ObjectiveThis paper aims to systematically reveal the effect difference and mechanisms of Zishenwan against chronic prostatitis （CP） before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex based on an integrated strategy of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS）， network pharmacology， and serum metabolomics. MethodsZishenwan samples before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex were extracted by alcohol-water dual extraction. The chemical components of each sample were detected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS， and differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Network pharmacology analysis was performed based on the identified chemical components of Zishenwan to construct a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of "component， target， and pathway"， and the core components， targets， and pathways of Zishenwan against CP were screened. Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， a Qianliekang group （1.54 g·kg^-1）， low- and high-dose raw Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose salt-processed Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）. The CP rat model was established by intraprostatic injection of carrageenan. After one week of recovery， the rats were administered the corresponding drugs for 21 days， while those in the blank group and model group received the same volume of normal saline. After the experiment， serum and tissue samples were collected to evaluate pharmacodynamic indicators including organ indices， histopathology， and inflammatory factors in serum. Subsequently， untargeted serum metabolomics technology was used to analyze metabolite changes and perform pathway enrichment analysis. The network pharmacology was used to construct a network of "differential metabolite， reaction， enzyme， and gene". ResultsA total of 76 components were identified in raw and salt-processed Zishenwan， and 34 differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Among them， the contents of 14 components， including berberine， berberrubine， and phellodendrine， increased after salt-processing， while the contents of 20 components， such as neomangiferin， decreased. The 28 active components and 185 potential targets were screened out by network pharmacology. The core components included berberine， phellodendrine， magnoflorine， and jatrorrhizine， and the core targets included signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， and transcription factor AP-1 （JUN）. These targets were significantly enriched in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）. Compared with the model group， all Zishenwan administration groups showed decreased prostate index， reduced levels of interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-18， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） in serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， as well as varying degrees of alleviation in histopathological damage. At the same dose， compared with the raw Zishenwan groups， the salt-processed Zishenwan groups showed lower prostate index， pathological scores， and IL-1β， IL-18， and Bcl-2 levels in serum， but the differences were not statistically significant. Metabolomics reveals that 38 differential metabolites were reversed after salt-processed Zishenwan administration. Both raw and salt-processed Zishenwan regulated pathways such as β-alanine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. In addition to the common regulated pathways， the salt-processed group specifically regulated pantothenate and coenzyme A biosynthesis， pyrimidine metabolism， and arginine and proline metabolism. The intersecting pathways between network pharmacology and metabolomics were tryptophan metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism， with overlapping targets including monoamine oxidase A （MAOA） and arginase 1 （ARG1）. ConclusionThe increased contents of components such as berberine and phellodendrine in salt-processed Zishenwan may enhance its therapeutic effect on CP by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways， along with multi-target regulation of tryptophan， arginine， and pantothenate metabolism pathways to comprehensively regulate inflammatory and immune responses.

Objective To observe the value of intravoxel incoherent motion(IVIM)histogram parameters for predicting perineural invasion(PNI)of rectal cancer.Methods Fifty-five patients with rectal cancer were retrospectively enrolled and divided into positive group(n=23)and negative group(n=32)according to PNI or not.Histogram parameters of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC),perfusion fraction(f),true diffusion coefficient(D)and pseudo diffusion coefficient(D*)were obtained based on MR IVIM images,including the mean,skewness,kurtosis,entropy,as well as the 25th,50th and 75th percentiles(25th,50th,75th).The above IVIM histogram parameters were compared between groups,and those with significant difference were included in binary stepwise logistic regression analysis to screen independent factors for predicting PNI status of rectal cancer.Then a combined parameter model was established.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of IVIM histogram parameters and combined parameter model for predicting PNI of rectal cancer.Results ADCmean,ADC25th,ADC50th,ADC75th,fmean,f25th,f50th,f75th and Dentropy in positive group were all lower than those in negative group(all P＜0.05).AUC of the above parameters for predicting PNI of rectal cancer was 0.693,0.665,0.701,0.675,0.831,0.847,0.835,0.722 and 0.785,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity and AUC of combined parameter model based on f25th and Dentropy for predicting PNI of rectal cancer was 95.65％,65.63％and 0.897,respectively.Conclusion IVIM histogram parameters could be used to predict PNI of rectal cancer effectively.

