ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of liver injury induced by tripterygium glycosides tablets （TG） and the molecular mechanism of compound glycyrrhizin tablets （CG） in alleviating the abnormalities of cholesterol metabolism caused by TG via cholesterol metabolism. MethodsAccording to the body weights， male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly grouped as follows： control （pure water）， low-dose TG （TG-L， 189.0 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， high-dose TG （TG-H， 472.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， TG-L+CG （189.0 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 TG + 20.25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 CG）， and TG-H+CG （472.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 TG + 20.25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 CG）， with 6 rats in each group. Rats were administrated with corresponding drugs once daily for 3 weeks. At the end of the last administration， the mRNA and protein levels of liver X receptor-alpha （LXR-α）， low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR）， adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 （ABCA1）， adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter G1 （ABCG1）， 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase （HMGCR）， cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1）， cholesterol 12α-hydroxylase （CYP8B1）， and sterol 27-hydroxylase （CYP27A1） in the liver tissue were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blotting， respectively. The level of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase （HMG-CoAR）， a regulatory enzyme of cholesterol synthesis， was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. HepG2 cells were used to observe the effect of TG on the cell proliferation in vitro. Specifically， HepG2 cells were grouped as follows： Low-dose TG （TG-l， 15 mg·L^-1）， medium-dose TG （TG-m， 45 mg·L^-1）， high-dose TG （TG-h， 135 mg·L^-1）， fenofibrate （FB， 10 μmol·L^-1）， CG extract， TG-h+FB （135 mg·L^-1 TG + 10 μmol·L^-1 FB）， TG-m+FB （45 mg·L^-1 TG + 10 μmol·L^-1 FB）， TG-l+FB （15 mg·L^-1 TG + 10 μmol·L^-1 FB）， TG-h+CG （135 mg·L^-1 TG + 60 μmol·L^-1 CG）， TG-m+CG （45 mg·L^-1 TG + 60 μmol·L^-1 CG）， and TG-l+CG （15 mg·L^-1 TG + 60 μmol·L^-1 CG）. The mRNA and protein levels of LXR-α， ABCG1， LDLR， CYP7A1， CYP8B1， and CYP27A1 in HepG2 cells were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blotting， respectively. ResultsThe rat experiment showed that compared with the control group， the TG-H group showed down-regulated mRNA levels of CYP7A1， CYP8B1， and CYP27A1 in the liver tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， which were up-regulated by the application of CG （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the TG-H+CG group showed up-regulated mRNA level of LDLR （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the TG-L and TG-H groups showed down-regulated protein levels of LDLR， CYP7A1， and CYP8B1 in the liver tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， the protein levels of ABCG1 and LXR-α were down-regulated in the TG-H and TG-L groups， respectively （P<0.05）. Compared with TG alone， TG+CG up-regulated the protein levels of ABCG1 and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP8B1 in the TG-H+CG group were up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The cell experiment showed that compared with the control group， the TG-h group presented up-regulated mRNA level of LXR-α （P<0.01）， and the TG-m and TG-h groups showcased down-regulated mRNA levels of LDLR and CYP7A1 （P<0.01） and up-regulated mRNA level of CYP27A1 （P<0.01） in HepG2 cells. The combination of CG with TG restored the above changes （P<0.01）. Western blotting results showed that compared with the control group， the TG-m and TG-h groups showed down-regulated protein levels of LXR-α， ABCG1， LDLR， CYP7A1， CYP8B1， and CYP27A1 in HepG2 cells （P<0.01）. Compared with the TG-h group， the TG-h+CG group showed up-regulated protein level of LDLR （P<0.05）. Compared with the TG-m group， the TG-m+CG group showcased up-regulated protein levels of LDLR， ABCG1， CYP7A1， and CYP27A1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe administration of TG at 189.0， 472.5 mg·kg^-1 for 3 weeks could modulate the signaling pathways associated with cholesterol efflux， endocytosis， and cholesterol biotransformation in hepatocytes， leading to the accumulation of cholesterol and subsequent liver injury in rats. CG could ameliorate the liver injury induced by lipid metabolism disorders caused by TG by up-regulating the expression of LXR-α， LDLR， ABCG1， CYP7A1， CYP8B1， and CYP27A1 to promote cholesterol biotransformation.

