This study aims to reveal the correlation between the pharmacokinetics(PK) and pharmacodynamics(PD) of multiple components in Epimedii Folium-Chuanxiong Rhizoma and clarify the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of this herb pair in treating osteoarthritis. The Hulth method was used to establish the rat model of osteoarthritis and plasma was collected at various time points after drug administration. The plasma concentrations of multiple components were measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure the plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-3, MMP-13, interleukin-1β(IL-1β), nitric oxide(NO), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) as pharmacodynamic indicators. Self-defined weighting coefficients were used to calculate the PK and PD data, and a Sigmoid E_(max) fitting model was used to evaluate the synergistic effect of the compatibility of Epimedii Folium-Chuanxiong Rhizoma. The PK-PD models for Epimedii Folium, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and Epimedii Folium-Chuanxiong Rhizoma were E=(1.926×C~(2.652))/(0.136 6~(2.652)+C~(2.652)), E=(1.618×C~(345.2))/(0.118 4~(345.2)+C~(345.2)), and E=(2.305×C~(2.786))/(0.240 3~(2.786)+C~(2.786)), respectively. The E_(max) of Epimedii Folium-Chuanxiong Rhizoma was larger than those of the two herbal medicines alone. The EC_(50) of the herb pair was lower than the sum of Epimedii Folium and Chuanxiong Rhizoma alone. The concentrations of MMP-3, MMP-13, IL-1β, NO, and TNF-α were correlated with mass concentrations of multiple components in Epimedii Folium and Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and the compatibility was better than single use. Epimedii Folium, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and Epimedii Folium-Chuanxiong Rhizoma may play a role in the treatment of osteoarthritis by inhibiting MMP-3, MMP-13, IL-1β, NO, and TNF-α.
Animals ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Osteoarthritis/metabolism* ; Epimedium/chemistry* ; Interleukin-1beta/blood* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Nitric Oxide/blood* ; Humans ; Rhizome/chemistry*

Metabonomics and proteomics were employed to investigate the mechanism of Yuzhi Zhixue Granules in treating polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance(PCOS-IR). The disease model was established by feeding a high-fat diet and gavage of letrozole solution and it was then treated with different doses of Yuzhi Zhixue Granules. The therapeutic effect of Yuzhi Zhixue Granules was evaluated based on the body mass, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity index, serum levels of adipokines, and histopathological changes of rats. Metabolomics and proteomics were employed to find the action pathways of Yuzhi Zhixue Granules. The results showed that Yuzhi Zhixue Granules reduced the body mass, improved the insulin sensitivity and aromatase activity, improved the levels of leptin, adiponectin and other adipokines, and alleviated insulin resistance, histopathological changes, and metabolic disorders in PCOS-IR rats. Metabolomics results revealed 14 metabolites with altered levels in the ovarian tissue, which were closely related to glutathione metabolism and pyruvate metabolism. Proteomics results showed that the therapeutic effect of Yuzhi Zhixue Granules was mainly related to the adipokine, adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt), forkhead box protein O(FoxO), and mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR) signaling pathways. Western blot results showed that compared with the model group, Yuzhi Zhixue Granules treatment decreased the p-AMPK/AMPK and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 levels, increased the p-mTOR/mTOR level, and up-regulated the expression level of recombinant glucose transporter 4(GLUT4). Yuzhi Zhixue Granules can balance amino acid metabolism and pyruvate metabolism by regulating the AMPK/mTOR/FoxO/GLUT pathway to maintain the homeostasis of the ovarian environment and alleviate insulin resistance, thus treating PCOS-IR.
Animals ; Female ; Insulin Resistance ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats ; Metabolomics ; Proteomics ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Ovary/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Aim To investigate the effects of rosavin on hepatocellular steatosis and its mechanism of action.Methods AML-12 and HepG2 cells were induced to undergo hepatocellular steatosis by free fatty acids(FFA),and the optimal inducing concentration was determined by oil red O staining and CCK-8 assay.The cell activity was detected by CCK-8 assay after ro-savin treatment,and the lipid droplet accumulation was observed by oil red O staining.The levels of triglycer-ide(TG),total cholesterol(TC),glutamic oxalacetic transaminase(AST),glutamic pyruvic transaminase(ALT),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione per-oxidase(GSH-Px),and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by kits.The potential targets of rosavin in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)were ana-lyzedby network pharmacology and molecular docking,and the expression of core candidate targets before and after the rosavin intervention was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results Hepatocyte steatosis was induced by FFA,and the intervention of rosavin(25,50 μmol·L-1)reduced the number of intracellular lipid droplets in hepatocytes in a dose-de-pendent manner,also lowered the cellular levels of TG,TC,AST,ALT,elevated the levels of SOD and GSH-Px,and reduced the levels of MDA.Network pharma-cological analysis and molecular docking yielded five core candidate targets:NOS3,MAPK14,PPARG,TNF-α,and IGF-1,and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the action of loxavir significantly re-duced the gene expression of TNF-α and PPARG in hepatocytes after FFA induction.Conclusions Rosa-vin can attenuate the inflammatory response,oxidative stress level,and lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by modulating TNF-α and PPARG,thereby ameliorating FFA-induced hepatocellular steatosis.

