimensional(2D) and three-dimensional(3D) culture of colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. METHODS The chemical compositional of the three components was identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. An in vitro 3D culture model of HCT116 cells was established by using Matrigel as the matrix material, and the effects of Gc1, Gc2, Gc3, and 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) on the proliferation of HCT116 cells in 2D and 3D culture models were evaluated, and the effects of Gc3 on cell-cycle, apoptosis, drug resistance, lipid metabolism, and 5-FU's anti-tumor activity were evaluated. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. mRNA expression level of the cells was analyzed by Real-time PCR. Proteins expression level of the cells was analyzed by Western blotting. HPLC was used to detect the content of 5-FU in cells. RESULTS A total of 76, 69, and 17 compounds were identified from Gc1, Gc2, and Gc3, respectively. Compared with 2D culture, the proliferation rate of HCT116 cells was decreased in the 3D culture model, and the expression of cell cycle-promoters CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, and fatty acid synthesizer FASN, SREBP1 were significantly down-regulated. On the contrary, the expression of cell cycle-suppressor p21, p27, and lipid droplet breakdown proteins ATGL and drug resistance gene ITGB1, CDH1, ABCB1, and ABCC1 mRNA were significantly up-regulated. Gc1, Gc2, Gc3 and 5-FU inhibited the proliferation of both 2D and 3D cultured HCT116 cells in a dose dependent manner after incubation for 48 h, and the inhibitory effect of Gc3 was significantly stronger than Gc1 and Gc2. Gc3 could not only reduce the expression of CDK2, CDK4, Bcl-xl, ATGL, and LC3B proteins, but also increase the expression of p21, p27, Bax, Cleaved caspase-3, and Cleaved PARP1 proteins, and overexpression of LC3B or ATGL attenuated Gc3-induced cytotoxicity in 3D cultured HCT116 cells. In addition, Gc3 significantly inhibited the expression of ITGB1, CDH1, ABCB1, and ABCC1 mRNA, and increased the intracellular 5-FU content, and enhanced the anti-tumor activity. CONCLUSION Gc3 significantly inhibit the proliferation of 3D-cultured HCT116 cells by inhibiting cell autophagy and lipid droplet breakdown, and enhance the anti-cancer activity of 5-FU by inhibiting the expression of ITGB1, CDH1, ABCB1, and ABCC1 mRNA.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors affecting the occurrence of perioperative complications in patients with locally progressive gastric cancer undergoing radical gastric cancer treatment.Methods:The clinical data of 129 patients with locally progressive gastric cancer from January 2017 to December 2019 in Shaanxi Provincial People′s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 98 males and 31 females, with an age ranged from 27 to 79 years and a mean age of (60.61±10.00) years. The postoperative complications of 129 patients with gastric cancer were firstly counted, and then the relationship between clinical data such as patients′ general condition, intraoperative status and pathological indexes and the occurrence of perioperative complications was analyzed by using univariate analysis, and significant factors were included in the logistic regression model for multifactor analysis to study the independent risk factors for the occurrence of perioperative complications.Results:Of the 129 patients, 25 cases (19.38%) had postoperative complications, including 10 cases (7.75%) with Clavien-Dindo classification combined with grade Ⅲ or higher complications. The results of univariate analysis suggested ACCI score >4 (30.76% vs 68.00%, χ2=11.86, P=0.001), body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 (24.03% vs 60.00%, χ2=12.18, P=0.001), and preoperative hypoproteinemia (17.30% vs 36.00%, χ2=4.25, P=0.039), vascular cancer embolism (14.42% vs 40.00%, χ2=7.70, P=0.006), operative time ≥ 400 min (26.92% vs 52.00%, χ2=5.84, P=0.016), intraoperative bleeding ≥ 400 mL (13.46% vs 44.00%, χ2=12.03, P=0.001) were risk factors for the development of perioperative complications in patients with locally progressive gastric cancer. Multifactorial analysis showed that ACCI score >4, body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2, preoperative hypoproteinemia, vascular cancer embolism, and intraoperative bleeding ≥400 mL were independent risk factors for the occurrence of perioperative complications in patients with locally progressive gastric cancer ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The occurrence of perioperative complications in locally progressive gastric cancer hands was closely associated with ACCI score, body mass index, preoperative hypoproteinemia, vascular cancer embolism and intraoperative bleeding. ACCI score is expected to be a predictor of the occurrence of perioperative complications in patients with locally progressive gastric cancer.

Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is an important kind of aldehyde dehydrogenase in mitochondria, which has the function of eliminating acetaldehyde and other toxic aldehydes substances. Furthermore, it is abundant in liver and is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of liver diseases. ALDH2 genetic polymorphisms plays an important role in the occurrence of a variety of liver diseases in the human population.This paper mainly reviews the research progress of ALDH2 in liver diseases in recent years, with a view to provide theoretical basis for clinical prevention and treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the incidence and its impact fortors of sleep disorders among patients with gout.Methods:A total of 414 patients with gout were included in the study. A series of questionnaires including socio-economical and disease related scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Scale-14, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, the 10 cm Visual Analog Scale for total pain, patient self-reported confidence in gout treatment and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index were carried out in the patients. The statistical methods used in the study included t test, rank sum test, chi-square test and regression analysis. Results:The median age of gout patients in this study was 54 years and 96.4% were men, the mean serum uric acid level was (474.98±120.14) μmol/L. Among them, 201 (48.6%) patients showed sleep disorders, and the worse sleep quality was reflected in subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency and each dimension of PSQI. It was found that sleep disorders in gout patients were associated with living in rural areas, unemployment, long disease duration, disease stage, depression, anxiety, lack of confidence in regular blood examination and some other factors. In addition, patients with severe pain ( OR=1.087, P=0.029), fatigue ( OR=1.125, P=0.002), tophi ( OR=1.843, P=0.014) and functional disability ( OR=2.916, P<0.001) were more likely to get sleep disorders. Conclusions:The incidence of sleep disorders in patients with gout is high, and it′s associated with disease duration, psychological status, pain, tophi, disease stage, functional disability.