ObjectiveTo study the chemical constituents of Painong powder and the constituents absorbed into blood after oral administration to rats by ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS）. MethodsUPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was employed for mass spectrometry data acquisition. The chemical constituents of Painong Powder and the constituents absorbed into blood were characterized and identified via Xcalibur 4.2 and Compound Discoverer v3.3.1 （CD） based on retention time， accurate molecular weights， secondary fragmentation ions， and comparison with reference standards and literature reports. ResultsA total of 176 chemical compounds， including 56 flavonoids， 42 triterpenoid saponins， 23 monoterpenes， 7 coumarins， 5 tannins， and other 43 compounds were identified from Painong powder. 49 components were identified in the rat plasma after oral administration of Painong powder， including 33 prototype constituents and 16 metabolites. The major metabolic pathways included hydrolysis in phase Ⅰ metabolic reactions， as well as methylation， sulfation， and glucuronidation in phase Ⅱ metabolic reaction. ConclusionThe method comprehensively identified the chemical constituents of Painong powder both in vitro and in vivo， and may provide a reference for the study of quality control and clinical applications.

Jiegeng decoction is a classic prescription composed of two Chinese medicinal herbs： Platycodon grandiflorum and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. It has the efficacy of diffusing lung qi， resolving phlegm， relieving sore throat and discharging pus， and is commonly used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cough and pharyngodynia. This article reviews the chemical components， pharmacological mechanisms and clinical applications of Jiegeng decoction. It was found that Jiegeng decoction contains triterpenoid saponins， flavonoids， glycosides， acids， and other components， with platycodin D， platycodin D2， glycyrrhizic acid， glycyrrhetinic acid， liquiritin， etc.， serving as the main active pharmaceutical ingredients. Jiegeng decoction and its chemical constituents exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-κB and mitogen- activated protein kinases， and demonstrate anti-tumor activities through mechanisms like modulating the tumor immune microenvironment and promoting cancer cell apoptosis. Additionally， it exhibits various pharmacological actions including antibacterial， antiviral， and antioxidant effects. Clinically， Jiegeng decoction， its modified prescription and compound combinations are widely used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cough， pneumonia， and pharyngitis， as well as digestive system disorders like constipation.

Objective To study the application of mesoporous silica nanoparticle(MSN)as drug carriers in the treatment of osteoarthritis(OA).Methods Core-cone structured MSN(MSN-CC)was synthesized by sol-gel method,modified by polyethyleneimine(PEI),and loaded with hyaluronic acid synthase 2(HAS2).Forty OA model rats were randomly assigned to OA group,MSN-CC-PEI group,hyaluronic acid(HA)group,or MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group.Ten healthy rats were assigned to control group.Normal saline 100 μL was injected into the knee joint in the control group and OA group.MSN-CC-PEI 100 μL,HA solution 100 μL,and MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 100 μL were injected in MSN-CC-PEI group,HA group,and MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group,respectively.The levels of HA,interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)in the joint effusion and the foot swelling degree were measured at 1,2,and 3 weeks after injection.Results HA level in the MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group was significantly lower than that in the HA group at 1 week after intervention(P<0.05),while HA level in the MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group was significantly higher than that in the HA group at 2 and 3 weeks after intervention(P<0.05).With the time going on,HA level in the HA group was gradually decreased(P<0.05),but HA level in the MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group was gradually increased(P<0.05).At 1 and 2 weeks after intervention,compared with the HA group,IL-1β,PGE2 and foot swelling degree in the MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group were increased(P<0.05).At 3 weeks after intervention,compared with the HA group,IL-1β,PGE2 and foot swelling degree in the MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group were decreased(P<0.05).With the time going on,IL-1β,PGE2 and foot swelling degree in the HA group and MSN-CC-PEI-HAS2 group were gradually decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion MSN carrier can stably stimulate the secretion of endogenous HA,reduce the inflammatory response within joint cavity of OA rats,and improve the joint morphology and soft tissue pathological changes.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a woman with oocyte maturation disorder during assisted reproductive treatment (ART), and to verify the source of the variant and its impact on oocyte maturation through family verification. METHODS: A 35-year-old infertile woman presented at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital on 20 October 2023 for a 10-year history of infertility despite unprotected intercourse was selected as study subject. Peripheral venous blood sample was collected from the proband. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to detect the potential variant. Candidate variants were validated within her family by Sanger sequencing, and their deleteriousness was assessed with comprehensive bioinformatic analyses to elucidate their origin and impact on oocyte maturation. According to the Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants (hereinafter referred to as ACMG Guidelines) formulated by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the pathogenicity of the candidate variant was rated. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital (Ethics No.: 2023GSFYLS78). RESULTS: The proband underwent three controlled ovarian-stimulation cycles as part of assisted reproductive technology, yielding a total of 29 oocytes, among which only three were mature, whilst the remainders exhibited maturation arrest. Targeted sequencing of peripheral-blood DNA revealed a heterozygous c.728C>T (p.P243L) missense variant of the TUBB8 gene. While the same variant was detected in the proband's father. Based on the ACMG guidelines, the variant was classified to be likely pathogenic (PS4_Supporting+PM2_Supporting+PP2+PP3+PP4). CONCLUSION The heterozygous c.728C>T (p.P243L) missense variant of the TUBB8 gene probably underlay the oocyte maturation disorder in the proband, which may be either autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. For probands with oocyte maturation disorders caused by the heterozygous c.728C>T variant of the TUBB8 gene, oocyte donation may be considered.
Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Mutation, Missense ; Oocytes/metabolism* ; Heterozygote ; Tubulin/genetics* ; Infertility, Female/genetics* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Pedigree

