Sishen Pills and its separated prescriptions are classic prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine to treat intestinal diseases. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) technology was used to identify the components of Sishen Pills, Ershen Pills, and Wuweizi Powder. The positive and negative ion sources of electrospray ionization were simultaneously collected by mass spectrometry. A total of 11 effective components were detected in Sishen Pills, with four effective components detected in Ershen Pills and eight effective components detected in Wuweizi Powder, respectively. To explore the effects of Sishen Pills and its separated prescriptions on the human intestinal flora, an in vitro anaerobic fermentation model was established, and the human intestinal flora was incubated with Sishen Pills, Ershen Pills, and Wuweizi Powder in vitro. The 16S rDNA sequencing technology was used to analyze the changes in the intestinal flora. The results showed that compared with the control group, Sishen Pills, and its separated prescriptions could decrease the intestinal flora abundance and increase the Shannon index after fermentation. The abundance of Bifidobacterium was significantly increased in the Sishen Pills and Ershen Pills groups. However, the abundance of Lactobacillus, Weissella, and Pediococcus was significantly increased in the Wuweizi Powder group. After fermentation for 12 h, the pH of the fermentation solution of three kinds of liquids with feces gradually decreased and was lower than that of the control group. The decreasing amplitude in the Wuweizi Powder group was the most obvious. The single-bacteria fermentation experiments further confirmed that Sishen Pills and Wuweizi Powder had inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis, and the antibacterial activity of Wuweizi Powder was stronger than that of Sishen Pills. Both Sishen Pills and Ershen Pills could promote the growth of Lactobacillus brevis, and Ershen Pills could promote the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. This study provided a more sufficient theoretical basis for the clinical application of Sishen Pills and its separated prescriptions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Fermentation/drug effects* ; Bacteria/drug effects* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Intestines/microbiology*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of the natural compound hesperidin in glycolysis, the key ratelimiting enzyme, in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. METHODS: In vitro, HCT116 and SW620 were treated with different doses of hesperidin (0-500 µmol/L), cell counting kit-8 and colone formation assays were utilized to detected inhibition effect of hesperidin on CRC cell lines. Transwell and wound healing assays were performed to detect the ability of hesperidin (0, 25, 50 and 75 µmol/L) to migrate CRC cells. To confirm the apoptotic-inducing effect of hesperidin, apoptosis and cycle assays were employed. Western blot, glucose uptake, and lactate production determination measurements were applied to determine inhibitory effects of hesperidin (0, 25 and 50 µmol/L) on glycolysis. In vivo, according to the random number table method, nude mice with successful tumor loading were randomly divided into vehicle, low-dose hesperidin (20 mg/kg) and high-dose hesperidin (60 mg/kg) groups, with 6 mice in each group. The body weights and tumor volumes of mice were recorded during 4-week treatment. The expression of key glycolysis rate-limiting enzymes was determined using Western blot, and glucose uptake and lactate production were assessed. Finally, protein interactions were probed with DirectDIA Quantitative Proteomics, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. RESULTS: Hesperidin could inhibit CRC cell line growth (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Moreover, hesperidin presented an inhibitory effect on the migrating abilities of CRC cells. Hesperidin also promoted apoptosis and cell cycle alterations (P<0.05). The immunoblotting results manifested that hesperidin decreased the levels of hexokinase 2, glucose transporter protein 1 (GLUT1), GLUT3, L-lactate dehydrogenase A, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 2 (PFKFB2), PFKFB3, and pyruvate kinase isozymes M2 (P<0.01). It remarkably suppressed tumor xenograft growth in nude mice. GO and KEGG analyses showed that hesperidin treatment altered metabolic function. CONCLUSION Hesperidin inhibits glycolysis and is a potential therapeutic choice for CRC treatment.
Hesperidin/therapeutic use* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Animals ; Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Cycle/drug effects* ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice ; HCT116 Cells ; Lactic Acid

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Piperazines are a class of new psychoactive substances with hallucinogenic effects that af-fect the central nervous system by affecting the level of monoamine neurotransmitters.Abuse of pipera-zines will produce stimulating and hallucinogenic effects,accompanied by headache,dizziness,anxiety,insomnia,vomiting,chest pain,tachycardia,hypertension and other adverse reactions,and may even cause cardiovascular diseases and multiple organ failure and lead to death,seriously affecting human physical and mental health and public safety.The abuse of new psychoactive substance piperazines has attracted extensive attention from the international community.The study of its pharmacological toxi-cology and analytical methods has become a research hotspot in the field of forensic medicine.This paper reviews the in vivo processes,sample treatment and analytical methods of existing piperazines,in order to provide reference for forensic identification.

