ObjectiveTo investigate the quality markers of Xiaoqinglong granules（XQLG） for treating bronchial asthma using the analytic hierarchy process（AHP）-entropy weight method（EWM）， network pharmacology and high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） content determination. MethodsEffectiveness， testability and peculiarity component data of XQLG in treating bronchial asthma were constructed through database retrieval， literature review， and network pharmacology. Subsequently， AHP-EWM was used to quantitatively identify and weight the control layer and element layer， the relevant compounds were selected as candidate quality markers based on comprehensive scores. Further comparison of reference substances and establishment of HPLC content determination method were used to determine the potential quality markers of XQLG， which were verified by molecular docking with disease targets. ResultsA total of 13 components， including glycyrrhizic acid， paeoniflorin， schisandrol A， isoliquiritigenin， 6-gingerol， ephedrine， liquiritin， albiflorin， liquiritigenin， 6-shogaol， pseudoephedrine， cinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde， were identified as potential quality markers of XQLG by AHP-EWM. Quantitative analysis indicated that all aforementioned quality markers could be detected in 13 batches of XQLG， indicating that it had stable testability as a quality marker. Among these 13 batches of samples， ephedrine and paeoniflorin exhibited good consistency in content， while pseudoephedrine and cinnamaldehyde showed poor consistency. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the 13 compounds exhibited binding energies with the core targets -2.11 kcal·mol^-1， indicating that the 13 compounds could spontaneously bind to the disease targets， which may be the material basis for the treatment of bronchial asthma with XQLG. ConclusionIn this study， 13 compounds were screened by AHP-EWM combined with network pharmacology and HPLC as quality markers for the treatment of bronchial asthma by XQLG， laying the foundation for enhancing the quality standards of this preparation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rb3 on experimental periodontitis and bone resorption in rats. METHODS: Male SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a ligation group, an Rb3 group, and a doxycycline (Dox) group for in vivo experiments. A periodontitis model was established by ligating the maxillary second molar, and samples were collected after 3 weeks of drug treatment. Micro-CT assessment of alveolar bone resorption was performed, and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in periodontal and visceral tissues. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was applied to detect the formation of osteoclasts in periodontal tissues, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted to detect the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, immunoglobulin (Ig)M, and IgG. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to detect the expression of factors related to gingival inflammation and osteoclast formation. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) expression. In vitro experiments were conducted by pretreating RAW264.7 cells with drugs and adding lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation from Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression was detected by qPCR, and Western blot was used to detect the effect of Rb3 on the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the ligation group showed significant periodontitis and bone resorption. Compared with the ligation group, the Rb3 group showed a decrease in alveolar bone resorption and osteoclast formation; p-ERK/ERK ratio, IL-1β, IL-6, and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1) mRNA levels and downstream gene expression in periodontal tissues; serum IL-6, IL-8, IgG, and IgM levels. Rb3 reduced IL-8 and IL-1β mRNA expression levels and p-ERK/ERK and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK ratios in RAW264.7 cells induced by P. gingivalis LPS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS Rb3 inhibits inflammation and bone resorption in experimental periodontitis in rats. Compared with Dox, Rb3 has better effects in inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors and osteoclast gene expression and may exert anti-inflammatory effects by activating the MAPK signaling pathway.
Animals ; Ginsenosides/therapeutic use* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Periodontitis/pathology* ; Rats ; Osteoclasts/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Mice ; Alveolar Bone Loss ; Interleukin-8/blood* ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Transcription Factors