Objective To observe the value of intravoxel incoherent motion(IVIM)histogram parameters for predicting perineural invasion(PNI)of rectal cancer.Methods Fifty-five patients with rectal cancer were retrospectively enrolled and divided into positive group(n=23)and negative group(n=32)according to PNI or not.Histogram parameters of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC),perfusion fraction(f),true diffusion coefficient(D)and pseudo diffusion coefficient(D*)were obtained based on MR IVIM images,including the mean,skewness,kurtosis,entropy,as well as the 25th,50th and 75th percentiles(25th,50th,75th).The above IVIM histogram parameters were compared between groups,and those with significant difference were included in binary stepwise logistic regression analysis to screen independent factors for predicting PNI status of rectal cancer.Then a combined parameter model was established.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of IVIM histogram parameters and combined parameter model for predicting PNI of rectal cancer.Results ADCmean,ADC25th,ADC50th,ADC75th,fmean,f25th,f50th,f75th and Dentropy in positive group were all lower than those in negative group(all P＜0.05).AUC of the above parameters for predicting PNI of rectal cancer was 0.693,0.665,0.701,0.675,0.831,0.847,0.835,0.722 and 0.785,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity and AUC of combined parameter model based on f25th and Dentropy for predicting PNI of rectal cancer was 95.65％,65.63％and 0.897,respectively.Conclusion IVIM histogram parameters could be used to predict PNI of rectal cancer effectively.

Objective To explore the correlation of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR),monocyte/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio(MHR)and mild cognitive impairment(MCI)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods 159 T2DM patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology,Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February 2023 to April 2023 were selected.The subjects were divided into normal cognitive function(Con,n=72)group and MCI group(n=87)based on score of Montreal cognitive assessment scale(MoCA).NLR and MHR were calculated and compared between the two groups.Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between NLR,MHR and MoCA score.Logistic regression analysis of the factors influencing the association between T2DM with MCI.Receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of NLR and MHR for DM complicated with MCI.Results Compared with Con group,MCI group showed a significant increase in hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),fasting plasma glucose,NLR,MHR,neutrophil count,monocyte count,serum creatinine,cystatin C,while high density lipoprotein cholesterol lymphocytes,visual space and executive function,naming,attention,language ability,abstract thinking,delayed memory,orientation and MoCA score decreased(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between MHR,NLR and MoCA score,visuospatial and executive function,delayed recall and attention.Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR,MHR,HbA1c were all risk factors for MCI in T2DM.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of NLR combined with MHR for diagnosing T2DM with MCI was 0.872,with corresponding sensitivity of 81.6%and specificity of 87.5%.Conclusions NLR and MHR are closely related to MCI in T2DM patients.The combination of NLR and MHR have certain efficacy in prediction T2DM with MCI.

Objective To explore the correlation of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR),monocyte/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio(MHR)and mild cognitive impairment(MCI)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods 159 T2DM patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology,Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February 2023 to April 2023 were selected.The subjects were divided into normal cognitive function(Con,n=72)group and MCI group(n=87)based on score of Montreal cognitive assessment scale(MoCA).NLR and MHR were calculated and compared between the two groups.Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between NLR,MHR and MoCA score.Logistic regression analysis of the factors influencing the association between T2DM with MCI.Receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of NLR and MHR for DM complicated with MCI.Results Compared with Con group,MCI group showed a significant increase in hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),fasting plasma glucose,NLR,MHR,neutrophil count,monocyte count,serum creatinine,cystatin C,while high density lipoprotein cholesterol lymphocytes,visual space and executive function,naming,attention,language ability,abstract thinking,delayed memory,orientation and MoCA score decreased(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between MHR,NLR and MoCA score,visuospatial and executive function,delayed recall and attention.Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR,MHR,HbA1c were all risk factors for MCI in T2DM.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of NLR combined with MHR for diagnosing T2DM with MCI was 0.872,with corresponding sensitivity of 81.6%and specificity of 87.5%.Conclusions NLR and MHR are closely related to MCI in T2DM patients.The combination of NLR and MHR have certain efficacy in prediction T2DM with MCI.

