Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Objective: To explore the association between the Internet usage characteristics and suicidal ideation among vocational high school students, so as to provide a theoretical basis for precise intervention of suicide among vocational high school students. Methods: A total of 1 781 students were recruited from three vocational high schools in Wuhan and Xianning in March 2023 by using the cluster random sampling method. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale were used to measure suicidal ideation and Internet addiction, respectively. LASSO regression model was used to select influential factors related to suicidal ideation, and the gradient boosting decision tree algorithm XGBoost was used to develop prediction models and evaluate predictive performance. By calculating the SHAP values, the contribution of each influential factor was quantified. Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation among vocational high school students was 42.22% and prevalence of Internet addiction was 26.39%. LASSO regression results indicated that age, gender, experience of being left behind, parental relationship, holding a class cadre position, using the Internet for learning, Internet use during dawn, morning and late night, Internet addiction, and depressive symptoms were all the influential factors of suicidal ideation among vocational high school students ( β= -0.05 , 0.29, 0.09, 0.27, 0.10, -0.01, 0.09, 0.05, 0.24, 0.28, 0.78, all P <0.05). The AUC of the prediction model was 0.75. The results based on SHAP values indicated that all influential factors identified through multivariate analysis contributed positively to the model predictions ( SHAP >0). Among these, depressive symptoms and parental relationship had the greatest impact on suicidal ideation ( SHAP =0.77, 0.26), and the joint effect of features with higher contribution could improve the prediction probability. Conclusions Depressive symptoms, parental relationships, Internet addiction, and time of Internet use are most important risk factors of suicidal behaviors for vocational high school students. Thus, effective interventions should be conducted to reduce their suicidal ideation.

Sertoli cells play an important role in the process of spermatogenesis, and the abnormalities in spermatogenesis are closely related to disruptions in glycolipid metabolism. The metabolic environment of Sertoli cells is hypoxic, with glycolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation being the primary metabolic pathways. In Sertoli cells, glycolysis produces lactate to provide energy for spermatogenic cells, while fatty acid β-oxidation generates ATP. Currently, the relationship between glycolipid metabolism in Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cell development, as well as the interplay between glucose and lipid metabolism remain unclear. Various hormones, including sex hormones, can affect glucose metabolism in Sertoli cells by endocrine regulation. The activation or inhibition of signaling pathways such as AMPK, mTOR, and Akt can alter the expression levels of glycolysis-related transporter genes and the synthesis of fatty acids, thereby affecting glycolipid metabolism in Sertoli cells. Some transcription factors such as PPARγ can regulate downstream fatty acid metabolism-related genes by directly binding to their response elements and promoting the oxidation of fatty acids in Sertoli cells. In this article we elaborate on the key factors influencing glycolipid metabolism in Sertoli cells and their interconnections, as well as their potential clinical implications, offering new insights for precisely targeted treatments of male infertility.
Sertoli Cells/cytology* ; Male ; Glycolipids/metabolism* ; Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Animals ; Fatty Acids/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Glycolysis