Objective:To explore the application value of posture adaptation training combined with continuous pas-sive exercise rehabilitation for patients after coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG).Methods:A total of 100 pa-tients with coronary heart disease(CHD)undergoing CABG in our hospital were enrolled,divided into single group(n=50,received single continuous passive exercise rehabilitation intervention)and combined group(n=50,re-ceived posture adaptation training based on single group)according to color grouping method.Both groups were in-tervened for two months.Clinical indexes,cardiac function indexes,cognitive function,exercise endurance,serum levels of neuron specific enolase(NSE),S-100β protein and satisfaction were analyzed and compared between two groups.Results:Compared with single group after intervention,there were significant reductions in first out of bed time,first anal exhaust time and length of hospital stay,and significant rise in left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),cardiac index(CI),left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS),score of Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)scale,6min walking distance,and significant reductions in serum levels of NSE[(19.93±1.90)μg/L vs.(16.59±2.25)μg/L]and S-100β protein[(6.72±0.34)μg/L vs.(3.96±0.19)μg/L]in combined group,P=0.001 all.Satisfaction in combined group was significantly higher than that of single group(94.00％vs.80.00％,P=0.037).Conclusion:Posture adaptation training combined with continuous passive exercise rehabilitation can sig-nificantly improve the clinical indexes,promote cardiopulmonary function and cognitive function recovery in pa-tients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting after operation.

Objective To evaluate the bioequivalence of a single oral dose of ritonavir in fasted and fed conditions in healthy Chinese adult subjects with the test and reference formulations.Methods A single-center,open-label,randomized,single-dose,two-periods,two-sequence crossover design was used,and 64 subjects were enrolled in both the fasted and fed groups.The subjects received 100 mg of the test preparation or reference preparation orally per cycle,and the drug concentration of ritonavir in plasma was detected using the high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)method.Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated by a non-compartment model,and SAS 9.4 software was used for statistical analysis.Results Arithmetic mean values of the main pharmacokinetic parameters of the subject formulation of ritonavir tablets and the reference formulation in the fasting group:Cmax were(791.90±400.20)and(809.60±449.14)ng·mL-1;AUC0_t were(6 072.61±2 631.98)and(6 296.30±3 388.95)ng·h·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were(6 129.59±2 655.57)and(6 347.26±3 434.12)ng·h·mL-1,respectively.Arithmetic mean values of the main pharmacokinetic parameters of the subject formulation of ritonavir tablets and the reference formulation in the fed group:Cmax were(512.37±233.60)and(521.74±223.87)ng·mL-1;AUC0_t were(4 203.43±2 221.33)and(4 200.13±1 993.50)ng·h·mL-1;AUC0_∞ were(4 259.21±2 266.88)and(4 259.63±2 044.12)ng·h·mL-1.The 90％confidence intervals for the geometric mean ratios of Cmax,AUC0_t and AUC0_∞ of the prototype drug ritonavir in plasma after oral administration of 100 mg of the test and reference formulations of ritonavir tablets under fasting and fed conditions fell within the 80.00％to 125.00％equivalence interval.Conclusion The test and reference formulations of ritonavir tablets were bioequivalent under fasting and postprandial conditions.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the lipid-lowering activity of LFBEP-C1 in high glucose-fed Caenorhabditis elegans(C.elegans). Methods In this study,the fermented barley protein LFBEP-C1 was prepared and tested for its potential anti-obesity effects on C.elegans.The worms were fed Escherichia coli OP50(E.coli OP50),glucose,and different concentrations of LFBEP-C1.Body size,lifespan,movement,triglyceride content,and gene expression were analyzed.The results were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results Compared with the model group,the head-swing frequency of C.elegans in the group of LFBEP-C1 at 20 μg/mL increased by 33.88%,and the body-bending frequency increased by 27.09%.This indicated that LFBEP-C1 improved the locomotive ability of C.elegans.The average lifespan of C.elegans reached 13.55 days,and the body length and width of the C.elegans decreased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Additionally,LFBEP-C1 reduced the content of lipid accumulation and triglyceride levels.The expression levels of sbp-1,daf-2,and mdt-15 significantly decreased,while those of daf-16,tph-1,mod-1,and ser-4 significantly increased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Changes in these genes explain the signaling pathways that regulate lipid metabolism. Conclusion LFBEP-C1 significantly reduced lipid deposition in C.elegans fed a high-glucose diet and alleviated the adverse effects of a high-glucose diet on the development,lifespan,and exercise behavior of C.elegans.In addition,LFBEP-C1 regulated lipid metabolism mainly by mediating the expression of genes in the sterol regulatory element-binding protein,insulin,and 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathways.