Hepatic encephalopathy （HE） is a common complication of severe liver disease in the end stage， and it is urgently needed to improve the rate of effective treatment and clarify the pathogenesis of HE. The liver is a crucial hub for immune regulation， and disruption of immune homeostasis is a key factor in the pathological mechanisms of HE. As the main metabolites of intestinal flora， short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs） play a vital role in the biological processes of both innate and adaptive immunity and can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of immune cells maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microenvironment and the integrity of barrier function. Studies have shown that SCFAs participate in bidirectional and dynamic interactions with the liver-gut-brain axis through immunomodulatory pathways， thereby playing an important role in the diagnosis， treatment， and prognostic evaluation of HE. Starting from the immunoregulatory effect of SCFAs， this article summarizes and analyzes the crosstalk relationship between SCFAs and the liver-gut-brain axis and the significance of SCFAs in the diagnosis and treatment of HE， in order to provide new ideas for optimizing clinical prevention and treatment strategies.

Nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） is an important intracellular transcription factor widely involved in the processes such as immune response， inflammatory response， cell proliferation， and apoptosis. The abnormal activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in various liver diseases including chronic hepatitis， liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and hepatocellular carcinoma. Extensive studies have shown that inhibiting NF-κB activity may effectively reduce inflammation and fibrosis and improve metabolic disorders. Several natural compounds， such as matrine and salvianolic acid B， have shown the potential in suppressing NF-κB activity， thereby exerting anti-inflammatory， anti-fibrotic， and anti-tumor effects. This article systematically reviews the critical role of the NF-κB signaling pathway in liver diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target， in order to highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for liver diseases and provide new directions for the treatment of liver diseases.

The differences in chemical quality characteristics between Xinjiang Rehmannia glutinosa and R. glutinosa were analyzed to provide a theoretical basis for the introduction and quality control of R. glutinosa. In this study, the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints of 6 batches of Xinjiang R. glutinosa and 10 batches of R. glutinosa samples were established. The content of iridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection(HPLC-DAD), high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection(HPLC-ELSD), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis). The determination results were analyzed with by chemical pattern recognition and entropy weight TOPSIS method. The results showed that there were 19 common peaks in the HPLC fingerprints of the 16 batches of R. glutinosa, and catalpol, aucubin, rehmannioside D, rehmannioside A, hydroxytyrosol, leonuride, salidroside, cistanoside A, and verbascoside were identified. Hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) and principal component analysis(PCA) showed that Qinyang R. glutinosa, Mengzhou R. glutinosa, and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were grouped into three different categories, and eight common components causing the chemical quality difference between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province were screened out by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). The results of content determination showed that there were glucose, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, polysaccharides, and nine glycosides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa samples, and the content of catalpol, rehmannioside A, leonuride, cistanoside A, verbascoside, sucrose, and glucose was significantly different between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa. The analysis with entropy weight TOPSIS method showed that the comprehensive quality of R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province was better than that of Xinjiang R. glutinosa. In conclusion, the types of main chemical components of R. glutinosa and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were the same, but their content was different. The chemical quality of R. glutinosa was better than Xinjiang R. glutinosa, and other components in R. glutinosa from two producing areas and their effects need further study.
Rehmannia/classification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Quality Control

A previous study showed that the length of the foreskin plays a role in the risk of sexually transmitted infections and chronic prostatitis, which can lead to poor quality of sexual life. Here, the association between foreskin length and sexual dysfunction was evaluated. A total of 5700 participants were recruited from the andrology clinic at The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, China). Clinical characteristics, including foreskin length, were collected, and sexual function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) questionnaires. Men with sexual dysfunction were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men without sexual dysfunction. Among the 2721 erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and 1064 premature ejaculation (PE) patients, 301 (11.1%) ED patients and 135 (12.7%) PE patients had redundant foreskin, respectively. Men in the PE group were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men in the non-PE group ( P = 0.004). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the presence of redundant foreskin was associated with increased odds of moderate/severe ED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.31, adjusted P = 0.04), moderate PE (aOR = 1.38, adjusted P = 0.02), and probable PE (aOR = 1.37, adjusted P = 0.03) after adjusting for confounding variables. Our study revealed a positive correlation between the presence of redundant foreskin and the risk of sexual dysfunction, especially in PE patients. Assessment of the length of the foreskin during routine clinical diagnosis may provide information for patients with sexual dysfunction.
