This study aims to explore the pharmacodynamic material basis of Jinbei Oral Liquid(JBOL) against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF) based on serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technology was employed to analyze and identify the components absorbed into rat blood after oral administration of JBOL. Combined with network pharmacology, the study explored the pharmacodynamic material basis and potential mechanism of JBOL against IPF through protein-protein interaction(PPI) network construction, "component-target-pathway" analysis, Gene Ontology(GO) functional enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. First, a total of 114 compounds were rapidly identified in JBOL extract according to the exact relative molecular mass, fragment ions, and other information of the compounds with the use of reference substances and a self-built compound database. Second, on this basis, 70 prototype components in blood were recognized by comparing blank serum with drug-containing serum samples, including 28 flavonoids, 25 organic acids, 4 saponins, 4 alkaloids, and 9 others. Finally, using these components absorbed into blood as candidates, the study obtained 212 potential targets of JBOL against IPF. The anti-IPF mechanism might involve the action of active ingredients such as glycyrrhetinic acid, cryptotanshinone, salvianolic acid B, and forsythoside A on core targets like AKT1, TNF, and ALB and thereby the regulation of multiple signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT, HIF-1, and TNF. In conclusion, JBOL exerts the anti-IPF effect through multiple components, targets, and pathways. The results would provide a reference for further study on pharmacodynamic material basis and pharmacological mechanism of JBOL.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Animals ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Network Pharmacology ; Rats ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/metabolism* ; Humans ; Administration, Oral ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of multimerin-2 (MMRN2) overexpression on growth and metastasis of cutaneous melanoma cells. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with cutaneous melanoma were obtained from the GEO database to compare MMRN2 expressions between normal and tumor tissues. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and the intersecting genes from GEPIA2.0 were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The prognostic relevance of MMRN2 expression level was assessed using Cox regression and "timeROC". The correlations of MMRN2 expression level with immune infiltration and angiogenesis-related genes were analyzed using GSCA database and the ssGSEA algorithm. Colony-forming assay, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay were used to examine the changes in proliferation and migration of cultured cutaneous melanoma cells following MMRN2 knockdown. In a mouse model bearing cutaneous melanoma xenograft, the effect of MMRN2 knockdown on vital organ pathologies, survival of the mice and GM-CSF, CXCL9, and TGF‑β1 protein expressions were analyzed. RESULTS: MMRN2 was significantly upregulated in metastatic cutaneous melanoma (P<0.001). Protein interaction network analysis identified 15 intersecting genes, which were enriched in endothelium development and cell-cell junctions. In patients with cutaneous melanoma, a high MMRN2 expression was correlated with a poor prognosis, an advanced T stage, a greater Breslow depth, and ulceration (P<0.05). MMRN2 expression level was strongly correlated with 24 immune cell types (P<0.001), fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and expressions of the pro-angiogenic genes (KCNJ8, SLCO2A1, NRP1, and COL3A1; P<0.001). In cultured B16F10 cells, MMRN2 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion and caused remo-deling of the immunosuppressive microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS MMRN2 overexpression drives progression of cutaneous melanoma by enhancing tumor metastasis, angiogenesis and immune evasion, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for melanomas.
Humans ; Melanoma/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cell Movement ; Prognosis ; Skin Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Protein Interaction Maps

OBJECTIVE: Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection frequently develop central nervous system damage, yet the mechanisms driving this pathology remain unclear. This study investigated the primary pathways and key factors underlying brain tissue damage induced by the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant (lineage B.1.351). METHODS: K18-hACE2 and C57BL/6 mice were intranasally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant. Viral replication, pathological phenotypes, and brain transcriptomes were analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to identify altered pathways. Expression changes of host genes were verified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: Pathological alterations were observed in the lungs of both mouse strains. However, only K18-hACE2 mice exhibited elevated viral RNA loads and infectious titers in the brain at 3 days post-infection, accompanied by neuropathological injury and weight loss. GO analysis of infected K18-hACE2 brain tissue revealed significant dysregulation of genes associated with innate immunity and antiviral defense responses, including type I interferons, pro-inflammatory cytokines, Toll-like receptor signaling components, and interferon-stimulated genes. Neuroinflammation was evident, alongside activation of apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways. Furthermore, altered neural cell marker expression suggested viral-induced neuroglial activation, resulting in caspase 4 and lipocalin 2 release and disruption of neuronal molecular networks. CONCLUSION These findings elucidate mechanisms of neuropathogenicity associated with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant and highlight therapeutic targets to mitigate COVID-19-related neurological dysfunction.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Mice ; Brain/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Pyroptosis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcriptome ; Male ; Female