Objective Based on U.S.Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System(FAERS)database,the signal mining of tizanidine adverse drug events(ADEs)was conducted to explore the occurrence characteristics of ADE,hoping to provide references for the safe clinical application of tizanidine.Methods The reporting odds ratio(ROR)and medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency methods(MHRA)were used to analyse the ADE of tizanidine using FAERS registration data from the first quarter of 2004 to the second quarter of 2022.After valid signals were obtained,the MedDRA was used for translation and system organ classification.Results A total of 7 135 reports of tizanidine ADE were obtained,including 1 732 patients,1 304 ADE types were involved.According to the results of 2 ADE signal mining methods,at the preferred term(PT)level,177 signals were detected.There were 32 PT signals not included in the drug instructions,including potassium wasting nephropathy,cardio-respiratory arrest,and foetal growth restriction etc.In 1 732 patients,the number of ADE cases of female was 2.37 times that in male(1 057 vs.446),and the age group between 40 and 64 accounted for a large proportion(36.03％).The highest proportion(32.79％)reported by consumers.The system organ class involved mainly included various neurological diseases and psychosis.The median time to onset of tizanidine-related ADEs was 75 d(interquartile range:28-223 d),but it was necessary to be vigilant that ADE may still occur 1 year after starting the drug(13.38％).Conclusion This study aims to suggest that clinical application of tizanidin-related ADE should be paid full attention to the occurrence of ADE such as potassium-wasting nephropathy and suicidally completed,as well as key populations such as women and patients of 40-64 years old.

Objective To explore the intrinsic steady-state electrophysiological properties of mouse heart under physiological conditions by high-resolution quantitative analysis.Methods Twenty-two young adult C57BL/6 mice with a 1:1 male-to-female ratio were used.The limbs of the mice were fixed without anesthesia,and electrocardiographic waveforms,including characteristic P-waves,R-waves,and ST-waves,were recorded using a sensitive 12-lead electrophysiological recorder(ECGsqa)under spontaneous breathing.LabScribe software was used to extract and quantify high-resolution time course and amplitude parameters within a single cardiac cycle from the V3 precordial lead.Pearson correlation test combined with simple linear regression was used to generate a scatter plot of ECG parameter fitting.The common and unique correlation parameters were separately identified by joint associations for profiling the quantitative association network.Results ECGsqa analysis identified and quantified 14 characteristic ECG parameters,28.6%of which showed statistical differences between the groups.Compared to male mice,female mice exhibited higher amplitudes and velocities of R and ST waves.Among the 51 association pairs identified in primary association analysis,47.1%were positively correlated,including shared(29.2%),male-specific(29.2%),and female-specific(41.7%)association groups.Second-order clustering of the association pairs revealed that the amplitude-rate association pairs of each waveform voltage in both male and female mouse hearts were strongly correlated.The male mice showed an atrioventricular interconnection pattern,while the female mice showed a unique atrial conduction system quality dependence.The distribution network characteristics of the association groups showed that sex-specific and common correlation sets formed a certain series pattern.Conclusion We discovered a novel intrinsic correlation network of cardiac electrophysiological traits in male and female mice,which reveals the key internal quantitative characteristics and gender difference of both atrial and ventricular conduction systems.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is one of the major chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),and sex steroid hormones are common risk factors for the occurrence of T2DM and BPH.The profiles of sex steroid hormones are simultaneously quantified by LC-MS/MS in the clinical serum of patients,including simple BPH patients,newly diagnosed T2DM patients,T2DM complicated with BPH patients and matched healthy individuals.The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor(GPER)inhibitor G15,GPER knockdown lentivirus,the YAP1 inhibitor verteporfin,YAP1 knockdown/overexpression lentivirus,targeted metabolomics analysis,and Co-IP assays are used to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the disrupted sex steroid hormones homeostasis in the pathological process of T2DM complicated with BPH.The homeostasis of sex steroid hormone is disrupted in the serum of patients,accompanying with the proliferated prostatic epithelial cells(PECs).The sex steroid hormone metabolic profiles of T2DM patients complicated with BPH have the greatest degrees of separation from those of healthy individuals.Elevated 17β-estradiol(E2)is the key contributor to the disrupted sex steroid hormone homeostasis,and is significantly positively related to the clinical characteristics of T2DM patients complicated with BPH.Activating GPER by E2 via Hippo-YAP1 signaling exacerbates high glucose(HG)-induced PECs prolifer-ation through the formation of the YAP1-TEAD4 heterodimer.Knockdown or inhibition of GPER-mediated Hippo-YAP1 signaling suppresses PECs proliferation in HG and E2 co-treated BPH-1 cells.The anti-proliferative effects of verteporfin,an inhibitor of YAP1,are blocked by YAP1 overexpression in HG and E2 co-treated BPH-1 cells.Inactivating E2/GPER/Hippo/YAP1 signaling may be effective at delaying the progression of T2DM complicated with BPH by inhibiting PECs proliferation.

