OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. extract (HCE) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. METHODS: Components identification of HCE was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish asthmatic model, and dexamethasone was used as positive control. Respiratory reactivity, white cells counting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood, cytokine level measurement in serum and lung tissue, and histologic examination were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of HCE on asthma. Network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Western blotting and untargeted lipidomics method were applied for mechanism validation. RESULTS: Fifty-two compounds were identified in HCE, predominantly terpenoids and flavonoids. HCE markedly reduced airway resistance, the eosinophil infiltration in lung tissues, and the levels of immunoglobulin E, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interleukin-13. Network pharmacology analysis suggested phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) may be key proteins of HCE in the treatment of allergic asthma. Western blot results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated PI3K, JNK, and P38 were downregulated in HCE-treated group. Moreover, HCE significantly upregulated the levels of ceramide and sphingomyelin and downregulated the level of phosphatidylcholine. CONCLUSION HCE inhibited allergic asthma via PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective: To evaluate the effect of exercise prescription intervention among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide the evidence for guiding appropriate physical activity and glycemic control in this population. Methods: In July 2023, T2DM patients managed by two community health service centers in Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, were selected as the study participants and randomly assigned divided into a control group and an intervention group. The control group received routine chronic disease management under the basic public health services, while the intervention group, in addition to receiving the same routine chronic disease management, was provided with exercise prescription to guide their physical activity at baseline (T0), after 3 months of intervention (T1), and after 6 months of intervention (T2). Data on weight-related indicators, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and blood lipid were collected through physical examinations and laboratory tests at T0 and after 12 months of intervention (T3). The differences in indicators between the two groups before and after the intervention were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results: The intervention group consisted of 197 patients, including 99 males, accounting for 50.25%. The median disease duration was 7.10 (interquartile range, 7.80) years, and 113 patients had suboptimal HbA1c levels, accounting for 57.36%. The control group included 196 patients, including 99 females, accounting for 50.51%. The median disease duration was 6.10 (interquartile range, 7.00) years, and 100 patients had suboptimal HbA1c levels, accounting for 51.02%. Before the intervention, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in gender, educational level, disease duration, pharmacological treatment, smoking, alcohol consumption, and HbA1c levels (all P>0.05). In the intervention group, the proportion of participants engaging in aerobic exercise and strength training increased from 78.17% and 8.12% at T0 to 85.79% and 16.24% at T3, respectively (both P<0.05). The results of the generalized estimating equations revealed significant interactions between group and time for waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) following the intervention (all P<0.05). A statistically significant difference in waist-to-hip ratio was found between the two groups (P<0.05), with a greater reduction observed in the intervention group compared to the control group. Significant differences in TC and LDL-C levels were noted across different intervention time points (both P<0.05). Specifically, the intervention group demonstrated reductions of 0.35 mmol/L in TC and 0.42 mmol/L in LDL-C from baseline to follow-up (both P<0.05). Conclusion The 12-month exercise prescription intervention can effectively enhance exercise participation and reduce waist-to-hip ratio, TC, and LDL-C levels among patients with T2DM.

Objective To explore the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)on oxalate metabolism and renal protection in rats fed a high oxalate diet.Methods Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups:SC,SC+FMT,OD+PBS and OD+FMT.The SC group was set as the control group and was fed standard rat chow.The OD+PBS group and OD+FMT group were fed a diet containing 5%oxalate.Starting from day 14,the OD+PBS group,OD+FMT group and SC+FMT group received intragastric administration of PBS solution or filtered faecal microbiota solution from guinea pigs for 7 consecutive days.The 24-hour urine,feces,and venous serum of the rats were collected from the rats of all groups to determine the gut microbiota and biochemical markers.Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry were conducted on the rat kidneys to detect the expression of renin,ACE,and OPN.Results The fecal microbiota transplantation altered the gut microbiota of rats.The gut microbiota of the SC+FMT group deviated from that of the SC group and showed increased similarity to that of the guinea pigs.Compared to the OD+PBS group,the OD+FMT group exhibited significant reductions in the urinary oxalate,urinary urea,uric acid,urinary creatinine,serum urea nitrogen/creati-nine,and serum uric acid.Furthermore,after FMT treatment,the OD+FMT group exhibited reduced upregulation of renin mRNA expression and restored downregulation of OPN mRNA expression compared to the OD+PBS group;similar results were obtained from immunohistochemistry.Conclusion Fecal microbiome trans-plantation activated the microbial network in the rat gut,particularly the oxalate-degrading bacteria represented by Muribaculaceae.The kidney injury induced by high oxalate was partially restored by the microbiota network's degradation of oxalate,indicating the protective effect of fecal microbiota transplantation on the rat kidneys.

