Cardiac fibrosis(CF) is a cardiac pathological process characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM). When the heart is damaged by adverse stimuli, cardiac fibroblasts are activated and secrete a large amount of ECM, leading to changes in cardiac fibrosis, myocardial stiffness, and cardiac function declines and accelerating the development of heart failure. There is a close relationship between heart yin deficiency and cardiac fibrosis, which have similar pathogenic mechanisms. Heart Yin deficiency, characterized by insufficient Yin fluids, causes the heart to lose its nourishing function, which acts as the initiating factor for myocardial dystrophy. The deficiency of body fluids leads to stagnation of blood flow, resulting in blood stasis and water retention. Blood stasis and water retention accumulate in the heart, which aligns with the pathological manifestation of excessive deposition of ECM, as a tangible pathogenic factor. This is an inevitable stage of the disease process. The lingering of blood stasis combined with water retention eventually leads to the generation of heat and toxins, triggering inflammatory responses similar to heat toxins, which continuously stimulate the heart and cause the ultimate outcome of CF. Considering the syndrome of heart Yin deficiency, traditional Chinese medicine capable of nourishing Yin, activating blood, and promoting urination can reduce myocardial cell apoptosis, inhibit fibroblast activation, and lower the inflammation level, showing significant advantages in combating CF.
Humans ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Yin Deficiency/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between eight serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and regional fat depots, we analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018 cycles. METHODS: Multiple linear regression models were developed to explore the associations between serum PFAS concentrations and six fat compositions along with a fat distribution score created by summing the concentrations of the six fat compositions. The associations between structurally grouped PFASs and fat distribution were assessed, and a prediction model was developed to estimate the ability of PFAS exposure to predict obesity risk. RESULTS: Among females aged 39-59 years, trunk fat mass was positively associated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Higher concentrations of PFOS, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoate (PFDeA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and n-perfluorooctanoate (n-PFOA) were linked to greater visceral adipose tissue in this group. In men, exposure to total perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) and long-chain PFSAs was associated with reductions in abdominal fat, while higher abdominal fat in women aged 39-59 years was associated with short-chain PFSAs. The prediction model demonstrated high accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9925 for predicting obesity risk. CONCLUSION PFAS exposure is associated with regional fat distribution, with varying effects based on age, sex, and PFAS structure. The findings highlight the potential role of PFAS exposure in influencing fat depots and obesity risk, with significant implications for public health. The prediction model provides a highly accurate tool for assessing obesity risk related to PFAS exposure.
Humans ; Fluorocarbons/blood* ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Environmental Pollutants/blood* ; Abdominal Fat ; Nutrition Surveys ; Alkanesulfonic Acids/blood* ; Obesity ; Environmental Exposure

OBJECTIVE: To identify the key features of facial and tongue images associated with anemia in female populations, establish anemia risk-screening models, and evaluate their performance. METHODS: A total of 533 female participants (anemic and healthy) were recruited from Shuguang Hospital. Facial and tongue images were collected using the TFDA-1 tongue and face diagnosis instrument. Color and texture features from various parts of facial and tongue images were extracted using Face Diagnosis Analysis System (FDAS) and Tongue Diagnosis Analysis System version 2.0 (TDAS v2.0). Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for feature selection. Ten machine learning models and one deep learning model (ResNet50V2 + Conv1D) were developed and evaluated. RESULTS: Anemic women showed lower a-values, higher L- and b-values across all age groups. Texture features analysis showed that women aged 30-39 with anemia had higher angular second moment (ASM)and lower entropy (ENT) values in facial images, while those aged 40-49 had lower contrast (CON), ENT, and MEAN values in tongue images but higher ASM. Anemic women exhibited age-related trends similar to healthy women, with decreasing L-values and increasing a-, b-, and ASM-values. LASSO identified 19 key features from 62. Among classifiers, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model achieved the best performance [area under the curve (AUC): 0.849, accuracy: 0.781]. The ResNet50V2 model achieved comparable results [AUC: 0.846, accuracy: 0.818]. CONCLUSION Differences in facial and tongue images suggest that color and texture features can serve as potential TCM phenotype and auxiliary diagnostic indicators for female anemia.
Humans ; Female ; Tongue/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Anemia/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Face/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult ; Machine Learning

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

The 2024 National Education Work Conference pointed out that at the current juncture of the critical period for achieving the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan,the implementation of the Education Powerhouse Construction Plan Outline should be taken as the main line of work,and building first-class disciplines is an crucial task for a higher education powerhouse.In 2022,forensic medicine was officially listed as a first-level discipline under the medical category,presenting an un-precedented historical opportunity for the development of forensic medicine.The forensic medicine dis-cipline of Southern Medical University comprehensively improves the quality of talent cultivation and facilitates the construction of first-class disciplines as its main direction.It aims to initiate and imple-ment a high-level faculty team building plan featuring"combining recruitment and cultivation,inter-disciplinary integration";make vigorous efforts to establish a first-level doctoral program,refine advan-tageous second-level disciplines and research directions;and establish an innovative research platform from a high starting point with deep integration.The discipline adheres to moral cultivation and the Five Domains of Education simultaneous development,to build a high-quality talent joint training model.Guided by the construction of the national legal system and industry needs,the discipline will enhance social service capabilities.The forensic medicine construction in our university will continue to contribute to the rule of law in China and educational power.

