Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical clinical condition characterized by rapid renal function decline, with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown potential effects on mitigating oxidative stress and programmed cell death in AKI models. Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SB) and Scleromitrion diffusum (Willd.) R. J. Wang (SD), a classic TCM herbal pair exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Using advanced chromatographic separation technology, we enriched the effective fractions of water extracts from SB-SD, obtaining self-assembled herbal nanoparticles (SB and SD nanoparticles, SSNPs) rich in flavonoids and terpenoids. These SSNPs demonstrated robust antioxidant properties in vitro and mitigated AKI progression in vivo by activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. Oral administration of SSNPs in mice resulted in absorption into the bloodstream, formation of a protein corona, reduced macrophage phagocytosis, and enhanced bioavailability and renal targeting. Furthermore, we investigated the self-assembly principle of SSNPs using representative flavonoids and terpenoids. Kinetic studies and in situ transmission electron microscopy (in situ TEM) revealed that these compounds self-assemble via supramolecular forces like hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions, forming stable nanostructures. This study elucidates the renoprotective effects and mechanisms of SB and SD, and provides a novel approach for the development of TCM-based nanomedicines, highlighting the potential of nano-TCM in AKI treatment.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of actively screening patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among inpatients in county territory-level hospitals based on the collection of comorbidity-related diseases and questionnaire surveys.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. From April 1, 2023, to November 30, 2023, a total of 1 392 inpatients who met the screening criteria in county territory-level hospitals within the Western Medical Group of Baiyun District, Guangzhou, were included in the study. General information, disease data, and COPD screening data of the patients were collected. A total of 1 392 questionnaires were distributed, all of which were returned and included in the analysis. Descriptive analysis, comparative analysis, and association rule mining were conducted, including the distribution of general information, distribution of common comorbidity-related diseases in COPD, distribution of questionnaire screening and pulmonary function test results, comparison of screening results based on comorbidity-related diseases grouping, comparison of screening results based on questionnaire screening results grouping, comparison of screening results based on smoking total score grouping, and association rules between screening results and pulmonary function test results and other research data.Results:Among the 1 392 study subjects, 334 cases (24.0%) had a positive self-screening questionnaire for COPD, 44 cases (13.2%) completed pulmonary function tests, and 17 cases (38.6%) were diagnosed with COPD. The positive rate of the screening questionnaire among inpatients was lowest in surgical patients without comorbidity-related diseases and highest in male patients with single/multiple comorbidity-related diseases and symptoms of chronic respiratory system diseases. The group with multiple comorbidity-related diseases had a significantly higher positive rate in the screening questionnaire than the group with single comorbidity-related diseases and the group without comorbidity-related diseases. Only 13.2% of inpatients with a positive screening questionnaire completed pulmonary function tests, with residents covered by medical insurance with multiple comorbidity-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, having the lowest rate, and patients with symptoms of chronic respiratory system diseases and single comorbidity-related diseases having the highest rate.Conclusions:Based on the collection of comorbidity-related diseases and questionnaire surveys, it is feasible to actively screen COPD patients among inpatients in county territory-level hospitals. However, efforts are needed to further increase the proportion of inpatients with positive screening questionnaires undergoing pulmonary function tests.

Objective:To analyze the patterns of antibacterial agents in Chinese children surveyed by the China multi-center monitoring network for the application of antibacterial agents in children and neonates in 2019 by using World Health Organization (WHO) Access, Watch, Reserve and Not-recommended (AWaRe) and typical anatomical/therapeutic/chemical (ATC) in this study.Methods:The cross-sectional method was adopted.A multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted on one day from September to December 2019.The information of all inpatients taking antibiotics was uploaded to the network-based data collection system (https: //garpec-31.mobilemd.cn/login.aspx? relogin=true). This study covered 13 hospitals from 10 provinces and cities in China.All hospitalized children in the Respiratory Department, Infectious Disease Department, General Surgery Department, Pediatric Intensive Care Units, Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Neonatology joined in this survey.The clinically used antibacterial agents were classified by AWaRe and ATC, and the AWaRe and ATC distributions of antibacterial agents prescribed for Chinese children and neonates were described.Results:Of the 2 644 antibiotic prescriptions included from 13 hospitals, 2 134 (80.71%) were for children and 510 (19.29%) were for neonates.Of all antibiotic prescriptions, there were 368 (13.92%) Access antibiotics prescriptions, 1 973 (74.62%) Watch prescriptions, 60 (2.27%) Reserve prescriptions and 243 (9.19%) Not-recommended prescriptions.The top-five antibiotics prescribed for children and neonates were third-generation cephalosporins (1 056, 39.94%), macrolides (492, 18.61%), carbapenems (275, 10.40%), beta lactam-beta lactamase inhibitors (246, 9.30%), and second-generation cephalosporins (136, 5.14%). The use ratios of Access, Watch, Reserve and Not-recommended antibiotics in each center ranged from 0 to 30.00%, 36.67% to 97.20%, 0 to 17.02% and 0 to 33.33%, respectively.In 1 360 antibiotic prescriptions for children and neonates with pneumonia, there were 152 (11.18%) Access antibiotics, 1 051 (77.28%) Watch antibiotics, 37 (2.72%) Reserve antibiotics, and 120 (8.82%) Not-recommended antibiotics.The top-five antibiotics prescribed for children with pneumonia were third-generation cephalosporins (522, 38.38%), macrolides (388, 28.53%), beta lactam-beta lactamase inhibitors (141, 10.37%), carbapenems (117, 8.6%) and penicillins (49, 3.60%).Conclusions:Watch antibiotics and broad spectrum antibiotics such as third-generation cephalosporins and macrolides prone to induce resistance are the main antibacterial agents used in Chinese children and neonates with pneumonia.Broad-spectrum antibiotics may be overused in Chinese children and neonates.

