OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of formulated granules of Tianma Gouteng Yin (TGY) on motor deficits in a mouse model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced subacute Parkinson's disease (PD) and explore the possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Ninety C57BL/6 mice were randomized equally into 6 groups, including a control group, a PD model group, a NEC-1 (6.5 mg/kg) treatment group, two TGY treatment groups at 5 and 2.5 g/kg, and a Madopar (76 mg/kg) treatment (positive control) group. Mouse models of PD were established by intraperitoneal injection of MPTP (30 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days with the corresponding treatments for 15 days. The mice were randomly selected for motor function tests. Western blotting was used to detect the changes in expressions of TH, α-syn, RIPK1, RIPK3 and MLKL in the striatum of the mice. Network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking studies were performed to explore TGY-mediated regulation of the necroptosis pathway for PD treatment. RESULTS: Compared with those in the control group, the PD model mice exhibited obvious motor deficits with significantly increased α-syn protein expression and lowered TH protein expression in the striatum. Treatment with NEC-1 obviously improved motor deficits, inhibited the necroptosis pathway, and alleviated the changes in TH and α‑syn proteins in PD mice. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses suggested that the therapeutic effect of TGY in PD was associated with the modulation of RIPK1, a key protein in the necroptosis pathway. In PD mouse models, TGY treatment at the two doses significantly improved motor deficits of the mice, increased TH expression, and decreased the expressions of α-syn and necroptosis-related proteins in the striatum. CONCLUSIONS TGY can effectively inhibit the necroptosis pathway, increase TH expression and decrease α-syn expression in the striatum to improve motor deficits in PD mice.
Animals ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Necroptosis/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Parkinson Disease/drug therapy* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male

Astragali Radix (AR) and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma (NR) are frequently employed in cardiovascular disease treatment. However, the efficacy of the AR-NR medicine pair (AN) in improving cardiac remodeling and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate AN's cardioprotective effect and potential mechanism on cardiac remodeling using transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in mice and angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and fibroblasts in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) characterized 23 main components of AN. AN significantly improved cardiac function in the TAC-induced mice. Furthermore, AN considerably reduced the serum levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin T (CTn-T), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and mitigated inflammatory cell infiltration. Post-AN treatment, TAC-induced heart size approached normal. AN decreased cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area and attenuated the upregulation of cardiac hypertrophy marker genes (ANP, BNP, and MYH7) in vivo and in vitro. Concurrently, AN alleviated collagen deposition in TAC-induced mice. AN also reduced the expression of fibrosis-related indicators (COL1A1 and COL3A1) and inhibited the activation of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 (Smad3) pathway. Thus, AN improved TAC-induced cardiac remodeling. Moreover, AN downregulated p-dynamin-related protein (Drp1) (Ser616) expression and upregulated mitogen 2 (MFN-2) and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) expression in vivo and in vitro, thereby restoring mitochondrial fusion and fission balance. In conclusion, AN improves cardiac remodeling by regulating mitochondrial dynamic balance, providing experimental data for the rational application of Chinese medicine prescriptions with AN as the main component in clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Mice ; Rats ; Male ; Mitochondrial Dynamics/drug effects* ; Ventricular Remodeling/drug effects* ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Rhizome/chemistry* ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/genetics* ; Humans ; Angiotensin II ; Astragalus propinquus

