BACKGROUND:How to improve the hematopoietic microenvironment is a hot topic in the treatment of aplastic anemia. OBJECTIVE:To explore the action mechanism of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide in the treatment of aplastic anemia by combining GEO sequencing analysis,network pharmacology,and experimental validation. METHODS:Aplastic anemia-related differentially expressed genes were obtained from GEO database,and gene ontology and gene set enrichment analysis were performed.The active components and targets of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide were obtained by combining the literature with PubChem,SwissTargetPrediction,and PharmMapper databases.After the intersection targets were taken,STRING and Cytoscape were used to construct protein-protein interaction network,and gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis was performed.Mouse model of aplastic anemia was established,and the effect and action mechanism of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide on aplastic anemia were verified by blood cell analyzer,flow cytometry,ELISA,immunohistochemistry,immunofluorescence,and western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 834 differentially expressed genes were screened,which were involved in biological processes such as cell development,hematopoiesis,and myeloid cell differentiation.(2)347 targets related to Angelica sinensis polysaccharide were retrieved and 77 potential therapeutic genes were screened.Among them,the degree values of angiogenic,apoptotic,and immune-related factors such as VEGFA,EGLN1,Bcl-2,interferon-γ,interleukin-2,interleukin-4,and interleukin-6 were significant.(3)KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the therapeutic targets were mainly enriched in Th17 cell differentiation,NK-related cytotoxicity,cell adhesion factors such as interferon-γ,interleukin-2,and interleukin-4 related signaling pathways.(4)Animal experiments showed that Angelica sinensis polysaccharide significantly improved bone marrow haematopoiesis,increased peripheral blood cell,and bone marrow single nucleated cell counts,and improved the survival rate of mice.Compared with the model group,mice in the Angelica sinensis polysaccharide group showed a significant decrease in the ratio of Th1/Th2 cells(P<0.01),a decrease in the expression level of interferon-γ(P<0.01),an increase in the level of interleukin-4(P<0.05),a significant increase in the level of VEGFA(P<0.01),a significant decrease in EGLN1(P<0.01),a significant decrease in apoptosis rate of bone marrow single nucleated cells and reactive oxygen species level(P<0.01),and a significant increase in cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression(P<0.01),and a significant decrease in Bcl-2/Bax ratio(P<0.01).(5)These findings show that Angelica sinensis polysaccharide can improve hematopoiesis of aplastic anemia mice by regulating aberrant T-cell subsets and promoting angiogenesis to improve hematopoietic microenvironment,and inhibiting apoptosis of bone marrow mononuclear cells.

BACKGROUND:Intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease is one of the most aggressive complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with high lethality.How to improve intestinal inflammation and regulate autophagy by applying traditional Chinese medicine in order to treat intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease is a worthwhile research issue nowadays. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the mechanism of Huangqintang modulating intestinal flora for the treatment of intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease. METHODS:CB6F1 mice were irradiated with 60Co X radiation at a total dose of 8 Gy,and then single nucleated cell suspensions(bone marrow cells+splenocytes)from Balb/c H-2d mice were injected into the tail vein in order to prepare a model of intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease.These samples were randomly divided into the model group and the high-,moderate-,and low-dose Huangqintang groups.After modeling,the model,high-,moderate-,and low-dose groups received different doses of Huangqintang or an equal volume of saline by continuous gavage for 14 days.Clinical acute graft-versus-host disease grading,and survival time was recorded.Small intestinal tissues from each group were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for small intestinal mucosal pathology scoring.The intestinal flora of mice in each group was detected using 16S rDNA sequencing.Autophagy-related markers were detected using immunofluorescence,immunohistochemistry,and PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with the model group,the survival time of mice was significantly prolonged(P<0.01);the clinical acute graft-versus-host disease scores were significantly reduced(P<0.01);the pathological grading scores of the small intestinal mucosa were significantly diminished(P<0.01);the levels of the small intestinal tissue inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6,were significantly decreased(P<0.01);the structural integrity of the small intestinal mucosal epithelium was partially restored in mice after the intervention of moderate and high-dose Huangqintang.(2)The study of intestinal flora found that compared with the model group,the pro-inflammatory strain Enterococcus was significantly reduced(P<0.05),while beneficial bacteria such as Clostridium_innocuum and Rhodococcus,a pro-autophagy bacterium,were significantly elevated(P<0.05)in the moderate-dose Huangqintang group.(3)Compared with the model group,the autophagy markers were significantly elevated in the moderate-dose Huangqintang group(P<0.05);under transmission electron microscopy,the number of autophagic vacuoles of moderate-dose Huangqintang group increased significantly.(4)The results showed that Huangqintang significantly reduced the abundance of conditionally pathogenic bacteria and the level of inflammatory factors in small intestinal tissues,and increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and promoted the expression of autophagy in the small intestinal mucosa,which resulted in a significant improvement of intestinal symptoms in mice with acute graft-versus-host disease.