OBJECTIVE To explore the early detection of large vestibular aqueduct syndrome(LVAS)in children by applying several audiological indicators.METHODS Ninety-two children with hearing loss(aged 1-70 months)were enrolled and divided into an LVAS group(45 cases)and a control group(47 cases).Eleven audiological indicators were statistically analyzed:lateral of hearing loss,the degree of hearing loss,configuration of hearing loss;ABR air-conduction threshold;ABR air-bone gap;ASSR average threshold;ASSR thresholds at 0.5,1,2,and 4 kHz;and tympanogram type.Indicators showing significant two-group differences were used to construct a visualized multifactorial linear prediction model using the R language.RESULTS Nine indicators demonstrated statistically significant differences between groups(P<0.05):laterality,configuration of hearing loss,ABR air-conduction threshold,ASSR average threshold,ASSR thresholds at all frequencies(0.5,1,2,4 kHz),and tympanogram type.A prediction model was established.When the total model score ranged between 200 and 240 points,the predicted LVAS risk probability was 0.1 to 0.99.The consistency index(C-index)was 0.85,indicating good predictive ability of the model.CONCLUSION The identified nine audiological indicators are valuable for the early detection of LVAS in children.The developed model can estimate LVAS risk.After refinement,this model holds potential to support early clinical diagnosis and intervention.

Aim To investigate the effects of rosavin on hepatocellular steatosis and its mechanism of action.Methods AML-12 and HepG2 cells were induced to undergo hepatocellular steatosis by free fatty acids(FFA),and the optimal inducing concentration was determined by oil red O staining and CCK-8 assay.The cell activity was detected by CCK-8 assay after ro-savin treatment,and the lipid droplet accumulation was observed by oil red O staining.The levels of triglycer-ide(TG),total cholesterol(TC),glutamic oxalacetic transaminase(AST),glutamic pyruvic transaminase(ALT),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione per-oxidase(GSH-Px),and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by kits.The potential targets of rosavin in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)were ana-lyzedby network pharmacology and molecular docking,and the expression of core candidate targets before and after the rosavin intervention was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results Hepatocyte steatosis was induced by FFA,and the intervention of rosavin(25,50 μmol·L-1)reduced the number of intracellular lipid droplets in hepatocytes in a dose-de-pendent manner,also lowered the cellular levels of TG,TC,AST,ALT,elevated the levels of SOD and GSH-Px,and reduced the levels of MDA.Network pharma-cological analysis and molecular docking yielded five core candidate targets:NOS3,MAPK14,PPARG,TNF-α,and IGF-1,and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the action of loxavir significantly re-duced the gene expression of TNF-α and PPARG in hepatocytes after FFA induction.Conclusions Rosa-vin can attenuate the inflammatory response,oxidative stress level,and lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by modulating TNF-α and PPARG,thereby ameliorating FFA-induced hepatocellular steatosis.

