OBJECTIVE To improve the quality standard of Zhuang medicine Yingbupu （Aralia armata）. METHODS A total of 23 batches of Yingbupu （A. armata） were studied. Their macroscopic characteristics and powder microscopic features were observed. TLC was employed for the qualitative identification of oleanolic acid and araloside A. Items such as water content， total ash， acid-insoluble ash， and ethanol-soluble extract were determined according to the methods specified in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia （part Ⅳ）. UPLC fingerprint was established for 23 batches of samples by using Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 edition）， and the contents of oleanolic acid and araloside A were determined. RESULTS The powder microscopic characteristics of the medicinal material were distinctive. Oleanolic acid and araloside A were detected by TLC in all 23 batches. Among the 23 batches of samples， the content ranges of moisture， total ash， acid-insoluble ash， and ethanol-soluble extract were 6.9% to 10.4%， 1.8% to 6.8%， 0.1% to 1.9%， and 2.8% to 8.4%， respectively. Based on the UPLC fingerprint， a total of 15 common peaks were obtained， and 9 of these common peaks were identified. The content ranges of oleanolic acid and araloside A in the 23 batches of samples were 0.86% to 2.69% and 0.16% to 1.10%， respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study has added items such as moisture and total ash content fingerprint， TLC identification. A preliminary quality standard has been established for the medicinal material of Yingbupu （A. armata）， stipulating that the moisture content should not exceed 11.0%， the total ash content should not exceed 5.0%， the acid-insoluble ash content should not exceed 2.5%， the ethanol-soluble extract（No. content should not be less than 4.0%， and the contents of zyyzdxk-2023165） oleanolic acid and araloside A should not be less than 1.00% and 0.45%（ calculated by a dried basis）， respectively.

Emodin is a hydroxyanthraquinone compound that is widely distributed and has multiple pharmacological activities, including anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, and liver-protective effects. Research indicates that emodin may be one of the main components responsible for inducing hepatotoxicity. However, studies on the mechanisms of liver injury are relatively limited, particularly those related to bile acids(BAs) metabolism. This study aims to systematically investigate the effects of different dosages of emodin on BAs metabolism, providing a basis for the safe clinical use of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)containing emodin. First, this study evaluated the safety of repeated administration of different dosages of emodin over a 5-week period, with a particular focus on its impact on the liver. Next, the composition and content of BAs in serum and liver were analyzed. Subsequently, qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of nuclear receptors and transporters related to BAs metabolism. The results showed that 1 g·kg~(-1) emodin induced hepatic damage, with bile duct hyperplasia as the primary pathological manifestation. It significantly increased the levels of various BAs in the serum and primary BAs(including taurine-conjugated and free BAs) in the liver. Additionally, it downregulated the mRNA expression of farnesoid X receptor(FXR), retinoid X receptor(RXR), and sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide(NTCP), and upregulated the mRNA expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) in the liver. Although 0.01 g·kg~(-1) and 0.03 g·kg~(-1) emodin did not induce obvious liver injury, they significantly increased the level of taurine-conjugated BAs in the liver, suggesting a potential interference with BAs homeostasis. In conclusion, 1 g·kg~(-1) emodin may promote the production of primary BAs in the liver by affecting the FXR-RXR-CYP7A1 pathway, inhibit NTCP expression, and reduce BA reabsorption in the liver, resulting in BA accumulation in the peripheral blood. This disruption of BA homeostasis leads to liver injury. Even doses of emodin close to the clinical dose can also have a certain effect on the homeostasis of BAs. Therefore, when using traditional Chinese medicine or formulas containing emodin in clinical practice, it is necessary to regularly monitor liver function indicators and closely monitor the risk of drug-induced liver injury.
Emodin/administration & dosage* ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Animals ; Male ; Liver/injuries* ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Mice ; Rats

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*

Listeria brainstem encephalitis with myelitis is extremely rare in clinical practice.Since the clinical manifestations are non-specific,MRI is helpful for diagnosis.Positive cerebrospinal fluid culture is considered the gold standard for diagnosis.This article reports a case of an immunocompetent individual with listeria brainstem encephalitis with myelitis,aiming to enhance the awareness of this condition.
Humans ; Brain Stem/pathology* ; Diagnostic Errors ; Encephalitis/complications* ; Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/diagnosis* ; Listeriosis/complications* ; Myelitis/complications*

