OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

Objective To analyze the PLCβ4 gene mRNA expression and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on TCGA database. Methods Based on the data on 424 clinical samples (including 374 cases of HCC tissues and 50 cases of nontumor liver tissues) in the TCGA database, Kaplan–Meier method, Cox regression analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and the clinical characteristics and survival prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis between PLCβ4 gene and 24 types of immune cells was applied to investigate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and immune cell infiltration and mRNA expression level of TP53 gene, a high-frequency mutation gene in HCC. In addition, paraffin sections of highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumor tissues and normal liver tissues from HCC patients were collected. The histopathological observation was carried out via HE staining method, and the expression levels of PLCβ4 and Ki-67 proteins in each clinical sample were verified through the immunohistochemical method. Results The expression level of PLCβ4 gene in HCC was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.01), and all patients in the PLCβ4 high-expression group had a significantly longer overall survival than those in the low-expression group (P<0.05), which suggested that PLCβ4 substantially affected the prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis showed that the expression level of PLCβ4 gene was highly correlated with immune cell infiltration and the expression level of TP53 gene. As verified by clinical sample experiments, HE staining experiments and immunohistochemical results revealed that PLCβ4 gene expression in HCC tissue samples was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.001), and it was negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation. Conclusion PLCβ4 may serve as an independent prognostic factor in HCC and is expected to be a novel molecular target for HCC treatment.

The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) control natural killer (NK) cells development and cytotoxic functions, however, whether long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in this pathway remains unknown. We found that miR155HG was elevated in activated NK cells and promoted their proliferation and effector functions in both NK92 and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived NK (iPSC-NK) cells, without reliance on its derived miR-155 and micropeptide P155. Mechanistically, miR155HG bound to miR-6756 and relieved its repression of JAK3 expression, thereby promoting the JAK-STAT pathway and enhancing NK cell proliferation and function. Further investigations disclosed that upon cytokine stimulation, STAT3 directly interacts with miR155HG promoter and induces miR155HG transcription. Collectively, we identify a miR155HG-mediated positive feedback loop of the JAK-STAT signaling. Our study will also provide a power target regarding miR155HG for improving NK cell generation and effector function in the field of NK cell adoptive transfer therapy against cancer, especially iPSC-derived NK cells.

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of Huoxue Jiedu Formulas （活血解毒方药， HJF） as an adjunctive treatement for patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after acute myocardial infarction （AMI） percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） surgery， and to explore its potential mechanism from the perspective of serum neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）. MethodsA total of 129 patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome within 6 months after PCI for AMI were enrolled and divided into a treatment group （65 cases） and a control group （64 cases） based on patients' willingness to take Chinese herbal medicine. The control group received standard western medical therapy alone， while the treatment group additionally received HJF， one dose daily. Both groups were treated for four weeks. Before and after treatment， TCM syndrome scores were assessed. Seattle angina questionnaire （SAQ） was used to record angina stability and frequency scores， while the short form-36 health survey （SF-36） was employed to assess quality of life across eight dimensions， including physical functioning， role-physical， bodily pain， general health， vitality， social functioning， role-emotional， and mental health. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） was used to evaluate sleep quality， and the patient health questionnaire-15 （PHQ-15） was used to assess psychosomatic symptoms； Duke activity status index （DASI） was used to measure daily physical activity. Serum levels of neutrophil extracellular traps （NET） markers including myeloperoxidase-DNA （MPO-DNA）， neutrophil elastase-DNA （NE-DNA）， and citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3） were measured in 20 patients from the treatment group. ResultsAfter treatment， TCM syndrome score， PSQI score and PHQ-15 score in both groups significantly decreased， while DASI score， angina stability and frequency scores， and all eight dimensions of the SF-36 scale significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly lower TCM syndrome scores and significantly higher DASI， angina stability and frequency scores （P＜0.05）， as well as higher scores in the SF-36 dimensions of physical functioning， role-physical， social functioning， bodily pain， and vitality （P＜0.05）. After treatment， serum levels of MPO-DNA， CitH3， and NE-DNA in the treatment group were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. ConclusionHJF combined with conventional therapy can significantly improve angina symptoms， TCM syndrome scores， and psychosomatic conditions in patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after AMI. It also enhances quality of life， sleep quality， and daily physical activity. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of serum NETs level.