Objective:To explore a better measurement mode of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the skin of lymphedema limbs, and to test its diagnostic efficacy in lymphedema.Methods:Between 1st and 10th August, 2023, 22 healthy volunteers were recruited in the Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ulrasound, the First Afiliaed Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University to measure the Young's modulus (E-value) of limb skin by SWE using a gel pad (GP group) and the thick-layer coupling gel (CG group) respectively. Then between 15th August and 28th September, 2023, 11 patients with 13 lower limb lymphedema, who were treated in the Department of Microsurgery, Orhopaedic Trauma and Hand Surgery, the First Affiliaed Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, were consecutively enrolled to find out the E-value of skin in oedematous limbs. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was constructed and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency. SPSS 26.0, R studio and GraphPad Prism 8 software were used for statistical analysis. Paired sample non-parametric test (Wilcoxon signed rank test) was used to compare the difference in E-value between the 2 groups. P<0.01 was considered statistically significant. Spearman correlation test was used to analyse the correlation of E-value values between the GP group and CG group. Results:Overall, it was found from the healthy volunteers that E-value of skin in distal limbs were higher than that in proximal limbs, especially in lower extremities. E-value of all scanned location in GP group were found higher than those of CG group with statistically significant difference ( P<0.01), and the values of interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed a good repeatability. The 11 patients with lymphedema in 13 lower extremities were examined with the thick-layer coupling gel. The skin E-value in calf of patients with lymphedema were significantly higher than that of the healthy volunteers ( P<0.01), except the skin of thighs ( P>0.01). A lymphedema was diagnosed while either a skin E-value was 27.6 kPa calculated by Youden index or with the thickness of skin was 2.3 mm. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy in the diagnosis of a lymphedema were found at 92.3%, 100%, 100%, 95.7% and 97.1%, respectively. The area under curve (AUC) of ROC was 0.962. The correlation coefficients (R) of E-value in arm, forearm, thigh and lower leg in the GP group and CP group were 0.665, 0.882, 0.850 and 0.815, respectively, which were all significantly correlated. Conclusion:Application of thick layer coupler in ultrasound skin SWE is highly feasible, and the combination of ultrasound skin SWE and skin thickness has higher diagnostic efficiency in the diagnosis of lower extremities lymphedema. It allows more accurate ultrasonic image technical support for early monitoring and diagnosis of lymphedema, microsurgical treatment and a quantitatively perioperative evaluation.

Objective:To analyze the current status of salary system reform in public hospitals in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, and provide reference for the deepening of salary system reform in public hospitals.Methods:From April to May 2023, a self-designed survey questionnaire was used to conduct a survey of medical staff in five municipal tertiary public hospitals through the Wenjuanxing platform. The survey questionnaire mainly included the basic information of the survey subjects, the implementation status of the salary system, and employee satisfaction with salary. In May 2023, semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant personnel from government departments and public hospitals involved in the reform. The interview content included the reform measures taken and their impact, changes in medical staff salaries after the reform, and the current difficulties faced by the reform. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the data, and Chi-square test was used to compare the count data. Kendall′s tau-b test was used to analyze the correlation between salary level and basic information of the survey subjects.Results:In the reform of the salary system in public hospitals in Mianyang City, measures such as system construction, total salary quota determination and dynamic control, and salary management for non-establishment employees have been mainly adopted. 826 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 94.5%. The annual income level was positively correlated with age, education level, years of work experience, and professional title level ( r=0.420, P<0.001; r=0.245, P<0.001; r=0.364, P<0.001; r=0.504, P<0.001). Compared with the personnel in the same positions at the same level of hospitals in other cities and states in Sichuan Province, 274 people (33.2%) were quite satisfied or very satisfied with the current salary level; 350 people (42.3%) were quite satisfied or very satisfied with the salary distribution mechanism, and 441 people (53.4%) were quite satisfied or very satisfied with non-economic salaries. The proportion of survey respondents who believe that the existing salary structure and performance evaluation methods could reflect their actual work value was 464 people (56.2%) and 423 people (51.2%), respectively. A total of 10 people were interviewed, with 4 individuals believing that the salary level has increased after the reform, but the change was not significant compared to before the reform; 8 individuals believed that the current reform does not involve the reform of the salary structure; 6 individuals believed that the internal performance based salary distribution mechanism in hospitals was not sound; 3 individuals believed that there was insufficient attention to the reform of non-economic compensation; 7 individuals believe that the difficulties in the salary system reform were mainly concentrated on the unified understanding of policies, how to determine the increase in the total salary quota, and how to reasonably distribute it internally. Conclusions:Mianyang City has scientifically determined the total salary and implemented dynamic control, enhancing the public welfare nature of public hospitals, while also taking into account the salary management of employees both inside and outside the establishment, promoting equal pay for equal work. However, there were also issues such as disagreements on the dynamic adjustment of the total salary, an imperfect internal distribution mechanism within hospitals, and an incomplete salary system reform. It is necessary to further strengthen top-level design, reasonably increase salary levels, improve the internal distribution mechanism, and optimize the salary structure to continue deepening the reform of the salary system in public hospital.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*