Objective To construct an aptamer-functionalized carboxylated graphene oxide(CGO)fluo-rescent sensor to achieve highly sensitive and specific detection of ketamine(KET)and its metabolite norketamine(NK)using an aptamer capable of simultaneously recognizing KET and NK.Methods A specific aptamer for simultaneous recognition of KET and NK was screened using graphene oxide-sys-tematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment(GO-SELEX)and molecular docking tech-niques.The aptamer,labeled with Cy5 fluorescence,was chemically conjugated to CGO to construct an aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor.By optimizing detection conditions,including the mass concentration of CGO,aptamer concentration,reaction temperature,and incubation time,quantita-tive analysis of the target analytes was achieved using the ratio of fluorescence intensity changes be-fore and after target addition.The stability of the sensor in biological matrices was evaluated by moni-toring fluorescence intensity changes over incubation time in blank blood and urine,in comparison with the traditional physical adsorption-based CGO fluorescent sensor.Spiked recovery experiments in blank blood and urine were conducted to compare performance with that of HPLC-MS/MS.Results A specific aptamer A5 was selected and chemically conjugated with CGO to construct the aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor.Under optimized conditions,the proposed fluorescent sensor ex-hibited a linear detection range of 1.0-5.0 ng/mL for KET,with a limit of detection(LOD)of 0.86 ng/mL;while for NK,the linear detection range was 1.0-5.0 ng/mL,with an LOD of 0.70 ng/mL.Com-pared with the CGO fluorescent sensor constructed via physical adsorption,this sensor demonstrated greater stability in blood and urine.The spiked recovery rates of KET and NK in blank blood and urine ranged from 81.50%to 110.03%,exhibiting detection performance comparable to that of HPLC-MS/MS.Conclusion The aptamer screening method offers a novel approach for selecting aptamers tar-geting drugs and their metabolites.The constructed aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor pro-vides an efficient and reliable strategy for the high-performance detection of KET and NK.

Objective To establish a chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for detecting chlorfenapyr and its metabolite tralopyril in blood,and to investigate the toxicokinetics in rats.Methods Chlorfenapyr(8 mg/kg)was administered orally to rats,and blood samples were collected from rats'canthus vein at 5 min,15 min,30 min,1 h,3 h,6 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h after administration.The blood samples were extracted using 100 μL of 5%formic acid solution and 400 μL of acetonitrile.Chlorfena-pyr was qualitatively and quantitatively detected by triple quadrupole gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(GC-MS/MS)and tralopyril was detected by triple quadrupole liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS).The DAS 3.0 software was used to fit the toxicokinetic equa-tions and calculate the toxicokinetic parameters.Results Chlorfenapyr was detectable from 5 min to 24 h with a peak time of 1 h.Tralopyril was detectable from 15 min to 48 h with a peak time of 3 h.The toxicokinetic process of chlorfenapyr in rat blood conformed to a first-order absorption one-compartment open model,with the toxicokinetic equation described as C=e-0.265t-e-0.175t.Tralopyril con-formed to the first-order absorption three-compartment model,and the toxicokinetic equation was C=47 361.069e-2.209t-35 404.962e-1.486t+11 956.363e-0.512t.In the equations,C stands for the concentration of the target substance in the blood,e is the natural constant(≈2.718 28),and t stands for time.Conclu-sion This study optimized the detection method for chlorfenapyr and its metabolite tralopyril in blood.The toxicokinetic equations and parameters of chlorfenapyr and tralopyril can provide a reference for the estimation of oral intake time of chlorfenapyr.

