OBJECTIVE To optimize the simmering technology of Rheum palmatum from Menghe Medical School and compare the difference of chemical components before and after processing. METHODS Using appearance score， the contents of gallic acid， 5-hydroxymethylfurfural （5-HMF）， sennoside A+sennoside B， combined anthraquinone and free anthraquinone as indexes， analytic hierarchy process （AHP）-entropy weight method was used to calculate the comprehensive score of evaluation indicators； the orthogonal experiment was designed to optimize the processing technology of simmering R. palmatum with fire temperature， simmering time， paper layer number and paper wrapping time as factors； validation test was conducted. The changes in the contents of five anthraquinones （aloe-emodin， rhein， emodin， chrysophanol， physcion）， five anthraquinone glycosides （barbaloin， rheinoside， rhubarb glycoside， emodin glycoside， and emodin methyl ether glycoside）， two sennosides （sennoside A， sennoside B）， gallic acid and 5-HMF were compared between simmered R. palmatum prepared by optimized technology and R. palmatum. RESULTS The optimal processing conditions of R. palmatum was as follows: each 80 g R. palmatum was wrapped with a layer of wet paper for 0.5 h， simmered on high heat for 20 min and then simmered at 140 ℃， the total simmering time was 2.5 h. The average comprehensive score of 3 validation tests was 94.10 （RSD＜1.0%）. After simmering， the contents of five anthraquinones and two sennosides were decreased significantly， while those of 5 free anthraquinones and gallic acid were increased to different extents； a new component 5-HMF was formed. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully optimizes the simmering technology of R. palmatum. There is a significant difference in the chemical components before and after processing， which can explain that simmering technology slows down the relase of R. palmatum and beneficiate it.

Objective To examine the value of breast ultrasound for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses among female patients with nipple discharges, and to provide a reference for the diagnosis of patients with nipple discharges. Methods A total of 317 female patients with nipple discharges underwent breast examinations in Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital between April 2021 and May 2024 were enrolled, and all patients underwent ultrasound, mammography, and pathologic examinations of the breast. With pathologic examination as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of breast ultrasound and mammography for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses were compared. The diagnostic value of breast ultrasound for benign and malignant breast masses was evaluated among female patients with nipple discharges. Results The study subjects had a mean age of (43.27 ± 10.71) years, and a mean nipple discharge duration of (1.11 ± 0.53) years. Moreover, 51.74% of nipple discharges were in the right-sided breast, 52.05% were spontaneous, 32.49% were bloody, and 53.63% were classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 1 to 3. Of the 317 female patients with nipple discharges, histopathology detected 137 malignant breast masses and 180 benign masses, and the 53 masses with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 5 were all malignant. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 64.23%, 77.22%, 68.22%, 73.94% and 71.61% for breast ultrasound, and 80.29%, 35.00%, 48.46%, 70.00% and 54.57% for breast mammography. The specificity (χ²=8.81, P < 0.01), positive predictive value (χ²=13.01, P < 0.01), and accuracy (χ²=19.75, P < 0.01) of breast ultrasound were significantly higher than breast mammography, while the sensitivity of breast ultrasound was significantly lower than breast mammography (χ²=65.15, P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the negative predictive value between breast ultrasound and mammography (χ²=0.47, P > 0.05). Conclusion Breast ultrasound has a high accuracy for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses among female patients with nipple discharges, which may serve as an auxiliary tool for diagnosis of breast masses among patients with nipple discharges.

With the main pathological features of glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis， renal fibrosis is a key pathological process causing chronic kidney disease to progress to end-stage disease. As a cellular autophagic process， mitochondrial autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining mitochondrial mass and functional stability. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be one of the key factors driving the progression of fibrosis. Phosphatase and tension protein homologue （PTEN） induce various signalling pathways such as putative kinase 1/parkin， Nip3-like protein X/Bcl-2 interacting protein 3， and FUN14 structural domain-containing protein 1 to activate mitochondrial autophagy to participate in the regulation of fibrogenic factors， amelioration of oxidative stress， and inhibition of inflammatory response and apoptosis， which in turn effectively slows down the progression of renal fibrosis. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound preparations， including phenolics， terpenoids， ketones， and alkaloids， can regulate mitochondrial autophagy-related signalling pathways and achieve significant clinical efficacy in intervening in the progression of renal fibrosis for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. This paper summarized the mechanism of mitochondrial autophagy and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in renal fibrosis to provide new ideas for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating renal fibrosis.

