AIM To establish the near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative models for moisture,23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C in Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.METHODS The near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)data were collected in 95 batches of decoction pieces,after which drying method was adopted in the content determination of moisture,HPLC was applied to determining the contents of 23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C,the quantitative models were established by partial least squares method combined with feature extraction algorithms.RESULTS The model training determination coefficients were 0.952 6,0.958 1 and 0.920 8,along with the prediction determination coefficients of 0.930 0,0.905 2 and 0.906 4,the residual prediction deviations(PRD)of 4.00,3.58 and 3.46,and the root mean square error ratios of prediction values to calibration values(RMSEP/RMSEC)of 1.15,1.11 and 1.06,respectively.CONCLUSION The quantitative models based on NIRS exhibit good prediction effects,which can be used for the rapid quality detection of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.

Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) is an epigenetic modification enzyme that plays a crucial role in the development and progression of diabetes and its complications. Studies have reported that increased HDAC3 activity is associated with pancreatic β-cell dysfunction in type 1 diabetes, while in type 2 diabetes, HDAC3 affects insulin resistance and signaling by regulating the metabolism of the liver, adipose tissue, and muscle. Additionally, HDAC3 plays a key role in diabetic complications such as cardiomyopathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Selective inhibition of HDAC3 has the potential to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce chronic inflammation, and enhance pancreatic cell function, offering a promising new therapeutic strategy for diabetes and its complications.

AIM To establish the near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative models for moisture,23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C in Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.METHODS The near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)data were collected in 95 batches of decoction pieces,after which drying method was adopted in the content determination of moisture,HPLC was applied to determining the contents of 23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C,the quantitative models were established by partial least squares method combined with feature extraction algorithms.RESULTS The model training determination coefficients were 0.952 6,0.958 1 and 0.920 8,along with the prediction determination coefficients of 0.930 0,0.905 2 and 0.906 4,the residual prediction deviations(PRD)of 4.00,3.58 and 3.46,and the root mean square error ratios of prediction values to calibration values(RMSEP/RMSEC)of 1.15,1.11 and 1.06,respectively.CONCLUSION The quantitative models based on NIRS exhibit good prediction effects,which can be used for the rapid quality detection of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of paeonol(PAE)on autophagy in human neuroblastoma cells(SH-SY5Y)induced by overexpression of α-synuclein(α-Syn),and to explore its related mechanism.Methods SH-SY5Y cells served as control group,while those induced with A53T-α-Syn mutation were used as model group.Additional groups included PAE(150 μg/ml)group,3-MA(1 mmol/L)group,and PAE(150 μg/ml)+3-MA(1 mmol/L)group.Cell viability was assessed using CCK-8 method,cell morphology was observed under an optical microscope,and protein expressions of α-Syn,LC3-Ⅱ,p62,Beclin-1,phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase(p-JNK),and p-Bcl-2 were determined by Western blotting.Results Compared with control group,model control exhibited decreased cell survival(P＜0.01),increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.001),reduced expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin-1(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),elevated autophagy substrate protein p62(P＜0.05),and decreased expression of autophagy pathway-related proteins p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with model group,PAE group showed increased cell survival(P＜0.01),decreased α-Syn and p62 protein expression(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),and increased expression of LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin-1,p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05).Compared with PAE group,3-MA+PAE group demonstrated increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.05).Conclusions PAE could attenuate the injury of SH-SY5Y cells induced by A53T-α-Syn and eliminate over-expressed α-Syn by activating autophagy pathway,which may be associated with the upregulation of JNK/Bcl-2 mediated autophagy pathway.