Objective:To investigate the effect of safflower yellow pigment injection combined with alprostadil on patients after coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG).Methods:A total of 92 patients with coronary heart disease who received CABG in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery,Handan Central Hospital between September 2018 and September 2020 were selected.According to order of admission,they were divided into control group(n=46,from September 2018 to Sep-tember 2019,routine therapy+alprostadil after CABG)and study group(n=46,from October 2019 to September 2020,safflower yellow pigment injection based on control group),both groups were treated for 28d.On 3d after drug withdraw-al,therapeutic effect,cardiac function indexes,four myocardial enzyme spectrum and perioperative indexes were compared between two groups.Results:On 3d after drug withdrawal,compared with control group,patients in study group had sig-nificant higher total effective rate(73.9％vs.91.3％),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)[(55.77±4.48)％vs.(62.18±4.21)％](P=0.028,＜0.001),and significant lower left atrial diameter(LAD)[(36.83±3.45)mm vs.(32.09±3.23)mm],left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDd)[(49.04±4.65)mm vs.(43.83±5.24)mm],levels of creatine kinase(CK)[(125.13±14.21)U/L vs.(62.56±8.42)U/L],lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)[(203.58±31.63)U/L vs.(156.07±22.26)U/L],aspartate aminotransferase(AST)[(44.25±12.98)U/L vs.(35.41±12.37)U/L]and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB(CK-MB)[(28.11±9.84)U/L vs.(17.59±7.41)U/L](P＜0.001 all).Conclusion:The combination of safflower yellow pigment injection and alprostadil can improve the thera-peutic effect and heart function,and reduce myocardial injury in patients after CABG.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

BACKGROUND: Stress cardiomyopathy (SCM) currently has a high incidence in older adults, and the theories regarding its causes include "catecholamine myocardial toxicity" and "sympathetic hyperactivation". However, the role of the central nervous system in the pathogenesis of SCM remains unknown. We investigated the role of microglia activation in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) in the development of SCM. METHODS: An SCM model was created using male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, immobilized for 6 h every day for a week. Electrocardiogram, cardiac electrophysiology, and echocardiography examinations were performed to verify the changes in cardiac structure and function in rats with SCM. RNA sequencing was used to explore the changes in the hypothalamus during SCM. In addition, brain and heart tissues were collected to detect microglial activation and sympathetic activity. RESULTS: The main findings were as follows: (1) immobilization stress successfully induced SCM in SD rats; (2) microglia were significantly activated in the hypothalamus, as evidenced by cytosol thickening, increases in the number of microglial branches, and microglia enriched in the PVN; (3) in SCM, the microglia in the PVN exhibited increased central and peripheral cardiac sympathetic activity and increased the expression of neuroinflammatory factors; and (4) it is possible that inhibiting microglial activation could suppress the sympathetic activity of the central nervous system and heart and increase cardiac electrical stability in SCM rats. CONCLUSIONS SCM was induced in SD rats by immobilization stress, acting through the activation of the hypothalamic microglia. The activated microglia were specifically enriched in the PVN, increasing the activity of the central and peripheral sympathetic nervous systems by regulating the expression of neuro-inflammatory factors, mediating dysfunction of the left ventricle, and increasing the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), and to evaluate the applicability of the 2016 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology/Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization classification criteria for MAS complicating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) in different auto-immune diseases contexts and to propose new diagnostic predictive indicators. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and laboratory data of 24 SLE patients with MAS (SLE-MAS) and 24 AOSD patients with MAS (AOSD-MAS) who were hospitalized at Peking University People's Hospital between 2000 and 2018. Age- and sex-matched SLE (50 patients) and AOSD (50 patients) diagnosed in the same period without MAS episodes were selected as controls. The cutoff values for laboratory indicators predicting SLE-MAS and AOSD-MAS were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Furthermore, the laboratory diagnostic predictive values for AOSD-MAS were used to improve the classification criteria for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated MAS (sJIA-MAS), and the applicability of the revised criteria for AOSD-MAS was explored. RESULTS: Approximately 60% of SLE-MAS and 40% of AOSD-MAS occurred within three months after the diagnosis of the underlying diseases. The most frequent clinical feature was fever. In addition to the indicators mentioned in the diagnosis criteria for hemophagocytic syndrome revised by the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the MAS patients also exhibited significantly elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, along with a significant decrease in albumin. Hemophagocytosis was observed in only about half of the MAS patients. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the optimal discriminative values for diagnosing MAS was achieved when SLE patients had ferritin level≥1 010 μg/L and lactate dehydroge-nase levels≥359 U/L, while AOSD patients had fibrinogen levels≤225.5 mg/dL and triglyceride levels≥2.0 mmol/L. Applying the 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria to AOSD-MAS yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 62%. By replacing the less specific markers ferritin and fibrinogen in the 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria with new cutoff values, the revised criteria for classifying AOSD-MAS had a notable increased specificity of 86%. CONCLUSION Secondary MAS commonly occurs in the early stages following the diagnosis of SLE and AOSD. There are notable variations in laboratory indicators among different underlying diseases, which may lead to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis when using uniform classification criteria for MAS. The 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria exhibit high sensitivity but low specificity in diagnosing AOSD-MAS. Modification of the criteria can enhance its specificity.
Adult ; Humans ; Child ; Macrophage Activation Syndrome/complications* ; Arthritis, Juvenile/diagnosis* ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis* ; Fibrinogen ; Ferritins

