ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Buyang Huanwutang regulates the glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）-acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 （ACSL4） axis to inhibit ferroptosis and promote neurological functional recovery after spinal cord injury （SCI）. MethodsNinety rats were randomly divided into five groups： sham operation group， model group， low-dose Buyang Huanwutang group （12.5 g·kg^-1）， high-dose Buyang Huanwutang group （25 g·kg^-1）， and Buyang Huanwutang + inhibitor group （25 g·kg^-1 + 5 g·kg^-1 RSL3）. The SCI model was established by using the allen method. Tissue was collected on the 7th and 28th days after operation. Motor function was assessed by using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan （BBB） scale. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE）， Nissl， and Luxol fast blue （LFB） staining were performed to observe spinal cord histopathology. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine mitochondrial ultrastructure. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the number of NeuN-positive cells and the fluorescence intensity of myelin basic protein （MBP）， GPX4， and ACSL4. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to analyze the mRNA expression of GPX4 and ACSL4. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to measure the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione （GSH）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Colorimetric assays were used to determine the iron content in spinal cord tissue. ResultsCompared to the sham operation group， the model group exhibited significantly reduced BBB scores （P<0.01）， severe pathological damage in spinal cord tissue， and marked mitochondrial ultrastructural disruption. In addition， the model group showed a decrease in the number of NeuN-positive cells （P<0.01）， reduced fluorescence intensity of MBP and GPX4 （P<0.01）， lower levels of GSH and SOD （P<0.01）， and downregulated mRNA expression of GPX4 （P<0.01）. Moreover， compared to the sham operation group， the model group had elevated levels of ROS， MDA， and tissue iron content （P<0.01）， along with increased fluorescence intensity and mRNA expression of ACSL4 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group and Buyang Huanwutang + inhibitor group， the Buyang Huanwutang group showed significantly improved BBB scores （P<0.05， P<0.01） and exhibited less severe spinal cord tissue damage， reduced edema and inflammatory cell infiltration， increased neuronal survival， and more intact myelin structures. Additionally， mitochondrial ultrastructure was significantly improved in the Buyang Huanwutang group. Compared to the model group and Buyang Huanwutang + inhibitor group， the Buyang Huanwutang group significantly increased the number of NeuN-positive cells and the fluorescence intensity of MBP （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， Buyang Huanwutang significantly increased the fluorescence intensity and mRNA expression of GPX4 （P<0.01） and decreased the fluorescence intensity and mRNA expression of ACSL4 （P<0.01） compared to the model group and Buyang Huanwutang + inhibitor group. Finally， the Buyang Huanwutang group significantly decreased ROS， MDA， and tissue iron content （P<0.01） and significantly increased GSH and SOD levels （P<0.01） compared to the model group and Buyang Huanwutang + inhibitor group. ConclusionBuyang Huanwutang inhibits ferroptosis through the GPX4/ACSL4 axis， reduces secondary neuronal and myelin injury and oxidative stress， and ultimately promotes the recovery of neurological function.

ObjectiveTo investigate the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the level of serum homocysteine (Hcy) in association with the incidence of stroke in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. MethodsBased on the chronic disease risk factor surveillance cohort in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, excluding those with stroke in baseline survey, T2DM patients who joined the cohort from January 2016 to October 2020 were selected as the research subjects. During the follow-up period, a total of 318 new-onset ischemic stroke patients were selected as the case group, and a total of 318 individuals matched by gender without stroke were selected as the control group. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to adjust for confounding factors and explore the serum TyG index and the Hcy biochemical indicator in association with the risk of stroke. ResultsThe Cox proportional hazards regression results showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients with 10 μmol·L⁻¹-¹ and Hcy>15 μmol·L⁻¹ was 1.532 times (95%CI: 1.017‒2.309 times, P=0.041) and 1.738 times (95%CI: 1.119‒2.699 times, P=0.014) higher respectively, compared to T2DM patients with Hcy≤10 μmol·L⁻¹. T2DM patients with TyG>9.074 had 1.396 times higher risk of stroke (95%CI: 1.091‒1.787, P=0.008) compared to those with TyG≤9.074. The study found that urea and α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) were independent risk factors for the incidence of stroke in T2DM patients. For every unit increase in urea andα1-AT, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients increased by 233.6% (HR=3.336, 95%CI: 1.588‒7.009, P=0.001) and 11.3% (HR=1.113, 95%CI: 1.028‒1.205, P=0.008), respectively. Cumulative risk curves showed that Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and TyG>9.074 accelerated the time to stroke occurrence in T2DM patients. ConclusionElevated levels of Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and a higher TyG index are risk factors for stroke in T2DM patients. Effective interventions for Hcy and TyG should be conducted for diabetic patients to reduce the incidence of stroke.

