In this experiment, self-assembled nanoparticles(SANs) were prepared by the pH-driven method, and Her-HCP SAN was constructed by using herpetrione(Her) and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides(HCPs). The average particle size and polydispersity index(PDI) were used as evaluation indexes for process optimization, and the quality of the final formulation was evaluated in terms of particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, and microstructure. The proposed Her-HCP SAN showed a spheroid structure and uniform morphology, with an average particle size of(244.58±16.84) nm, a PDI of 0.147 1±0.014 8, and a Zeta potential of(-38.52±2.11) mV. Her-HCP SAN significantly increased the saturation solubility of Her by 2.69 times, with a cumulative release of 90.18% within eight hours. The results of in vivo unidirectional intestinal perfusion reveal that Her active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) is most effectively absorbed in the jejunum, where both K_a and P_(app) are significantly higher compared to the ileum(P<0.001). However, the addition of HCP leads to a significant reduction in the P_(app) of Her in the jejunum(P<0.05). Furthermore, the formation of the Her-HCP SAN results in a notably lower P_(app) in the jejunum compared to Her API alone(P<0.001), while both K_a and P_(app) in the ileum are significantly increased(P<0.001, P<0.05). The absorption of Her-HCP SAN at different concentrations in the ileum shows no significant differences, and the pH has no significant effect on the absorption of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum. The addition of the transporter protein inhibitors(indomethacin and rifampicin) significantly increases the absorption parameters K_a and P_(app) of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum(P<0.05,P<0.01), whereas the addition of verapamil has no significant effect on the intestinal absorption parameters of Her-HCP SAN, suggesting that Her may be a substrate for multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 and breast cancer resistance proteins but not a substrate of P-glycoprotein.
Nanoparticles/metabolism* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacokinetics* ; Intestinal Absorption/drug effects* ; Animals ; Rats ; Particle Size ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Drug Carriers/chemistry* ; Drug Compounding ; Cucurbitaceae/chemistry*

Incomplete debridement of chronic osteomyelitis is the main factor leading to recurrence. For the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis, the complete elimination of the source of infection is the key to preventing recurrence. This process includes not only the complete removal of infected lesions, dead bone, accreted scar tissue and granulation tissue, but also the elimination of dead space and improved local blood circulation. In these steps, debridement is a core procedure, and judging the scope of debridement is the premise of whether it could be completely debridement. This article systematically reviewed the application of different imaging techniques in evaluating the scope of chronic osteomyelitis infection, and discusses its future development trend. Although traditional plain X-ray film could preliminarily indicate osteomyelitis, it is difficult to determine the infection scope. CT scan has the function of accurate anatomic localization, which is important for preoperative assessment of the scope of bone infection, but the recognition of soft tissue information is limited. MRI, with its high sensitivity, clearly distinguishes between infected bone and soft tissue, which plays an important role in the evaluation of soft tissue infection, but may overestimate the extent of bone infection. Nuclide techniques such as 18F-FDG PET/CT and SPECT/CT show great potential for accurately assessing the extent of infection before surgery. In the future, by optimizing the combination of different imaging technologies, combining clinical symptoms, intraoperative conditions and pathological results, and developing an image analysis platform based on artificial intelligence, it will be able to more accurately assess the scope of infection, provide more effective and personalized treatment plans for patients with chronic osteomyelitis, enhance treatment effects, and significantly improve quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Osteomyelitis/diagnosis* ; Chronic Disease ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.08.005.].