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a paradigmatic approach to personalized medicine, developed through the systematic accumulation and refinement of clinical empirical data over more than 2000 years, and now encompasses large-scale electronic medical records (EMR) and experimental molecular data. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its utility in medicine through the development of various expert systems (e.g., MYCIN) since the 1970s. With the emergence of deep learning and large language models (LLMs), AI's potential in medicine shows considerable promise. Consequently, the integration of AI and TCM from both clinical and scientific perspectives presents a fundamental and promising research direction. This survey provides an insightful overview of TCM AI research, summarizing related research tasks from three perspectives: systems-level biological mechanism elucidation, real-world clinical evidence inference, and personalized clinical decision support. The review highlights representative AI methodologies alongside their applications in both TCM scientific inquiry and clinical practice. To critically assess the current state of the field, this work identifies major challenges and opportunities that constrain the development of robust research capabilities-particularly in the mechanistic understanding of TCM syndromes and herbal formulations, novel drug discovery, and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered clinical care. The findings underscore that future advancements in AI-driven TCM research will rely on the development of high-quality, large-scale data repositories; the construction of comprehensive and domain-specific knowledge graphs (KGs); deeper insights into the biological mechanisms underpinning clinical efficacy; rigorous causal inference frameworks; and intelligent, personalized decision support systems.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the predictive value of norepinephrine equivalence (NEE) score on the 28-day death risk in patients with sepsis and provide evidence for its application in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and septic shock. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on the data of patients with sepsis from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV 2.2 (MIMIC-IV 2.2). The patients who received vasoactive agents within 6 hours after the diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock were enrolled, and they were divided into survival and non-survival groups based on their 28-day outcomes. The baseline characteristics, vital signs, and treatment data were collected. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing the 28-day death risk. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive value of various parameters on the 28-day death risk of septic patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to evaluate cumulative survival rate in patients classified by different quantitative parameters based on the cut-off values obtained from ROC curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 7 744 patients who met the Sepsis-3 diagnostic criteria and received vasopressor treatment within 6 hours post-diagnosis were enrolled, of which 5 997 cases survived and 1 747 died, with the 28-day mortality of 22.6%. Significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding age, gender, height, body weight, race, type of intensive care unit (ICU), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score, underlying comorbidities, and vital signs. Compared with the survival group, the non-survival group had poorer blood routine, liver and kidney function, coagulation function, blood gas analysis and other indicators. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age > 65 years old [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.892, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.801-0.994, P = 0.039] and male (HR = 0.735, 95%CI was 0.669-0.808, P < 0.001) were protective factors for 28-day death in patients with sepsis, and NEE score (HR = 1.040, 95%CI was 1.021-1.060, P < 0.001), shock index (HR = 1.840, 95%CI was 1.675-2.022, P < 0.001), APACHE II score (HR = 1.076, 95%CI was 1.069-1.083, P < 0.001), SOFA score (HR = 1.035, 95%CI was 1.015-1.056, P < 0.001), and CCI score (HR = 1.135, 95%CI was 1.115-1.155, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for 28-day death in septic patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of NEE score for predicting the 28-day death risk of septic patients was 0.743 (95%CI was 0.730-0.756), which was comparable to the predictive value of APACHE II score (AUC = 0.742, 95%CI was 0.729-0.755) and ratio of mean arterial pressure (MAP)/NEE score (MAP/NEE; AUC = 0.738, 95%CI was 0.725-0.751, both P > 0.05), and better than SOFA score (AUC = 0.609, 95%CI was 0.594-0.624), CCI score (AUC = 0.658, 95%CI was 0.644-0.673), shock index (AUC = 0.613, 95%CI was 0.597-0.629) and ratio of diastolic blood pressure (DBP)/NEE score (DBP/NEE; AUC = 0.735, 95%CI was 0.721-0.748, all P < 0.05). According to the cut-off values of APACHE II and NEE scores obtained from ROC curve analysis, the patients were stratified for Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis, and the results showed that the 28-day cumulative survival rate in the septic patients with an APACHE II score ≤ 22.5 was significantly higher than that in those with an APACHE II > 22.5 (Log-Rank test: χ² = 848.600, P < 0.001), and the 28-day cumulative survival rate in the septic patients with an NEE score ≤0.120 was significantly higher than that in those with an NEE score > 0.120 (Log-Rank test: χ² = 832.449, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS NEE score is an independent risk factor for 28-day death in septic patients who received vasoactive treatment within 6 hours of diagnosis and possesses significant predictive value. It can be used for severity stratification in sepsis management.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; Male ; Female ; Norepinephrine/therapeutic use* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Prognosis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Shock, Septic/mortality* ; Adult ; ROC Curve ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Aged, 80 and over

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of sepsis in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the compliance with sepsis diagnosis and treatment guidelines in intensive care unit (ICU) at different levels of hospitals, and to identify the risk factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with sepsis in this region. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in ICU of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Critical Care Medicine Alliance. The survey period was from 10:00 on January 31, 2024, to 09:59 on February 1, 2024. The patients diagnosed with sepsis admitted to the ICU during the study period were included in the analysis. Data on patient demographics, physiology, microbiology, and treatment protocols were collected, with follow-up until the 28th day after ICU admission or death. Baseline characteristics and treatment information of septic patients across different hospital levels were compared, as well as clinical data of septic patients with different 28-day outcomes. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify risk factors for 28-day death in septic patients. RESULTS: A total of 77 units of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Critical Care Medicine Alliance from 14 prefectures/cities in Xinjiang participated in the survey. On the survey day, 727 patients were admitted to ICU, of whom 179 (24.6%) were diagnosed with sepsis, and 64 (35.8%) died within 28 days, 115 (64.2%) survived. Among the participating institutions, 33 were tertiary hospitals (42.9%), managing 97 septic cases (54.2%), and 44 were secondary hospitals (57.1%), managing 82 septic cases (45.8%). The lactic acid monitoring rate and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) rate for septic patients in tertiary hospitals were significantly higher than those in secondary hospitals [lactic acid monitoring rate: 92.8% (90/97) vs. 82.9% (68/82), CRRT rate: 17.5% (17/97) vs. 3.7% (3/82), both P < 0.05]. No statistically significant differences were observed between tertiary and secondary hospitals in length of ICU stay or 28-day mortality [length of ICU stay (days): 11.0 (16.0) vs. 10.0 (22.0), 28-day mortality: 35.1% (34/97) vs. 36.6% (30/82), both P > 0.05]. Compared with survivors, non-survivors had higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score and lower Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score. Significant differences were noted in vital signs [heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂)], laboratory markers [red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), lymphocyte ratio (LYM%), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), pH value, base excess (BE)], and monitoring, diagnosis and treatment information (invasive blood pressure monitoring, mechanical ventilation, CRRT, usage of norepinephrine). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model indicated that body temperature [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.416, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.022-1.961, P = 0.037] and WBC (HR = 1.040, 95%CI was 1.010-1.071, P = 0.009) were independent risk factors for 28-day death in patients with sepsis. CONCLUSIONS Sepsis in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is characterized by a high mortality. In this region, tertiary hospitals demonstrate better compliance with bundled treatment strategies such as lactic acid monitoring and the usage of CRRT compared to secondary hospitals, yet they do not show significant advantages in clinical outcomes. Body temperature and WBC are independent risk factors for 28-day death in patients with sepsis in this region. However, clinicians should still consider the actual situation of patients, along with more optimal early warning indicators and comprehensive system assessments, to identify and prevent risk factors for adverse outcomes in patients.
Humans ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Intensive Care Units ; Prognosis ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Incidence