OBJECTIVE: To provide prenatal diagnosis, pedigree analysis and genetic counseling for a pregnant woman who had given birth to a child featuring global developmental delay. METHODS: A pregnant woman who underwent prenatal diagnosis at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University in August 2021 was selected as the study subject. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the woman, her husband and child, in addition with amniotic fluid sample during mid-pregnancy. Genetic variants were detected by G-banded karyotyping analysis and copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq). Pathogenicity of the variant was predicted based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). Candidate variant was traced in the pedigree to assess the recurrence risk. RESULTS: The karyotypes of the pregnant woman, her fetus, and affected child were 46,XX,ins(18)(p11.2q21q22), 46,X?,rec(18)dup(18)(q21q22)ins(18)(p11.2q21q22)mat and 46,XY,rec(18)del(18)(q21q22)ins(18)(p11.2q21q22)mat, respectively. Her husband was found to have a normal karyotype. CNV-seq has revealed a 19.73 Mb duplication at 18q21.2-q22.3 in the fetus and a 19.77 Mb deletion at 18q21.2-q22.3 in her child. The duplication and deletion fragments were identical to the insertional fragment in the pregnant woman. Based on the ACMG guidelines, the duplication and deletion fragments were both predicted to be pathogenic. CONCLUSION The intrachromosomal insertion of 18q21.2-q22.3 carried by the pregnant woman had probably given rise to the 18q21.2-q22.3 duplication and deletion in the two offspring. Above finding has provided a basis for genetic counseling for this pedigree.
Child ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; East Asian People ; Pedigree ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18/genetics* ; Male ; Fetus ; INDEL Mutation

Objective:To explore the effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on the formation of renal calcium oxalate crystals in SD rats induced by oxalate mixed diet.Methods:Six male guinea pigs were fed with standard guinea pig chow for 1 month and then given a 5% oxalate diet for 14 d. The guinea pigs on the standard chow were labeled as the standard chow guinea pig (GSC group) and those on the high oxalate diet for 14 d were labeled as the guinea pig group on the high oxalate diet (GOD group). The feces of guinea pigs in the GSC and GOD groups were collected using metabolic cages. Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into standard chow (SC) group, oxalate diet(OD)+ phosphate buffered saline gavage group (OD+ PBS group), OD+ FMT group and SC+ FMT group. Among them, the SC group and SC+ FMT group were fed with standard chow. The OD+ PBS group and OD+ FMT group were fed with 5% oxalate content chow. The OD+ FMT and SC+ FMT groups were given GOD group guinea pig fecal filtrate gavage for 7 days. The 24 h urine and feces of rats in each group were collected, and the intestinal microbiota of rats and guinea pigs were detected by 16sRNA detection. The urinary oxalate excretion was detected by high performance liquid chromatography. The rats and kidneys were weighed and the renal index was calculated. HE staining was used to observe the histological morphological changes of rat kidney tissue, the calcium oxalate crystal deposition in renal tissues was detected by Pizzolato staining.Results:The relative abundance of bacteria from a total of 11 families, including Muribaculaceae family and Bifidobacteriaceae family, was significantly increased in the intestinal tract of guinea pigs (GOD) from the high oxalate diet group compared to guinea pigs (GSC) from the standard chow group. The microbial diversity of the intestinal microbiota of the rats in the OD+ PBS group was reduced compared to the SC group, and the microbial diversity of the intestinal microbiota of the rats in the OD+ FMT group was restored compared to the OD+ PBS group. When given a standard chow, the intestinal microbiota of rats receiving FMT deviated from that of normal rats and was more similar to that of guinea pigs fed a high oxalate diet. In the OD+ FMT group, bacteria from a total of 18 families, including Muribaculaceae family, Erysipelotrichaceae family and Bifidobacteriaceae family, were significantly enriched, and FMT activated the intestinal microbial network represented by bacteria from Muribaculaceae family. The renal index of rats in the OD+ PBS group was significantly increased compared to the SC group (7.63±0.67 vs. 6.12±0.53, P<0.05), whereas the renal index of rats in the OD+ FMT group was significantly decreased in comparison to the OD+ PBS group (6.53±0.64 vs. 7.63±0.67, P<0.05). Urinary oxalate excretion of rats in the SC group, the OD+ PBS group, and the OD+ FMT group were (0.61±0.05), (0.89±0.04) and (0.72±0.04) μmol/ml, respectively. In the rats of the SC group no calcium oxalate crystals were seen in the kidney (0 score) and more calcium oxalate crystals were detected in the OD+ PBS group (4.83±0.41 score). The OD+ FMT group showed significantly lower calcium oxalate crystallization scores (3.17 ± 0.75 score, P<0.01) compared to the OD+ PBS group. Conclusions:FMT activated the microbial network represented by bacteria from the family Muribaculaceae in the rat intestine, significantly reduced urinary oxalate excretion and renal calcium oxalate crystal deposition in rats on a high oxalate diet.

Artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science, is an emerging science used to develop theories, methods, technologies and application systems that can simulate human intelligence. The goal is to enable machines to solve some complex tasks that require human intelligence. With the era of big data coming, AI has been widely used in multitudinous professional fields, including machine vision, speech recognition, image understanding, genetic programming, intelligent factory and expert systems. As the most common three-dimensional deformity of the spine, scoliosis not only changes patients' appearance and body shape but also affects their mental health. Some challenges have to be solved in diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis, such as the complexity of the anatomical structure of the spine, the importance of maintaining the posture, and the long learning-curve of spine specialty. Additionally, some aspects, such as heavy workload, fatigue, high misdiagnosis rate and missed diagnosis rate, are prone to occur in large-scale scoliosis screening and diagnosis. Researchers have discovered that AI can learn inherent laws and representation of sample data in recent years. AI technology has been used in clinical practice, such as screening, diagnosis, surgical decision-making, intraoperative operation, prognosis prediction and conservative interventions. However, AI technology has serious limitations currently. There are many disadvantages in diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis, including irregular data collection, technical difficulty, inherent defects of AI, overdependency on AI, legal and ethics issues. Thus, summarizing the relevant trends and application of AI in the diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis is still required by using the literature database and data-sharing network. The aim of the present review is to provide a glimpse into the future applications of AI.

Scoliosis is characterized by one or several segments of the spine bending sideways, accompanied by vertebral rotation and sagittal imbalance with complex etiology. Scoliosis can be caused by congenital vertebral abnormalities, asymmetry of the paraspinal muscles due to neurological lesions, and malnutrition or metabolic disorders of bone tissue. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that plays a key role in promoting human growth and development, especially in bone growth. When the secretion of growth hormone in children or adolescents in the rapid growth stage is insufficient, it may lead to the occurrence of idiopathic short stature (ISS) and growth hormone deficiency (GHD). In clinic, ISS and GHD are mainly treated by recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). According to some early clinical reports, in the process of rhGH treatment, many patients occur scoliosis or the original scoliosis progression is aggravated. Therefore, many scholars conclude that rhGH treatment of ISS or GHD will lead to the occurrence or development of scoliosis. However, with the increase of clinical statistics and the further progress of research, many scholars found that rhGH treatment of ISS or GHD will only increase the Cobb angle of patients with scoliosis, but will not lead to the occurrence of scoliosis, that is, rhGH treatment of ISS or GHD will not increase the prevalence of scoliosis. At present, whether rhGH treatment of ISS and GHD can lead to scoliosis and aggravation of scoliosis remains controversial. Therefore, this paper summarizes and analyzes the correlation research on the risk of scoliosis complications in children treated with rhGH, and concludes that age, gender, body mass index, and growth potential are risk factors for the development or progression of scoliosis during treatment, and discusses the balance of advantages and disadvantages of using rhGH for ISS or GHD to provide a direction for future clinical guidance.