Objective To explore the intrinsic steady-state electrophysiological properties of mouse heart under physiological conditions by high-resolution quantitative analysis.Methods Twenty-two young adult C57BL/6 mice with a 1:1 male-to-female ratio were used.The limbs of the mice were fixed without anesthesia,and electrocardiographic waveforms,including characteristic P-waves,R-waves,and ST-waves,were recorded using a sensitive 12-lead electrophysiological recorder(ECGsqa)under spontaneous breathing.LabScribe software was used to extract and quantify high-resolution time course and amplitude parameters within a single cardiac cycle from the V3 precordial lead.Pearson correlation test combined with simple linear regression was used to generate a scatter plot of ECG parameter fitting.The common and unique correlation parameters were separately identified by joint associations for profiling the quantitative association network.Results ECGsqa analysis identified and quantified 14 characteristic ECG parameters,28.6%of which showed statistical differences between the groups.Compared to male mice,female mice exhibited higher amplitudes and velocities of R and ST waves.Among the 51 association pairs identified in primary association analysis,47.1%were positively correlated,including shared(29.2%),male-specific(29.2%),and female-specific(41.7%)association groups.Second-order clustering of the association pairs revealed that the amplitude-rate association pairs of each waveform voltage in both male and female mouse hearts were strongly correlated.The male mice showed an atrioventricular interconnection pattern,while the female mice showed a unique atrial conduction system quality dependence.The distribution network characteristics of the association groups showed that sex-specific and common correlation sets formed a certain series pattern.Conclusion We discovered a novel intrinsic correlation network of cardiac electrophysiological traits in male and female mice,which reveals the key internal quantitative characteristics and gender difference of both atrial and ventricular conduction systems.

Objective To investigate the effect of glycine N-methyl transferase (GNMT)on intrauterine adhesion (IUA)fibrosis and its related mechanism.Methods In vivo experiment:A total of 36 healthy female SD rats (SPF grade,6～8 weeks old and weighing from 180～220 g)were subjected in this study.IUA model of SD rats and IUA model of GNMT overexpressed rats were established.RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence assay were applied to detect GNMT expression level in normal uterus and model group.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis-related molecules and the activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in each group.The number of endometrial glands in each group was observed by HE staining.Masson staining was used to analyze the severity of endometrial fibrosis in each group.In vitro experiment:transformed human endometrial stromal cells (THESCs)fibrotic phenotype model was constructed using TGF-β1,and THESCs stably transfected with GNMT overexpression lentvirus were treated with TGF-β1.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of fibrosis-related molecules.The expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was detected by Western blotting.TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was activated by TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway activator (SRI-011381),and the expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and key molecular proteins of fibrosis phenotype was measured with Western blotting.Results In vivo experiment,the mRNA and protein expression levels of GNMT were significantly decreased in the IUA rats than the control rats (P<0.05).Overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis related molecules,Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN in the IUA rats (P<0.05),and decreased the phosphorylation levels of TGF-β1 and its downstream Smad3 protein (P<0.05).HE and Masson staining showed that overexpression of GNMT could increase the number of endometrial glands and reduce the severity of fibrosis in the IUA rats (P<0.05).In vitro experiments:overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN associated with fibrotic phenotype of THESCs (P<0.05),and reduced the phosphorylation level of Smad3 protein,downstream of TGF-β1 (P<0.05).After activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,the protein levels of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and downstream fibrosis phenotype molecules,Collagen Ⅲ and FN,were significantly decreased in the LV-GNMT+SRI-011381 group.Conclusion Overexpression of GNMT can inhibit endometrial fibrosis by regulating TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,thus achieving therapeutic effect on IUA.