OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of zedoarondiol on neovascularization of atherosclerotic (AS) plaque by exosomes experiment. METHODS: ApoE^-/- mice were fed with high-fat diet to establish AS model and treated with high- and low-dose (10, 5 mg/kg daily) of zedoarondiol, respectively. After 14 weeks, the expressions of anti-angiogenic protein thrombospondin 1 (THBS-1) and its receptor CD36 in plaques, as well as platelet activation rate and exosome-derived miR-let-7a were detected. Then, zedoarondiol was used to intervene in platelets in vitro, and miR-let-7a was detected in platelet-derived exosomes (Pexo). Finally, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with miR-let-7a mimics and treated with Pexo to observe the effect of miR-let-7a in Pexo on tube formation. RESULTS: Animal experiments showed that after treating with zedoarondiol, the neovascularization density in plaques of AS mice was significantly reduced, THBS-1 and CD36 increased, the platelet activation rate was markedly reduced, and the miR-let-7a level in Pexo was reduced (P<0.01). In vitro experiments, the platelet activation rate and miR-let-7a levels in Pexo were significantly reduced after zedoarondiol's intervention. Cell experiments showed that after Pexo's intervention, the tube length increased, and the transfection of miR-let-7a minics further increased the tube length of cells, while reducing the expressions of THBS-1 and CD36. CONCLUSION Zedoarondiol has the effect of inhibiting neovascularization within plaque in AS mice, and its mechanism may be potentially related to inhibiting platelet activation and reducing the Pexo-derived miRNA-let-7a level.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Humans ; Blood Platelets/drug effects* ; Apolipoproteins E/deficiency* ; Thrombospondin 1/metabolism* ; CD36 Antigens/metabolism* ; Platelet Activation/drug effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

An assay was established for detection of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile by combining microfluidic chip analysis with immunochromatography,and its performance was evaluated and compared with those of the Xpert C.difficile/Epi and VIDAS CD AB tests.Primer pairs were designed according to the tcdB and tpi genes in C.difficile.The specificity,limit of detection,reproducibility,and stability were evaluated.A total of 215 stool samples from patients with diarrhea were collected and tested in parallel with the Xpert C.difficile/Epi,VIDAS CDAB,and our assay.C.difficile was isolated from samples,and the tcdB gene was identified when discrepant results were obtained from the three above assays.Our assay showed no cross-reaction with other diarrhea-associated pathogens.Its reproducibility was 100％in testing of two standard plasmids containing tcdB and tpi genes at two concentrations(105 and 102 copies/μL).Two standard plasmids were detected after the PCR and immunochromatography reagents had been stored for 3,6,9,and 12 months,and all the results were posi-tive.The limit of detection was 10 copies/μL for toxigenic C.difficile.Testing of 33 samples positive for C.difficile with our assay(33/215,15.3％)yielded findings statistically coherent with those of the Xpert C.difficile/Epi test(kappa value=0.965).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of our assay,with respect to Xpert C.difficile/Epi as the standard,were 94.3％,100.0％,100.0％,and 98.9％;these values were significantly higher than those of VIDAS CDAB(60.0％,98.9％,91.3％,and 92.7％)(Kappa=0.714,OR=157.50,95％CI:62.03-847.28,P=0.013).In conclusion,our newly developed assay is specific,stable,and reproducible,and may be used for rapid and accu-rate detection of toxigenic C.difficile.The assay could be used for C.difficile infection screening in outpatient and emergen-cy,community medical service center,and epidemiological settings.

