ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms of Panax notoginseng saponins （PNS） in inhibiting high shear-induced platelet aggregation and thrombosis via the Piezo1-mediated calcium signaling pathway. MethodBioflux1000z was used for the microfluidic assay， where platelets were stimulated with physiological shear rate （500 s^-1）， pathological shear rate （12 000 s^-1）， or Piezo1 agonist Yoda1 under the physiological shear rate （500 s^-1）. The shear-induced platelet calcium influx and the binding of platelet with von Willebrand factor （vWF） were measured by flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the vWF release from platelets. The microfluidic channels were used to determine the vWF-mediated platelet aggregation and integrin αⅡbβ3 activation. A mouse model of arterial thrombosis induced by high shear stress combined with endothelial injury was established. The ultrasonic Doppler flow meter was used to monitor the cyclic flow reduction （CFR） caused by the repeated formation and shedding of thrombi， and flow cytometry was employed to examine platelet-vWF binding， on the basis of which the effect of PNS on high shear-induced arterial thrombosis was evaluated. ResultThe microfluidic assay showed that PNS decreased the high shear rate （12 000 s^-1） or Yoda1-induced calcium influx， platelet-vWF binding， vWF-mediated platelet-fibrinogen binding， and vWF release from platelet alpha-granules in a dose-dependent manner. In the mouse model of high shear-induced thrombosis， PNS markedly reduced the CFR and occlusion time of the common carotid artery and inhibited platelet-vWF binding. ConclusionPNS can mitigate pathological shear-induced platelet aggregation and arterial thrombosis via influencing Piezo1/GPIbα-vWF signaling.

Objective In this study,we aimed to use network pharmacology techniques to predict the key targets of a prescription of Ziziphi spinosae semen formula(ZSSF)compound for depression,and to verify its mechanism of action using a zebrafish model of rifampicin-induced depression.Methods The drug targets of ZSSF were retrieved from the TCMSP database,and the target names were corrected using the UniProt database.Depression-related targets were identified using the GeneCards,OMIM,and NCBI databases.Protein-protein interaction information for the shared targets was predicted using the STRING database.The collected data were then analyzed using the Metascape database to determine GO and KEGG pathway enrichment,and the result were visualized using microbiotics.Behavioral experiments and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR experiments were conducted to verify the therapeutic effects of ZSSF on a zebrafish depression model induced by risperdal.Results 188 targets were screened to find the interactions between depression and ZSSF.The protein-protein interaction result showed that ZSSF primarily targeted TNF-α,IL-2,IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-10 to produce its antidepressant effect.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that ZSSF exerted its effects on depression through various signaling pathways,including the TNF,PI3K-Akt,and cGMP-PKG signaling pathways.The result of the animal experiments showed that the treatment groups given high,medium,and low doses of ZSSF exhibited significant improvements in movement distance under acoustic and light stimulation compared with the model group(P＜0.05).The speed of movement of the treatment groups was also significantly faster(P＜0.01).Additionally,the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α,IL-2,IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-10 were up-regulated in the brain tissues of zebrafish in the high-,medium-,and low-dosage groups of ZSSF compared those in the model group(P＜0.001).Conclusions ZSSF exerts its antidepressant effect through multiple components and targets,and its antidepressant effects may be associated with its inhibition of inflammatory factors.

