Objective To explore the effect of rehmanniae radix extract(RRE)on chondrocyte apoptosis in the rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis(KOA)by regulating the miR-485-5p/heat shock protein 90 beta family member 1(Hsp90b1)axis.Methods New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned into control,KOA,low-dose RRE,medium-dose RRE,high-dose RRE,celecoxib,high-dose RRE+antagonist control,and high-dose RRE+miR-485-5p antagonist groups,with 12 rabbits in each group.Rabbits in other groups except the control group were modeled for KOA with the improved Hulth method.After modeling for 8 weeks,the rabbits were administrated with corresponding agents for 4 weeks.The changes in the activity rating of rabbits were recorded.ELISA was employed to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin(IL)-6 in the serum.Safranine O-fast green staining was conducted to reveal the pathological changes in the cartilage tissue and Mankin scoring was performed.TUNEL was employed to detect chondrocyte apoptosis.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to determine the expression of miR-485-5p in the cartilage tissue.Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of Hsp90b1,cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3(Caspase-3),and Bcl2-associated-X(Bax)in the cartilage tissue.The dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to examine the relationship between miR-485-5p and Hsp90b1.Results Compared with the control group,the KOA group showed down-regulated expression of miR-485-5p,elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum,cartilage erosion and losses,and increases in activity rating,Mankin score,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,and protein levels of Hsp90b1,cleaved Caspase-3,and Bax(all P<0.001).Compared with the KOA group,RRE at low,medium,and high doses,and celecoxib up-regulated the expression of miR-485-5p,lowered the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum,alleviated the pathological damage to the cartilage tissue,and decreased the activity rating,Mankin score,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,and protein levels of Hsp90b1,cleaved Caspase-3,and Bax(all P<0.05).Compared with the high-dose RRE group and the high-dose RRE+antagonist control group,high-dose RRE+miR-485-5p antagonist down-regulated the expression of miR-485-5p,elevated the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum,exacerbated the pathological damage to the cartilage tissue,and increased the activity rating,Mankin score,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,and protein levels of Hsp90b1,cleaved Caspase-3,and Bax(all P<0.05).The results indicated that there was a targeted regulatory relationship between miR-485-5p and Hsp90b1.Conclusion RRE may inhibit the expression of Hsp90b1 by up-regulating miR-485-5p,thereby inhibiting chondrocyte apoptosis in the rabbit model of KOA.
Animals ; Rabbits ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Chondrocytes/pathology* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/drug therapy* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

Cryoablation therapy with explicit anti-tumor mechanisms and histopathological manifestations has a long history.A large number of clinical practice has shown that cryoablation therapy is safe and effective,making it an ideal tumor treatment method in theory.Previously,its efficacy and clinical application were constrained by the limitations of refrigerants and refrigeration equipment.With the development of the new generation of cryoablation equipment represented by argon helium knives,significant progress has been made in refrigeration efficien-cy,ablation range,and precise temperature measurement,greatly promoting the progression of tumor cryoablation technology.This consensus systematically summarizes the mechanism of cryoablation technology,indications for oral mucosal melanoma(OMM)cryotherapy,clinical treatment process,adverse reactions and management,cryotherapy combination therapy,etc.,aiming to provide reference for carrying out the standardized cryoablation therapy of OMM.

Objective To explore the biomarkers and potential mechanisms of chronic restraint stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia ApoE-/-mice.Methods The hyperlipidemia combined with the chronic stress model was established by restraining the ApoE-/-mice.Proteomics and bioinformatics techniques were used to describe the characteristic molecular changes and related regulatory mechanisms of chronic stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice and to explore potential diagnostic biomarkers.Results Proteomic analysis showed that there were 43 significantly up-regulated and 58 sig-nificantly down-regulated differentially expressed proteins in hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress group compared with the hyperlipidemia group.Among them,GBP2,TAOK3,TFR1 and UCP1 were biomarkers with great diagnostic potential.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that fer-roptosis was a significant pathway that accelerated the myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia combined with restraint stress-induced model.The mmu_circ_0001567/miR-7a/Tfr-1 and mmu_circ_0001042/miR-7a/Tfr-1 might be important circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks related to ferroptosis in this model.Conclusion Chronic restraint stress may aggravate myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice via ferrop-tosis.Four potential biomarkers are selected for myocardial injury diagnosis,providing a new direction for sudden cardiac death(SCD)caused by hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress.