AIM: To detect the expression of P53 and mTOR in pterygium tissues and healthy conjunctival tissues, and to explore the relationship between the expression of P53 and mTOR, and the relationship between the expression of P53 and mTOR and the important clinical features of pterygium.METHODS: The surgical specimens of 43 patients(43 eyes)who underwent pterygium excision and autologous conjunctival transplantation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from November 2022 to May 2023 were collected. Healthy conjunctiva group was selected from the healthy conjunctival tissue that originated from the temporal conjunctiva of 13 patients. Totally 10 pterygium specimens and 6 normal conjunctival specimens were selected and the qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of P53 and mTOR in pterygium and normal conjunctival tissues. Another 33 cases of pterygium and 7 cases of normal conjunctival tissues were collected and the expression of P53 and mTOR in pterygium and normal conjunctival tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. IPP6.0 software was used to calculate the average optical density, the correlation between the expression levels of P53 and mTOR, and the correlation between the expression levels of P53 and mTOR and the important clinical features of pterygium were analyzed.RESULTS: According to qPCR results, the mRNA expression levels of TP53 and mTOR in the pterygium group were significantly higher than those in the healthy conjunctiva group(all P<0.05). According to the immunohistochemical staining results, the expression levels of P53 and mTOR proteins in the pterygium group were significantly higher than those in the healthy conjunctiva group(P<0.05). The expression of P53 was positively correlated with the expression of mTOR(r=0.417, P<0.05). The expression of P53 in the group of outdoor activity time > 3 h was higher than that in the group of outdoor activity time ≤3 h(P<0.05). The expression of P53 in the group of pterygium head invasive limbal distance > 2 mm was higher than that in the group of pterygium head invasive limbal distance ≤2 mm(P<0.05). There was no difference in the expression of pterygium between the two groups of patients aged > 40 years and ≤40 years(P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of mTOR between the groups of outdoor activity time > 3 h and ≤3 h, the group of pterygium head invasion distance > 2 mm and ≤2 mm, and the group of > 40 years old and ≤40 years old(all P>0.05). The expression of P53 was positively correlated with the duration of outdoor activities(r=0.484, P<0.01)and the distance of limbal invasion(r=0.479, P<0.01). The expression of mTOR was not correlated with age, duration of outdoor activities, and distance of limbus invasion(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION: The overexpression of P53 and mTOR in pterygium showed a positive correlation, suggesting that the abnormal expression of P53 and mTOR may play a role in the pathogenesis of pterygium, which provides an experimental basis for further exploring the pathogenesis of pterygium; the expression of P53 is positively correlated with the time of outdoor activities and the distance of pterygium invasion. The P53 plays a role in evaluating the severity of pterygium, and provides new ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pterygium.

Alzheimer's disease(AD), the most common neurodegenerative disease, has shown an increasing incidence among younger people. With the onset of disease, most patients' cognitive function will show a progressive decline, bringing a heavy burden to the society and the family. Studies have shown that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD through multiple mechanisms. This article reviews the mechanism of FGF in AD, with the hope of providing new ideas for elucidating the pathogenesis and early diagnosis of AD.

Tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC)is a rare genetic disease that can lead to benign dysplasia in multiple organs such as the skin, brain, eyes, oral cavity, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and bones. Its main symptoms include epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, skin depigmentation, and facial angiofibromas, whilst incidence is approximately 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 6000 newborns. This case presents a middle-aged woman who initially manifested with epilepsy and nodular depigmentation. Later, she developed a lower abdominal mass, elevated creatinine, and severe anemia. Based on clinical features and whole exome sequencing, the primary diagnosis was confirmed as TSC. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed that the lower abdominal mass originated from the uterus. CT-guided biopsy pathology and surgical pathology suggested a combination of leiomyoma and abscess. With the involvement of multiple organs and various complications beyond the main diagnosis, the diagnostic and therapeutic process for this patient highlights the importance of rigorous clinical thinking and multidisciplinary collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of rare and challenging diseases.

Objective To investigate the potential categories of exercise perception in patients with end-stage renal disease(ESRD),and analyze the relationship between different latent categories and change in physical activity,so as to provide references for targeted intervention.The latent profile analysis was used to extract potential categories of exercise perception,and multiple linear regression analysis was conducted with potential categories as independent variables and change in physical activity as dependent variables.Methods A total of 265 ESRD patients from a tertiary hospital were selected from June 2022 to May 2023 by convenience sampling method.The general data questionnaire,the Dialysis Patient-perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale(DPEBBS)and the Measuring Change in Physical Activity Questionnaire(MCPAQ)were used for investigation.Results A total of 241 ESRD patients completed the survey.The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that education level,family per capita monthly income and potential categories of exercise perception were the influencing factors of change in physical activity in ESRD patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion There was group heterogeneity in the exercise perception in patients with ESRD.Clinical workers should give targeted intervention according to the potential categories of patients'exercise perception,so as to promote the initiation and long-term maintenance of the change in physical activity.

