OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

Loss of protein homeostasis is a hallmark of cellular senescence, and ribosome pausing plays a crucial role in the collapse of proteostasis. However, our understanding of ribosome pausing in senescent cells remains limited. In this study, we utilized ribosome profiling and G-quadruplex RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing techniques to explore the impact of RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) on the translation efficiency in senescent cells. Our results revealed a reduction in the translation efficiency of rG4-rich genes in senescent cells and demonstrated that rG4 structures within coding sequence can impede translation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, we observed a significant increase in the abundance of rG4 structures in senescent cells, and the stabilization of the rG4 structures further exacerbated cellular senescence. Mechanistically, the RNA helicase DHX9 functions as a key regulator of rG4 abundance, and its reduced expression in senescent cells contributing to increased ribosome pausing. Additionally, we also observed an increased abundance of rG4, an imbalance in protein homeostasis, and reduced DHX9 expression in aged mice. In summary, our findings reveal a novel biological role for rG4 and DHX9 in the regulation of translation and proteostasis, which may have implications for delaying cellular senescence and the aging process.
G-Quadruplexes ; Cellular Senescence ; Ribosomes/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics* ; Protein Biosynthesis ; RNA/chemistry* ; Neoplasm Proteins

Objective:To explore the characteristics of nail fold microcirculation in hemodialysis patients and its correlation with cardiovascular events.Methods:The clinical data of 185 patients undergoing regular hemodialysis in Dongguan Donghua Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 76 cases of cardiovascular events (cardiovascular events group) and 109 cases of no cardiovascular events (non-cardiovascular events group). The nail fold microcirculation detector was used to detect the nail fold microcirculation of the first row of capillaries in the nail fold dermal papilla of the left ring finger. The nail fold microcirculation indexes and morphology integral, flow integral, loop integral, total integral were recorded. The general information and laboratory indexes (peripheral venous blood) were recorded. The value of total integral of nail fold microcirculation in predicting the cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.Results:The age, proportion of hypertension, proportion of diabetes, C-reactive protein (CRP), alkaline phosphatase and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) in cardiovascular events group were significantly higher than those in non-cardiovascular events group: 58 (44, 69) years vs. 49 (40, 63) years, 97.4% (74/76) vs. 83.5% (91/109), 43.4% (33/76) vs. 24.8% (27/109), 9.02 (2.73, 11.70) mg/L vs. 3.76 (1.28, 11.70) mg/L, 82 (75, 97) U/L vs. 72 (59, 82) U/L and 2 652 (1 020, 5 359) ng/L vs. 1 894 (780, 4 601) ng/L, the creatinine and triglyceride (TG) were significantly lower than those in non-cardiovascular events group: (961.95 ± 277.11) μmol/L vs. (1 058.93 ± 284.66) μmol/L and (1.73 ± 1.02) mmol/L vs. (2.27 ± 2.02) mmol/L, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 or <0.05). There were no statistical differences in gender composition, dialysis age, dialysis time, dialysis pathway, blood routine, serum iron, serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity, serum potassium, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, urea nitrogen, albumin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol between two groups ( P>0.05). There was statistical difference in erythrocyte aggregation between two groups ( P<0.05); there were no statistical differences in the number of vascular loops, diameter of input branch, diameter of output branch, length of loop, diameter of loop top, blood flow rate, clarity, condition of cross loop, condition of malformed loop, shape of nipple and subpapillary venous plexus between two groups ( P>0.05). The morphology integral and total integral in cardiovascular events group were significantly higher than those in non-cardiovascular events group: 1.8 (1.1, 3.1) scores vs. 1.4 (0.8, 2.5) scores and 4.2 (2.4, 6.1) scores vs. 3.1 (1.8, 5.2) scores, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05); there were no statistical differences in flow integral and loop integral between two groups ( P>0.05). ROC curve analysis result showed that the area under the curve of the total integral of nail fold microcirculation for predicting cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients was 0.590 (95% CI 0.506 to 0.673), the best cut-off value was 2.85 scores, the sensitivity was 69.7% and the specificity was 45.9%. Conclusions:The nail fold microcirculation disorder is more serious in hemodialysis patients with cardiovascular events. The nail fold microcirculation detection may help to predict cardiovascular disease.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1(sFlt-1)and soluble differentiation cluster 14(sCD14)in stroke-associated pneumonia(SAP).Methods A total of 67 SAP patients admitted to the hospital from March 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the study group,and 50 stroke patients without pneumonia during the same period were selected as the control group.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum sFlt-1 and sCD14 levels.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum sFlt-1,sCD14 levels and clinical data.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of SAP in patients with stroke.Receiver operating char-acteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of serum sFlt-1 and sCD14 levels in predicting SAP in patients with stroke.Results The serum levels of sFlt-1 and sCD14 in SAP patients were higher than those in stroke patients without pneumonia and stroke patients with pneumonia alone(P＜0.05).SAP in stroke patients was associated with age,atrial fibrillation,heart failure,aspiration,dysphagia,brain stem stroke,proton pump inhibitor use,fever,cough,dyspnea,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,procalcitonin(PCT),C-reactive protein,white blood cell count,national institutes of health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,clinical pulmonary infection(CPIS)score(P＜0.05).Correlation analysis showed that serum sFlt-1 level was positively correlated with sCD14(r=0.439,P＜0.001),and serum sFlt-1 and sCD14 levels were positively correlated with NIHSS score and CPIS score(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that sFlt-1,sCD14,proton pump inhibitor use,PCT,dysphagia,and age were the influencing factors of SAP in stroke patients(P＜0.05).ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve of serum sFlt-1 and sCD14 combined to evaluate SAP in stroke patients was higher than that of single detection(ZsFlt-1-combined=2.194,P=0.028,ZscD14-combined=2.310,P=0.002).Conclusion The serum levels of sFlt-1 and sCD14 are in-creased in SAP patients,and the combination of the two has a good diagnostic value for predicting the occur-rence of SAP.