As a potential vectored vaccine,Newcastle disease virus(NDV)has been subject to various studies for vaccine development,while relatively little research has outlined the immunomodulatory effect of the virus in antigen presentation.To elucidate the key inhibitory factor in regulating the interaction of infected dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,DCs were pretreated with the NDV vaccine strain LaSota as an inhibitor and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)for further detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),flow cytometry,immunoblotting,and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).The results revealed that NDV infection resulted in the inhibition of interleukin(IL)-12p40 in DCs through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)-dependent manner,thus inhibiting the synthesis of IL-12p70,leading to the reduction in T cell proliferation and the secretion of interferon-γ(IFN-γ),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and IL-6 induced by DCs.Consequently,downregulated cytokines accelerated the infection and viral transmission from DCs to T cells.Furthermore,several other strains of NDV also exhibited inhibitory activity.The current study reveals that NDV can modulate the intensity of the innate?adaptive immune cell crosstalk critically toward viral invasion improvement,highlighting a novel mechanism of virus-induced immunosuppression and providing new perspectives on the improvement of NDV-vectored vaccine.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of pentraxin 3(PTX3)and semaphorin 4D(Sema4d)in serum for postoperative fracture recurrence in elderly patients with osteoporotic fracture(OPF).Methods A total of 168 elderly patients with OPF who were treated in this hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected.According to the occurrence of postoperative fracture recurrence,the patients were divided into non-recurrence group(116 cases)and recurrence group(52 cases).The levels of PTX3 and Se-ma4d in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The influencing factors of fracture re-currence were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression,and the correlation between PTX3 level and Se-ma4d was analyzed by Pearson correlation.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to ana-lyze the predictive value of PTX3 and Sema4d levels for postoperative fracture recurrence,and Z test was used to compare the area under the curve(AUC).Results There were significant differences in nutritional defi-ciency,puncture site,bone mineral density T value,fracture degree and serum PTX3,Sema4d levels between recurrence group and non-recurrence group(P＜0.05).Bone mineral density T value was an independent pro-tective factor for postoperative fracture recurrence,and fracture degree,serum PTX3,Sema4d levels were in-dependent risk factors for postoperative fracture recurrence(P＜0.05).There was a positive correlation be-tween serum PTX3 and Sema4d in recurrence group(r=0.415,P＜0.001).The AUC of the combination of PTX3 and Sema4d in the diagnosis of postoperative fracture recurrence was 0.910(95％CI 0.857-0.949),which was better than that of serum PTX3 and Sema4d alone(Zcombination-PTX3=3.129,Zcombination-Sema4D=3.123,both P=0.002).Conclusion The serum levels of PTX3 and Sema4d are increased in elderly OPF patients with postoperative fracture recurrence.The combination of PTX3 and Sema4d has a high value in the diagnosis of postoperative fracture recurrence in elderly OPF patients,and can be used as an early diagnostic index.

Objective:To evaluate the value of bedside ultrasound in evaluating volume responsiveness of patients with septic shock.Methods:A total of 102 patients with septic shock admitted to ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from April 2018 to February 2021 were selected. Patients were divided into response group and non-response group according to the value of stroke volume increase (ΔSV) after volume loading test (VE), and the hemodynamic parameters before and after VE were compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between ΔSV and hemodynamic indexes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of each hemodynamic index in evaluating volumetric reactivity in patients with septic shock.Results:Of the 102 patients, 54 responded and 48 did not. Before VE, the distensibility index of inferior vena cava (ΔIVC 1), espiratory variability index of inferior vena cava (ΔIVC 2), respiratory variability of aortic peak velocity (ΔVpeak AO), brachial artery maximum velocity variability (ΔVpeak BA) and respiratory rate of peak flow velocity of femoral artery (ΔVpeak CFA) in response group were higher than those in non-response group (all P<0.05), but there was no statistical significance in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) between 2 groups (all P>0.05). After VE, the HR, ΔIVC 1, ΔIVC 2, ΔVpeak AO, ΔVpeak BA and ΔVpeak CFA in response group were significantly decreased, while MAP and CVP were significantly increased (all P<0.05). The CVP was significantly decreased in the non-response group ( P<0.05), while other indexes were not significantly changed. Before VE, the ΔIVC 1, ΔIVC 2, ΔVpeak AO, ΔVpeak BA and ΔVpeak CFA were positively correlated with ΔSV ( r=0.589, 0.647, 0.697, 0.621, 0.766; all P<0.05). There was no correlation between CVP and ΔSV ( r=-0.345, P>0.05). Before VE, the area under the curve of ΔIVC 1, ΔIVC 2, ΔVpeak AO, ΔVpeak BA and ΔVpeak CFA were all >0.7, indicating high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions:Bedside ultrasound monitoring ΔIVC, ΔVpeak AO, ΔVpeak BA and ΔVpeak CFA can better evaluate the volume response of patients with septic shock, and can provide a reference basis for clinical fluid resuscitation treatment.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. In Han dynasty， HUA Tuo proposed the original preventive medicine idea that "with good blood circulation， the disease cannot be born"， which opened a broad space for the cross-research of blood-related mechanical factors and pharmacology. In the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke， mechanical factors comprehensively affect the function and crosstalk of platelets and endothelial cells. In recent years， as the well-known effects on thrombosis and stroke， more attention has been paid to hemodynamic factors as the participants involved in pathological mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets of ischemic stroke. The mechanical force ion channel Piezo1 widely exists on the surface of many types of cells. Besides being regulated by chemical and endogenous substances， Piezo1 responds to different mechanical conditions， regulates the opening and closing of channels， and activates different downstream signaling pathways. Piezo1 is now regarded as an important connection between mechanical and biochemical signals. A variety of Chinese medicine can affect the activity of Piezo1 protein， which may prevent and treat thrombotic diseases such as ischemic stroke through Piezo1 protein. In this paper， the effects of Piezo1 protein on the physiological and pathological functions of endothelial cells and platelet under different mechanical conditions and the role of Piezo1 in the process of thrombosis were reviewed， as well as the effects of Chinese medicine， chemical medicine， and endogenous substances targeting Piezo1 channel. These could provide new ideas for further exploring the mechanisms of Chinese medicines in activating blood circulation， developing new drugs， and deepening biomechanical-pharmacology research.

Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. is a famous medicinal plant commonly used in East Asia. Triterpene saponins isolated from P. grandiflorum are the main biologically active compounds, among which polygalacin D (PGD) has been reported to be an anti-tumor agent. However, its anti-tumor mechanism against hepatocellular carcinoma is unknown. This study aimed to explore the inhibitory effect of PGD in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and related mechanisms of action. We found that PGD exerted significant inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cells through apoptosis and autophagy. Analysis of the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and autophagy-related proteins revealed that this phenomenon was attributed to the mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Subsequently, using specific inhibitors, we found that apoptosis and autophagy had mutually reinforcing effects. In addition, further analysis of autophagy showed that PGD induced mitophagy by increasing BCL2 interacting protein 3 like (BNIP3L) levels.In vivo experiments demonstrated that PGD significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased the levels of apoptosis and autophagy in tumors. Overall, our findings showed that PGD induced cell death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells primarily through mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Therefore, PGD can be used as an apoptosis and autophagy agonist in the research and development of antitumor agents.
Humans ; Mitophagy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line ; Autophagy ; Apoptosis ; Membrane Proteins ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/pharmacology*

Objective : To explore the method of intraperitoneal injection of allogenic fecal filtrate to establish the rat model of moderate and severe sepsis． Methods: The preparation method of allogeneic fecal filtrate was determined．Allogeneic fecal filtrate of different concentrations (0. 5，1，2 g / kg) was injected intraperitoneally to observe the general situation，survival time and severe degree of sepsis of rats. After determining the optimal concentration，the success rate of the model，serum inflammatory factors，serum concentration of D-lactic acid ( D-LA) and serum intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) ，lung function changes，lung，liver and kidney tissue injury were further observed. Results: After intraperitoneal injection of allogenic fecal filtrate for 24 h，the rats of 1 g / kg group presented fever，tachypnea and hypotension，the survival rate was 83. 3% at 24 h and 16. 7% at 48 h， 2 g / kg group rats all died within 24 h，the dose of 1 g / kg was determined for subsequent experiments．Injected fecal filtrate for 24 h，the success rate of the sepsis model was 77. 8% . The levels of interleukin-6 ( IL-6) ，tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α) ，D-LA and I-FABP in serum significantly increased． There were severe edema and bleeding in lung tissue，Pulmonary function appeared respiratory dysfunction，included functional residual capacity (FRC) ，quasi static compliance ( Cdyn) ，forced expiratory volume for the first 100 milliseconds(FEV100) ，peak expiratory flow (PEF) decreased，airway resistance (RI) ，inspiratory capacity (IC) increased．Liver and kidney tissues also showed varying degrees of edema and inflammatory cell infiltration，the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ，aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ，blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine ( Cr) in serum significantly increased． Conclusion Intraperitoneal injection of allogenic fecal filtrate ( 1 g / kg) can produce a relative typical septic model in rats.