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of different courses of caffeine citrate injection in the treatment of very low birth weight infants.Methods Very low birth weight infants were divided into long course group and routine course according to cohort method.2 groups of children were given intravenous infusion of caffeine citrate injection loading dose(20 mg·kg-1)within 3 days after birth,and the dose was maintained at 5 mg·kg-1 after 24 hours(qd).In the long course group,caffeine citrate injection was used to correct gestational age＞34 weeks,and in the routine course,caffeine citrate injection was used to correct gestational age 33-34 weeks.The use of caffeine citrate injection,clinical efficacy,neonatal behavioral neurological scale(NBNA)score and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups.Results 116 cases were included in this study,64 cases in the long course group and 52 cases in the routine course.After treatment,the total clinical effective rate of the long course group and the routine course was 92.19％and 94.23％,respectively,with no statistical significance(P＞0.05).The total duration of caffeine citrate injection were(60.53±8.92)and(48.17±5.24)days,respectively;the corrected gestational age at withdrawal were(36.02±1.56)and(33.18±1.27)weeks,respectively.The corrected gestational age were(34.31±0.48)and(32.06±0.51)weeks;the milk volume were(32.69±2.14)and(23.85±1.69)mL,respectively,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).The starting age of caffeine citrate injection were(59.65±3.42)and(58.35±3.11)h in the long course group and the routine course,respectively,with no statistical significance(P＞0.05).Before treatment,the NBNA score of the long course and routine courses were 36.49±6.78 and 35.58±4.22,respectively;the NBNA score of long course and conventional course after treatment were 43.25±6.88 and 44.12±7.42,respectively.Compared with before treatment,NBNA score in both groups were higher after treatment,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in NBNA score between the long course group and the routine course(P＞0.05).The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(84.38％vs 51.92％)and decreased hemoglobin concentration(17.75％vs 5.77％)in the long course group were significantly higher than those in the routine course(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Long-term use of caffeine citrate injection to correct gestational age＞34 weeks has no significant effect on clinical treatment,neurological function and intellectual development of very low birth weight infants.

italic>Polygonum capitatum is a characteristic Miao medicine in Guizhou, commonly used in clinical practice to treat gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections. Research has found that it has good antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, and its main active ingredient is flavonoids. Lavonoid O-methyltransferase (FOMT) is a key enzyme for oxymethylation modification of flavonoid compounds. In order to understand the function and properties of FOMT protein in Polygonum capitatum, the transcriptome was sequenced by Illumina HiSeq 4000 high throughput sequencing technology. Then, the obtained transcripts were annotated and analyzed, and the whole genome of the FOMT gene family in Polygon capitalis was mined and identified. A total of 99 298 Unigenes were obtained, of which 71 514 were successfully annotated by the public database. In the genome of Polygonum capitatum, a total of 50 FOMT genes were identified. The phylogenetic tree showed that FOMT genes were divided into two subfamilies: caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT). Gene sequence analysis showed that the number of FOMT encoded amino acids ranged from 99 to 1 053 aa, the molecular weight ranged from 11 224.91 to 86 687.42 Da, and the isoelectric point ranged from 4.79 to 9.45. The 50 FOMT family members were hydrophobic proteins. Subcellular localization results showed that 54% of FOMT subfamily CCoAOMT and COMT members were located in cytoplasm and 28% were located in chloroplasts. The FOMT gene was tissue specific and highly expressed in the flowers of Polygonum capitatum, followed by the stems, and the least expressed in the roots. In this study, the FOMT gene family of Polygonum capitatum was identified and analyzed to provide theoretical basis for further study of FOMT function and biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids.