From the perspective of competitive endogenous RNA(ceRNA) constructed by metastasy-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1(Malat1) and microRNA 16-5p(miR-16-5p), the improvement mechanism of Tonggu Xiaotong Capsules(TGXTC) on the imbalance and disorder of "cholesterol-iron" metabolism in chondrocytes of osteoarthritis(OA) was explored. In vivo experiments, 60 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were acclimatized and fed for 1 week and then randomly divided into two groups: blank group(12 mice) and modeling group(48 mice). The animals in modeling group were anesthetized by 5% isoflurane inhalation, which was followed by the construction of OA model. They were then randomly divided into model group, TGXTC group, Malat1 overexpression group, and TGXTC+Malat1 overexpression(TGXTC+Malat1-OE) group, with 12 mice in each group. The structural changes of mouse cartilage tissues were observed by Masson staining after the intervention in each group. RT-PCR was employed to detect the mRNA levels of Malat1 and miR-16-5p in cartilage tissues. Western blot was used to analyze the protein expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1), sterol regulatory element-binding protein(SREBP), cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily B member 1(CYP7B1), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein(CHOP), acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4), and glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) in cartilage tissues. In vitro experiments, mouse chondrocytes were induced by thapsigargin(TG), and the combination of Malat1 and miR-16-5p was detected by double luciferase assay. The fluorescence intensity of Malat1 in chondrocytes was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The miR-16-5p inhibitory chondrocyte model was constructed. RT-PCR was used to analyze the levels of Malat1 and miR-16-5p in chondrocytes under the inhibition of miR-16-5p. Western blot was adopted to analyze the regulation of TG-induced chondrocyte proteins ABCA1, SREBP, CYP7B1, CHOP, ACSL4, and GPX4 by TGXTC under the inhibition of miR-16-5p. The results of in vivo experiments showed that,(1) compared with model group, TGXTC group exhibited a relatively complete cartilage layer structure. Compared with Malat1-OE group, TGXTC+Malat1-OE group showed alleviated cartilage surface damage.(2) Compared with model group, TGXTC group had a significantly decreased Malat1 mRNA level and an increased miR-16-5p mRNA level in mouse cartilage tissues(P<0.01).(3) Compared with the model group, the protein levels of ABCA1 and GPX4 in the cartilage tissue of mice in the TGXTC group increased, while the protein levels of SREBP, CYP7B1, CHOP and ACSL4 decreased(P<0.01). The results of in vitro experiments show that,(1) dual-luciferase was used to evaluate that miR-16-5p has a targeting effect on the Malat1 gene.(2)Compared with TG+miR-16-5p inhibition group, TG+miR-16-5p inhibition+TGXTC group had an increased mRNA level of miR-16-5p and an decreased mRNA level of Malat1(P<0.01).(3) Compared with TG+miR-16-5p inhibition group, TG+miR-16-5p inhibition+TGXTC group exhibited increased expression of ABCA1 and GPX4 proteins and decreased expression of SREBP, CYP7B1, CHOP, and ACSL4 proteins(P<0.01). The reasults showed that TGXTC can regulate the ceRNA of Malat1 and miR-16-5p to alleviate the "cholesterol-iron" metabolism disorder of osteoarthritis chondrocytes.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Chondrocytes/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Iron/metabolism* ; Male ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Humans ; Capsules ; RNA, Competitive Endogenous

AIM:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of lamellar keratectomy and corneal collagen crosslinking(LKCCC)in treating superficial fungal keratitis.METHODS: Retrospective analysis. Totally 79 patients(79 eyes)with superficial fungal keratitis who underwent LKCCC in our hospital from January 2014 to October 2023 were included. After admission, routine antifungal drug treatment for 7 d showed no obvious improvement or progressive aggravation. The maximum diameter of corneal lesions in all patients was ≤7 mm, the maximum depth was no more than 50% of the corneal thickness at the location, and the remaining healthy corneal thickness was ≥300 μm. The follow-up time was 90 to 112 d.RESULTS:Among the included 79 eyes, the lesions were located in the central region of the cornea in 6 eyes, in the paracentral region in 61 eyes, and in the peripheral region in 12 eyes. Hypopyon was observed in 5 cases. LKCCC was successfully administered in 79 eyes, cured in 76 eyes(96%), and failed in 3 eyes(4%). The healing time of corneal epithelium in 76 cured eyes was 3-15 d, of which 51 eyes(67%)healed within 7 d and 24 eyes(32%)healed within 3 d. The uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA)and best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of 76 eyes of cured patients were statistically significant compared with those preoperatively(P<0.0167). Two of the 3 failed eyes were located at the edge of the lesion and recovered after re-keratectomy. One eye was located in the center of the lesion and recovered after being covered by bulbar conjunctival flap. At the last follow-up, no other complications were observed in all patients except superficial cloud and thinning of cornea.CONCLUSION:LKCCC is a rapid and effective treatment for superficial fungal keratitis and can be considered a new treatment option.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Jiebiao Qingli decoction （JQD） in treating pneumonia caused by influenza A virus （IAV） infection. MethodsA total of 132 Balb/c mice were randomly assigned into normal control （NC）， model control （IAV）， oseltamivir （OSV， 37.5 mg·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， low-dose JQD （H-， M-， and L-JQD： 6.05， 3.02， and 1.51 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. The NC group was treated with normal saline nasal drops， and the other groups were intranasally inoculated with A/Brisbane/02/2018 （H1N1） ［pdm09-like virus （H1N1）］ for the modeling of IAV infection. Two hours post-modeling， the NC and IAV groups were administrated with normal saline by gavage， while other groups received corresponding drugs for 7 d. The body mass， survival status， and deaths of mice were recorded daily during the administration of the drugs. On days 3 and 7， the lung index was measured for mice in each group. Pathological changes in the lung tissue were observed via hematoxylin-eosin staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was conducted to measure the viral load （IAV-M） and the mRNA levels of Toll-like receptor 7 （TLR7）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in the lung tissue. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify serum levels of interleukin-2 （IL-2）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）. ResultsCompared with the NC group， the IAV group showed reduced survival quality and survival days （P<0.01）， lung congestion， inflammatory cell infiltration， elevated lung index （P<0.01）， increased viral load （P<0.01）， upregulated TLR7， p38 MAPK， and NF-κB levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and elevated IL-6 and TNF-α levels （P<0.01）. Compared with the IAV group， H-JQD prolonged survival days （P<0.05）. All JQD groups alleviated pathological changes in the lung tissue and reduced the lung index （P<0.01）. M-JQD and H-JQD decreased the viral load （P<0.01）. H-JQD downregulated the mRNA levels of TLR7， p38 MAPK， and NF-κB （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the protein levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB （P<0.01）， increased the serum IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and lowered the IL-6 and TNF-α levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. M-JQD downregulated the mRNA level of NF-κB （P<0.01） and the protein level of p38 MAPK （P<0.05）， elevated the IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and lowered the TNF-α level （P<0.01）. ConclusionM- and H-JQD can prevent and control IAV infection-induced pneumonia dose-dependently by inhibiting the TLR7/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway， increasing IL-2， and reducing excessive secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Jiebiao Qingli decoction （JQD） in treating pneumonia caused by influenza A virus （IAV） infection. MethodsA total of 132 Balb/c mice were randomly assigned into normal control （NC）， model control （IAV）， oseltamivir （OSV， 37.5 mg·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， low-dose JQD （H-， M-， and L-JQD： 6.05， 3.02， and 1.51 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. The NC group was treated with normal saline nasal drops， and the other groups were intranasally inoculated with A/Brisbane/02/2018 （H1N1） ［pdm09-like virus （H1N1）］ for the modeling of IAV infection. Two hours post-modeling， the NC and IAV groups were administrated with normal saline by gavage， while other groups received corresponding drugs for 7 d. The body mass， survival status， and deaths of mice were recorded daily during the administration of the drugs. On days 3 and 7， the lung index was measured for mice in each group. Pathological changes in the lung tissue were observed via hematoxylin-eosin staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was conducted to measure the viral load （IAV-M） and the mRNA levels of Toll-like receptor 7 （TLR7）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in the lung tissue. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify serum levels of interleukin-2 （IL-2）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）. ResultsCompared with the NC group， the IAV group showed reduced survival quality and survival days （P<0.01）， lung congestion， inflammatory cell infiltration， elevated lung index （P<0.01）， increased viral load （P<0.01）， upregulated TLR7， p38 MAPK， and NF-κB levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and elevated IL-6 and TNF-α levels （P<0.01）. Compared with the IAV group， H-JQD prolonged survival days （P<0.05）. All JQD groups alleviated pathological changes in the lung tissue and reduced the lung index （P<0.01）. M-JQD and H-JQD decreased the viral load （P<0.01）. H-JQD downregulated the mRNA levels of TLR7， p38 MAPK， and NF-κB （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the protein levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB （P<0.01）， increased the serum IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and lowered the IL-6 and TNF-α levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. M-JQD downregulated the mRNA level of NF-κB （P<0.01） and the protein level of p38 MAPK （P<0.05）， elevated the IL-2 level （P<0.01）， and lowered the TNF-α level （P<0.01）. ConclusionM- and H-JQD can prevent and control IAV infection-induced pneumonia dose-dependently by inhibiting the TLR7/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway， increasing IL-2， and reducing excessive secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α.

Sustained inflammatory responses are closely related to various severe diseases, and inhibiting the excessive activation of inflammasomes and pyroptosis has significant implications for clinical treatment. Natural products have garnered considerable concern for the treatment of inflammation. Huanglian-Wumei decoction (HLWMD) is a classic prescription used for treating inflammatory diseases, but the necessity of their combination and the exact underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism have not yet been elucidated. Inspired by the supramolecular self-assembly strategy and natural drug compatibility theory, we successfully obtained berberine (BBR)-chlorogenic acid (CGA) supramolecular (BCS), which is an herbal pair from HLWMD. Using a series of characterization methods, we confirmed the self-assembly mechanism of BCS. BBR and CGA were self-assembled and stacked into amphiphilic spherical supramolecules in a 2:1 molar ratio, driven by electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and π-π stacking; the hydrophilic fragments of CGA were outside, and the hydrophobic fragments of BBR were inside. This stacking pattern significantly improved the anti-inflammatory performance of BCS compared with that of single free molecules. Compared with free molecules, BCS significantly attenuated the release of multiple inflammatory mediators and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pyroptosis. Its anti-inflammatory mechanism is closely related to the inhibition of intracellular nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65 phosphorylation and the noncanonical pyroptosis signalling pathway mediated by caspase-11.