Objective:To evaluate the application of a medical image software (RadiAnt) in anatomical measurements and precision craniotomy via suboccipital retrosigmoid sinus approach.Methods:A total of 43 inpatients who underwent craniocerebral CT venography (CTV) in our hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were selected for the study; the CTV data of 35 patients was used to measure the spatial relations between transverse sigmoid sinus junction (TSSJ) and asterion; the preoperative planning in suboccipital retrosigmoid sinus craniotomy with the software was performed in the left 8 patients. Craniotomy time (subjected to exposure of venous sinus margin), venous sinus injury and incidence of complications within 2 weeks of craniotomy in these 8 patients were recorded.Results:(1) Anatomic measurement: for the left side, TSSJ was located at (0.89±0.33) cm lateral and (0.63±0.46) cm inferior to the asterion, and their direct distance was (1.15±0.42) cm; TSSJ was located at (0.76±0.49) cm interior and (1.97±0.52) cm superior to the starting point of the mastoid notch, and their direct distance was (2.18±0.49) cm; about 29% asterion were located superior to the transverse sinus, 37% were located on the surface of the transverse sinus, and 34% were located inferior to the transverse sinus. For the right side, TSSJ was located at (0.88±0.39) cm lateral and (0.64±0.43) cm inferior to the asterion, and their direct distance was (1.12±0.54) cm; TSSJ was located at (0.74±0.40) cm interior and (1.93±0.45) cm superior to the starting point of the mastoid notch, and their direct distance was (2.16±0.43) cm; about 26% asterion were located superior to the transverse sinus, 40% were located on the surface of the transverse sinus, and 34% were located inferior to the transverse sinus. (2) Preoperative planning and surgeries: in these 8 patients, the key-hole was located at (0.96±0.49) cm lateral and (0.53±0.18) cm inferior to the asterion, and (0.46±0.35) cm interior and (1.76±0.47) superior to the starting point of mastoid notch. The interior of sigmoid sinus was located (0.13±0.51) cm interior and (0.21±0.46) cm superior to the starting point of mastoid notch. The inferior of the transverse sinus was located (2.17±0.45) cm interior and (0.53±0.35) cm inferior to the asterion. An accurate localization of the real position of TSSJ, inferior of transverse sinus and interior of sigmoid sinus was performed in all 8 surgical patients. The distance between the margin of the bone window and the interior of sigmoid sinus was (3.5±1.0) mm, and the craniotomy time was (25.7±4.1) min; no sinus injury was noted. Post-operative CT showed good reposition of the bone flaps and less bone defect. There was no cerebrospinal fluid leakage or subcutaneous effusion during the 2 weeks of follow-up.Conclusion:Anatomical measurements and preoperative planning can be quickly finished with low cost with Radiant ?, which provides an efficient and safe method for accurate craniotomy via suboccipital retrosigmoid approach.