Humans ; Male ; Foreskin ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Premature Ejaculation/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics and drug resistance profile of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) enteritis in children in Chengdu, China, providing a reference for rational drug use and empirical treatment in clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 130 children with invasive bacterial enteritis due to NTS identified by fecal bacterial culture and the results of drug sensitivity tests for NTS in Chengdu from January 2022 to December 2023. RESULTS: NTS infections were mainly observed from April to September (113 cases, 86.9%), with a peak in August (36 cases, 27.7%). Children aged <36 months accounted for 86.2% (112/130) of all cases, and the main symptoms were diarrhea (130 cases, 100%), fever (123 cases, 94.6%), and hematochezia (112 cases, 86.2%). The 130 NTS isolates exhibited a sensitivity rate of 64.6% to ceftriaxone and 63.8% to cefotaxime, and a sensitivity rate of >90.0% to piperacillin-tazobactam and nitrofurantoin (nitrofurans). The detection rate of multidrug-resistant strains was 48.5% (63/130), and the clinical efficacy of third-generation cephalosporins used in 38 patients (29.2%) was inconsistent with the results of drug sensitivity tests. CONCLUSIONS The peak of invasive NTS enteritis in children aged 0-6 years occurs in August in the Chengdu area, with a relatively high incidence rate in children aged <36 months. The situation of drug resistance is severe for NTS, and piperacillin-tazobactam may be an effective option for treating multidrug-resistant NTS infections in children, while nitrofuran antibiotics might be used to treat such infections.
Humans ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Enteritis/microbiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Salmonella Infections/microbiology* ; Female ; Child ; Salmonella/drug effects* ; Infant, Newborn ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use*

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases in elderly men, the incidence of which gradually increases with age and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used for the treatment of BPH in China and some other countries. To explore the molecular mechanisms of CHMs for BPH, we conducted a review based on peer-reviewed English-language publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to December 31, 2023. This article primarily reviewed 32 papers on the use of CHMs and its active compounds in the treatment of BPH, covering animal and cell experiments, and identified relevant mechanisms of action. The results suggest that the mechanisms of action of CHMs in treating BPH may involve the regulation of sex hormones, downregulation of cell growth factors, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, inhibition of cell proliferation, and promotion of apoptosis. CHMs also exhibit α-blocker-like effects, with the potential to relax urethral smooth muscle and alleviate LUTS. Additionally, we also reviewed 4 clinical trials and meta-analyses of CHMs for the treatment of BPH patients, which provided initial evidence of the safety and effectiveness of CHMs treatment. CHMs treatment for BPH shows advantages as a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway therapy, which can mitigate the severity of the disease, improve LUTS, and may become a reliable treatment option in the future.
Prostatic Hyperplasia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Male ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To explore and verify the effect and potential mechanism of Brucea javanica Seed Oil Emulsion Injection (YDZI) and Shengmai Injection (SMI) on peripheral microcirculation dysfunction in treatment of gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: The potential mechanisms of YDZI and SMI were explored through network pharmacology and verified by cellular and clinical experiments. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) were cultured for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured for tube formation assay. Twenty healthy volunteers and 97 patients with GC were enrolled. Patients were divided into surgical resection, surgical resection with chemotherapy, and surgical resection with chemotherapy combining YDZI and SMI groups. Forearm skin blood perfusion was measured and recorded by laser speckle contrast imaging coupled with post-occlusive reactive hyperemia. Cutaneous vascular conductance and microvascular reactivity parameters were calculated and compared across the groups. RESULTS: After network pharmacology analysis, 4 ingredients, 82 active compounds, and 92 related genes in YDZI and SMI were screened out. β-Sitosterol, an active ingredient and intersection compound of YDZI and SMI, upregulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2, P<0.01), downregulated the expression of caspase 9 (CASP9) and estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1, P<0.01) in HMECs under oxaliplatin stimulation, and promoted tube formation through VEGFA. Chemotherapy significantly impaired the microvascular reactivity in GC patients, whereas YDZI and SMI ameliorated this injury (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS YDZI and SMI ameliorated peripheral microvascular reactivity in GC patients. β-Sitosterol may improve peripheral microcirculation by regulating VEGFA, PTGS2, ESR1, and CASP9.