Objective To investigate the mechanism by which Senegenin(SEN)alleviates microglial inflammatory response through the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)pathway.Methods BV2 mouse microglia cells were randomly divided into control group,model group,SEN group and MCC950 group.Cells in control group were not treated,and cells in model group were added with 1 μg/ml lipopolysaccharide(LPS);Cells in SEN group were added with 1 μg/ml LPS+4 μmol/L SEN,and cells in MCC950 group were added with 1 μg/ml LPS+10 μmol/L MCC950 for 24 hours.CCK-8 method was used to detect the effect of different concentrations of SEN on the viability of BV2 cells.Griess method was used to determine the release amount of nitric oxide(NO)in the supernatant.Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of NLRP3,lymphocyte apoptosis-associated spect-like protein containing a CARD(ASC),caspase-1,interleukin(IL)-1β and IL-18 mRNA.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression levels of ASC,IL-1β,Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1).Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3,caspase-1,ASC,IL-1β,IL-18,Nrf2,HO-1,nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS).Results The results of CCK-8 method showed that there was no significant difference in the viability of BV2 cells treated with 2～20 μmol/L SEN compared with control group(P>0.05).Compared with control group,the viability of BV2 cells in model group decreased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with model group,the viability of BV2 cells in 4 μmol/L SEN group was significantly restored(P<0.05).Compared with control group,the results of Griess method showed that the release amount of NO in cells of model group increased significantly(P<0.05);the results of real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of NLRP3,ASC,caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA in cells of model group increased significantly(P<0.05);the results of Western blotting showed that the protein expression levels of NLRP3,ASC,caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18 proteins in cells of model group increased significantly(P<0.05),and the immunofluorescence staining results showed that the expression levels of iNOS and NF-κB protein in cells of model group increased,and the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 decreased,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Compared with model group,the release amount of NO in cells of SEN group and MCC950 group decreased,and the expression levels of NLRP3,ASC,caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA and proteins decreased,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05);in the SEN group,the expression levels of iNOS and NF-κB decreased,and immunofluorescence staining showed that Nrf2 was translocated into the nucleus,and the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins increased significantly,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusions SEN could alleviate the inflammatory response of mouse microglia cells induced by LPS and inhibit the activation and expression of NLRP3 inflammasome,with an effect comparable to that of the inflammasome inhibitor MCC950.The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the expression of upstream factors Nrf2 and HO-1.

Objective To explore the changes in gut microbiota and levels of short-chain fatty acids(SCFA)in infants with cow's milk protein allergy(CMPA),and to clarify their role in CMPA.Methods A total of 25 infants diagnosed with CMPA at Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from August 2019 to August 2020 were enrolled as the CMPA group,and 25 healthy infants were selected as the control group.Fecal samples(200 mg)were collected from both groups and subjected to 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the changes in gut microbial composition and metabolites.Microbial diversity was analyzed in conjunction with metabolites.Results Compared to the control group,the CMPA group showed altered gut microbial structure and significantly increased α-diversity(P＜0.001).The abundance of Firmicutes,Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased,while the abundance of Sphingomonadaceae,Clostridiaceae_l and Mycoplasmataceae was significantly increased in the CMPA group compared to the control group(P＜0.001).Metabolomic analysis revealed reduced levels of acetic acid,butyric acid,and isovaleric acid in the CMPA group compared to the control group,and the levels of the metabolites were positively correlated with the abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria such as Faecalibacterium and Roseburia(P＜0.05).Conclusions CMPA infants have alterations in gut microbial structure,increased microbial diversity,and decreased levels of SCFA,which may contribute to increased intestinal inflammation.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(3):236-243]

G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 40, as one of GPRs family, plays a potential role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. To study the effect of GPR40 novel agonist SZZ15-11 on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia and its potential mechanism, spontaneous type 2 diabetic KKA^y mice, human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and murine mature adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells were used. KKA^y mice were divided into four groups, vehicle group, TAK group, SZZ (50 mg·kg^-1) group and SZZ (100 mg·kg^-1) group, with oral gavage of 0.5% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 50 mg·kg^-1 TAK875, 50 and 100 mg·kg^-1 SZZ15-11 respectively for 45 days. Fasting blood glucose, blood triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), non-fasting blood glucose were tested. Oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test were executed. Blood insulin and glucagon were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After mice′s execution, liver tissue was harvested to test TG and TC content. Then pathological morphology of liver was observed through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the lipid metabolism relative signal pathway was analyzed by Western blot and RT-PCR. The experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. At the same time, Akt phosphorylation level in HepG2 cells and adiponectin in 3T3-L1 cells treated with TNFα were measured with Western blot. The results show that SZZ15-11 not only decreased blood glucose and lipid, improved insulin sensitivity, but also increased fasting blood glucagon and promoted insulin secretion after glucose loading in KKA^y mice. Additionally, SZZ15-11 alleviated hepatic steatosis and liver dysfunction in KKA^y mice. In liver tissue, SZZ15-11 increased AMPKα phosphorylation level and cholesterol metabolism relative gene Abcg8 transcription. In HepG2 cells, SZZ15-11 increased Akt phosphorylation level. In adipocyte 3T3-L1, SZZ15-11 recovered the decreased adiponectin expression by TNFα. This study proved that GPR40 agonist SZZ15-11 could be a candidate compound for regulating glucolipid metabolic disorder.