Objective To explore the optimization strategy of Qishen Granules in treating coronary heart disease with heart failure(CHD-HF)based on data mining and the pathogenic"toxin"theory,and to predict its active components and mechanisms using network pharmacology.Methods Literature on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for treating CHD-HF was collected from relevant databases,and prescriptions were screened and established into a database according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.Frequency,association rules,and hierarchical clustering analyses were performed using the Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform.Network pharmacology techniques were applied to screen potential targets of the optimized combination for treating CHD-HF,and carry out the targets and pathways enrichment analysis.Results A total of 336 articles and 339 prescriptions involving 191 herbs were included,with 12 herbs used more than 100 times.The core drug combinations for treating CHD-HF included Astragali Radix,Poria,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,etc,while commonly used detoxifying herbs included Leonuri Herb,Coptidis Rhizoma,etc.Association rule analysis yielded 10 two-item associations and 17 three-item associations;clustering analysis grouped the data into 5 categories.Based on data mining and the pathogenic"toxin"theory,the combination for treating CHD-HF was optimized to include Astragali Radix,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Coptidis Rhizoma,and Taraxaci Herba.Network pharmacology analysis identified 366 common targets between the optimized combination and CHD-HF,with 16 core targets screened out.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis revealed significant enrichment in pathways such as cancer pathways,lipid and atherosclerosis,Rap1 signaling pathway,hypoxia-inducible factor 1(HIF-1)signaling pathway,phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt)signaling pathway,Ras signaling pathway,and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway.Conclusion TCM treatment for CHD-HF primarily focuses on replenishing qi and warming yang,activating blood circulation and resolving fluid retention.Based on data mining results and the pathogenic"toxin"theory,the formulation strategy of Qishen Granules for treating CHD-HF was optimized,potentially exerting therapeutic effects through anti-inflammatory,anti-apoptotic,and anti-hypoxia physiological processes.

Objective To observe the therapeutic effects of different doses of methylprednisolone(MP)on smoke inhalation-induced acute lung injury(SI-ALI)in rats,and to explore the changes in the expression of aquaporins(AQPs)and the underlying mechanisms for alleviating lung injury.Methods A total of 86 healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into five groups:control group(n=6),smoke inhalation injury(SI)group(n=20),low-dose MP group(LMP,SI+0.4 mg/kg MP,n=20),medium-dose MP group(MMP,SI+4 mg/kg MP,n=20),and high-dose MP group(HMP,SI+40 mg/kg MP,n=20).A model of smoke inhalation-induced lung injury was established.The survival status of the rats in each group was monitored.Lung tissues were collected 24 hours after injury to determine the wet-to-dry(W/D)ratio of the lung tissues,arterial oxygen partial pressure(PaO2),and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6.The degree of lung injury was evaluated using HE staining,and the mRNA and protein expression levels of AQP1 and AQP5 in the lung tissues were detected.Results Compared with control group,the survival rate of the rats in SI group was significantly decreased(P<0.05);compared with SI group,the survival rates of the rats in MMP and HMP groups were significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with control group,the PaO2 of the Rats in SI group was significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the wet-to-dry(W/D)ratio and lung injury scores were significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with SI group,the PaO2 of the rats in LMP,MMP,and HMP groups(P<0.05)was significantly increased(P<0.05),and the lung W/D ratio and injury scores in MMP and HMP groups were significantly decreased(P<0.05).ELISA results showed that compared with control group,the serum concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 in SI group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with SI group,the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 in MMP and HMP groups were significantly decreased(P<0.05).HE staining revealed that the alveolar structure of the rats in SI group was severely damaged;compared with SI group,the damage to the alveolar structure in MMP and HMP groups was alleviated.Real-time PCR and Western blotting analysis results showed that compared with control group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of AQP1 and AQP5 in lung tissues in SI group were significantly decreased(P<0.05);however,compared with SI group,these levels in LMP,MMP,and HMP groups were significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusions Smoke inhalation can induce acute lung injury in rats and down-regulate the expression levels of AQP1 and AQP5 in the lung tissues.Methylprednisolone can alleviate pulmonary edema and tissue damage in rats caused by smoke inhalation,and induce the up-regulation of the expression of AQP1 and AQP5.

Objective To explore the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by examining the effects of dihydroartemisinin(DHA)on cognitive behavior,hippocampal,cerebral cortex and retinal cell morphology,β-amyloid(Aβ)and autophagy-related proteins in 5×FAD mice.Methods Twenty 5×FAD mice and 5 wild type(WT)mice were selected,all of which were female.The 5×FAD mice were randomly divided into model(M)group,donepezil(D)group,low-dose DHA(DHA-L)group,and high-dose DHA(DHA-H)group.The WT and M groups were not treated,and the D group was given donepezil 0.1 mg/kg per day.DHA-L group and DHA-H group were given 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg DHA per day,respectively.Group D,group DHA-L and group DHA-H were given intragastric administration once a day for 3 months.The changes of in cognitive behavior were measured by Morris experiment.HE staining was used to observe the arrangement and morphology of nerve cells in cerebral cortex,hippocampus and retina.The expressions of Aβ protein in cerebral cortex,hippocampus and retina were detected by immunohistochemistry.Western blotting detected the expression of autophagy related proteins(LC3-Ⅰ,LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin-1,P62,β-actin).Results The DHA-H group and the D group exhibited more frequent adoption of both linear and trending exploration routes.Compared to the model group,significant differences in the contents of Aβ in the hippocampal CA1,cerebral cortex S1,and retinal were observed(P＜0.0001)in the other four groups.The analysis also showed significant differences in autophagy-associated proteins between the DHA-L,DHA-H,and model groups(P＜0.01).Conclusion DHA improves cognitive function and increases the number of nerve cells in mice.It also reduces Aβ content in the cerebral cortex,hippocampus,and retina,along with improving autophagy-associated protein deposition in mice.