Objective To analyze the correlation between irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)as well as its subtypes and gallbladder stone.Methods Collected the clinical data of 556 patients who were treated in Department of Gastroenterology of the Sixth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to March 2023.The patients were divided into IBS group(n=161)and non-IBS group(n=395).The subjects were investigated by questionnaire,physical examination and blood examination,and the data of gender,age,height,weight,blood pressure and blood biochemical indexes were obtained and compared between two groups.The relation between gallbladder stone and IBS were evaluated by logistic regression analysis.Results There were 90 cases of gallbladder stone in the total population,accounting for 16.2%,including 37 cases of gallbladder stone in IBS group(23.0%)and 53 cases in non-IBS group(13.4%).The prevalence rate of gallbladder stone in IBS group was significantly higher than that in non-IBS group(P<0.05).There were 6 cases of gallbladder muddy stones(3.7%)in IBS group and 3 cases(0.8%)in non-IBS group.And the prevalence rate of gallbladder muddy stones in IBS group was also significantly higher than that in non-IBS group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that the age,BMI,total bile acids(TBA),total cholesterol(TC)and combined IBS were independently related to the occurrence of gallbladder stone(P<0.05).In the 161 IBS patients,there were 114 cases of diarrhea-predominant IBS(IBS-D group),including 26 cases(22.8%)of gallbladder stone in IBS-diarrhea(IBS-D,n=114)group and 47 cases of constipation-predominant IBS(IBS-C group),including 11 cases(23.4%)of gallbladder stone.And there were 53 cases(13.4%)of gallbladder stone in the non-IBS group(n=395).Further analysis showed that the prevalence rate of gallbladder stone in IBS-D group was significantly higher than that in non-IBS group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in gallbladder stone prevalence rate between IBS-C group and non-IBS group(P>0.05).Conclusions There is a correlation between IBS and gallbladder stones.In addition,among the two subtypes of IBS,IBS-D patients may have an increased risk of gallbladder stone compared with non-IBS patients.

Objective To design a lifting aid to enhance the loading and unloading efficiency of casualties in emergency rescue.Methods The lifting aid was composed of a lifting mechanism,a motorized control unit and a manual control unit,which used a pulley set to enhance working efficiency,achieved lateral patient translation via a separable and movable sleeping pad and realized electric and manual control by a motor and lever respectively.An equivalent scaled-down model was made to test the forces at the lever under 0,5,10,20 and 30 kg bearing weights to verify the performance of the aid.Results The trend of the tensile force exerted on the lever under five sets of different loads was in accordance with the results of the theoretical analysis.Conclusion The lifting aid with easy operation ensures patient safety and enhances the loading and unloading efficiency while saving the workload.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(4):111-115]

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Coronary perforation is when a contrast agent or blood flows outside a blood vessel through a tear in a coronary artery.In this case,we reported a case of percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary calcified lesions,which led to iatrogenic coronary perforation and cardiac tamponade after the use of Shockwave balloon to treat intracoronary calcified nodules,and the management of PCI-related CAP was systematically reviewed through the literature.

Aim To screen and study the effects of Tao Hong Si Wu decoction(THSWD)-mediated treat-ment on circular RNA(circRNA)expression profiles in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),and investigate the possible roles and molecular mecha-nisms of THSWD.Methods Next-generation RNA sequencing was conducted to identify circRNA expres-sion profiles in MCAO rats after treatment with THSWD and compared with the MCAO model group and control group.Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict the potential target microRNAs and mRNAs.Gene On-tology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analyses for the potential target mRNAs were applied to explore the potential roles of differentially expressed circRNAs.RT-qPCR was performed to verify circRNAs with significant differences in expression.Results We identified 87 significantly differentially expressed circRNAs between the MCAO group versus the control group,and 86 sig-nificantly differentially expressed circRNAs between the MCAO group versus the THSWD group.respective-ly.Among them,17 circRNAs induced by the MCAO model were reversed via treatment with THSWD.To demonstrate the roles of mRNAs targeted by DECs,the GO and KEGG databases were used.Further analysis revealed that five circRNAs may play important roles in the development of MCAO.Conclusions The com-prehensive expression profile of circRNAs in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion after THSWD treat-ment is determined for the first time,suggesting that the therapeutic effect of THSWD on MCAO may be a-chieved by regulating the expression of circRNAs.