OBJECTIVE To explore the efficacy of Sour Jujube Seed Decoction combined with Huanglian Wendan Decoction on adult chronic insomnia and its effect on hypnotic withdrawal.METHODS 187 patients with chronic insomnia were included for anal-ysis,including 102 in the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)group and 85 in the western medicine group.The TCM group was trea-ted with Sour Jujube Seed Decoction combined with Huanglian Wendan Decoction,while the western medicine group was treated with benzodiazepine under the consideration of doctor.The intervention period was 1 month,with assessments using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)conducted before and after the intervention.Follow-up evaluations were performed at 3 months and 6 months re-spectively after the intervention.RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline.After the inter-vention,the PSQI scores of patients in both groups were significantly improved(P<0.01).Among them,the TCM group was better than the western medicine group in the improvement of sleep quality and sleeping pills,total PSQI score reduction(P<0.01).The re-sults of linear regression analysis showed that after controlling for confounding factors,the regression coefficients of the TCM group in two different models were1.821 and 1.922 respectively,and the former was statistically significant(P<0.05).By screening patients who took hypnotics at baseline in the TCM group and comparing them with those in the western medicine group,the influencing factors of hypnotic withdrawal were analyzed.During the 3-month follow-up,25 out of 39 patients in the TCM group and 17 out of 80 patients in the western medicine group had hypnotic withdrawal(χ2= 19.25,P<0.001);during the 6-month follow-up,23 of the 39 patients in the TCM group and 18 of the 79 patients in the western medicine group had hypnotic withdrawal(χ2= 13.53,P<0.001),the with-drawal rate of patients in the TCM group was significantly higher than that in the western medicine group.Further regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors,the results showed that the western medicine group had a significantly higher rate of not withdrawal than the TCM group at 3 months(OR=5.50,95%CI:2.30～13.72)and 6 months(OR=6.43,95%CI:2.54～17.77),and the results were statistically different(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Sour Jujube Seed Decoction combined with Huangli-an Wendan Decoction is effective in treating adult chronic insomnia and assisting in hypnotic withdrawal.

This study aims to examine the effect of superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizomaon on natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. To be specific, a total of 60 female SD rats(14-15 months old) with estrous cycle disorder were screened by the vaginal smear and randomized into model control group, β-estradiol 3-benzoate group(0.1 mg·kg~(-1)), superfine powder of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)) and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)), and another 10 female SD rats(14-15 months old) were selected as the youth control group. The administration lasted 6 weeks. Then the perimenopausal syndrome-related indexes such as body temperature, microcirculatory blood flow of face and ear, vertigo period, salivary secretion, grip force, and bone strength were determined and open field test was conducted. The immune system-related indexes such as the wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, percentage of T lymphocytes and subgroups in peripheral blood, and hematological indexes were measured. In addition, the ovary-related indexes such as estrous cycle, the wet weight and index of uterus and ovary, ovarian tissue morphology, and cell apoptosis were determined. Moreover, hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis(HPO)-related indexes such as serum sex hormone levels, cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1(CYP11A1), cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1(CYP19A1), and cytochrome P450 family 17 subfamily A member 1(P450 17A1) in ovarian tissue were measured. The results showed that the superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma significantly decreased body temperature(anal, facial and dorsal temperature), microcirculatory blood flow in the ear, and vertigo period, increased salivary secretion, grip force, bone strength, total distance and total speed in the open field test, wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, lymphocyte ratio, CD3~+ level, and CD4~+/CD8~+ ratio, reduced neutrophil number and ratio, estrous cycle disorder ratio, and number of ovarian apoptotic cells, raised wet weight and index of uterus, wet weight of ovary, levels of inhibin B(INHB), estradiol(E_2), anti-müllerian hormone(AMH), and ovarian CYP11A1 and CYP19A1, decreased follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) content, and improved ovarian tissue morphology. It is suggested that the superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma can improve the symptoms associated with natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and enhance ovarian function and immune function. The mechanism is that they regulate HPO axis function by increasing estrogen synthesis.
Female ; Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Microcirculation ; Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme ; Perimenopause ; Powders ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1