Malaria is an ancient infectious disease that threatens millions of lives globally even today. The discovery of artemisinin, inspired by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has brought in a paradigm shift and been recognized as the "best hope for the treatment of malaria" by World Health Organization. With its high potency and low toxicity, the wide use of artemisinin effectively treats the otherwise drug-resistant parasites and helps many countries, including China, to eventually eradicate malaria. Here, we will first review the initial discovery of artemisinin, an extraordinary journey that was in stark contrast with many drugs in western medicine. We will then discuss how artemisinin and its derivatives could be repurposed to treat cancer, inflammation, immunoregulation-related diseases, and COVID-19. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the "artemisinin story" and how that can better guide the development of TCM today. We believe that artemisinin is just a starting point and TCM will play an even bigger role in healthcare in the 21st century.
Artemisinins/therapeutic use* ; COVID-19/drug therapy* ; Drug Repositioning ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasms/drug therapy*

Objective:To investigate the drug-resistant mutations of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in patients who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) from 2014 to 2018.Methods:A total of 880 patients with HIV-1 infection who had been treated with HAART for more than six months in Chongqing Infectious Disease Medical Center from May 2014 to December 2018 were enrolled. Plasma samples were collected, and one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR were taken to amplify protease and reverse transcriptase regions of HIV-1 pol gene region. The obtained amplified nucleotide sequences were compared with the drug resistance database for antiviral drug resistance analysis. Viral genotyping tool software was used to analyze HIV-1 subtype distribution. The categorical variables were compared using chi-square test. Results:Among 880 patients, the plasma HIV-1 viral load was (4.12±0.63) lg copies/mL, the CD4 + T lymphocyte count was (251±124)/μL, and the median duration of antiviral therapy was 26 months. In the subtypes analysis, the circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01-AE subtype was the largest proportion of HIV-1 subtypes, accounting for 38.9%(342/880), and the CRF07-BC subtype accounted for 28.5%(251/880), B+ C subtypes accounted for 16.2%(143/880). Drug-resistant mutations were detected in 534 patients, with a total drug resistance rate of 60.7%. The drug resistance rates of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) and protease inhibitors (PI) were 51.0%(449/880), 58.6%(516/880) and 1.7%(15/880), respectively. The drug resistances to lamivudine, emtricitabine, efavirenz, and nevirapine were serious, and the medium/high resistance rates were 46.8%(412/880), 46.8%(412/880), 51.3%(451/880), and 53.6%(472/880), respectively, while those to zidomidudine (6.0%, 53/880), etravirin (9.0%, 451/880) and PI were not serious. M184IV (47.3%), K65R (22.2%) and K70RE (12.6%) were the most frequent mutations for NRTI. K103NS (25.1%), V106A (19.7%) and V179DE (14.4%) were the most frequent mutations for NNRTI. The most common drug-resistant mutations for PI were L10FIV (7.4%) and A71IVT (6.5%). The drug resistance rate of CRF01-AE subtype (69.3%, 237/342) was higher than those of CRF07-BC subtype (49.8%, 125/251) and B+ C subtype (51.0%, 73/143), the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=22.6 and 14.6, respectively, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of drug resistance is high among HIV-1 infected patients after six-month HAART treatment in Chongqing City. The drug resistance to NNRTI is the most common, followed by NRTI, while PI is less resistant. Drug resistance is the main reason for the virological breakthrough in HIV-1 infected patients.