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of Sangmei Pingfeng granules combined with western medicine in the treatment of patients with allergic asthma in the chronic persistent stage， diagnosed with lung-spleen Qi deficiency syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 420 patients with allergic asthma in the chronic persistent stage and TCM-diagnosed lung-spleen Qi deficiency syndrome， treated at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to September 2024. Patients were divided into an exposed group （320 cases） and a non-exposed group （100 cases） based on whether they used Sangmei Pingfeng granules. The non-exposed group received conventional western medicine treatment， while the exposed group took Sangmei Pingfeng Granules in addition to conventional western medicine. The following indicators were observed： recurrence rate per 100 patients per year， pulmonary function tests， fractional exhaled nitric oxide （FeNO） and fractional nasal nitric oxide （FnNO） tests， serum total IgE （TIgE） detection， TCM syndrome score， and changes in asthma control test （ACT） scores between the two groups. ResultsThe annual recurrence rate per 100 people was 8.4 times/100 person-years in the exposed group， lower than the 13 times/100 person-years in the unexposed group. After treatment， the exposed group showed increases in forced vital capacity percentage predicted （FVC%pred）， forced expiratory volume in one second percentage predicted （FEV₁%pred）， the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity （FEV₁/FVC）， and peak expiratory flow percentage predicted （PEF%pred） （P0.05）. Lung function indicators in the non-exposed group showed no statistically significant differences after treatment. Residual volume as a percentage of total lung capacity （RV%TLC） showed no statistically significant difference after treatment in either group. Compared with the non-exposed group， the exposed group had increased FVC%pred， FEV₁%pred， FEV₁/FVC， and PEF%pred， without statistically significant differences. After treatment， fractional exhaled nitric oxide （FeNO）， fractional nasal nitric oxide （FnNO）， and total immunoglobulin E （TIgE） decreased in the exposed group. FeNO decreased in the non-exposed group （P0.05）. FnNO decreased， and TIgE increased in the non-exposed group， without statistically significant differences. After treatment， compared with the non-exposed group， the treatment group had decreased FeNO （P0.05）. After treatment， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores decreased， and asthma control test （ACT） scores increased in both groups （P0.01）. After treatment， compared with the non-exposed group， the exposed group had decreased TCM syndrome scores and increased ACT scores （P0.01）. ConclusionCombining Sangmei Pingfeng granules with Western medicine significantly reduces recurrence rates， enhances clinical efficacy， improves lung function， lowers serum TIgE and FeNO levels， and reduces reliance on Western medications in patients with allergic asthma. This integrated approach is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

ObjectiveTo analyze the correlation between the clinical symptoms， signs， syndrome characteristics and laboratory indicators of cough variant asthma （CVA） and deepen the understanding of the treatment of this disease based on the theory of "Fu Feng". MethodsAn observational study was conducted. A total of 207 CVA patients who visited the respiratory department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from September 2022 to November 2023 were included. The information from the four diagnostic methods and the laboratory test results of patients were collected. Factor analysis was conducted on the information obtained through the four diagnostic methods in TCM， and the nature and location of CVA were extracted. Sample cluster analysis （Q clustering） and the K-means method were used for data clustering analysis to determine the syndrome types of CVA and analyze the syndrome characteristics and differences in laboratory indicators among different syndrome types. ResultsThe main symptom of CVA patients was cough， accompanied by symptoms such as itchy throat， foreign body sensation in the throat， dry throat， shortness of breath， dry mouth， chest tightness， hoarseness， bitter mouth， poor appetite， and skin itching. Factor analysis showed that the disease was located in the lung， involving the liver， spleen， and kidney. The pathological factors involved Yin deficiency， Yang deficiency， wind factor， dampness factor， Yin factor， and Qi stagnation. Cluster analysis revealed four syndrome types： Fengfu Yinshang syndrome， Shixie Neiyun syndrome， Tanyin Zufei syndrome， and Ganhuo Fanfei syndrome. Fengfu Yinshang syndrome accounted for the highest proportion， followed by Tanyin Zufei syndrome. There were no significant differences in eosinophil count and percentage， fractional nasal nitric oxide （FnNO） level， and pulmonary function indexes among the four syndromes. The levels of serum total IgE and fractional exhaled nitric oxide （FeNO） in patients with Fengfu Yinshang syndrome were significantly higher than those in patients with Shixie Neiyun syndrome and Tanyin Zufeisyndrome. ConclusionCough is the main symptom of CVA， accompanied by pharyngeal itching， foreign body sensation in the throat， dry throat， shortness of breath， dry mouth， and allergic manifestations. The disease involves the lung， liver， spleen， and kidneys. The essence of the pathogenesis lies in a latent dormant pathogen and a disorder of the pivot mechanism. The four common syndrome types are Fengfu Yinshang syndrome， Shixie Neiyun syndrome， Tanyin Zufei syndrome， and Ganhuo Fanfei syndrome. The TCM syndrome types are correlated with laboratory indexes. The serum total IgE and FeNO of patients with Fengfu Yinshang syndrome are worse.

