Objective:To explore the clinical effect of vitamin A in the adjuvant treatment of bronchial asthma in children and its influence on serum transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), eosinophils (EOS) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 110 children with bronchial asthma who received treatment in Department of Pediatrics, Xi'an Central Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023. Based on the principle of balanced and comparable baseline characteristics between groups, they were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 55 cases in each group, using a random number table method. The control group was treated with routine pediatric bronchial asthma therapy, while the observation group was added with vitamin A adjuvant therapy on the basis of the control group. After 15 days of continuous treatment, the scores of asthma control condition (Childhood-Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)) in the two groups were evaluated. The pulmonary ventilation function (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1), forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV 1/FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF)), serum inflammatory factors (TGF-β1, EOS, IL-17) and immune function indicators (T helper 17 cell (Th17), T helper 2 cell (Th2), regulatory T cell (Treg) ) were compared between groups of children before treatment and after 15 days of treatment. Measurement data with normal or approximate distribution were expressed as xˉ± s, and independent sample t test was used for comparison between groups. Enumeration data were expressed as percentage, and chi-square test was adopted for between-group comparison. Results:After 15 days of treatment, the C-ACT score with (16.20±3.14) points in observation group was higher than (14.80±2.62) points in control group while the ACQ score with (30.30±4.14) points was lower than (34.60±6.23) points in control group, with statistical differences between groups (t values were 2.54 and 4.26; P values were 0.012 and <0.001). The pulmonary ventilation function indicators in observation group and control group after 15 days of treatment (FEV 1: (1.76±0.34) L与(1.54±0.32) L, FEV 1/FVC:(76.89±5.76)%与(70.25±6.42)%, PEF(2.89±0.35) L/s与(2.68±0.39) L/s) were higher than those before treatment (FEV 1:(1.12±0.31) L与(1.20±0.33) L, FEV 1/FVC:(56.96±4.35)%与(58.12±3.48)%, PEF(2.15±0.66) L/s与(2.34±0.56) L/s), and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 10.32, 5.49, 20.48, 10.43, 7.35, 3.70, respectively; all P<0.001), and the indicators in observation group were higher compared to control group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 3.49, 5.71, and 2.97; P values were 0.001, <0.001, and 0.004). After 15 days of treatment, the levels of serum inflammatory factors (TGF-β1:(6.32±1.36) ng/L与(8.75±1.81) ng/L, EOS:(3.56±0.65)%与(4.28±0.82)%, IL-17:(5.53±1.22) ng/L与(6.42±1.51) ng/L) and CD4 + T lymphocyte immune function indicators (Th17:(0.97±0.26) ng/L与(1.23±0.35) ng/L, Th2:(2.32±0.64) ng/L与(3.15±0.52) ng/L, Treg:(5.41±0.76) ng/L与(5.86±0.23) ng/L ) were lower in observation group and control group than those before treatment (TGF-β1: (14.35±2.23)与(15.26±3.05) ng/L, EOS: (6.32±1.33)%与(6.41±1.27)%, IL-17:(8.86±1.68)与(9.03±1.89) ng/L, Th17:(1.82±0.75)与(1.67±0.68) ng/L, Th2:(4.15±1.49)与(3.98±1.28) ng/L, Treg: (7.26±1.35)与(6.92±1.72) ng/L), and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 22.80, 13.61, 13.83, 10.45, 11.90, 8.08, 7.94, 4.27, 8.37, 4.46, 8.86, 4.58, respectively; all P<0.001). However, the above indicators in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t values were 7.96, 5.10, 3.40, 4.42, 7.47, 4.20, and P-values were <0.001, <0.001, 0.001, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001 respectively). Conclusion:Vitamin A adjuvant therapy is helpful to the control of bronchial asthma, and it can effectively improve the pulmonary function, reduce the inflammatory reaction and enhance the body's immunity.