The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure in vivo would lead to aggravated kidney damage. In this study, coated aldehyde oxy-starch (CAO) was used as an adsorbent to investigate its in vitro adsorption performance on renal failure indexes for urea, indoxyl sulfate (INS), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr). The effects of variables such as pH, temperature, concentration, dosage, and time on the adsorption capacity of CAO were systematically investigated, employing analytical techniques of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). The results revealed that CAO exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for urea, INS, and MMA, alongside a moderate adsorption capacity for DMA, UA, and Cr. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO were fitted in pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Freundlich adsorption model. The enthalpy change ΔH of urea in adsorption was in the range of 40 to 60 kJ·mol^-1, which demonstrated the presence of strong adsorption force due to the interactions of coordinating groups. The ΔH of UA was greater than 80 kJ·mol^-1, indicating the generation of chemical bonds during the adsorption. Both of them, Gibbs free energy ΔG was less than 0, within the range of -20 to 0 kJ·mol^-1, suggested that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO occurred spontaneously as physical adsorption process. The adsorption entropy ΔS of urea and UA was > 0, which indicated an increase in entropy throughout the adsorption. The infrared spectroscopygram showed the formation of a chemical bond, specifically the imine bond, following the adsorption of urea by CAO, thereby indicating a chemical reaction during the adsorption. This study elucidates the adsorption mechanism of CAO on various indexes of renal failure, providing a scientific basis for its clinical usage.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group. Rats were administrated intragastrically QDG [0.9 g/(kg•d)] or an equivalent volume of pure water for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, histopathological changes, cardiac function, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were measured. Furthermore, to gain insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of QDG against hypertension-induced cardiac injury, a network pharmacology study was conducted. Predicted results were validated by Western blot, radioimmunoassay immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of QDG resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure levels in SHRs (P<0.01). Histological examinations, including hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining revealed that QDG effectively attenuated hypertension-induced cardiac damage. Furthermore, echocardiography demonstrated that QDG improved hypertension-associated cardiac dysfunction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric method indicated that QDG significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory response levels in both myocardial tissue and serum (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both network pharmacology and experimental investigations confirmed that QDG exerted its beneficial effects in decreasing hypertension-induced cardiac damage by regulating the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II receptor type 1 axis and ACE/Ang II/Ang II receptor type 2 axis.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/pathology* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Rats ; Inflammation/pathology*

BACKGROUND: A growing body of research is exploring the role of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis, highlighting an increasing emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions. Although more patients are turning to supplements to manage osteoarthritis, their actual effectiveness remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the available evidence concerning the efficacy of various dietary supplements in osteoarthritis treatment. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science for studies on the use of various dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis from the creation of each database until Jan 20, 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (1) Research object: osteoarthritis. (2) Intervention measures: patients in the treatment group received dietary supplements, while the control group received placebos. (3) Research type: randomized controlled trials (RCTs). DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Two researchers independently examined the literature and retrieved data based on predefined criteria. The information gathered included the first author, year of publication, sample size, participant demographics, length of the follow-up period, intervention and control measures, and inclusion indications. RCTs comparing dietary supplements to placebo with the pain and function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) among patients with osteoarthritis were included. The optimal dietary supplement was identified based on the total ranking by summing the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of these two scores. Furthermore, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to confirm the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: Overall, 23 studies covering 21 dietary supplements and involving 2455 participants met the inclusion criteria. In the WOMAC pain score, the SUCRA of passion fruit peel extract was 91% (mean difference [MD]: -9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [-16.0, -2.3]), followed by methylsulfonylmethane (89%), undenatured type II collagen (87%), collagen (84%), and Lanconone (82%). The SUCRA (99%) of passion fruit peel extract (MD: -41.0; 95% CI: [-66.0, -16.0]) ranked first in terms of the WOMAC function score, followed by Lanconone (95%), collagen (86%), ParActin (84%), and Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (83%). The top three total rankings are passion fruit peel extract (95.0%), Lanconone (88.5%), and collagen (85.0%). However, the GRADE revealed low evidence quality. CONCLUSION Passion fruit peel extract was the best supplement for improving WOMAC pain and function scores in patients with osteoarthritis, followed by Lanconone and collagen. However, further large-scale, well designed RCTs are required to substantiate these promising findings. Please cite this article as: Chen CS, Wen L, Yang F, Deng YC, Ji JH, Chen RJ, Chen Z, Chen G, Gu JY. Effects of dietary supplements on patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 357-369.