Objective To determine the effects of hypoxia pre-treatment combined with radiation damage on the hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow of mice.Methods A total of 165 male C57BL/6 mice(10～12 weeks old,weighing 20～25 g)were randomly divided into 7 groups:normal control(Control,n=33),6 Gy irradiation(6-Gy,n=43),7 d hypoxia-6 Gy irradiation(Hy-7 d+6 Gy,n=43),7 Gy irradiation(7 Gy,n=12),7 d hypoxia-7 Gy irradiation(Hy-7 d+7 Gy,n=12),7 Gy continuous hypoxia treatment(Hy-7 d+7 Gy+Hy,n=12),and 6 Gy continuous hypoxia treatment(Hy-7 d+6 Gy+Hy,n=10).The mice of the hypoxia treatment groups were given 7-day hypoxic pretreatment(12%oxygen)in a normobaric hypoxic chamber,while those of the other groups were housed in normoxic condition.After pretreatment,the mice of the irradiation groups were exposed to a single 6 or 7 Gy of whole-body 60Co γ-irradiation in normoxia.The mice of the hypoxia and irradiation groups were kept in hypoxic condition in 24 h post-irradiation followed by being resumed to normoxia,while those of the continuous hypoxia treatment groups were remained in hypoxia.After bone marrow cell suspensions were prepared from the Control,6 Gy,and Hy-7 d+6 Gy groups,bone marrow nucleated cells(BMNCs)were counted via automated cell counter.HE staining was employed to observe pathologic changes in medullary cavity,and flow cytometry was used to assess Lin-Sca1?c-Kit?(LSK)hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells,myeloid progenitors(MPs),and mature T/B/myeloid cells.The mice of the 7 Gy,Hy-7 d+7 Gy,and Hy-7 d+7 Gy+Hy groups were monitored for 30-day survival after hypoxic pretreatment.The dynamic changes in the counts of red blood cells(RBC),white blood cells(WBC)and platelets(PLT),and hemoglobin(HGB)level were observed in the 6 Gy,Hy-7 d+6 Gy,and Hy-7 d+6 Gy+Hy groups with aid of a fully automatic blood analyzer.Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on bone marrow cell suspension derived from the mice euthanized in 17 d after irradiation from the Control,6 Gy,and Hy-7 d+6 Gy groups.Results ①Compared to the Control group,the 6 Gy group showed significantly reduced BMNCs(P<0.01),dilated bone marrow sinusoids,and erythrocyte extravasation.The Hy-7 d+6 Gy group exhibited higher cellular density and attenuated BMNC loss than the 6 Gy group(P<0.01).②Flow cytometry revealed less LSK,MP,and mature T/B/myeloid cells in the 6 Gy group than the Control group(P<0.05),and the reduced counts of LSK and MP were mitigated in the Hy-7 d+6 Gy group(P<0.01).③The Hy-7 d+7 Gy group demonstrated improved 30-day survival than the 7 Gy group(P<0.01),while continuous hypoxia(Hy-7 d+7 Gy+Hy)failed to enhance the survival.No statistical difference was seen in the survival rate between the 2 groups(P=0.12),though the Hy-7 d+7 Gy group showing higher survival rate.④Routine blood test revealed that the Hy-7 d+6 Gy group showed faster WBC recovery(vs the 6 Gy and Hy-7 d+6 Gy+Hy groups,P<0.05),higher pre-irradiation RBC/HGB levels,and accelerated PLT restoration(P<0.05).⑤Single-cell RNA sequencing indicated that hypoxia pretreatment suppressed the numbers of long-term hematopoietic stem cells/short-term hematopoietic stem cells(LT-HSC/ST-HSC)depletion in the Hy-7 d+6 Gy group when compared with the 6 Gy group,which was consistent with the results of flow cytometry.Pseudotime trajectory aligned the Hy-7 d+6 Gy group,as the Control group,showed enriched undifferentiated LSKs.Differential gene analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis revealed that oxidative phosphorylation pathway was strongly activated in the 6 Gy group,while the Hy-7 d+6 Gy group had enriched in chromatin remodeling and mRNA surveillance pathways.Conclusion Hypoxic preconditioning alleviates radiation-induced bone marrow injury,and post-irradiation normoxia restoration promotes hematopoietic recovery in acute radiation-exposed mice.

Coronary heart disease(CHD)is a chronic and dynamic disease resulting from atherosclerotic plaque accumulation and disordered circulatory function.For aging and senescence have an effect through the course of the disease,periodic and time-related manifestations of CHD are presented,characterized by the"stable-unstable-stable"process.Modern medicine has made breakthroughs in lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory agents,and scaffold material technologies for CHD,but it still has certain residual risk.Inspired by the holistic concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),this paper proposed the treatment of CHD from the view of"blood-vessels-heart-spirit"integration,and holds that kidney-deficiency induced aging has an effect on the progression of CHD through the course of disease.Aging results into blood stasis,and then the blood,vessels,heart and spirit are all affected.The prevention and treatment of CHD should be performed by multi-dimensional,whole-process intervention with therapies for promoting the qi transformation of heart-vessels,and recovering the function of spirit governing the whole body.Nourishing kidney to treat the root cause aims at vessel stagnation due to blood turbidity,atherosclerosis caused by vessel stagnation,heart failure due to atherosclerosis,and spirit disturbance due to heart failure.Nourishing kidney to generate essence is helpful for purifying blood and moistening vessels,nourishing kidney to unblock the vessels is beneficial for dissipating mass and smoothing vessels,and nourishing kidney to promote transformation dis helpful for nourishing heart and tranquilizing spirit.By nourishing kidney,the regenerative,self-purifying and self-adaptive function of the heart-vessels will be promoted,thus to achieve the healthy homeostasis of"pathogenic factors being impossible to invade the body if healthy qi being sufficient inside".Therapy of nourishing kidney can be used in various pathological stages for preventing,controlling and curing CHD.