A novel fumigation moxibustion device has been designed to enable adjustable and controllable moxa smoke temperature, maintaining a relatively stable fumigation temperature while improving the utilization efficiency of moxa smoke. The device consists of five main components: a temperature control chamber, fumigation outlet, temperature measurement module, moxa smoke filtration chamber, and elastic band. It is compact, refined, and easy to operate. The device allows users to set the desired fumigation temperature according to therapeutic needs and simultaneously filters and eliminates residual moxa smoke after treatment. This design addresses the challenges of traditional fumigation moxibustion therapy, including unstable moxa smoke temperature, difficulty in regulation, low utilization efficiency, and high dependence on manual operation. It contributes to the promotion and application of fumigation moxibustion therapy and supports the establishment of a standardized moxibustion system.
Moxibustion/methods* ; Humans ; Equipment Design ; Fumigation ; Temperature

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the subcellular localization and biological functions of transmembrane protein 240 (TMEM240). METHODS: NCBI BLAST and TMHMM bioinformatics software were used for protein sequence analysis and prediction of transmembrane domain of TMEM240. Brain tissues from male C57BL/6 mice (18-20 days old) were examined for distribution of TMEM240 using in situ hybridization, and qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect TMEM240 expression in different mouse tissues and in cortical neurons at different time points (n=3). In the in vitro experiment, HepG2 and Neuro-2a cells were transfected with plasmids for overexpression of TMEM240, and subcellular localization of TMEM240 was analyzed using cell imaging. In primary cultures of cortical neurons isolated from C57BL/6 mice, TMEM240 expression and its biological functions were investigated using qPCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Human and mouse TMEM240 proteins share a 97.69% similarity in the protein sequences, and both are transmembrane proteins with two transmembrane domains. TMEM240 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in mouse brain tissues and cortical neurons. In isolated mouse cortical neurons, TMEM240 expression reached the peak level after primary culture for 9 days and distributed in scattered spots within the cells. In HepG2 cells, TMEM240 was characterized as intracellular membrane structures and showed 80% colocalization with peroxisomes. In Neuro-2a cells, TMEM240 overexpression caused significant enhancement of the expressions of Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor β (ARHGDIB) at both the mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS TMEM240 is a novel intracellular subcellular structure specifically expressed in neurons with significant potential for targeted cellular function regulation.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Peroxisomes/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Male ; rho-Specific Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors ; Hep G2 Cells ; Brain/metabolism*

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Arachidonic acid can be transformed into a variety of metabolites that trigger an inflammatory response through cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, cytochrome P450 enzymes, and other metabolic pathways. Moreover, it plays a key role in the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases. In recent years, multi-target drugs based on the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway have become an important direction of anti-inflammatory drug research. This article summarizes the opportunities and challenges of arachidonic acid metabolic pathways as well as their interference in the development of anti-inflammatory drugs, reviews the research progress of multi-target drug design, synthesis, and anti-inflammatory activity based on the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, and discusses the difficulties and prospects of multi-target drugs based on metabolic pathways in anti-inflammatory drug development, aiming to provide some reference and inspiration for the study of multi-target anti-inflammatory drugs based on the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway.

Objective To analyze the relationship between umbilical cord blood chemokines regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted(RANTES),C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12(CXCL12),C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4)and neonatal septicemia inflammatory response and outcome.Meth-ods A total of 242 children with neonatal septicemia admitted to a hospital from January 2020 to January 2024 were selected as the study subjects,and were divided into non-critical group(101 cases),critical group(79 cases)and extremely critical group(62 cases)according to neonatal critical case score.According to the prognosis,the subjects were divided into good prognosis group and bad prognosis group.The levels of RAN-TES,CXCL12,CXCR4 and inflammatory factors[C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6,IL-1β]in umbilical cord blood of each group were detected.The correlation between RANTES,CXCL12,CXCR4 and inflammato-ry factors in umbilical cord blood of neonatal septicemia was analyzed by Pearson correlation,and the influen-cing factors of poor prognosis of neonatal septicemia were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression.Re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to analyze the value of umbilical cord blood RANTES,CXCL12 and CXCR4 in predicting the poor prognosis of neonatal septicemia.Results The levels of RAN-TES,CXCL12,CXCR4,CRP,IL-6 and IL-1β in umbilical cord blood of extremely critical group were higher than those of critical group and non-critical group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The levels of RANTES,CXCL12 and CXCR4 in umbilical cord blood of neonatal septicemia were posi-tively correlated with CRP,IL-6 and IL-1β(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that extremely severe,early-onset septicemia,high RANTES,high CXCL12 and high CXCR4 were risk factors for poor prognosis of neonatal septicemia(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of umbilical cord blood RANTES,CXCL12 and CXCR4 in predicting poor prognosis of neonatal septicemia were 0.810,0.814 and 0.763,respectively,and the AUC of three indicators combined prediction was 0.914,which was higher than that of single prediction.Conclusion The increased levels of RANTES,CX-CL12 and CXCR4 in umbilical cord blood of neonatal septicemia are associated with inflammation,aggravation and poor prognosis,and the combination of RANTES,CXCL12 and CXCR4 can predict the risk of poor prog-nosis of neonatal septicemia.