Mechanical pain is one of the most common causes of clinical pain, but there remains a lack of effective treatment for debilitating mechanical and chronic forms of neuropathic pain. Recently, neurotoxin GsMTx4, a selective mechanosensitive (MS) channel inhibitor, has been found to be effective, while the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, with multiple rodent pain models, we demonstrated that a GsMTx4-based 17-residue peptide, which we call P10581, was able to reduce mechanical hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain. The analgesic effects of P10581 can be as strong as morphine but is not toxic in animal models. The anti-hyperalgesic effect of the peptide was resistant to naloxone (an μ-opioid receptor antagonist) and showed no side effects of morphine, including tolerance, motor impairment, and conditioned place preference. Pharmacological inhibition of TRPV4 by P10581 in a heterogeneous expression system, combined with the use of Trpv4 knockout mice indicates that TRPV4 channels may act as the potential target for the analgesic effect of P10581. Our study identified a potential drug for curing mechanical pain and exposed its mechanism.

Objective:To screen the Alzheimer's disease(AD)-related genes and construct its diagnostic model using bioinformatics technology and machine learning(ML)algorithms,to discuss the immunological characteristics of AD patients,and to provide novel biomarkers for AD diagnosis.Methods:The AD-related gene expression dataset GSE125583 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified through differential analysis.Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the biological functions and signaling pathways of DEGs.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was constructed,and hub genes were screened using Cytoscape software combined with three ML algorithms:Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO),eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),and Random Forest(RF).The screened hub genes were utilized to build an AD diagnostic model via RF,followed by feature importance ranking.The model's efficacy and key genes were evaluated using a test set.Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)was used for immune cell infiltration analysis between AD group and control group.Results:Differential analysis identified 1 287 DEGs.The GO functional enrichment analysis results revealed that DEGs were primarily involved in biological functions related to neural signaling,synapses,and vesicles.KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment of DEGs in ion transport,neurotransmitter,and ligand-gated channel pathways.Nine overlapping hub genes were screened by the three ML algorithms.In the AD diagnostic model,the top four key genes with highest diagnostic performance were adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1(ADCYAP1),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),platelet-derived growth factor receptor β(PDGFRB),and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4),with corresponding area under the curve(AUC)values of 0.852,0.795,0.820,and 0.756,respectively.The model achieved an AUC of 0.828,accuracy of 81.25%,sensitivity of 84.40%,and specificity of 71.43%.The immune cell infiltration analysis results demonstrated higher infiltration of macrophages,monocytes,natural killer(NK)cells,and lymphocytes in AD tissue.Among these,NK/natural killer T(NKT)cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells showed significant correlations with the four key genes(P<0.05).Conclusion:The feature genes screened based on bioinformatics and ML exhibit diagnostic potential for AD.Genes such as ADCYAP1 may serve as potential biomarkers for AD diagnosis,offering significant implications for early prevention and treatment.

Objective To explore the predictive value of CT radiomics and morphological features for the prognosis and survival in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients.Methods The clinic data of 300 NSCLC patients(300 lesions)were downloaded from the Cancer Imaging Archive,with 210 randomly selected as the training set and 90 as the test set.According to the prognosis and survival,the patients were divided into two groups with survival period≤3 and＞3 years.3D Slicer software was used to delineate the regions of interest layer by layer in CT images,and the radiomics features were extracted from each region of interest.Both t-test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were utilized for radiomics feature screening.Three types of prediction models,namely radiomics model,morphological model and combined model,were constructed with Logistic regression,whose performances were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The differences in radiomics labels and mediastinal lymph node metastasis between the training set and the test set were statistically significant.For radiomics model,morphological model and combined model,the area under the ROC curve was 0.784(95%CI:0.722-0.847),0.734(95%CI:0.664-0.804)and 0.748(95%CI:0.680-0.815)in the training set,and 0.737(95%CI:0.630-0.844),0.665(95%CI:0.554-0.777)and 0.687(95%CI:0.578-0.797)in the test set,which demonstrated that radiomics model had the best diagnostic performance.Conclusion The CT radiomics model can effectively predict the prognosis and survival in NSCLC patients.