With the main pathological features of glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis， renal fibrosis is a key pathological process causing chronic kidney disease to progress to end-stage disease. As a cellular autophagic process， mitochondrial autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining mitochondrial mass and functional stability. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be one of the key factors driving the progression of fibrosis. Phosphatase and tension protein homologue （PTEN） induce various signalling pathways such as putative kinase 1/parkin， Nip3-like protein X/Bcl-2 interacting protein 3， and FUN14 structural domain-containing protein 1 to activate mitochondrial autophagy to participate in the regulation of fibrogenic factors， amelioration of oxidative stress， and inhibition of inflammatory response and apoptosis， which in turn effectively slows down the progression of renal fibrosis. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound preparations， including phenolics， terpenoids， ketones， and alkaloids， can regulate mitochondrial autophagy-related signalling pathways and achieve significant clinical efficacy in intervening in the progression of renal fibrosis for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. This paper summarized the mechanism of mitochondrial autophagy and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in renal fibrosis to provide new ideas for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating renal fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE To study the safety of Shuangshu decoction in rats and its efficacy in improving functional dyspepsia （FD） in rats. METHODS In safety test， 40 rats were divided into blank control group， Shuangshu decoction low-dose， medium- dose and high-dose groups [108， 216， 324 g/（kg·d）， calculated by raw medicine， the same applies below]； they were given relevant medicine intragastrically， for continuous 14 days. The mortality and toxic reactions of rats were recorded， and the organ indexes of the liver， kidney， spleen， lung and heart of rats were calculated； the pathological morphological changes in the liver， kidney， spleen， lung， heart， stomach， duodenum， and colon were observed to evaluate the acute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. Another 40 rats were grouped and administered in the same way for 30 consecutive days. The mortality and toxic reactions of the rats were recorded， and the corresponding organ indexes were calculated. The pathological morphological changes in the corresponding organs were observed， and blood routine and serum biochemical indicators were measured， in order to assess the subacute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. In pharmacodynamic experiments: 50 rats were divided into blank control group， model group， and Shuangshu decoction low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （9.45， 18.9， 37.8 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for blank control group， rats in all other groups were used to establish the FD rat model by subcutaneous injection of loperamide （3.5 mg/kg）. Rats in each group were administered the corresponding drug solution/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After the last medication， fecal moisture content， intestinal propulsion rate， gastric emptying rate and serum level of motilin were all detected， and interstitial cell of Cajal （ICC） ultrastructure of rats was observed in colon tissue. RESULTS The safety experiments showed that no death occurred in each dose group， and no significant difference was found in organ coefficient， routine blood and serum biological index， compared to blank control group （P＞0.05）； no abnormality was found in organ appearance and pathological sections. The results of the pharmacodynamic experiments showed that， compared with the blank control group， the fecal moisture content， gastric emptying rate， intestinal propulsion rate， and serum motilin levels in the model group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）； in the colonic tissue， the mitochondria in the ICC exhibited severe swelling with the disappearance of cristae， and the endoplasmic reticulum was dilated. Compared with model group， the rats in Shuangshu decoction high-dose group showed significant increases in the above quantitative indicators （P＜ 0.05）； additionally， there was a large number of mitochondria in the ICC of the colonic tissue， with clear cristae and regular arrangement. CONCLUSIONS Shuangshu decoction is safe and has a beneficial improving effect on FD rats； its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of gastrointestinal hormone expression to promote gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion， as well as the repair of mitochondrial structure in ICCs to restore gastrointestinal function.