Objective To explore the influence of exercise prescription on cognitive function recovery in college students with mild-to-moderate depression.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from college students diagnosed with mild-to-moderate depression who received care at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College between January 2022 and June 2024.Depression patients receiving standard drug treatment were enrolled in the control group,while those receiving additional exercise prescription intervention were enrolled in the observation group.Propensity score matching was performed using the 1∶1 nearest-neighbor method to balance confounding factors,and 55 participants were included in each group in the end.Assessments were conducted at baseline and after 3 weeks and 6 weeks of treatment,covering the disease severity measured by the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAMD-24),depressive symptoms measured by the Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS),brain cognitive function measured by P300 and fNIRS,neurosecretory system function measured through corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH)and adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH),and the levels of neurotrophic factors,including brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1),and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF).Disease severity was the primary research indicator,while the others were secondary research indicators.The primary outcome indicator was the last measurement taken after 6 weeks of treatment.Results Interaction effects were observed between groups for all measured outcomes before and after treatment(all P<0.05).After 3 weeks and 6 weeks of treatment,the observation group showed lower HAMD-24 score,SDS score,P300 latency,fNIRS integral,CRH,and ACTH than the control group did(P<0.05),but higher P300 amplitude,BDNF,IGF-1,and VEGF than the control group did(P<0.05).Conclusion Receiving exercise prescription intervention can effectively reduce the severity of depressive symptoms,enhance the recovery of brain cognitive function,and improve the neurosecretory system function recovery and the expressions of neurotrophic factors in college students with mild-to-moderate depression.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of different acupuncture-related therapies in treating postoperative pain in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) or percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) using a network meta-analysis.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed) from their inception to January 15, 2025. Outcome measures included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score, and overall efficacy rate. Literature screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment were independently performed by two researchers. Data analysis was conducted using Stata 17.0 software.ResultsA total of 35 randomized controlled trials involving 2860 patients were included. The data analysis revealed that, in terms of improving VAS and ODI scores, the top three effective therapies were Fu's subcutaneous needling, wrist-ankle acupuncture, and acupotomy. For the overall efficacy rates in pain treatment, the top three therapies were wrist-ankle acupuncture, warm acupuncture and moxibustion, and Fu's subcutaneous needling. Based on the combined results across the three outcome measures, Fu's subcutaneous needling was found to be the most effective in relieving pain and improving lumbar function.ConclusionFu's subcutaneous needling, wrist-ankle acupuncture, warm acupuncture and moxibustion, and acupotomy were all effective in treating postoperative pain post-PKP/PVP and improving lumbar function. However, further high-quality, large-sample studies are required to confirm these findings.

Bioactive compounds derived from herbal medicinal plants modulate various therapeutic targets and signaling pathways associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the world's primary cause of death. Ginkgo biloba, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine with notable cardiovascular actions, has been used as a cardio- and cerebrovascular therapeutic drug and nutraceutical in Asian countries for centuries. Preclinical studies have shown that ginkgolide B, a bioactive component in Ginkgo biloba, can ameliorate atherosclerosis in cultured vascular cells and disease models. Of clinical relevance, several clinical trials are ongoing or being completed to examine the efficacy and safety of ginkgolide B-related drug preparations in the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases, such as ischemia stroke. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and mechanisms of action of ginkgolide B in atherosclerosis prevention and therapy. We highlight new molecular targets of ginkgolide B, including nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NADPH oxidase), lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), platelet-activating factor (PAF), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and others. Finally, we provide an overview and discussion of the therapeutic potential of ginkgolide B and highlight the future perspective of developing ginkgolide B as an effective therapeutic agent for treating atherosclerosis.