Objective To investigate the effect of Kaixinsan(KXS,a traditional Chinese medicine formula)for alleviating adriamycin-induced depression-like behaviors in mice bearing breast cancer xenografts and explore the pharmacological mechanism.Methods Forty female BALB/c mice were randomized equally into control group,model group,and low-and high-dose KXS treatment groups,and in the latter 3 groups,mouse models bearing orthotopic breast cancer 4T1 cell xenografts were established and treated with adriamycin along with saline or KXS via gavage.Depression-like behaviors of the mice were assessed using open field test and elevated plus-maze test,and the changes in serum levels of depression-related factors were examined.RNA-seq analysis and transmission electron microscopy were used and ferroptosis-related factors were detected to explore the mechanisms of adriamycin-induced depression and the therapeutic mechanism of KXS.The results were verified in SH-SY5Y cells using ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 as the positive control.Results KXS significantly alleviated depression-like behaviors and depression-related serological changes induced by adriamycin in the mouse models.RNA-seq results suggested that KXS alleviated chemotherapy-induced depression by regulating oxidative stress,lipid metabolism and iron ion binding in the prefrontal cortex.Pathological analysis and detection of ferroptosis-related factors showed that KXS significantly reduced ferroptosis in the prefrontal cortex of adriamycin-treated mice.In SH-SY5Y cells,both KXS-medicated serum and the ferroptosis inhibitor were capable of attenuating adriamycin-induced cell ferroptosis.Conclusion KXS alleviates adriamycin-induced depression-like behaviors in mice by reducing ferroptosis in the prefrontal cortex of breast cancer-bearing mice.

Objective To investigate the effect of Kaixinsan(KXS,a traditional Chinese medicine formula)for alleviating adriamycin-induced depression-like behaviors in mice bearing breast cancer xenografts and explore the pharmacological mechanism.Methods Forty female BALB/c mice were randomized equally into control group,model group,and low-and high-dose KXS treatment groups,and in the latter 3 groups,mouse models bearing orthotopic breast cancer 4T1 cell xenografts were established and treated with adriamycin along with saline or KXS via gavage.Depression-like behaviors of the mice were assessed using open field test and elevated plus-maze test,and the changes in serum levels of depression-related factors were examined.RNA-seq analysis and transmission electron microscopy were used and ferroptosis-related factors were detected to explore the mechanisms of adriamycin-induced depression and the therapeutic mechanism of KXS.The results were verified in SH-SY5Y cells using ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 as the positive control.Results KXS significantly alleviated depression-like behaviors and depression-related serological changes induced by adriamycin in the mouse models.RNA-seq results suggested that KXS alleviated chemotherapy-induced depression by regulating oxidative stress,lipid metabolism and iron ion binding in the prefrontal cortex.Pathological analysis and detection of ferroptosis-related factors showed that KXS significantly reduced ferroptosis in the prefrontal cortex of adriamycin-treated mice.In SH-SY5Y cells,both KXS-medicated serum and the ferroptosis inhibitor were capable of attenuating adriamycin-induced cell ferroptosis.Conclusion KXS alleviates adriamycin-induced depression-like behaviors in mice by reducing ferroptosis in the prefrontal cortex of breast cancer-bearing mice.

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the assessment tools of Brief ICF Core Sets for Arthroplasty of Knee Osteoarthritis in Perioperative Period(ICSAKOPP). Methods From May,2022 to April,2023,320 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty were selected in Peking University Third Hospital,China-Japan Friendship Hospital,Peking University First Hospital and Chinese PLA General Hospital.Trained assessors used Brief ICSAKOPP to evaluate all enrolled patients before arthroplasty,three days(±one day)after arthroplasty,three weeks(±one week)after arthroplasty,and three months(±one month)after ar-throplasty.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)scores were recorded at the same time.Five professionals were asked to score all the items of Brief ICSAKOPP,and the content validity index(CVI)was caculated. Results A total of 64 cases were dropped down.CVI of all the items of the Brief ICSAKOPP were above 0.8,with a av-erage CVI of the scale of 0.938.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Brief ICSAKOPP was 0.813.There was a moderate correlation(r=0.681,P<0.001)between the overall Brief ICSAKOPP and WOMAC scores,as well as body functional dimension score(r=0.668,P<0.001)and activities and participation dimension score(r=0.657,P<0.001). Conclusion Brief ICSAKOPP is good in content validity,internal consistency reliability and criterion validity.