Objective Network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were used to predict the potential mechanisms by which the active components of Piper nigrum(PN)regulate depressive-like behaviors in chronic restraint stress(CRS)mice.Methods The major chemical components and targets of PN were screened using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database.Targets related to ferroptosis and depression were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man,GeneCards,and FerrDB databases.The intersecting targets were then subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Gnomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses,and molecular docking was performed to validate the binding capacities between the core targets and their corresponding active components.Finally,we established a CRS mouse model.Mice were treated with PN 75,150,and 300 mg/kg for 4 weeks,followed by behavioral assessments and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)to verify the expression of core genes.Results Nine active components were screened from PN,corresponding to 27 targets,and 8377 targets related to depression and 547 targets associated with ferroptosis were screened from the databases.The intersection of these three sets resulted in 25 target genes.KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that these core targets were predominantly enriched in signaling pathways,including cholinergic synapses,serotonergic synapses,and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions.Molecular docking result showed that the main active components of PN had strong binding affinities for the targets CHRM2,SLC6A4,PTGS2,and SLC6A2.Behavioral assessments demonstrated that PN significantly increased the sucrose preference index(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),reduced immobility time in the tail suspension and forced swimming tests(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),and enhanced exploratory behavior in the open field test(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001).PN significantly reduced the serum levels of inflammation markers(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001),as shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and neurotransmitter analysis revealed that PN significantly increased the levels of serotonin and acetylcholine in the mouse hippocampus(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR showed that PN demonstrated the mRNA expression of SLC6A4(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusions PN may improve depressive-like behavior in mice by modulating serotonin and acetylcholine levels,inhibiting inflammatory responses,participating in immune regulation,and exerting neuroprotective effects.

Objective Network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were used to predict the potential mechanisms by which the active components of Piper nigrum(PN)regulate depressive-like behaviors in chronic restraint stress(CRS)mice.Methods The major chemical components and targets of PN were screened using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database.Targets related to ferroptosis and depression were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man,GeneCards,and FerrDB databases.The intersecting targets were then subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Gnomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses,and molecular docking was performed to validate the binding capacities between the core targets and their corresponding active components.Finally,we established a CRS mouse model.Mice were treated with PN 75,150,and 300 mg/kg for 4 weeks,followed by behavioral assessments and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)to verify the expression of core genes.Results Nine active components were screened from PN,corresponding to 27 targets,and 8377 targets related to depression and 547 targets associated with ferroptosis were screened from the databases.The intersection of these three sets resulted in 25 target genes.KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that these core targets were predominantly enriched in signaling pathways,including cholinergic synapses,serotonergic synapses,and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions.Molecular docking result showed that the main active components of PN had strong binding affinities for the targets CHRM2,SLC6A4,PTGS2,and SLC6A2.Behavioral assessments demonstrated that PN significantly increased the sucrose preference index(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),reduced immobility time in the tail suspension and forced swimming tests(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),and enhanced exploratory behavior in the open field test(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001).PN significantly reduced the serum levels of inflammation markers(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001),as shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and neurotransmitter analysis revealed that PN significantly increased the levels of serotonin and acetylcholine in the mouse hippocampus(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR showed that PN demonstrated the mRNA expression of SLC6A4(P＜0.05.P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusions PN may improve depressive-like behavior in mice by modulating serotonin and acetylcholine levels,inhibiting inflammatory responses,participating in immune regulation,and exerting neuroprotective effects.