Objective:To explore the relationship of glutathione S-transferase P1(GSTP1)and X-ray repair cross-complemen-tation group 1(XRCC1)gene polymorphisms with chemotherapy sensitivity and prognosis in patients with prostate cancer(PCa).Methods:A total of 103 PCa patients underwent androgen-deprivation therapy+double-agent chemotherapy from May 2018 to May 2021.We collected the clinical data from the patients,determined their genotypes using the PCR-PFLP method,analyzed the associa-tion of the locus polymorphisms of GSTP1-rs1695 and XRCC1-rs25487 with chemotherapy sensitivity,and investigated the correlation of GSTP1 and XRCC1 gene polymorphisms with the 3-year survival rate of the patients.Results:The distribution of GSTP1-rs1695 and XRCC1-rs25487 loci in the 103 PCa patients receiving chemotherapy was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(x2=9.794,P＞0.05).At the GSTP1-rs1695 locus,the AA genotype accounted for 65.05％(67/103),the AG genotype 23.30％(24/103)and the GG genotype 11.65％(12/103);at the XRCC1-rs25487 locus,the A A genotype accounted for 29.13％(30/103),the AG genotype 50.49％(52/103)and the GG genotype 20.39％(21/103).Chemotherapy sensitivity was significantly lower in the patients with the GSTP1-rs1695 AA type than in those with the AG/GG types(35.82％vs 58.33％,P＜0.05),but showed no statistically significant difference between the XRCC1-rs25487 AA and AG/GG types(40.00％vs 45.21％,P＞0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the 3-year progression-free survival rate between the patients with different GSTP1-rs1695 and XRCC1-rs25487 phenotypes(P＞0.05).The 3-year overall survival rate was lower in the patients with the GSTP1-rs1695 AA type than in those with the AG/GG types,and so was it in those with the XRCC1-rs25487 AA type than in those with the AG/GG types(P＜0.05).Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that the GSTP1-rs1695 AA and XRCC1-rs25487 AA types were inde-pendent factors affecting the 3-year overall survival of the patients after chemotherapy.Conclusion:Both GSTP1-rs1695 and XRCC1-rs25487 gene polymorphisms have some influence on chemotherapy sensitivity and prognosis in PCa patients.The A allele mu-tations of GSTP1-rs1695 and XRCC1-rs25487 can decrease the 3-year survival rate,while their G allele mutations may help improve chemotherapy sensitivity and survival.

Objective:To investigate the association of R wave peak time(RWPT)with severity of coronary artery disease and short-term prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS).Methods:A total of 133 ACS patients who were treated in Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital between January 2019 and June 2022 and received coronary angiography were selected.According to number of diseased coronary arteries,they were divided into single-vessel coronary disease group(n=43),double-vessel coronary disease group(n=51)and multi-vessel coronary disease group(n=39);according to severity of coronary artery disease,they were divided into mild group(n=40),medium group(n=48)and severe group(n=45).ECG indexes were compared among groups with different number of diseased coronary arteries and severity of coronary artery disease.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze corre-lation between ECG indexes and Gensini score;patients were divided into major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)group(n=46)and no MACE group(n=87)according to presence of MACE during hospitalization.Clinical data were compared between two groups,and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors of MACE during hospi-talization in ACS patients.Results:QRS duration and RWPT significantly increased according to the order of single-ves-sel,double-vessel and multi-vessel coronary disease group(P＜0.05 or＜0.01);QRS duration and RWPT significantly increased according to the order of mild,medium and severe group(P＜0.05 or＜0.01).Pearson correlation analysis indi-cated that QRS duration and RWPT were significant positively correlated with Gensini score in ACS patients(r=0.222,0.557,P=0.010,＜0.001).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that hypertension,diabetes,RWPT,Gensini score and multi-vessel disease were independent risk factors for MACE during hospitalization in ACS patients(OR=3.171～9.360,P＜0.05 or＜0.01).Conclusion:RWPT is closely related to the severity of coronary artery disease in ACS patients.RWPT detection helps to guide risk stratification and secondary prevention of ACS patients,therefore im-prove their short-term prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Wuziyuye Decoction in the treatment of type-II diabetes mellitus (DM) with qi-yin deficiency complicated by asthenospermia. METHODS: We selected 100 cases of type-II DM with qi-yin deficiency complicated by asthenospermia treated in the First Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University from January 2023 to March 2024, and randomly assigned them to receive Wuziyuye Decoction (the trial group, n = 50) and oral L-carnitine solution (the control group, n = 50) in addition to Western medicine to reduce fasting blood glucose to normal in both groups. After 12 weeks of medication, we followed up the patients for 24 weeks, obtained their semen parameters, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores and levels of reproductive hormones, and the clinical pregnancy outcomes of their partners, followed by comparison of the data collected between the two groups before and after treatment. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, the trial group showed significant improvement over the baseline in the percentage of progressive motility (PR%) (［35.5±6.1］% vs ［18.0±4.2］%, P<0.05), sperm concentration (［54.0±33.4］ vs ［40.0±36.1］ × 10⁶/ml, P<0.05), and TCM syndrome score (4.5±2.3 vs 18.5±5.2, P<0.05), but no statistically significant difference in the semen volume (［2.85±0.36］ vs ［2.84±0.59］ ml, P>0.05), while the controls exhibited markedly improved percentage of PR% (［29.5±6.2］% vs ［18.5±4.5］%, P<0.05) and sperm concentration (［45.0±34.1］ vs ［42.0±38.3］ × 10⁶/ml, P<0.05), but no statistically significant difference in the semen volume (［3.04±0.89］ vs ［2.90±0.78］ ml, P>0.05) and TCM syndrome score (17.2±4.5 vs 17.8±4.8, P>0.05). The patients treated with Wuziyuye Decoction achieved even more significant improvement than the controls in the percentage of PR%, sperm concentration and TCM syndrome score (P<0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences in the reproductive hormone levels and clinical pregnancy outcomes between the two groups of patients after treatment (P>0.05). And no severe adverse reactions were observed in either group. CONCLUSION Wuziyuye Decoction is safe and effective for the treatment of type-II DM with qi-yin deficiency complicated by asthenospermia by improving the sperm motility and concentration of the patient.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Asthenozoospermia/complications* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Yin Deficiency/complications* ; Adult ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Sperm Motility ; Qi ; Female ; Pregnancy