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical phenotype and genetic etiology of a patient with primary infertility accompanied by Oocyte maturation defect (OOMD). METHODS: A 24-year-old female patient who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center of Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital in April 2024 was selected as the study subject. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on the proband and her husband. Candidate gene variants were validated in the family using Sanger sequencing, and compound heterozygous variants were confirmed through vector construction. Candidate variants were classified for pathogenicity according to the "Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants" established by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital [Ethics No.: (2023) GSFYLS(78)]. RESULTS: The proband, a 24-year-old female, had been unable to conceive for four years without contraception after marriage. She had undergone two ovarian stimulation cycles using the antagonist protocol and the PPOS protocol, respectively. A total of 74 oocytes were retrieved, with all showing OOMD and some oocytes exhibiting abnormal morphology and poor quality. WES results revealed two heterozygous missense variants in exons 14 and 16 of the PATL2 gene: c.1127G>A (p.R376Q) and c.1388C>G (p.A463G). Family validation results indicated that the missense variant in exon 14 was inherited from the proband's father, while the variant in exon 16 was de novo. CONCLUSION The compound heterozygous variants of the PATL2 gene probably underlay the OOMD and infertility in this proband. Further analysis based on the variant sites and protein structures is needed to determine whether PATL2 gene variants can fully affect oocyte development, thereby providing a personalized treatment plan for the proband.
Female ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Infertility, Female/genetics* ; Oocytes/metabolism* ; Pedigree ; Phenotype