Assisted reproductive technology （ART） can address the issues faced by infertile couples and help families achieve their desine to have children. Starting from both theoretical and practical basis， this paper introduced a discussion on the legitimacy of ART application for single women. The challenges encountered by single women in ART application were objectively analyzed， including untimely legislation， unclear applicable subjects， the commodification of sperm and eggs， inadequate institutional guarantees， and insufficient safeguarding of offspring’s rights and interests， etc. This paper proposed solutions to the problems encountered by single women in ART application， including adhering to the relevant principles， strengthening legislative norms， clarifying the applicable subjects， providing institutional guarantees， safeguarding the offspring’s rights and interests， and seeking a balance between ethics and law. It aimed to provide references for related wrok， assisting single women in achieving a balance between ethics and law in ART application and protecting the reproductive rights of single women to the greatest extent.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of the Jianpi Yishen Huatan Formula （健脾益肾化痰方，JPYSHF） in treating squamous cell lung cancer through the LncRNA ALAL-1/USP4/HDAC2 signaling pathway. MethodsForty Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a control group and high-， medium-， and low-dose JPYSHF group with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the JPYSHF groups were administered JPYSHF concentrated liquid at doses of 45， 30， and 15 g/（kg·d） via intragastric gavage， respectively， while the control group received 10 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline， once daily for 10 consecutive days before preparation of drug containing serum. Human lung squamous carcinoma SK-MES-1 cells were divided into a control group and low-， medium-， and high-dose JPYSHF-medicated serum groups. The control group was cultured with 10% saline-containing serum， while the JPYSHF groups were cultured with 10% low-， medium-， or high-dose medicated serum. After 48 hours of incubation， flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis rates， and a cell scratch assay was performed to evaluate migration areas at 0 h and 24 h to calculate migration rate. Additional SK-MES-1 cells were divided into control serum， JPYSHF-medicated serum （low-， medium-， high-） dose， LncRNA-silenced group （transfected with ALAL-1 siRNA）， USP4-inhibited group （treated with 35 μmol/L PR-619， a deubiquitinase inhibitor）， and HDAC2-inhibited group （treated with 60 μmol/L Vorinostat）. After 24 and 48 hours of culture， cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 assay； LncRNA ALAL-1， USP4， and HDAC2 mRNA levels were quantified by qPCR after 24 hours； USP4 and HDAC2 protein levels were measured by Western Blot after 48 hours. ResultsCompared with the control serum group， the total apoptosis rate of cells in middle- and high-JPYSHF-medicated serum group significantly increased， and the cell migration rate of cells in the low-， middle- and high-JPYSHF-medicated serum group significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The cell migration rate of the low-， medium- and high-JPYSHF-medicated serum groups decreased with the increase of concentration in a concentration-dependent manner （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the control serum group at the same time， the cell viability at 24 h and 48 h significantly decreased in all groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the low-JPYSHF-medicated serum group at the same time， the cell viability at 24 h and 48 h also decreased in the high-JPYSHF-medicated serum group and the LncRNA silencing group （P＜0.05）. Compared with the control serum group， the expression of USP4 and HDAC2 mRNA reduced in the low- and medium-dose JPYSHF-medicated serum groups and the USP4 inhibitor group， and the expression of LncRNA ALAL-1， USP4 and HDAC2 mRNA reduced in the high-dose JPYSHF-medicated serum group and LncRNA-silencing group， and HDAC2 mRNA expression reduced in the HDAC2 inhibitor group. USP4 and HDAC2 protein levels were reduced in cells of all groups except for USP4 protein level in HDAC2 inhibitor group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionJPYSHF-medicated serum inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of human lung squamous carcinoma cells， and its mechanism of action may be related to its inhibition of the LncRNA ALAL-1/USP4/HDAC2 pathway， with best effect at a high concentration.

Ischemic stroke (IS) ranks as a leading cause of death and disability globally. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses significant challenges for effective drug delivery to brain tissues. Recent decades have seen the development of targeted nanomedicine and biomimetic technologies, sparking substantial interest in biomimetic drug delivery systems for treating IS. These systems are devised by utilizing or replicating natural cells and their derivatives, offering promising new pathways for detection and transport across the BBB. Their multifunctionality and high biocompatibility make them effective treatment options for IS. In addition, the incorporation of engineering techniques has provided these biomimetic drug delivery systems with active targeting capabilities, enhancing the accumulation of therapeutic agents in ischemic tissues and specific cell types. This improvement boosts drug transport and therapeutic efficacy. However, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the advantages and limitations of various engineering strategies employed in constructing biomimetic delivery systems. Selecting appropriate construction methods based on the characteristics of the disease is vital to achieving optimal treatment outcomes. This review summarizes recent advancements in three types of engineered biomimetic drug delivery systems, developed from natural cells and their derivatives, for treating IS. It also discusses their effectiveness in application and potential challenges in future clinical translation.
Humans ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier/metabolism* ; Stroke/drug therapy*

The evaluation of blood compatibility of biomaterials is crucial for ensuring the clinical safety of implantable medical devices. To address the limitations of traditional testing methods in real-time monitoring and electrical property analysis, this study developed a portable electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The system uses a 16-electrode design, operates within a frequency range of 1 to 500 kHz, achieves a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 69.54 dB at 50 kHz, and has a data collection speed of 20 frames per second. Experimental results show that the EIT system developed in this study is highly consistent with a microplate reader ( R ²=0.97) in detecting the hemolytic behavior of industrial-grade titanium (TA3) and titanium alloy-titanium 6 aluminum 4 vanadium (TC4) in anticoagulated bovine blood. Additionally, with the support of a multimodal image fusion Gauss-Newton one-step iterative algorithm, the system can accurately locate and monitor in real-time the dynamic changes in blood permeation and coagulation caused by TC4 in vivo. In conclusion, the EIT system developed in this study provides a new and effective method for evaluating the blood compatibility of biomaterials.
Electric Impedance ; Animals ; Tomography/instrumentation* ; Biocompatible Materials ; Materials Testing/instrumentation* ; Cattle ; Titanium ; Alloys ; Prostheses and Implants