The BCL6 (B-Cell Lymphoma 6) gene is a proto-oncogene that is often expressed in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). BCL6 loss of function can kill DLBCL cells, demonstrating that BCL6 is necessary for the survival of DLBCL cells and could be a therapeutic target. In this study, we found that BCL6 protein levels were consistently upregulated in DLBCL tissues, whereas its mRNA levels varied randomly in tissues, suggesting that a post-transcriptional mechanism was involved in BCL6 regulation. We used bioinformatics analysis to search for miRNAs, which potentially target BCL6, and identified specific targeting sites for miR-10a in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of BCL6. We further identified an inverse correlation between miR-10a levels and BCL6 protein levels, but not mRNA levels, in DLBCL tumor tissue samples. By overexpressing or knocking down miR-10a in DLBCL cells, we experimentally validated that miR-10a directly recognizes the 3'-UTR of the BCL6 transcript and regulated BCL6 expression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that negatively regulating BCL6 by miR-10a suppressed the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of DLBCL cells.
3' Untranslated Regions ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Objective To investigate the effect of down-regulation of transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cells T24.Methods shRNA targeting TRPM8 was designed and synthesized, and then transfected into the T24 cells via lipofectamine 2000 mediation.The proliferation and apoptosis of T24 cells were detected with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry.Expression of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK), cyclin D1, and Bcl-2 were detected with Western blot.Results TRPM8-targeted shRNA downregulated TRPM8 expression of T24 cells.MTT assay showed a significant acceleration of the proliferation of shRNA interference group compared to blank and control groups (P ＜0.01).Compared to control group, cell apoptosis rate was significantly higher in shRNA interference group (P ＜ 0.01).In addition, the expressions of PI3K, cyclin D1, and Bcl-2 were decreased in shRNA interference group.Conclusions Down-regulation of TRPM8 can induce inhibition of proliferation and promotion of cell apoptosis in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cells T24 via regulating PI3K.It might be regarded as a novel target for clinical diagnosis and gene therapy of bladder cancer.

Objective To investigate the effects of hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO)exposure on Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 mRNA ex-pressions in both internal carotid artery (ICA)and basal artery (BA)in rabbits.Methods Twenty-four healthy adult New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 2 groups:HBO group and the control group,with each group consisted of 12 animals.The rab-bits in the HBO group were exposed to HBO at 2.2 ATA for 60 minutes each day for 3 successive days.The rabbits in the control group were normally fed without any treatment.Real-time PCR was used to detect Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 mRNA expressions in both ICA and BA in 2 groups.Results HBO significantly decreased the Caspase-3 mRNA expression [(0.038 ±0.006 )vs .(1.000 ± 0.225)]and increased the Bcl-2 mRNA expression [(1.877 ±0.1 69)vs .(1.000 ±0.364)].In ICA,HBO similarly decreased the Caspase-3 mRNA expression [(0.41 9±0.091)vs .(1.000 ±0.1 75)]and increased the Bcl-2 mRNA expression [(1.269 ±0.270) vs .(1.000±0.1 1 7)]in BA.All the differences mentioned above were of statistical significance (P <0.01).Conclusion HBO ex-erts an inhibition effect on apoptosis in cerebral vascular endothelial cells.The mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expres-sion of Caspase-3 mRNA and promoting the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA.

Objective To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture at zusanli on Severe thermal injury-induced acute lung injury in rats.Methods Forty male SD rats weighing 200-250 g were used in this study.Thirty percent of the total body surface (TBS) was shaved chemically with 20% sodium sulfate and then exposed to 99-100℃ water for 12 s.The animals with third degree thermal injury involving 30% TBS were randomly divided into 5 groups(n=8 each):group Ⅰ control(group C);groupⅡ thermal injury;group Ⅲ electro-acupuncture at zusanli;group Ⅳ electric stimulation of non-acupoint and group Ⅴ electro-acupuncture at zusanli+α-bungarotoxin α-BGT).In group Ⅲ,Ⅳ,and Ⅴ electro-stimulation(3 v,2 ms,3 Hz) of zusanli or non-acupoint was performed for 12 min immediately after thermal injury model was established and every 8 h.hung specimens were obtained at 48 h after thermal injury for microscopic examination.The pulmonary HMGB-l protein level was measured by ELISA.The expression of HMGB-1 mRNA and protein in the lung was determined by RT-PCR and immuno-histochemistry respectively.Results Thermal injury induced leucocytosis in the interstitial capillaries,interstitial edema,intra-alveolar fibrin deposit,blebbing of type Ⅱ alveolar lining cells and decrease in lamellar body.Both expression of HMGB-1 mRNA and protein in the lung was significantly enhanced at 48 h after thermal injury.Electrical stimulation of zusanli significantly down-regalated the expression of HMGB-1 mRNA and protein in the lung.However,α-BGT pretreatment reversed the effects of electrical stimulation of zusanli.Conclusion Electrical stimulation of zusanli could significantly ameliorate severe thermal injury-induced acute lung injury through inhibition of HMGB-1 mRNA and protein expression and activation of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 subunit.