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of Yuxiao Prescription in the treatment of patients with stage III-IV diabetic kidney disease(DKD)characterized by qi and yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction in the real world.Methods A total of 112 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with qi-yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction who visited the outpatient department of Beijing Changping Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2022 to June 2024 were selected as the research subjects.They were divided into the control group and the Chinese materia medica group based on whether they were treated with Yuxiao Prescription through prospective cohort research methods.Propensity score matching(PSM)was used to balance the confounding factors between the groups.The control group received standardized Western medicine treatment,while the Chinese materia medica group was treated with Yuxiao Prescription in addition to the treatment of the control group,one dosage per day,twice a day,orally.The treatment for both groups lasted for three months.The clinical efficacy of two groups was observed,and their urinary protein,renal function,blood glucose,blood lipids,body mass index(BMI)and TCM syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared.Adverse reactions of both groups were monitored.Results After PSM,a total of 84 balanced samples were obtained between the two groups,with 42 samples in each group.The total effective rate of Chinese materia medica group was 90.48%(38/42),while the control group was 73.81%(31/42),with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio,urinary microalbumin,and 24-hour urinary protein quantitative levels decreased in both groups after treatment(P<0.05).Chinese materia medica group showed a decrease in blood creatinine and a significant increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the improvement of the above indicators in the Chinese materia medica group was better than that in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,both groups showed a decrease in fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after treatment(P<0.05).The BMI of Chinese materia medica group significantly decreased after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the HbA1c level and BMI in the Chinese materia medica group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in both groups decreased after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the TCM syndrome score in the Chinese materia medica group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).The adverse reaction rate of the Chinese materia medica group was 4.76%(2/42),while that of the control group was 7.14%(3/42),without statistical significance between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The combination of Yuxiao Prescription and conventional therapy can effectively reduce proteinuria,improve renal function,and help improve glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD characterized by qi and yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction,thereby delaying the progression of the disease.

An assay was established for detection of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile by combining microfluidic chip analysis with immunochromatography,and its performance was evaluated and compared with those of the Xpert C.difficile/Epi and VIDAS CD AB tests.Primer pairs were designed according to the tcdB and tpi genes in C.difficile.The specificity,limit of detection,reproducibility,and stability were evaluated.A total of 215 stool samples from patients with diarrhea were collected and tested in parallel with the Xpert C.difficile/Epi,VIDAS CDAB,and our assay.C.difficile was isolated from samples,and the tcdB gene was identified when discrepant results were obtained from the three above assays.Our assay showed no cross-reaction with other diarrhea-associated pathogens.Its reproducibility was 100％in testing of two standard plasmids containing tcdB and tpi genes at two concentrations(105 and 102 copies/μL).Two standard plasmids were detected after the PCR and immunochromatography reagents had been stored for 3,6,9,and 12 months,and all the results were posi-tive.The limit of detection was 10 copies/μL for toxigenic C.difficile.Testing of 33 samples positive for C.difficile with our assay(33/215,15.3％)yielded findings statistically coherent with those of the Xpert C.difficile/Epi test(kappa value=0.965).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of our assay,with respect to Xpert C.difficile/Epi as the standard,were 94.3％,100.0％,100.0％,and 98.9％;these values were significantly higher than those of VIDAS CDAB(60.0％,98.9％,91.3％,and 92.7％)(Kappa=0.714,OR=157.50,95％CI:62.03-847.28,P=0.013).In conclusion,our newly developed assay is specific,stable,and reproducible,and may be used for rapid and accu-rate detection of toxigenic C.difficile.The assay could be used for C.difficile infection screening in outpatient and emergen-cy,community medical service center,and epidemiological settings.

Objective To compare the effect of small optical zone orthokeratology lenses(OK lenses)and repeated low-level red-light(RLRL)therapy in controlling myopia progression for adolescents,and the therapeutic effectiveness of RLRL is evaluated.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 80 adolescent myopic patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University.The patients were divided into the RLRL group and the OK lenses group according to different intervention methods,with 40 cases in each group.Patients in the RLRL group received RLRL therapy combined with single-vision spectacles,and patients in the OK lenses group were treated with OK lenses.The changes of spherical equivalent(SE),axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness(SFCT)1,3,6,and 12 months after treatment compared with the baseline,and color vision of patients were assessed.Based on the mean baseline axial length of the RLRL group,the patients in this group were subdivided into the short axial group and the long axial group,and the changes of the axial length and SFCT were further analyzed.Results The diopter 1,3,6,and 12 months after treatment in the RLRL group were not significantly different from the baseline(P>0.05).Axial lengths of patients in the RLRL group progressively shortened after treatment and returned close to the baseline 12 months after treatment.In contrast,axial lengths of patients in the OK lens continued to grow within 12 months after treatment;the axial lengths at each time point after treatment of patients in the two groups were significantly different from the baseline(P<0.05).The changes of axial length of patients in the RLRL group at each time point after treatment were significantly smaller than those in the OK lenses group(P<0.05).The SFCT changes of patients in the RLRL group at each time point after treatment were all greater than those in the OK lenses group(P<0.05).The SFCT at each time point after treatment in the RLRL group were significantly different from the baseline(P<0.05),whereas the SFCT at each time point after treatment in the OK lenses group were not significantly different from the baseline(P>0.05).The changes of axial length at each time point after treatment of patients in the long axial group were all greater than those in the short axial group(P<0.05);the SFCT changes 6 months after treatment of patients in the long axial group was greater than that in the short axial group(P<0.05);the SFCT at each time point after treatment of patients in the two groups were signifi-cantly different from the baseline(P<0.05).Color vision tests revealed no abnormities after treatment in the RLRL group and the OK lenses group.Conclusion RLRL therapy is effective in controlling myopia progression and demonstrates superior axial length control compared to orthokeratology lenses.