Objective:To construct and validate a risk-scoring model for predicting delayed onset of lactogenesis stage Ⅱ (DOL Ⅱ) in mothers separated from their premature infants.Methods:This was a retrospective study. (1) Modeling group: This group enrolled 310 mothers who were separated from their premature infants after delivery at Wuxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital from December 2021 to November 2022. They were further divided into the DOL Ⅱ group (144 cases) and the non-DOL Ⅱgroup (166 cases) according to whether they had DOL Ⅱ or not. Based on the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis, each risk factor was assigned a score, and a risk prediction scoring model was established. (2) Validation group: This group included 130 mothers of premature infants who experienced mother-infant separation after delivery at Wuxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital from December 2022 to March 2023. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discrimination, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the goodness of fit. The Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact probability test) or Wilcoxon rank sum test were used for inter-group data comparison. Results:This risk prediction scoring model included 10 risk factors [maternal age≥35 years old, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, anemia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm rupture of membrane, start breastfeeding >6 hours, postpartum admission of maternal intensive care unit, cesarean section, score of Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale >9.5, postpartum neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥4.369, Fatigue Scale-14 ≥7.5, body mass index in the first trimester ≥23.719 kg/m 2, postpartum BMI≥27.661 kg/m 2,and increase of BMI during pregnancy ≥5.393 kg/m 2], with an area under the ROC curve of 0.838 (95% CI: 0.795-0.882, P<0.001), a maximum Yoden index of 0.526, a specificity of 0.825, a sensitivity of 0.701, and an optimal threshold of 4.5. After rounding the score off to the nearest whole number, those with a score≥5 were defined as at high risk of DOL Ⅱ, while those with a score<5 were at low risk. Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ2=3.43 and P=0.634. The positive predictive value, the negative predictive value, and the accuracy were 77.7%, 76.1%, and 76.8%, respectively. In the modeling group, 130 out of the 310 cases (41.9%) were predicted to be at high risk by the model with 101 (32.6%) experiencing DOL Ⅱ, while 180 cases (58.1%) were predicted to be at low risk with 43 (13.9%) experiencing DOL Ⅱ. Among the 130 cases in the validation group, 59 (45.4%) were predicted to be at high risk with 39 (30.0%) experiencing DOL Ⅱ, while 71 (54.6%) were predicted to be at low risk with 19 (14.6%) experiencing DOL Ⅱ. The model validation results showed that the area under the ROC curve was 0.774 (95% CI: 0.693-0.855, P<0.001) and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ2=3.09 and P=0.687, with the positive predictive value of 66.1%, the negative predictive value of 73.2%, and the accuracy of 70.0%. Conclusions:This study preliminarily establishes a risk scoring model for predicting DOL Ⅱ in mothers separated from their premature infants which is of certain predictive value and can provide a reference for developing predictive lactation support measures.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Jiaotai Shugan decoction in adjuvant treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with depression with liver qi stagnation type.Methods From June 2022 to June 2023,90 patients with T2DM complicated with depression with liver qi stagnation type treated in the Second People's Hospital of Lishui City were selected,who were randomly divided into control group and observation group,with 45 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with basic treatment of diabetes,control group was given escitalopram to improve the emotion,while observation group was further given Jiaotai Shugan decoction.After 8 weeks,the clinical effective rate were evaluated by Hamilton depression scale-24(HAMD-24)and patient health questionnaire-9(PHQ-9)scores,the levels of 5-hydroxytrytamine(5-HT),noradrenaline(NE),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),fasting blood glucose(FPG),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(2hPG)and haemoglobinA1c(HbA1c)were detected,and adverse reactions were recorded.Results The clinical total effective rates of observation group was higher than that of control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).8 weeks after treatment,HAMD-24 and PHQ-9 scores of observation group were lower than those of control group(P＜0.01).The levels of 5-HT,NE and BDNF of observation group were higher than those of control group(P＜0.01).The levels of FPG,2hPG and HbA1c in observation group were lower than those in control group(P＜0.01);There was no significant difference in adverse reactions between two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Modified Jiaotai Shugan decoction is effective in treating T2DM complicated with depression with liver qi stagnation type,can reduce HAMD-24 and PHQ-9 scores,increase the levels of 5-HT,NE,BDNF,and reduce the levels of FPG,2hPG,HbA1c.There was no obvious adverse reactions.

In recent years, the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has received increasing attention. The mechanism underlying the relationship between the two diseases remains unclear, which may be associated with neuroinflamation, oxidative stress, cerebrovascular disease, gut microbiota imbalance, and insulin resistance. This article reviews the correlation and potential mechanisms between NAFLD and VCI, with the aim of providing reference for further exploration of their correlation.

Objective ToimprovethediagnosticaccuracybyassessingtheCTfeaturesofganglioneuroblastoma(GNB).Methods 38patientswithGNBconfirmedbypathologicalresultsandunderwentplainandcontrast-enhancedCTscanwereanalyzedretrospectively. Results GNBoftenoccurredinchildren.Allthecasesappearedassolitarylesion,7werelocatedinthemediastinum,12intheadrenal,15inthe retroperitoneal,3inthethoraxcavityand1inthepelviccavity.PlainCTshowed36lesionswithheterogeneouslowdensitywithnecrosisand cysticdegeneration,and28caseswithcalcifications,2withhomogeneouslowdensity.Thesolidlessionofallcasesshowedprogressive enhancement(4casesshowedslightprogressivecontrastenhancement,11casesshowed moderateenhancement,23casesshowed markedlyenhancement).Peripheralvesselsweredisplacedbytumorin19casesandembeddedbytumorin13cases.13casesshowed thepresenceofsmallvesselsin/aroundthetumorarrangedinclumpsorinline.Conclusion ThespecificCTfindingsofheterogeneouslowdensity withnecrosis,calcifications,peripheralvesselsdisplaced,moderatetomarkedlyprogressiveenhancement,mightbeusefulforthediagnosisofGNB.