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) due to a truncating variant of ALPK3 gene. METHODS: A 44-year-old male admitted to Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province on December 29, 2018 was selected as the study subject. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was carried out, and candidate variant was interpreted by following the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). For ALPK3 was considered an autosomal recessive gene, the WES results was considered insufficient to explain his phenotype. In April 2023, the proband's WES data were re-analyzed using updated annotation pipelines, and peripheral blood samples were collected from his first-degree relatives (mother and brother) for Sanger sequencing validation. Conservation analysis and protein structural modeling were performed to assess the impact of the variant. Clinical evaluation and genetic counseling were provided to the proband's family members. Relevant literature on ALPK3tv-induced HCM patients were searched in Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, CNKI, and PubMed database using "ALPK3" and "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy" as keywords. Clinical characteristics of HCM patients with heterozygous ALPK3tv variants were summarized and compared with the clinical characteristics of HCM patients with positive sarcomere-associated gene variants (SARC+). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University (Ethics No.: K20230314). RESULTS: The proband was a 44-year-old male who was transferred to our institution on December 29, 2018 due to "chest tightness and pain for 6 months, exacerbated for 2 days". Emergency coronary angiography was performed, which led to a preliminary diagnosis of "acute coronary syndrome", and the patient was admitted to the Cardiology Department for treatment. Based on electrocardiogram and echocardiogram findings, the diagnosis was revised as HCM. The patient's condition has stabilized post-coronary angiography, and he was discharged with improved condition. On January 2019, WES was conducted to determine the etiology of the proband's HCM. WES results identified a novel heterozygous c.2156dupC (p.Pro720ThrfsTer53) truncating variant in the ALPK3 gene. At that time, the inheritance pattern could not explain the phenotype. In 2022, a literature indicated that heterozygous ALPK3tv could lead to autosomal dominant HCM. Consequently, in April 2023, the proband's whole-exome data were re-annotated, revealing changes in the transcript and protein versions, with the updated site annotated as ALPK3 (NM_020778.5): c.1550dupC (p.Pro518ThrfsTer53). Sanger sequencing confirmed that the proband's mother and brother also carried this variant. The mother exhibited obstructive HCM, while the brother showed no related phenotype. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated conservation of this site across multiple species, and the variant has resulted in the loss of a protein domain. Based on ACMG guidelines, the variant was classified as likely pathogenic. Literature review and Bayesian calculation further elevated the pathogenicity rating, indicating that this variant was the cause of HCM in the patient. Literature study revealed distinctions between HCM caused by this variant type and SARC+ HCM. The age of onset among heterozygous ALPK3tv patients was delayed by approximately 10 years compared to SARC+ patients. Both forms of HCM exhibited a male predominance, which was particularly marked in individuals with ALPK3tv. Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy was more prevalent in heterozygous ALPK3tv patients than in SARC+ patients. The incidence of apical or concentric hypertrophy patterns was higher in heterozygous ALPK3tv patients compared to asymmetric septal hypertrophy, which predominated in SARC+ patients. ALPK3tv patients exhibited lower penetrance and later onset compared to SARC+ patients. A positive correlation between left ventricular wall thickness and age was noted in female patients only. CONCLUSION In this pedigree, the proband has presented with HCM, characterized by echocardiographic evidence of apical left ventricular hypertrophy without significant outflow tract obstruction or extracardiac phenotypes. Although his mother and brother had carried the same heterozygous ALPK3 (NM_020778.5) c.1550dupC (p.Pro518ThrfsTer53), the mother exhibited severe obstructive HCM, while the brother was asymptomatic, suggesting incomplete or age-dependent penetrance within the family. This study has enriched the evidence for the pathogenicity of ALPK3tv among Chinese HCM pedigrees and underscored the importance of periodic literature reviews and genetic re-analysis for unresolved genetic testing results.
Humans ; Male ; Pedigree ; Adult ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics* ; Heterozygote ; Asian People/genetics* ; Exome Sequencing ; Mutation ; China ; Female ; East Asian People

Objective To investigate the impact of anti-reflux modified duodenal exclusion surgery on glucose metabolism in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to elucidate the role of the duodenum in maintaining glucose homeostasis. MethodsForty male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 5 weeks were fed a high-fat diet and induced with T2DM using low-dose streptozotocin. Thirty-six rats that met the T2DM model criteria were randomly divided into three groups: the simple duodenal exclusion surgery group (DE group), the anti-reflux modified duodenal exclusion group (MDE group), and the sham operation group (SO group), with 12 rats in each group. Gastroenterography was performed 4 weeks after surgery, and the body weight, fasting blood glucose levels, and serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations were measured before surgery and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-surgery. Eight weeks post-surgery, the rats were euthanized, and a 1 cm segment of the biliopancreatic loop was collected from each group for pathological sectioning and HE staining to observe the intestinal mucosal villus length under an optical microscope. Results Gastroenterography showed that there was significant reflux of the contrast agent into the duodenal lumen in the DE group, while no reflux was observed in the MDE group. At one week post-surgery, the body weights of rats in all three groups significantly decreased compared to before surgery (P<0.05), and then the body weights of all groups increased over time, with no significant differences between the groups (P>0.05). Compared with the SO group, the fasting blood glucose levels in the MDE and DE groups significantly decreased at all time points post-surgery (P<0.05), while GLP-1 concentrations significantly increased (P<0.05). The fasting blood glucose levels in the MDE group were lower than those in the DE group at all time points post-surgery (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in serum GLP-1 concentrations between the MDE and DE groups (P>0.05). Regarding intestinal mucosal morphology, the villus lengths of the biliopancreatic loops in the MDE group were significantly shorter than those in the DE and SO groups (P<0.05). Conclusion Anti-reflux modified duodenal exclusion surgery effectively improves glucose metabolism in T2DM rats by preventing the reflux of chyme into the diverted duodenum, thereby enhancing its hypoglycemic effect.