Objective:To establish the biology reference interval (RI) of peripheral blood procalcitonin (PCT) for children between 3 days and 6 years old in China.Methods:Totally 3 353 reference individuals with apparent health or no specific diseases were recruited in 18 hospitals throughout the country during October 2020 to May 2021. Reference individuals were divided into four groups: 3-28 days, 29 days - 1 year, 1-3 years and 4-6 years. Vein blood or capillary blood were collected by percutaneous puncture from every reference individual. The PCT level in serum and the capillary whole blood were assayed by Roche Cobas e601 and Norman NRM411-S7 immunoanalyzer. Outliers were deleted and 95th percentiles of every group were provided as RIs. Man-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used performed to assess the difference among different gender, age or method groups. Results:The difference of PCT distribution between male and female is not statistically significant, but the difference between serum and capillary whole blood is statistically significant. The differences between age groups are significant too. For Roche e601, serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.23 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years are <0.11 μg/L. For NRM411, Serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.21 μg/L, 29 days - 1 year: <0.09 μg/L, 1 - 6 years: <0.10 μg/L. For whole blood PCT, RI of 3-28 days group is <0.26 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years is <0.15 μg/L.Conclusions:Serum and capillary whole blood PCT have different RIs, however, capillary whole blood PCT testing is valuable in pediatric application. Children in 3-28 days show higher PCT levels than other age group. To establish the RIs and understand the differences among different groups are essential for the interpretation and clinical application of peripheral blood PCT testing results.

Objective:To explore the influence of mindfulness meditation intervention on the professional identity and turnover tendency of the second victim of nurses.Methods:The convenience sampling method was used to select the second victim of 46 nurses who experienced medical adverse events within six months from January to June 2019 in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, and then an 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation intervention was carried out for them. In the entire intervention process, a self-control study was conducted, the Second Victim Experience and Support Scale (SVSET) and the Nurse Occupational Identity Scale were used to assess nurses' turnover intentions, absence and professional identity before the intervention and at 2 hours, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after the intervention.Results:By analyzing the data, the results showed that after the mindfulness meditation intervention, the second victim of the nurse before intervention, 2h, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks of intervention were 3.28±0.87, 3.20±0.83, 2.85±0.92, 2.71±0.87, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 6.609, P<0.05). Before and after the intervention of the sense of grasp in professional identity were 4.91±0.83, 5.47±0.81, 5.83±0.91, 5.94±0.80, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 20.973, P<0.01). Consensus before and after intervention were 4.61±0.78, 5.09±0.85, 5.54±1.12, 5.76±0.85, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 22.237, P<0.01). The meaningful sense before and after intervention were 4.38±1.03, 5.04±0.75, 5.44±0.86, 5.59±0.76, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 23.656, P<0.01). The self-efficacy before and after intervention were 4.71±0.82, 5.33±0.63, 5.83±0.84, 5.90±0.77, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 28.866, P<0.01). The self-determination before and after intervention were 4.43±0.97, 5.06±0.81, 5.59±0.91, 5.62±0.87, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 25.237, P<0.01). Before and after intervention, the influence of tissue was 4.17±0.96, 4.71±0.85, 4.96±0.99, 5.30±0.88, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 16.487, P<0.01). Before and after intervention, the patients' feelings were 4.59±0.96, 5.08±0.84, 5.70±0.83, 5.83±0.68, the difference was statistically significant ( F time value was 25.406, P<0.01). Conclusion:This article provides an effective method to help nurses' second victims out of their predicament which confirms that mindfulness meditation intervention can effectively reduce turnover tendency of nurses 'second victims and improve their professional identity.