Objective To investigate the potential mechanism by which dihydromyricetin(DHM)ameliorates diabetic nephropathy(DN),and to screen and validate its possible key molecular targets.Methods A DN model was established using db/db mice,and 100 mg/(kg·d)DHM was administered via gavage 5 d per week for totally 10 weeks.Renal morphological changes were observed after staining to evaluate the effects of DHM.GSE161885 and GSE270526 datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database and analyzed in combination with the GeneCards database to screen for DN-related differentially expressed genes(DEGs).Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network and molecular docking were employed to predict potential DHM targets.Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining were performed to detect the effects of DHM on pyroptosis-related pathways in the renal tissues of db/db mice and in high glucose(HG)-induced human renal tubular epithelial cells(HK-2).The specific NLR family pyrin domain containing protein 3(NLRP3)inhibitor MCC950 was also used to validate the predicted mechanism.Results In vivo experiments showed that DHM significantly ameliorated renal pathological damage in db/db mice,alleviated glomerular hypertrophy and mesangial expansion,and markedly reduced Paller scores(P<0.001).Immunofluorescence staining revealed significantly weakened fluorescence signals for α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),fibronectin,and collagen Ⅰ in renal tissues.Western blot results showed that the expression levels of collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ,α-SMA,and transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-β1)were significantly decreased(P<0.05).A total of 16 DN-related DEGs were identified.Enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were primarily enriched in pathways such as viral protein interactions,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,and the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,and were primarily involved in gene functions such as the positive regulation of lymphocyte-mediated immunity,positive regulation of adaptive immune response,and chemokine activity.Molecular docking confirmed NLRP3 as a potential target of DHM.In vivo validation showed that DHM significantly down-regulated gasdermin-D(GSDMD)fluorescence signals and inhibited the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins including NLRP3,Caspase 1,Cleaved-Caspase 1,interleukin 18(IL-18),and GSDMD(P<0.05).In vitro studies further confirmed that both DHM and the specific NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 alleviate high glucose-induced fibrosis and pyroptosis in HIC-2 cells.Conclusion DHM can ameliorate the progression of DN,and its mechanism is related to inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis,thereby alleviating renal inflammation and fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the transition intensity and transition probabilities of fall states among middle-aged and older adults in China,and to assess the impact of potential risk factors on falls.Methods We utilized in the study data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS)and employed a multi-state Markov model(MSM)to analyze the transition intensity and probabilities between states of no falls or falls without treatment,falls requiring treatment,and death.Results A total of 14722 participants were enrolled,with a mean age of(59.4 years±9.7 years),and 47.9％were male.The median follow-up period was 9 years(interquartile range[IQR].7-9 years).At baseline,12381 participants(84.1％)reported no falls or falls without treatment,while 2341(15.9％)reported falls requiring treatment.Participants who experienced falls requiring treatment within one follow-up cycle had a 55.2％probability of not falling again or only falling without treatment in the subsequent two years,a 37.6％probability of continuing to experience falls requiring treatment,and a 7.2％probability of death.The risk of transitioning from a state of no falls or falls without treatment to falls requiring treatment increased by 8.6％for every 5-year increase in age.The risk was 35.1％higher for females compared to males.Rural residents had a 10.1％higher risk.Those who were divorced,separated,widowed,or never married had a 20.7％higher risk.Higher degrees of physical function impairment were associated with an increased risk.Depressive symptoms increased the risk by 31.6％.Having one chronic disease raised the risk by 9.6％,while multimorbidity led to a 28.8％increase in risk.Conclusion According to the findings of the study,falls are a dynamic process and emphasis should be given to fall prevention for older adults,individuals with a history of fall-related medical visits,those living alone,those with impaired physical function,and those with depressive symptoms.

Objective To investigate the effects of formulated granules of Tianma Gouteng Yin(TGY)on motor deficits in a mouse model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)-induced subacute Parkinson's disease(PD)and explore the possible molecular mechanisms.Methods Ninety C57BL/6 mice were randomized equally into 6 groups,including a control group,a PD model group,a NEC-1(6.5 mg/kg)treatment group,two TGY treatment groups at 5 and 2.5 g/kg,and a Madopar(76 mg/kg)treatment(positive control)group.Mouse models of PD were established by intraperitoneal injection of MPTP(30 mg/kg)for 5 consecutive days with the corresponding treatments for 15 days.The mice were randomly selected for motor function tests.Western blotting was used to detect the changes in expressions of TH,α-syn,RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL in the striatum of the mice.Network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking studies were performed to explore TGY-mediated regulation of the necroptosis pathway for PD treatment.Results Compared with those in the control group,the PD model mice exhibited obvious motor deficits with significantly increased α-syn protein expression and lowered TH protein expression in the striatum.Treatment with NEC-1 obviously improved motor deficits,inhibited the necroptosis pathway,and alleviated the changes in TH and α-syn proteins in PD mice.Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses suggested that the therapeutic effect of TGY in PD was associated with the modulation of RIPK1,a key protein in the necroptosis pathway.In PD mouse models,TGY treatment at the two doses significantly improved motor deficits of the mice,increased TH expression,and decreased the expressions of α-syn and necroptosis-related proteins in the striatum.Conclusion TGY can effectively inhibit the necroptosis pathway,increase TH expression and decrease α-syn expression in the striatum to improve motor deficits in PD mice.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of quercetin on Gastro entero pancreatic NEN(GEP-NEN).Methods Human pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor BON-1 cells were randomly divided into control group,quercetin group(80 μmol·L-1 quercetin),quercetin+si-NC group(transfected with si-NC+80 μmol·L-1 quercetin),quercetin+si-growth arrest-specific+ranscript 5(GAS5)group(transfected with si-GAS5+80 μmol·L-1 quercetin).Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the targeted binding of GASS5 to miR-18b-5p;real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)and Bel-2 associated X protein(Bax);positive expression of GAS5 and miR-18b-5p in cells was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)assay.Results Dual luciferase reporter gene results showed that GAS5 was targeted to miR-18b-5p.The GAS5 expression levels of control group,quercetin group,quercetin+si-NC group and quercetin+si-GAS5 group were 1.00±0.13,1.72±0.19,1.78±0.14 and 1.16±0.11,respectively;the expression levels of miR-18b-5p were 1.00±0.15,0.67±0.08,0.72±0.06 and 0.95±0.11 respectively;Bax mRNA expression levels were 1.00±0.12,2.17±0.25,2.32±0.28 and 1.37±0.15,respectively;Bcl-2 mRNA expression levels were 1.00±0.15,0.41±0.05,0.37±0.06 and 1.21±0.13,respectively.The above indexes were significantly different between quercetin group and control group(all P＜0.05);the above indexes were significantly different between quercetin+si-NC group and quercetin+si-GAS5 group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Quercetin may slow down the development of GEP-NEN by targeting GAS5/miR-18b-5p molecular axis to inhibit cell growth.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of placing a nasointestinal ileus tube (NTI) during extensive adhesive bowel obstruction (ABO) surgery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical and follow-up data of 60 patients with extensive ABO admitted to the Department of General Surgery of Daxing District Hospital of Capital Medical University from April 2019 to April 2021, of which 30 patients underwent intraoperative NIT intraintestinal alignment (observation group) and 30 patients who did not undergo NIT intraintestinal alignment (control group) during the same period. There were 12 males and 18 females in the observation group. There were 16 males and 14 females in the control group. The operation time, gastrointestinal function recovery time, discharge time, total effective rate and postoperative complication rate were compared between the two groups, and the quantitative data of the recurrence rate of intestinal obstruction at 24 months after surgery were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and the t-test was used for comparison between groups. Numerological data were presented as cases (percentage) [ n (%)], and chi-square tests were used for comparison between groups. Results:All patients were successfully completed the surgery and discharged from the hospital. There was no statistically significant difference in total effective rate between the control group and the observation group( χ2=3.16, P=0.237). The surgical time in the observation group was slightly longer than that in the control group [(110.6±4.6) min vs (94.3±2.5) min, t=17.27, P=0.001]. The recovery time of gastrointestinal function and hospitalization time in the observation group were shorter than those in the control group[(8.13±1.00) d vs (8.70±0.70) d, t=2.53, P=0.014; (12.83±1.57) d vs (13.67±1.03) d, t=0.03, P=0.018]. The incidence of postoperative complications was lower than that in the control group (10% vs 30%, P=0.028), and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:Intraoperative application of NIT is safe and effective, and can significantly reduce the recurrence rate of postoperative intestinal obstruction.