BACKGROUND: The use of inserted sham acupuncture as a placebo in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is controversial, because it may produce specific effects that cause an underestimation of the effect of acupuncture treatment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic survey investigates the magnitude of insert-specific effects of sham acupuncture and whether they affect the estimation of acupuncture treatment effects. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify acupuncture RCTs from their inception until December 2022. INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs that evaluated the effects of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture and no treatment. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: The total effect measured for an acupuncture treatment group in RCTs were divided into three components, including the natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (controlled for no-treatment group), the placebo effect, and the specific effect of acupuncture. The first two constituted the contextual effect of acupuncture, which is mimicked by a sham acupuncture treatment group. The proportion of acupuncture total effect size was considered to be 1. The proportion of natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (PNE) and proportional contextual effect (PCE) of included RCTs were pooled using meta-analyses with a random-effect model. The proportion of acupuncture placebo effect was the difference between PCE and PNE in RCTs with non-inserted sham acupuncture. The proportion of insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture (PIES) was obtained by subtracting the proportion of acupuncture placebo effect and PNE from PCE in RCTs with inserted sham acupuncture. The impact of PIES on the estimation of acupuncture's treatment effect was evaluated by quantifying the percentage of RCTs that the effect of outcome changed from no statistical difference to statistical difference after removing PIES in the included studies, and the impact of PIES was externally validated in other acupuncture RCTs with an inserted sham acupuncture group that were not used to calculate PIES. RESULTS: This analysis included 32 studies with 5492 patients. The overall PNE was 0.335 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.255-0.415) and the PCE of acupuncture was 0.639 (95% CI, 0.567-0.710) of acupuncture's total effect. The proportional contribution of the placebo effect to acupuncture's total effect was 0.191, and the PIES was 0.189. When we modeled the exclusion of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, the acupuncture treatment effect changed from no difference to a significant difference in 45.45% of the included RCTs, and in 40.91% of the external validated RCTs. CONCLUSION The insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture in RCTs represents 18.90% of acupuncture's total effect and significantly affects the evaluation of the acupuncture treatment effect. More than 40% of RCTs that used inserted sham acupuncture would draw different conclusions if the PIES had been controlled for. Considering the impact of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, caution should be taken when using inserted sham acupuncture placebos in RCTs. Please cite this article as: Luo XC, Liu JL, Yao MH, Chen YM, Fan AY, Liang FR, Zhao JP, Zhao L, Zhou X, Zhong XY, Yang JH, Li B, Zhang Y, Sun X, Li L. Specific effect of inserted sham acupuncture and its impact on the estimation of acupuncture treatment effect in randomized controlled trials: A systematic survey. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):630-640.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Placebo Effect ; Placebos ; Treatment Outcome

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is prevalent among men, but its relationship with dietary habits is uncertain. The aim of our study was to assess whether dietary patterns enhance erectile function by reviewing the literature published before August 1, 2022, via PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. The data compiled included author details; publication dates, countries, treatments, patient numbers, ages, follow-ups, and clinical trial outcomes, such as ED cases, odds ratios (ORs), confidence intervals (CIs), and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores with means and standard deviations. An analysis of 14 studies with 27 389 participants revealed that plant-based diets (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.66-0.75; P < 0.00001), low-fat diets (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.53; P = 0.0002), and alternative diets such as intermittent fasting and organic diets (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36-0.80; P = 0.002) significantly reduced ED risk. High-protein low-fat diets (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.12-1.64; P < 0.00001) and high-carb low-fat diets (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.55-1.04; P < 0.00001) improved IIEF-5 scores. Combined diet and exercise interventions decreased the likelihood of ED (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.85; P = 0.01) and increased the IIEF-5 score (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.69-5.11; P < 0.0001). Diets abundant in fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P < 0.00001) and nuts (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37-0.80; P = 0.002) were also correlated with lower ED risk. Our meta-analysis underscores a strong dietary-ED association, suggesting that low-fat/Mediterranean diets rich in produce and nuts could benefit ED management.
Humans ; Male ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Diet ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Feeding Behavior ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Diet, Vegetarian