Objective To study the risk factors for embolism in children with refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(RMPP)and to construct a nomogram model for prediction of embolism.Methods This retrospective study included 175 children diagnosed with RMPP at Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to October 2023.They were divided into two groups based on the presence of embolism:the embolism group(n=62)and the non-embolism group(n=113).Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen for risk factors of embolism in children with RMPP,and the R software was applied to construct the nomogram model for prediction of embolism.Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher levels of D-dimer,interleukin-6(IL-6)and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR),lung necrosis,and pleural effusion were risk factors for embolism in children with RMPP(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of the nomogram model for prediction of embolism constructed based on the aforementioned risk factors was 0.912(95％CI:0.871-0.952,P＜0.05).The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that the model had a good fit with the actual situation(P＜0.05).Calibration and decision curve analysis indicated that the model had high predictive efficacy and clinical applicability.Conclusions Higher levels of D-dimer,IL-6 and NLR,lung necrosis,and pleural effusion are risk factors for embolism in children with RMPP.The nomogram model based on these risk factors has high clinical value for predicting embolism in children with RMPP.

As a member of G protein coupled-receptors superfamily, free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1), is also known as GPR40, has been shown to regulate numerous pathophysiological processes in a variety of tissues and organs. The activated FFAR1 has a variety of biological functions. For instance, it can not only regulate metabolism of fatty acids and glucose, but also play an important role in immune inflammatory response, it may be a potential drug target for the treatment of various chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we focus on the recent researches of FFAR1's action in the regulation of pathophysiological processes, its molecular mechanism and new agonists development. At the same time, this review will take the discovery of series FFAR1 agonists as examples, and display the applied prospects of FFAR1.

Objective::Many studies have shown that blood glucose fluctuations (GFs) are more harmful to patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) than sustained hyperglycemia. However, the effect of GF on electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters and vulnerability to ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) remains poorly characterized. This study aimed to assess the effect of GF on ECG parameters and induction of VT/VF in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods::Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with STZ and randomly divided into 3 treatment groups: controlled STZ-induced diabetic rats (C-STZ) ( n = 10); uncontrolled STZ-induced diabetic rats (U-STZ) ( n = 10); and STZ-induced diabetic rats with glucose fluctuations (GF-STZ) ( n = 10). After 12 weeks, baseline ECG recordings were taken and a VT/VF test was performed with the administration of caffeine and dobutamine. Hematoxylin & eosin and masson staining were used to evaluate pathological cardiac changes after intervention. Results::No significant difference in heart rate, RR interval, P wave (duration and height), PR segment, PR interval, QRS wave duration, and T wave height was observed among the 3 groups ( P > 0.05). Compared with the C-STZ group, the U-STZ and GF-STZ groups both had a longer T wave duration ((62.41 ± 2.38) ms vs. (78.37 ± 4.64) ms and (96.06 ± 4.60) ms, P < 0.05), QT interval ((83.66 ± 2.31) ms vs. (101.75 ± 4.56) ms and (119.14 ± 4.88) ms, P < 0.05), and QTc interval ((77.45 ± 1.36) ms vs. (91.36 ± 3.49) ms and (104.55 ± 3.01) ms, P < 0.05), all of which were longest in the GF-STZ group ( P < 0.05). Additionally, the GF-STZ group had the highest VT/VF occurrence and duration and the highest arrhythmia score. Conclusion::This study revealed GF can significantly prolong the QT interval, QTc interval, and T wave duration, as well as increase vulnerability to VT/VF in rats, which may be an important electrophysiological mechanism of GF-related ventricular arrhythmia.