Objective:To investigate the molecular mechanism and distribution characteristics of RhD negative phenotypes in Han population of blood donors in Wuhu city.Methods:A total of 210 RhD-samples from August 2021 to August 2022 were screened by serological test and collected from Wuhu Central Blood Station for the voluntary blood donor population.Exons 1 and 10 of the RHD gene were amplificated by PCR to determine whether the samples had the RHD gene.Exons 1-10 of the RHD gene were amplificated by PCR and zygosity analysis were performed in 82 samples containing D gene,and Sanger sequencing was performed on 55 samples containing all RHD exons to determine the genotype.Results:Among 210 RhD-specimens,128 cases(60.38％)had RHD gene deletion.27 cases had partial exons of RHD,including 2 cases with RHD*DVI.3/RHD*01N.01,24 cases with RHD*01N.04/RHD*01N.01,and 1 case with RHD-CE(2-10)/RHD*01N.01.55 cases had retained all of 10 exons,including 4 cases with RHD*01/RHD*01N.01,6 cases with RHD*15/RHD*01N.01,1 case with RHD*01W.72/RHD*01N.01,1 case with RHD*15/RHD*01EL.01,39 cases with RHD*01EL.01/RHD*01N.01,and the remaining 4 cases were determined to have no RHD gene deletion by zygosity analysis and sequencing showed the presence of 1227G＞A mutation loci.Conclusion:There is polymorphism in the molecular mechanism of RhD-D gene in Wuhu blood donor population,among which RHD*01EL.01 and RHD*15 are the main variants in this region.The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for RhD blood group identification and clinical blood transfusion in this region.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the relative dose intensity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy drugs and the sarcopenia in elderly patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer(LAEC).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2018 and December 2020 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery,Hebei General hospital.A total of 126 LAEC patients aged≥65 years who underwent radical esophageal cancer resection after NAC were enrolled in this study.Skeletal muscle mass index was calculated from computed tomography(CT)images at the level of the third lumbar vertebra(L3).Sarcopenia was defined using the Youden index of skeletal muscle mass.The average relative dose of the drug was calculated basing on the actual dose intensity and standard dose intensity of the drug.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of low relative dose intensity(RDI),and Cox survival analysis was used to evaluate the effect of low RDI on prognosis.Results:126 patients were retrospectively analyzed,in which 46 patients had sarcopenia and 80 patients had no sarcopenia.The presence of sarcopenia was associated with low RDI and was varied following age,gender,body mass index,drug treatment regimen,clinical stage and creatinine clearance(OR:2.193,95%CI:1.107～4.411,P=0.022).After the first cycle of chemotherapy,sarcopenic patients with a lower mean RDI had a higher rate of chemotherapy dose reduction,delay,or discontinuation due to neutropenia compared with non-sarcopenic patients(41.9%vs 39.0%),and the physical fitness was significantly declined(9.7%vs 0%).Low average RDI was an independent influencing factor for recurrence-free survival in the patients.Conclusions:Sarcopenia could be a predictor for reduced mean RDI of NAC in elderly patients with LAEC.The findings have implications for improving the clinical outcomes of patients with esophageal cancer.