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of vitamin A in the adjuvant treatment of bronchial asthma in children and its influence on serum transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), eosinophils (EOS) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 110 children with bronchial asthma who received treatment in Department of Pediatrics, Xi'an Central Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023. Based on the principle of balanced and comparable baseline characteristics between groups, they were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 55 cases in each group, using a random number table method. The control group was treated with routine pediatric bronchial asthma therapy, while the observation group was added with vitamin A adjuvant therapy on the basis of the control group. After 15 days of continuous treatment, the scores of asthma control condition (Childhood-Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)) in the two groups were evaluated. The pulmonary ventilation function (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1), forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV 1/FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF)), serum inflammatory factors (TGF-β1, EOS, IL-17) and immune function indicators (T helper 17 cell (Th17), T helper 2 cell (Th2), regulatory T cell (Treg) ) were compared between groups of children before treatment and after 15 days of treatment. Measurement data with normal or approximate distribution were expressed as xˉ± s, and independent sample t test was used for comparison between groups. Enumeration data were expressed as percentage, and chi-square test was adopted for between-group comparison. Results:After 15 days of treatment, the C-ACT score with (16.20±3.14) points in observation group was higher than (14.80±2.62) points in control group while the ACQ score with (30.30±4.14) points was lower than (34.60±6.23) points in control group, with statistical differences between groups (t values were 2.54 and 4.26; P values were 0.012 and <0.001). The pulmonary ventilation function indicators in observation group and control group after 15 days of treatment (FEV 1: (1.76±0.34) L与(1.54±0.32) L, FEV 1/FVC:(76.89±5.76)%与(70.25±6.42)%, PEF(2.89±0.35) L/s与(2.68±0.39) L/s) were higher than those before treatment (FEV 1:(1.12±0.31) L与(1.20±0.33) L, FEV 1/FVC:(56.96±4.35)%与(58.12±3.48)%, PEF(2.15±0.66) L/s与(2.34±0.56) L/s), and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 10.32, 5.49, 20.48, 10.43, 7.35, 3.70, respectively; all P<0.001), and the indicators in observation group were higher compared to control group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 3.49, 5.71, and 2.97; P values were 0.001, <0.001, and 0.004). After 15 days of treatment, the levels of serum inflammatory factors (TGF-β1:(6.32±1.36) ng/L与(8.75±1.81) ng/L, EOS:(3.56±0.65)%与(4.28±0.82)%, IL-17:(5.53±1.22) ng/L与(6.42±1.51) ng/L) and CD4 + T lymphocyte immune function indicators (Th17:(0.97±0.26) ng/L与(1.23±0.35) ng/L, Th2:(2.32±0.64) ng/L与(3.15±0.52) ng/L, Treg:(5.41±0.76) ng/L与(5.86±0.23) ng/L ) were lower in observation group and control group than those before treatment (TGF-β1: (14.35±2.23)与(15.26±3.05) ng/L, EOS: (6.32±1.33)%与(6.41±1.27)%, IL-17:(8.86±1.68)与(9.03±1.89) ng/L, Th17:(1.82±0.75)与(1.67±0.68) ng/L, Th2:(4.15±1.49)与(3.98±1.28) ng/L, Treg: (7.26±1.35)与(6.92±1.72) ng/L), and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 22.80, 13.61, 13.83, 10.45, 11.90, 8.08, 7.94, 4.27, 8.37, 4.46, 8.86, 4.58, respectively; all P<0.001). However, the above indicators in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t values were 7.96, 5.10, 3.40, 4.42, 7.47, 4.20, and P-values were <0.001, <0.001, 0.001, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001 respectively). Conclusion:Vitamin A adjuvant therapy is helpful to the control of bronchial asthma, and it can effectively improve the pulmonary function, reduce the inflammatory reaction and enhance the body's immunity.

Perception, affection and consciousness are basic psychological functions of human being. Affection is the subjective reflection of different kinds of objects. The foundation of human being's thinking is constituted by the three basic functions. Affective computing is an effective tool of revealing the affectiveness of human being in order to understand the world. Our research of affective computing focused on the relation, the generation and the influent factors among different affections. In this paper, the affective mechanism, the basic theory of affective computing, is studied, the method of acquiring and recognition of affective information is discussed, and the application of affective computing is summarized as well, in order to attract more researchers into this working area.
Affect ; Computing Methodologies ; Emotions ; Humans ; Mental Processes