Objective:To analyze the disease burden of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in China from 1990 to 2019, forecast the disease burden of NIHL from 2020 to 2030, and provide data support for the prevention and control of NIHL.Methods:In July 2022, the disease burden data of NIHL in different age groups and genders in China during 1990-2019 were selected from the GBD database. The Jointpoint regression model was established to analyze the trend of the disease burden of NIHL in China. An age-period-cohort model was constructed to analyze the changing trend of NIHL in terms of age, period, and cohort, and a Bayesian age-period-cohort model was developed to predict the disease burden of NIHL in China from 2020 to 2030.Results:From 1990 to 2019, the disability adjusted life year (DALY) of China's NIHL increased from 1361600 to 2327700 years. The coarse rate of DALY increased from 115.03/100000 to 163.65/100000 (AAPC=1.23, P<0.001), and the normalization rate of DALY decreased from 127.67/100000 to 119.83/100000 (AAPC=-0.21, P<0.001). It is predicted that from 2020 to 2030, the DALYs of China's NIHL will increase from 2412900 in 2020 to 2655000 in 2030, and the DALY normalization rate will decrease from 241.29/100000 in 2020 to 125.71/100000 in 2030. Conclusion:The burden of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in China is significant and should not be overlooked. To reduce this burden, we need to focus on strengthening source management, process control, personal protection, and comprehensive prevention and treatment through various methods.

Objective:To analyze the disease burden of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in China from 1990 to 2019, forecast the disease burden of NIHL from 2020 to 2030, and provide data support for the prevention and control of NIHL.Methods:In July 2022, the disease burden data of NIHL in different age groups and genders in China during 1990-2019 were selected from the GBD database. The Jointpoint regression model was established to analyze the trend of the disease burden of NIHL in China. An age-period-cohort model was constructed to analyze the changing trend of NIHL in terms of age, period, and cohort, and a Bayesian age-period-cohort model was developed to predict the disease burden of NIHL in China from 2020 to 2030.Results:From 1990 to 2019, the disability adjusted life year (DALY) of China's NIHL increased from 1361600 to 2327700 years. The coarse rate of DALY increased from 115.03/100000 to 163.65/100000 (AAPC=1.23, P<0.001), and the normalization rate of DALY decreased from 127.67/100000 to 119.83/100000 (AAPC=-0.21, P<0.001). It is predicted that from 2020 to 2030, the DALYs of China's NIHL will increase from 2412900 in 2020 to 2655000 in 2030, and the DALY normalization rate will decrease from 241.29/100000 in 2020 to 125.71/100000 in 2030. Conclusion:The burden of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in China is significant and should not be overlooked. To reduce this burden, we need to focus on strengthening source management, process control, personal protection, and comprehensive prevention and treatment through various methods.

Circular RNA(circRNA)is a novel class of endogenous non-coding RNA with complex biological func-tions,participating in various physiological and pathological processes.Due to their relatively stable stucture and tissue-specific and temporal expression patterns,circRNA have become a recent focus of biomedical research.Heart failure(HF)is characterized by impaired ventricular filling and/or ejection function caused by primary myocardial injury and car-diac overload,leading to the inability of the heart to meet the metabolic demands of the body's tissues.It is the end stage of numerous cardiac diseases.Studies have found that circRNA may play a crucial regulatory role in the progression of HF,particularly in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy,cardiomyocyte apoptosis,autophagy and myocardial fibrosis.This review summarizes the formation,classification,functional forms,and roles in HF of circRNA,aiming to provide new insights for the prevention and treatment of HF.