This study aimed to provide data support for resource utilization of the stems and leaves of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus(SLAM) by analyzing and evaluating the chemical constituents. The crude protein, crude fiber, and soluble saccharide of SLAM were analyzed by Kjeldahl method, filtration method, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry, respectively. The nucleosides, amino acids, flavonoids, and saponins of SLAM were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(UPLC-TQ-MS). Combined with principal component analysis(PCA), the quality difference of resource components of SLAM was comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that the average content of crude protein, crude fiber, total polysaccharide, and redu-cing sugar in SLAM was 5.11%, 30.33%, 11.03 mg·g~(-1), and 31.90 mg·g~(-1), respectively. Six nucleosides, 15 amino acids, 22 flavonoids, and one saponin were detected, with an average content of 1.49 mg·g~(-1), 6.00 mg·g~(-1), 1.86 mg·g~(-1), and 35.67 μg·g~(-1), respectively. The content of various types of chemical components in SLAM differed greatly in different harvesting periods and growing years. The results of PCA showed that the quality of SLAM produced in Ningxia was superior. The results can provide references for the utilization of SLAM.
Astragalus propinquus/chemistry* ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Flavonoids/analysis* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Amino Acids ; Saponins/analysis*

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological surveys on heart failure (HF) in Chinese community are relatively lacking. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of HF among community residents in southern China. METHODS: Baseline data of this prospective study was collected from 2015 to 2017 among 12,013 permanent residents aged ≥ 35 years in Guangzhou, China. The same survey process was carried out for individuals aged ≥ 65 years after a three-year follow-up. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HF in community residents aged ≥ 35 years was 1.06%. Male had significantly higher risk of HF prevalence [odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, P = 0.027]. The gender-adjusted risk of HF was 1.48 times higher per 10 years aging. HF prevalence was statistically associated with atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after adjusting for age and gender (OR = 8.30, 5.17, 1.11, 2.28, respectively; all P < 0.05). HF incidence in individuals aged ≥ 65 years were 847 per 100,000 person-years. Baseline atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, and diabetes mellitus were risk factors for HF incidence for individuals aged ≥ 65 years adjusting for age and gender (OR = 5.05, 3.99, 2.11, respectively; all P < 0.05). Besides, residents with new-onset atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction were at significantly higher risk of progression to HF (OR = 14.41, 8.54, respectively; all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both pre-existing and new-onset cardiovascular diseases were associated with HF incidence in southern China. Management of related cardiovascular diseases may be helpful to reduce the incidence of HF.

Objective:To investigate the biological mechanisms underlying the effect of the Chinese herbal medicine Oxalis cor-niculata on human prostate cancer PC-3 cells.Methods:Through in vitro experiment,we treated human prostate cancer PC-3 cells with different concentrations of Oxalis corniculata,assessed the viability of the cells by MTT assay,examined their apoptosis by flow cytometry,evaluated their migration and invasiveness by Transwell assay,and determined the expressions of the proteins p65,p-p65,IκBα and p-IκBα in the NF-κB pathway using protein imprinting technology.Results:Compared with the blank control,Oxalis cor-niculata significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of the PC-3 cells(P＜0.05),suppressed their migration and invasiveness in a dose-dependent manner(P＜0.05),and upregulated the expression of IκBα and downregulated those of p-p65 and p-IKBα in the NF-κB pathway(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Oxalis corniculata can inhibit the proliferation,migration and inva-siveness and induce the apoptosis of human prostate cancer PC cells,which may be attributed to its abilities of inhibiting the expres-sions of p-p65 and p-IκBα and regulating the activity of the NF-κB pathway.

The paper introduces professor FU Li-xin's theoretic ideas and experience in treatment of vertigo. Professor FU believes that this disease is closely related to the blockage of qi movement in the middle jiao, opening-closing disarrangement in the pivot, "gate" obstruction, malnutrition of brain orifice and decreased blood flow in the nape. Based on the holistic idea of qi movement in traditional Chinese medicine and the circulatory theory of western medicine, the characteristics of the specific acupuncture therapy for "regulating the middle jiao, opening gate and relaxing tendon" are summarized. Using the layered needling technique at Zhongwan (CV 12) and "gate points" in the neck region, the tendon-bone needling technique with modified "dark tortoise seeking hole" at local tendon blockage points, vertigo is cured through regulating qi in the middle jiao, opening gate and nourishing marrow, relaxing tendon and harmonizing the mind.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Tendons ; Vertigo/therapy*