ObjectiveTo describe the epidemic characteristics of COVID-19 after policy adjustment from “Category B notifiable disease with category A management” to “Category B notifiable disease with category B management”， and to explore the protective effect of previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 on common symptoms of reinfection. MethodsHealthcare workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a grade A tertiary hospital in Shanghai were included in the study from December 4， 2022 to January 11， 2023. Data on demographic characteristics， clinical symptoms， medical history， and COVID-19 vaccination history were collected. We determined the epidemiological curve and characteristics， and then compared the difference in the severity of clinical symptoms between primary and reinfection subjects. ResultsA total of 2 704 cases were included in the study， of which 45 had reinfection， 605 （22.4%）were males， 608 （22.5%）were doctors， 1 275 （47.2%） were nurses， and 2 351 （86.9%） received ≥3 doses of COVID-19 vaccination. The average age of these healthcare workers was （34.9±9.1） years old. The number of cases with mild/moderate illness， asymptomatic infection， fever， headache， dry cough， expectoration， and chest tightness were 2 704 （100.0%）， 92 （3.4%）， 2 385 （88.2%）， 2 066 （76.4%）， 1 642 （60.7%）， 1 807 （66.8%）， and 439 （16.2%）， respectively. Reinfection was a protective factor for fever （OR=0.161， P<0.001）， headache （OR=0.320， P<0.001）， and peak body temperature （β=-0.446， P<0.001）. ConclusionFollowing the COVID-19 policy adjustment as a category B notifiable disease， healthcare workers at a grade A tertiary hospital in Shanghai predominantly experiences mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Reinfection results in milder clinical manifestations， with a lower proportion of being asymptomatic.

Objective To detect the serum levels of CC chemokine receptor 2(CCR2)and C-reactive pro-tein(CRP)in stroke patients,and analyze their relationship with the severity of stroke associated pneumonia and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 78 patients with stroke associated pneumonia who were di-agnosed and treated in the hospital from October 2022 to February 2023 were collected as the study group,ac-cording to the severity of pneumonia,the study group was divided into mild group(31 cases),moderate group(29 cases),and severe group(18 cases),78 stroke patients who did not develop pneumonia were included into control group.Pearson method was applied to analyze the correlation between serum CCR2 and CRP levels in stroke associated pneumonia patients.Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors influ-encing the occurrence of stroke associated pneumonia.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was ap-plied to analyze the diagnostic value of serum CCR2 and CRP for stroke associated pneumonia.Results The National Institute of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,serum CCR2,and CRP levels in the study group were obviously higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).The levels of serum CCR2 and CRP increased with the aggravation of pneumonia(P<0.05).The levels of serum CCR2 and CRP in the study group were positively correlated(r=0.799,P<0.05).NIHSS score,CCR2,and CRP levels were risk factors for stroke associated pneumonia in stroke patients(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)for the diagnosis of stroke associated pneumonia using serum CCR2 and CRP alone was 0.873 and 0.888,respectively,and the AUC for the combined detection of the two was 0.936,the combined detection of the two was superior to the individual detection of serum CCR2 and CRP(Zcombination-CCR2=1.987,Zcombination-CRP=1.832,P=0.041,0.047).Conclusion Serum CCR2 and CRP are closely related to the severity of stroke associated pneumonia,and their combined detection has high diagnostic value for stroke associated pneumonia.

This paper summarized the clinical experience of CHEN Tongyun in the treatment of postinflammatory dyspigmentation with the method of unblocking and nourishing qi and blood. It is believed that the core pathogenesis of this disease is poor qi movement and skin blood stasis， for which the method of unblocking and nourishing qi and blood should be used. Postinflammatory pigmentation on the face is mainly caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis， and it is suggested to regulate liver and spleen， move qi and invigorate blood usually with modified Tonghua Decoction （通化汤）. Postinflammatory hypopigmentation is mainly due to qi and blood depletion， for which the treatment should be fortifying the spleen and strengthening kidney， replenishing qi and generating blood， and modified Yangfu Decoction （养复汤） is commonly used. Simultaneously， medicinals of ascending and descending functions， moving qi and blood， warming yang and nourishing yin should be combined， and the results from modern pharmacological research should be considered.