Objective To compare the effect of small optical zone orthokeratology lenses(OK lenses)and repeated low-level red-light(RLRL)therapy in controlling myopia progression for adolescents,and the therapeutic effectiveness of RLRL is evaluated.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 80 adolescent myopic patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University.The patients were divided into the RLRL group and the OK lenses group according to different intervention methods,with 40 cases in each group.Patients in the RLRL group received RLRL therapy combined with single-vision spectacles,and patients in the OK lenses group were treated with OK lenses.The changes of spherical equivalent(SE),axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness(SFCT)1,3,6,and 12 months after treatment compared with the baseline,and color vision of patients were assessed.Based on the mean baseline axial length of the RLRL group,the patients in this group were subdivided into the short axial group and the long axial group,and the changes of the axial length and SFCT were further analyzed.Results The diopter 1,3,6,and 12 months after treatment in the RLRL group were not significantly different from the baseline(P>0.05).Axial lengths of patients in the RLRL group progressively shortened after treatment and returned close to the baseline 12 months after treatment.In contrast,axial lengths of patients in the OK lens continued to grow within 12 months after treatment;the axial lengths at each time point after treatment of patients in the two groups were significantly different from the baseline(P<0.05).The changes of axial length of patients in the RLRL group at each time point after treatment were significantly smaller than those in the OK lenses group(P<0.05).The SFCT changes of patients in the RLRL group at each time point after treatment were all greater than those in the OK lenses group(P<0.05).The SFCT at each time point after treatment in the RLRL group were significantly different from the baseline(P<0.05),whereas the SFCT at each time point after treatment in the OK lenses group were not significantly different from the baseline(P>0.05).The changes of axial length at each time point after treatment of patients in the long axial group were all greater than those in the short axial group(P<0.05);the SFCT changes 6 months after treatment of patients in the long axial group was greater than that in the short axial group(P<0.05);the SFCT at each time point after treatment of patients in the two groups were signifi-cantly different from the baseline(P<0.05).Color vision tests revealed no abnormities after treatment in the RLRL group and the OK lenses group.Conclusion RLRL therapy is effective in controlling myopia progression and demonstrates superior axial length control compared to orthokeratology lenses.

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of Yuxiao Prescription in the treatment of patients with stage III-IV diabetic kidney disease(DKD)characterized by qi and yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction in the real world.Methods A total of 112 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with qi-yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction who visited the outpatient department of Beijing Changping Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2022 to June 2024 were selected as the research subjects.They were divided into the control group and the Chinese materia medica group based on whether they were treated with Yuxiao Prescription through prospective cohort research methods.Propensity score matching(PSM)was used to balance the confounding factors between the groups.The control group received standardized Western medicine treatment,while the Chinese materia medica group was treated with Yuxiao Prescription in addition to the treatment of the control group,one dosage per day,twice a day,orally.The treatment for both groups lasted for three months.The clinical efficacy of two groups was observed,and their urinary protein,renal function,blood glucose,blood lipids,body mass index(BMI)and TCM syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared.Adverse reactions of both groups were monitored.Results After PSM,a total of 84 balanced samples were obtained between the two groups,with 42 samples in each group.The total effective rate of Chinese materia medica group was 90.48%(38/42),while the control group was 73.81%(31/42),with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio,urinary microalbumin,and 24-hour urinary protein quantitative levels decreased in both groups after treatment(P<0.05).Chinese materia medica group showed a decrease in blood creatinine and a significant increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the improvement of the above indicators in the Chinese materia medica group was better than that in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,both groups showed a decrease in fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after treatment(P<0.05).The BMI of Chinese materia medica group significantly decreased after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the HbA1c level and BMI in the Chinese materia medica group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in both groups decreased after treatment(P<0.05);after treatment,the TCM syndrome score in the Chinese materia medica group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).The adverse reaction rate of the Chinese materia medica group was 4.76%(2/42),while that of the control group was 7.14%(3/42),without statistical significance between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The combination of Yuxiao Prescription and conventional therapy can effectively reduce proteinuria,improve renal function,and help improve glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD characterized by qi and yin deficiency and phlegm-stasis obstruction,thereby delaying the progression of the disease.