Objective:To investigate the drug resistance status and genomic characterization of Proteus mirabilis (PM) isolated from outpatient cases with diarrhea in Tai′an City and Laizhou City, Shandong Province. Methods:A total of 510 fecal samples were collected from 510 patients with acute diarrhea admitted to 43 sentinel hospitals in Tai′an City and Laizhou City, Shandong Province, between January 2021 and December 2022. The samples were cultured and isolated to identify Proteus spp. by direct inoculation, the drug susceptibility testing was performed by microbroth dilution method, and resistance genes and virulence genes were obtained by whole genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis, thereby revealing the genetic environment surrounding the blaOXA-1 and blaCTX-M-65 genes. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) were conducted on the current strains and 100 PM isolates downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database via customizable methods utilizing RidomSeqSphere+ software, with the objective of exploring the phylogenetic relationships among the strains. Results:A total of 35 strains of Proteus were isolated from 510 fecal samples, including 31 strains of PM with a detection rate of 6.08% (31/510) and four strains of Proteus vulgaris.The multidrug resistance rate of PM was 100.00% (31/31).The 35 isolates carried a total of 43 resistance genotypes.Thirteen strains of PM carried blaOXA-1, six strains carried both blaOXA-1 and blaCTX-M-65, and 15 PM strains carried at least 15 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The virulence genes included ureA, mrpA, ZapA, hpmA and so on. blaOXA-1 and blaCTX-M-65 genes were surrounded by mobile elements such as Tn3, ISL3 and IS6. cgMLST showed consistency with the SNP clustering results. Isolate 2022LZ41 from Laizhou City clustered with isolates 2022TA018, 2022TA017 and 2022TA019 from Tai′an City, with the number of allelic differences ranging from zero to two, and the Laizhou City isolate 2022LZ40 was highly genetically related to strain CRK0056 (human, USA, 2015). Conclusions:PM isolated from patients with diarrhea is multidrug-resistant, carrying many resistance and virulence genes.The presence of mobile genetic elements can lead to horizontal transfer of resistance genes.

Objective:To study the ultrasonographic manifestations of intercostal muscle and diaphragm involvement in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and their correlations with functional status, and to explore the pattern of muscle damage in patients with DMD and the potential role of ultrasonography in assessing disease progression.Methods:A total of 28 patients with DMD who received treatment in the Third Medical Centre of PLA General Hospital from May to December 2023 were prospectively collected as DMD group, and 28 healthy children matched in age and sex were included as controls for a prospective study.Diaphragm thickening fraction (DTF) and intercostal muscle thickening fraction (ICMTF) were measured by B-mode and M-mode ultrasonography, and the muscle gray values were recorded. The differences between groups were compared, and the values of DTF and ICMTF in evaluating the structural and functional changes of respiratory muscle were analyzed.Results:Compared with the control group, the gray value of respiratory muscle was significantly decreased in DMD group, the diaphragm and intercostal muscle were significantly thickened at the end of inspiratory and expiratory periods, DTF was significantly decreased, and ICMTF was significantly increased (all P<0.001). Conclusions:Ultrasound can evaluate the structural changes of respiratory muscle in DMD, so as to clarify the relationship between the structure and function of respiratory muscle in DMD patients.