This study aims to explore the synergistic effects of the main components in salvianolic acids for Injection(SAFI) on key pathological events in cerebral ischemia, elucidating the pharmacological characteristics of SAFI in neuroprotection. Two major pathological gene modules related to endothelial injury and neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia were mined from single-cell data. According to the topological distance calculated in network medicine, potential synergistic component combinations of SAFI were screened out. The results showed that the combination of caffeic acid and salvianolic acid B scored the highest in addressing both endothelial injury and neuroinflammation, demonstrating potential synergistic effects. The cell experiments confirmed that the combination of these two components at a ratio of 1∶1 significantly protected brain microvascular endothelial cells(bEnd.3) from oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R)-induced reperfusion injury and effectively suppressed lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced neuroinflammatory responses in microglial cells(BV-2). This study provides a new method for uncovering synergistic effects among active components in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and offers novel insights into the multi-component, multi-target acting mechanisms of TCM.
Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Benzofurans/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Drug Synergism ; Caffeic Acids/pharmacology* ; Polyphenols/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Alkenes/pharmacology* ; Endothelial Cells/drug effects* ; Depsides

Due to its synergistic effects and reduced side effects, combination therapy has become an important strategy for treating complex diseases. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the "monarch, minister, assistant, envoy" compatibilities theory provides a systematic framework for drug compatibility and has guided the formation of a large number of classic formulas. However, due to the complex compositions and diverse mechanisms of action of TCM, it is difficult to comprehensively reveal its potential synergistic patterns using traditional methods. Synergistic prediction based on molecular compatibility theory provides new ideas for identifying combinations of active compounds in TCM. Compared to resource-intensive traditional experimental methods, artificial intelligence possesses the ability to mine synergistic patterns from multi-omics and structural data, providing an efficient means for modeling and optimizing TCM combinations. This paper systematically reviews the application progress of AI in the synergistic prediction of TCM active compounds and explores the challenges and prospects of its application in modeling combination relationships, thereby contributing to the modernization of TCM theory and methodological innovation.
Artificial Intelligence ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Drug Synergism

Background::The conversion of adenosine (A) to inosine (I) through deamination is the prevailing form of RNA editing, impacting numerous nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts across various eukaryotic species. Millions of high-confidence RNA editing sites have been identified and integrated into various RNA databases, providing a convenient platform for the rapid identification of key drivers of cancer and potential therapeutic targets. However, the available database for integration of RNA editing in hematopoietic cells and hematopoietic malignancies is still lacking.Methods::We downloaded RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data of 29 leukemia patients and 19 healthy donors from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and RNA-seq data of 12 mouse hematopoietic cell populations obtained from our previous research were also used. We performed sequence alignment, identified RNA editing sites, and obtained characteristic editing sites related to normal hematopoietic development and abnormal editing sites associated with hematologic diseases.Results::We established a new database, "REDH", represents RNA editome in hematopoietic differentiation and malignancy. REDH is a curated database of associations between RNA editome and hematopoiesis. REDH integrates 30,796 editing sites from 12 murine adult hematopoietic cell populations and systematically characterizes more than 400,000 edited events in malignant hematopoietic samples from 48 cohorts (human). Through the Differentiation, Disease, Enrichment, and knowledge modules, each A-to-I editing site is systematically integrated, including its distribution throughout the genome, its clinical information (human sample), and functional editing sites under physiological and pathological conditions. Furthermore, REDH compares the similarities and differences of editing sites between different hematologic malignancies and healthy control.Conclusions::REDH is accessible at http://www.redhdatabase.com/. This user-friendly database would aid in understanding the mechanisms of RNA editing in hematopoietic differentiation and malignancies. It provides a set of data related to the maintenance of hematopoietic homeostasis and identifying potential therapeutic targets in malignancies.

Identifying the compound formulae-related xenobiotics in bio-samples is full of challenges.Conventional strategies always exhibit the insufficiencies in overall coverage,analytical efficiency,and degree of automation,and the results highly rely on the personal knowledge and experience.The goal of this work was to establish a software-aided approach,by integrating ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/ion-mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC/IM-QTOF-MS)and in-house high-definition MS2 library,to enhance the identification of prototypes and metabolites of the compound formulae in vivo,taking Sishen formula(SSF)as a template.Seven different MS2 acquisition methods were compared,which demonstrated the potency of a hybrid scan approach(namely high-definition data-independent/data-dependent acquisition(HDDIDDA))in the identification precision,MS1 coverage,and MS2 spectra quality.The HDDIDDA data for 55 reference compounds,four component drugs,and SSF,together with the rat bio-samples(e.g.,plasma,urine,feces,liver,and kidney),were acquired.Based on the UNIFI? platform(Waters),the efficient data processing workflows were estab-lished by combining mass defect filtering(MDF)-induced classification,diagnostic product ions(DPIs),and neutral loss filtering(NLF)-dominated structural confirmation.The high-definition MS2 spectral li-braries,dubbed in vitro-SSF and in vivo-SSF,were elaborated,enabling the efficient and automatic identification of SSF-associated xenobiotics in diverse rat bio-samples.Consequently,118 prototypes and 206 metabolites of SSF were identified,with the identification rate reaching 80.51％and 79.61％,respectively.The metabolic pathways mainly involved the oxidation,reduction,hydrolysis,sulfation,methylation,demethylation,acetylation,glucuronidation,and the combined reactions.Conclusively,the proposed strategy can drive the identification of compound formulae-related xenobiotics in vivo in an intelligent manner.

The maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is a complex process involving numerous cell-extrinsic and -intrinsic regulators. The first member of the cyclin-dependent kinase family of inhibitors to be identified, p21, has been reported to perform a wide range of critical biological functions, including cell cycle regulation, transcription, differentiation, and so on. Given the previous inconsistent results regarding the functions of p21 in HSCs in a p21-knockout mouse model, we employed p21-tdTomato (tdT) mice to further elucidate its role in HSCs during homeostasis. The results showed that p21-tdT+ HSCs exhibited increased self-renewal capacity compared to p21-tdT- HSCs. Zbtb18, a transcriptional repressor, was upregulated in p21-tdT+ HSCs, and its knockdown significantly impaired the reconstitution capability of HSCs. Furthermore, p21 interacted with ZBTB18 to co-repress the expression of cKit in HSCs and thus regulated the self-renewal of HSCs. Our data provide novel insights into the physiological role and mechanisms of p21 in HSCs during homeostasis independent of its conventional role as a cell cycle inhibitor.
Animals ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology* ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21/genetics* ; Mice ; Cell Self Renewal ; Repressor Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Humans ; Gene Expression Regulation

Humans ; Paraproteinemias ; Polycythemia

Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy* ; Feasibility Studies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/adverse effects* ; Dexamethasone/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

Humans ; Plasma Cells/pathology* ; Hyperplasia/pathology* ; Immunoblastic Lymphadenopathy ; B-Lymphocytes/pathology* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (IST) . Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we collected the demographic and clinical data of patients with AA and COVID-19 from December 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. We described the clinical features of COVID-19 among patients with AA and evaluated the effects of IST on the signs and severity of COVID-19. Results: A total of 170 patients with AA and COVID-19 were included. The common early symptoms, including fever, dizziness or headache, muscle or body aches, and sore throat, disappeared within 1-2 weeks. Approximately 25% of the patients had persistent fatigue within 2 weeks. Many patients experienced cough after an initial 1-3 days of infection, which lasted for more than 2 weeks. There were no differences in the duration of total fever episodes and maximum body temperature when patients were stratified according to whether or not they underwent IST, by IST duration, or by use of anti-lymphocyte globulin (ALG) (P>0.05). No differences were observed in the occurrence of symptoms in either the early or recovery stages when patients with AA were stratified according to whether or not they underwent IST, or by IST duration (P>0.05). However, patients who received ALG had fewer fever episodes within 1 week after infection (P=0.035) and more sore throat episodes within 2 weeks after infection (P=0.015). There were no other significant differences in clinical symptoms between patients who did and patients who did not receive ALG (P>0.05) . Conclusion: The majority of patients with AA and COVID-19 recovered within 2 weeks of noticing symptoms when treated with IST.
Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic ; COVID-19 ; Prospective Studies ; Fever ; Immunosuppression Therapy ; Pharyngitis

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (LRHCCA).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was constructed. The clinicopathological data of 211 patients who under LRHCCA in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from May 2014 to June 2022 were collected. There were 135 males and 76 females, aged (63±8)years. Observation indicators: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative situations; (3) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3) or M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and draw survival curve. Results:(1) Surgical situations. All 211 patients underwent LRHCCA successfully, with the operation time as 350 (300,390)minutes, volume of intraoperative blood loss as 400(200,800)mL, and intraoperative red blood cell transfusion as 2.0(range, 0-15.0)U, respectively. As partial portal vein invasion, 10 of 211 patients underwent portal vein resection and reconstruction. Results of intraoperative histopathology examination showed negative margin of portal vein. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, intraopera-tive red blood cell transfusion of the 10 patients was (400±53)minutes, 1 200(range, 800-3 000)mL, 5.5(range, 4.0-15.0)U, respectively. (2) Postoperative situations. Of the 211 patients, there were 63 cases of the Bismuth type Ⅰ, 65 cases of the Bismuth type Ⅱ, 22 cases of the Bismuth type Ⅲa, 26 cases of the Bismuth type Ⅲb, 35 cases of the Bismuth type Ⅳ. The R 0 resection rate was 95.73%(202/211). There were 202 patients identified as adenocarcinoma of the bile duct, including 7 cases with poorly differentiated tumor, 189 cases with moderate to poorly differentiated tumor, 3 cases with moderate to well differentiated tumor, 3 cases with well differentiated tumor. There were 8 patients with poorly differentiated biliary mucinous adenocarcinoma, 1 patient with intraductal papillary neoplasm with high-grade epithelial dysplasia. There were 24 cases of stage Ⅰ, 98 cases of stage Ⅱ, 30 cases of stage ⅢA, 34 cases of stage ⅢB, 19 cases of stage ⅢC, 6 cases of stage ⅣA. Of the 211 patients, there were 25 cases with postoperative biliary fistula, 11 cases with postoperative abdominal infection, 3 cases with postoperative bleeding as anastomotic bleeding after biliary fistula, 2 cases with postoperative gastric emptying disability, 1 case with postoperative acute liver failure. There were 7 patients undergoing postoperative unplanned reoperation, including 3 cases with emergency operation for hemostasis, 4 cases with abdominal exploration debridement and drainage for severe abdominal infection. There were 3 cases dead during perioperative period, including 1 case of acute liver failure, 1 case of systemic infection and multiple organ failure, 1 case of exfoliated deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities and acute pulmonary embolism. The postoperative duration of hospital stay was (15±5)days of the 211 patients and (17±4)days of patients undergoing portal vein resection and reconstruction. The cost of hospital stay of the 211 patients was (11.7±1.7)ten thousand yuan. (3) Follow-up. Of the 211 patients, 188 patients were followed up for 21(range, 4?36)months. The median survival time of 188 patients was 22 months, and the postoperative 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate was 90.9%, 43.1% and 18.7%, respectively. Conclusion:LRHCCA is safe and feasible, with satisfactory short-term effect, under the coditions of clinicians with rich experience in laparoscopic surgery and patients with strict surgical evaluation.