Objective To analyze the influence of midazolam and propofol on sedation effect and blood gas indicators in elderly patients undergoing mechanical ventilation after cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB)cardiac surgery.Methods The elderly patients with mechanical ventilation after CPB cardiac surgery were grouped according to cohort method,including midazolam group(group M),propofol group(group P)and midazolam-propofol combined administration group(group M-P).Group M was treated with midazolam(intravenous injection of 0.05-0.10 mg kg-1 midazolam for sedation induction,and then continuously intravenous injection of 0.05-0.15 mg·kg-1·h-1 midazolam by micropump),and group P was treated with propofol(intravenous injection of 0.5 mg·kg-1 propofol for sedation induction,and then continuously intravenous injection of 0.5-2.0 mg·kg-1·h-1 propofol by micropump),and group M-P was given combined administration of midazolam and propofol(intravenous injection of 0.02-0.05 mg·kg-1 midazolam and 0.2-0.5 mg·kg-1 propofol for sedation induction and then continuously intravenous pump of 0.05-0.1 mg·kg-1 midazolam and 0.5-0.8 mg·kg·h-1 propofol).The sedation effect,blood gas indicators,hemodynamic indicators,extubation time,intensive care unit(ICU)stay time and treatment cost were compared among the three groups,and the adverse drug reactions during sedation therapy were recorded.Results There were 43 cases in group M,44 cases in group P,39 cases in group M-P.The drug onset times in groups M,P and M-P were(77.94±12.05),(18.18±5.20)and(21.25±9.36)s;the times to achieve satisfactory sedation effect were(42.57±11.41),(22.63±8.17)and(23.98±10.25)min;the recovery times after withdrawal were(59.30±14.86),(19.83±5.44)and(22.16±6.29)min;the extubation times were(1.61±0.20),(1.45±0.22)and(1.37±0.15)d;the ICU stay times were(2.17±0.29),(1.91±0.36)and(1.84±0.25)d;the treatment costs were(186.59±60.83),(922.97±164.34)and(375.03±71.16)thousand yuan;and the total incidence rates of adverse drug reactions were 34.88％,4.55％and 7.69％respectively,all with significant difference(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR),oxygen saturation(SpO2),partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO2)at T0,T1,T2,T3 and T4 among the three groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion Combined administration of midazolam and propofol in elderly patients underwent mechanical ventilation after CPB cardiac surgery has a significant sedation effect,and it is conducive to reducing the dosages of sedative drugs,and it has small impact on blood gas indicators and hemodynamic indicators of patients.Compared with midazolam alone,it is more beneficial to shortening the extubation time and ICU stay and reducing the total incidence rate of adverse drug reactions,and compared with propofol alone,it is more beneficial to reducing treatment cost,and is a more ideal sedation administration model.

In this study, visual-near infrared(VNIR), short-wave infrared(SWIR), and VNIR + SWIR fusion hyperspectral data of Polygonatum cyrtonema from different geographical origins were collected and preprocessed by first derivative(FD), second derivative(SD), Savitzky-Golay smoothing(S-G), standard normalized variate(SNV), multiplicative scatter correction(MSC), FD+S-G, and SD+S-G. Three algorithms, namely random forest(RF), linear support vector classification(LinearSVC), and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), were used to establish the identification models of P. cyrtonema origin from three spatial scales, i.e., province, county, and township, respectively. Successive projection algorithm(SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS) were used to screen the characteristic bands, and the P. cyrtonema origin identification models were established according to the selected characteristic bands. The results showed that(1)after FD preprocessing of VNIR+SWIR fusion hyperspectral data, the accuracy of recognition models established using LinearSVC was the highest, reaching 99.97% and 99.82% in the province origin identification model, 100.00% and 99.46% in the county origin identification model, and 99.62% and 98.39% in the township origin identification model. The accuracy of province, county, and township origin identification models reached more than 98.00%.(2)Among the 26 characteristic bands selected by CARS, after FD pretreatment, the accuracy of origin identification models of different spatial scales was the highest using LinearSVC, reaching 98.59% and 97.05% in the province origin identification model, 97.79% and 94.75% in the county origin identification model, and 90.13% and 87.95% in the township origin identification model. The accuracy of identification models of different spatial scales established by 26 characteristic bands reached more than 87.00%. The results show that hyperspectral imaging technology can realize accurate identification of P. cyrtonema origin from different spatial scales.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; Polygonatum ; Algorithms ; Random Forest ; Least-Squares Analysis

With the growing demand of personalized medicine for children, it is especially important to develop medicines for children. In this study, using metoprolol tartrate as model drug, we developed 3D printed chewable tablets suitable for children with automated dosage distribution using semi-solid extruded (SSE) 3D printing technology. Based on the quality by design concept, this study prepared a semi-solid material with good printability using gelatin as the substrate, constructed 3D models and printed tablets with the aid of computer-aided design. The printing parameters were optimized and determined as follows: print temperature of 35-37 ℃, print speed of 25 mm·s^-1, fill rate of 15%, and number of outer profile layers of 2. Subsequently, the printing process and the quality uniformity of the tablets were verified, and a linear relationship between the dose and the number of model layers was obtained. Finally, 3D printed chewable tablets were superior in terms of appearance, dose accuracy and compliance compared with traditional split-dose commercially available tablets. In this study, 3D printed metoprolol tartrate chewable tablets with good performance were successfully prepared to address the personalized medication needs of pediatric patients.