Humans ; Microcirculation/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Stomach Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Emulsions ; Male ; Plant Oils/administration & dosage* ; Brucea/chemistry* ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Drug Combinations ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Seeds/chemistry* ; Injections ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Aged ; Network Pharmacology

From the perspective of the physiological basis of liver and kidney sharing the common source in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),and by integrating the theory of kidney dominating bone,liver dominating tendon,and meridian sinew of TCM as well as the bone resorption and collapse theory,and non-uniform settlement theory and lower-limb musculoskeletal bowstring structure theory of modern orthopedics,the pathogenesis of osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH)under the system of non-uniform settlement during bone resorption and multidimensional composite bowstring working in coordination with the theory of liver-kidney and muscle-bone was explored.The key to the TCM pathogenesis of ONFH lies in the deficiency of the liver and kidney,and then the imbalance of kidney yin-yang leads to the disruption of the dynamic balance of bone formation and bone resorption mediated by osteoblasts-osteoclasts,which manifests as the elevated level of bone metabolism and the enhancement of focal bone resorption in the femoral head,and then leads to the necrosis and collapse of the femoral head.It is considered that the kidney dominates bone,liver dominates tendon,and the tendon and bone together constitute the muscle-bone-joint dynamic and static system of the hip joint.The appearance of collapse destroys the originally balanced muscle-bone-joint system.Moreover,the failure of liver blood in the nourishment of muscles and tendons further exacerbates the imbalance of the soft tissues around the hip joint,accelerates the collapse of the muscle-bone-joint dynamic and static system,speeds up the process of femoral head collapse,and ultimately results in irreversible outcomes.Based on the above pathogenesis,the systematic integrative treatment of ONFH should be based on the TCM holistic concept,focuses on the focal improvement of internal and external blood circulation of the femoral head by various approaches,so as to rebuild the coordination of joint function.Moreover,attention should be paid to the physical constitution of the patients,and therapy of tonifying the kidney and regulating the liver can be used to restore the balance between osteogenesis and osteoblastogenesis,and to reconstruct the muscle-bone-joint system,so as to effectively delay or even prevent the occurrence of ONFH.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of establishing combat readiness blood bank with low titer group O whole blood and group A plasma.Methods:The Galileo automatic blood analyzer was used to detect the titers of IgM anti-A and anti-B antibodies in the samples of group O blood donors and IgM anti-B titer in the samples of group A blood donors.Group O blood donors with antibody titers below 128 were selected and included in the mobile blood bank for combat readiness,group A plasma with anti-B titer lower than 128 and group O whole blood with antibody titers below 128 were included in the combat readiness entity blood bank.Results:A total of 1 452 group O blood donors were selected,and the anti-A/B antibody titers were detected.Both antibody titers were distributed below 512,and both peak values of sample distribution were at titer 4.The proportion of samples with titers＞128 for both antibodies was relatively low.There was a significant positive correlation between the titers of the two antibodies(r=0.383),and the proportion of samples with IgM anti-A titer higher than IgM anti-B titer was relatively high.1 335(91.94％)group O blood donors with IgM anti-A and anti-B antibody titers＜128 could be included in the mobile blood bank.The anti-B titer of group A blood was detected in 512 cases and the results showed that as the antibody titer increased,the proportion of blood donors gradually decreased.99.8％of group A blood donors had anti-B antibody titer less than 128,and only one case did not meet the inclusion criteria.Conclusion:The proportion of group O blood donors whose whole blood meet the low antibody titer standard is high,and almost all plasma of group A blood donors meet the low titer standard,which improves the blood supply rate in emergencies.