Objective To investigate the serum levels of semaphorin 3E(Sema3E)in patients with intracranial aneurysms,revealing the correlation between Sema3E and 1-month poor prognosis after interventional embolization.Methods This study was a prospective single-center cohort study,recruiting 102 consecutive patients with intracranial aneurysms who underwent interventional surgery from June 2020 to January 2022 in our hospital.Among them,11 patients were excluded.Clinical and radiological profiles were collected.Peripheral blood was collected after admission,and serum Sema3E levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.All the aneurysms were treated with endovascular coil embolization or stent-assisted coil embolization.The primary outcome was evaluated with the Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS)1 month after interventional therapy.The favorable outcome was defined as a GOS score of 4-5,and a poor outcome was defined as a GOS score of 1-3(severe disability,vegetative state,or death).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential prognostic factors after interventional therapy.Results The average age of 91 patients with intracranial aneurysm was 59.9±11.0 years old,including 70 cases(76.9%)with favorable prognosis and 21 cases(23.1%)with poor prognosis.The mean preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)score of the poor prognosis group(9.4±4.5)was significantly lower than that of the favorable prognosis group(13.3±2.5;P<0.001).In the poor prognosis group,the Hunt-Hess grade(3.6±0.6 vs.2.0±1.3,P<0.001)and the serum Sema3E levels[(6.21±1.58)μg/L vs.(4.38±1.77)μg/L,P<0.001]were significantly higher than those in the favorable prognosis group.Logistic regression analysis showed the Hunt-Hess grade(OR =7.150,P =0.003),stent-assisted coil embolization(OR =15.777,P =0.010),and the serum Sema3E level(OR =1.756,P =0.027)were independent prognostic factors for intracranial aneurysms after interventional therapy.Conclusions The serum Sema3E level is closely correlated with the severity of intracranial aneurysms.The serum Sema3E level is a prognostic factor for interventional treatment,which can be used as a biomarker for predicting poor outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the effects of sleep disorders (SD) on the radiation injury of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow (BM).Methods:Totolly 56 C57BL/6J male mice aged 6-8 weeks were enrolled in this study. They were subjected to whole body irradiation of 60Co γ-rays with doses of 5.0 and 7.5 Gy. A SD model was established using a SD device. According to the random number table method, the mice were divided into seven groups: the control group (Con group), the SD group, the mere radiation group (IR group), the group of post-irradiation SD (IR+ SD group), the group of post-irradiation SD treated with phosphate buffer solution (IR+ SD+ PBS group), the group of post-irradiation SD treated with GSK2795039 (IR+ SD+ GSK group), and the group of post-irradiation SD treated with N-acetylcysteine (IR+ SD+ NAC group), with in eight mice each group. The changes in the peripheral blood of the mice after 5.0 Gy irradiation were detected using the collected tail venous blood, and the survival rates of the mice after 7.5 Gy irradiation were observed. The changes in the density and count of bone marrow cells were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The number of hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow (LSK cells), as well as their apoptosis level and changes in cell cycle, were detected using flow cytometry. Furthermore, indicators of LSK, such as reactive oxygen species(ROS) and mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (mtROS), were analyzed. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+ /NADPH) and glutathione (GSSG/GSH) were detected using an enzyme microplate reader in order to observe the oxidative stress level of LSK. Furthermore, flow cytometry was employed to sort the LSK cells from the mice, and flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of NADPH oxidase 2(NOX2) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinnase-1(Caspase-1), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors such as NOX1-4, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 18 (IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Results:Compared to the IR group, the IR+ SD group exhibited significantly slower recovery of white blood cells (WBC) and platelets (PLT) ( t = 4.39, 6.37, P < 0.05), the bone marrow cell count decreasing from (2.14 ± 0.38) × 10 7 to (3.59 ± 0.29) × 10 7 ( t = 8.55, P < 0.05), significantly decreased proportion of G 0-phase LSK cells, significantly increased proportion of apoptotic cells ( t = 7.53, 8.21, P < 0.05), and significantly increased DCFH-DA, MitoSOX, and NADP+ /NADPH ( t = 22.99, 29.47, 3.77, P<0.05). In the case of IR, SD further promoted the activation of NOX2 and led to increases in the mRNA expression of downstream inflammatory factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α ( t = 6.95, 6.01, 8.39, 4.91, 5.56, P < 0.05). Inhibition of NOX2-ROS could prevent the SD-induced aggravation of post-irradiation hematopoietic injury. This significantly reduced the apoptotic rate of LSK cells and the expression of inflammatory factors, ultimately accelerating the hematopoietic recovery of LSK cells ( t = 9.24, 3.92, P < 0.05). Conclusions:SD can aggravate the IR-induced injury of hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow, primarily by activating the NOX2-ROS-Caspase-1 axis. This will increase the levels of intracellular inflammatory factors and ROS, promote cell apoptosis, and ultimately inhibit the hematopoietic recovery of bone marrow.