ObjectiveTo explore whether the mechanism of Shuangshen Ningxin capsules （SSNX） in alleviating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury （MIRI） in rats is related to the regulation of mitochondrial fission and fusion. MethodThis study focused on Sprague Dawley （SD） rats and ligated the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery to construct a rat model of MIRI. The rats were divided into the sham operation group， model group， SSNX group （90 mg·kg^-1） and trimetazidine group （5.4 mg·kg^-1）. The activity of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and the content of malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected by micro method. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential （△Ψm） and the degree of mitochondrial permeability transition pore （mPTP） opening were detected by the chemical fluorescence method. The intracellular adenosine triphosphate （ATP） level was detected by the luciferase assay. The messenger ribonucleic acid （mRNA） and protein expression levels of mitochondrial fission and fusion related factors dynamin-related protein 1 （DRP1）， mitochondrial fission 1 protein （FIS1）， optic atrophy protein 1 （OPA1）， mitochondrial outer membrane fusion protein 1 （MFN1）， and MFN2 were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed a decrease in serum SOD activity and an increase in MDA content. The opening level of mPTP， the level of △Ψm and ATP content decreased， the protein expressions of mitochondrial fission factors DRP1 and FIS1 increased， and the protein expressions and mRNA transcription levels of fusion related factors OPA1 and MFN1 decreased. Compared with the model group，SSNX significantly increased serum SOD activity， reduced MDA content， increased intracellular ATP level and △Ψm， reduced the opening level of mPTP， downregulated the protein expressions of mitochondrial fission factors DRP1 and FIS1， and increased the mRNA transcription levels and protein expressions of fusion related factors OPA1 and MFN1. ConclusionSSNX inhibits the expressions of mitochondrial fission factors DRP1 and FIS1， and increases the expressions of fusion related factors OPA1 and MFN1， inhibiting mitochondrial fission and increasing mitochondrial fusion， thereby alleviating MIRI.

Aural vertigo frequently encountered in the otolaryngology department of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） mainly involves peripheral vestibular diseases of Western medicine， such as Meniere's disease， benign paroxysmal positional vertigo， vestibular neuritis， and vestibular migraine， being a hot research topic in both TCM and Western medicine. Western medical therapies alone have unsatisfactory effects on recurrent aural vertigo， aural vertigo affecting the quality of life， aural vertigo not relieved after surgery， aural vertigo with complex causes， and children's aural vertigo. The literature records and clinical practice have proven that TCM demonstrates unique advantages in the treatment of aural vertigo. The China Association of Chinese medicine sponsored the "17th youth salon on the diseases responding specifically to TCM： Aural vertigo" and invited vertigo experts of TCM and Western medicine to discuss the difficulties and advantages of TCM diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo. The experts deeply discussed the achievements and contributions of TCM and Western medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo， the control and mitigation of the symptoms， and the solutions to disease recurrence. The discussion clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM treatment and provided guidance for clinical and basic research on aural vertigo.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury （MIRI） is a common injury in the treatment of ischemic heart diseases. MIRI can be categorized as chest impediment and palpitation in traditional Chinese medicine， with the pathogenesis related to Qi and blood disharmony. The simultaneous disorders of Qi and blood are the key mechanism of MIRI， and thus the differentiation of Qi and blood syndromes is the prerequisite for the treatment. The theory of Qi and blood interacting in vessels is proposed by our team based on Qi being the commander of blood and blood being the mother of Qi as well as previous pharmacological studies. Specifically， Qi marshals blood by vessels， and the blood carries Qi by vessels. Accordingly， Qi and blood interact in the vessels. MIRI is accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction， platelet function abnormality， and vascular endothelial damage， which are correlated with Qi deficiency， blood stasis， and vessel damage， respectively. Mitochondrial， platelet， and vascular endothelial structural and functional changes triggered by their interactions are one of the mechanisms by which Qi deficiency， blood stasis， and vessel damage lead to the occurrence and development of MIRI. By exploring the correlations between Qi and mitochondria， between blood and platelets， and between vessels and blood vessels， we can explain the modern scientific content of the theory of Qi and blood interacting in vessels in traditional Chinese medicine. According to the pathogenesis of Qi and blood disharmony in vessels， we discussed the pharmacological mechanisms of Qi-replenishing medicines， blood-activating medicines， and their combinations in the prevention and treatment of MIRI. On the basis of the research achievements in the prevention and treatment of MIRI by Qi-replenishing and blood-activating Chinese medicines based on the theory of Qi and blood interacting in vessels， we analyzed the effects of these medicines on Qi， blood， and vessels. According to the theory of Qi and blood， this article reveals the theoretical basis and scientific connotations of the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases， with the aim of providing new ideas and references for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.