Efficiency in pharmacodynamic study and evaluation is the critical issue in current drug research and development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).Resmetirom,the first marketed medicine for NASH,is approved by pathological surrogate endpoints,meanwhile several clinical trials suspended due to failure to achieve the liver histologic surrogate endpoints.The well-done non-clinical pharmacodynamic study basing on pathological features(ballooning degeneration,lobular inflammation,fibrosis)of NASH,is a great support to the whole research and development projects of new medicines for NASH.In this article,we discussed the necessity and feasibility of the NASH non-clinical pharmacodynamic study combining the clinical trials of NASH drug,the pathological features and the animal models of NASH,in order to facilitate the high-quality research and development of NASH drugs.

Objective To investigate the imaging manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease-associated spondyloarthritis(IBD-SpA).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 85 patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)who underwent abdominal CT and MRI examinations.Patients with pregnancy,lactation,psoriasis,tumors,and other conditions were excluded through medical record screening,all patients met the diagnostic criteria for IBD.The presence of spondyloarthritis(SpA)was confirmed through ima-ging findings,and the imaging characteristics of the location and bone changes of SpA were observed.Twenty patients who under-went abdominal CT examination during the same period were selected as the control group.Results A total of 85 patients with IBD under-went CT and MRI examinations,the detection rate of MRI(37.6％)was significantly higher than that of CT(30.6％)(P＜0.05).Based on comprehensive imaging features,5 cases of grade 1,13 cases of grade 11,11 cases of grade Ⅲ,and 3 cases of grade Ⅳ,IBD-SpA were diagnosed.In the control group,1 case of sacroiliitis was detected,of which 1 case of grade Ⅱ.The detection rate of CT in the IBD group(30.6％)was significantly higher than that in the control group(5％)(P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of SpA is relatively high in patients with IBD.Both CT and MRI have certain diagnostic value for IBD-SpA.CT has diagnostic advantages in bone sclerosis and joint space narrowing,while MRI can better reflect minor lesions and early bone marrow edema changes.The com-bination of CT and MRI examinations can provide diagnostic evidence for clinicians and effectively improve patient symptoms.

The effect of porcine SIRT5 on replication of foot and mouth disease virus type O(FMDV-O)and the underlying regulatory mechanism were investigated.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were employed to monitor expression of endoge-nous SIRT5 in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O.Three pairs of SIRT5-specific siRNAs were synthesized.Changes to SIRT5 and FMDV-O protein and transcript levels,in addition to virus copy numbers,were measured by western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.PK-15 cells were transfected with a eukaryotic SIRT5 expression plasmid.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were used to explore the impact of SIRT5 overexpression on FMDV-O replication.Meanwhile,RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the effect of SIRT5 overexpression on the mRNA expression levels of type I interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.The results showed that expression of SIRT5 was up-regulated in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O and siRNA interfered with SIRT5 to inhibit FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 overexpression promoted FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 over-expression decreased mRNA expression levels of interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.These results suggest that FMDV-O infection stimulated expression of SIRT5 in PK-15 cells,while SIRT5 promoted FMDV-O rep-lication by inhibiting production of type I interferon-stimula-ted genes.These findings provide a reference to further ex-plore the mechanism underlying the ability of porcine SIRT5 to promote FMDV-O replication.