Objective To investigate whether norepinephrine (NE) regulates the oxidative stress in human endom-etrial epithelial cells (hEECs) by activating nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/ heme oxygenase -1(HO-1) signal pathway.Methods Cultured hEECs were used.The expression of α and β adrenergic receptors was detec-ted by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay was applied to test the effect of NE on cell viability, then the cells were divided into Control group and NE treatment group, and the appropriate concentrations were chosen.The expression of tight junction proteins Occludin and zona occludens-1(ZO-1), apoptosis-related proteins apoptosis-related protein B-cell lymphoma-2 protein(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associ-ated X protein(Bax) , antioxidant proteins Nrf2 and HO-1 were examined by Western blot.The apoptosis was de-tected by flow cytometry.The malonaldehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in the cell culture medium were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays kit (ELISA).Results The mRNA expression of α1 a,α1 b,α2 a,α2 b,α2 c,β1, β3 was detected in the hEECs.After the NE treatment, no significant change in cell viability was observed in low concentration (5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L) groups, while 15 μmol/L and 20μmol/L NE treatments for 6 h or 24 h promoted the cell viability significantly.The expression of ZO-1 and Occlu-din increased significantly in 15 μmol/L group after 24 h treatment, the expression of ZO-1 decreased in 6 h treat-ment group, significant down regulation was observed after 15 μmol/L NE application, the expression of Occludin increased in 6 h group.The cell apoptosis increased compared with the control group after NE stimulation, espe-cially a significantly increase in 6 h 15 μmol/L group was detected,while the fall in increased apoptosis was ob-served after 24 h treatment.The ration of Bcl-2/Bax>1.The expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 was elevated by NE.There was no obvious change in MDA level while significant elevation in SOD was detected in cell culture medium.Conclusion Nrf2/HO-1 signal is activated after application of NE to the hEECs, which may responsible for the upregulation of SOD, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effect in the hEECs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the attenuation and synergism of Hugan buzure recipe （HBR） combined with oxaliplatin on hepatocellular carcinoma tumor bearing nude mice and its mechanism. METHODS Eight nude mice were selected from 40 nude mice as the blank group （normal saline）， and the remaining nude mice were inoculated with hepatoma cells Huh7 to establish the tumor-bearing model. The 32 modeled nude mice were randomly allocated to four groups： model group （normal saline， ig）， HBR group （0.69 g/kg， ig）， oxaliplatin group （10 mg/kg， ip）， and combination group （intraperitoneal injection of 0.69 g/kg HBR+intragastric administration of 10 mg/kg oxaliplatin）， with 8 mice in each group. Administer drug/normal saline once a day for 32 consecutive days； administer subcutaneous injection once every 7 days for a total of 5 times. During the experiment， the general condition of nude mice in each group was observed， and the tumor volume was measured every 4 days. On the 30th day of administration， the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency of nude mice in each group were detected. The tumor inhibition rate， spleen coefficient， the number of red blood cells， white blood cells and platelets in the whole blood of nude mice in each group， and the content of aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and creatinine in serum were detected after the end of administration. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in tumor tissues in nude mice in each group. The expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3），selective autophagy adaptor protein p62， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax）， and Caspase-3 protein in tumor tissues. RESULT Compared with the model group， the tumor volume， tumor weight， white blood cells，red blood cells in the whole blood and spleen coefficients of nude mice in the oxaliplatin group were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency， AST and creatinine in serum were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the oxaliplatin group， the tumor volume and tumor weight of nude mice in the combination group were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the white blood cells， red blood cells and platelets in the whole blood and spleen coefficients of nude mice were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency， AST and creatinine in serum were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the expression levels of LC3， Bax and Caspase-3 proteins in tumor tissues of nude mice were significantly increased （P＜0.01）， and the expression levels of p62 and Bcl-2 proteins were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS HBR enhances the tumor inhibition rate of oxaliplatin by inducing apoptosis and autophagy， and can alleviate the peripheral neurotoxicity， hematological toxicity， hepatorenal toxicity， and immune organ toxicity caused by oxaliplatin in nude mice.