Humans ; Dietary Supplements ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

This study was aimed at determining the molecular characteristics of Yersinia pestis in the natural plague foci around Qinghai Lake through single nucleotide polymorphism technology,to lay a foundation for molecular epidemiological and source-tracing analysis of Y.pestis in this area.Using the whole genome sequencing technology,we obtained the whole genome sequences of 84 representative Y.pestis strains.Using the sequences of Y.pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis IP32953 from the NCBI database as references,we compared and analyzed the 2 298 SNP loci of these strains.From 1957 to 2020,84 representative strains of Y.pestis from the natural plague foci around Qinghai Lake were divided into two clades:1.IN2 and 3.ANT1.The 1.IN2 clade was the characteristic population of Y.pestis throughout all epidemic years in this area.Additionally,analysis of the SNP distribution and hosts in the region indicated that the 1.IN2 clade was located in five counties except Wulan,whereas the 3.ANT1 clade was isolated from Himalayan marmot and dog in two counties.In conclusion,the population structure of SNP of Y.pestis in the natural plague foci around Qinghai Lake is relatively simple,and SNP analysis of Y.pestis provided a scientific basis for tracing plague epidemic sources and formulating plague prevention and control measures in this area.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of the ANXA1(Annexin A1)mimetic peptide Ac2-26 on mice with severe heatstroke(HS)and its underlying mechanisms.Methods Twenty-four adult healthy male C57BL/6J mice weighing 20-25 g were randomly divided into four groups using a simple random sampling method:control group(Con group),Con+Ac2-26 group,severe heatstroke group(HS group),and severe heatstroke+Ac2-26 group(HS+Ac2-26 group),with 6 mice in each group.Mice in Con+Ac2-26 group and HS+Ac2-26 group were injected intraperitoneally with Ac2-26(6 mg/kg),and the remaining mice of two groups were injected intraperitoneally with normal saline of equivalent volume.One hour after drug administration,mice in HS group and HS+Ac2-26 group were placed in a high-temperature and high-humidity simulated environment[(37.0±0.5)℃,75%±5%humidity],while mice in Con group and Con+Ac2-26 were kept in a room temperature and humidity environment[(24±0.5)℃and 40±5%humidity]throughout the experiment.The anal temperature of the mice was recorded every 5 minutes;when the anal temperature of mice in HS group and HS+Ac2-26 group reached 42℃,they were removed from the high-temperature environment and placed in a room temperature environment for 6 hours of rewarming,after which blood samples of mice in each group were collected.Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of neutrophils and the expression levels of Cd11b and Cd62L(molecules related to neutrophil activation).Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-10,and IL-4.Hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE staining)was performed to observe the pathological changes in lung,kidney and liver tissues.Furthermore,RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was conducted to detect changes in neutrophil gene expression.Results Compared with Con group,Con+Ac2-26 group showed no significant increase in neutrophil proportion,decreased expression of CD62L and CD11b,no significant changes in cytokine levels,and no obvious pathological changes in lung,kidney,or liver tissues.Compared with HS group,the time for mice in HS+Ac2-26 group to reach an anal temperature of 42℃and the time to develop hypothermia after model establishment were both prolonged(P<0.05);the proportion of neutrophils was reduced(P<0.05);the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased(P<0.05);and the plasma level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was increased(P<0.05).HE staining results showed that compared with HS group,HS+Ac2-26 group had a reduced range of inflammatory cell infiltration in lung,kidney,and liver tissues.RNA-seq results revealed that compared with HS group,HS+Ac2-26 group had decreased expression levels of molecules related to the oxidative phosphorylation signaling pathways and neutrophil extracellular trap(NETs).Conclusion Annexin A1 mimetic peptide Ac2-26 may reduce the pro-inflammatory response and alleviate the heatstroke-induced organ histopathologic damage in heatstroke mice by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation in heat-stressed cells and NETs formation.