BACKGROUND:Liuwei Dihuang Wan takes"three tonifying and three reducing effects"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys,while Zuogui Wan takes"seeking yin in yang"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys by promoting yang.Both of them belong to the same method of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys,and have better curative effects at the symptomatic and cellular molecular levels. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Liuwei Dihuang Wan and Zuogui Wan in bone metabolism,and to explore their mechanism of action in the osteoprotegerin(OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL)osteoblastic pathway. METHODS:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into model,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,Zuogui Wan,and sham operation group,with eight rats in each group.Osteoporosis models were prepared using removal of both ovaries in the first three groups.Starting at 30 days postoperatively,rats in the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group were gavaged with Liuwei Dihuang Wan 1.125 g/kg/d;rats in the Zuoqui Wan group were gavaged with Zuogui Wan 2.25 g/kg/d;and rats in the sham operation group and the model group were gavaged with saline 10 mL/kg/d.After 12 weeks of gavage,the rat tibia was taken to measure bone mineral density.The serum levels of estrogen,bone alkaline phosphatase,and cAMP/cGMP were measured using ELISA,and the expression of OPG/RANKL in the femur was detected using western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham operation group,the model group showed a decrease in bone mineral density and levels of estrogen and bone alkaline phosphatase(P＜0.05)and an increase in cAMP/cGMP level(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group and the Zuogui Wan group significantly increased bone mineral density(P＜0.05)and bone alkaline phosphatase levels(P＜0.05);the Zuogui Wan group significantly decreased cAMP/cGMP levels(P＜0.05)and upregulated OPG expression(P＜0.05);the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group upregulated OPG expression and downregulated RANKL expression(P＜0.05);and both groups were unable to significantly increase estrogen levels(P＞0.05).To conclude,Zuogui Wan,which seeks yin from yang,can effectively increase the expression of OPG but cannot downregulate the expression of RANKL.However,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,which has three tonifying and three reducing effects,can bidirectionally regulate the expression of OPG and RANKL.This result suggests that Liuwei Dihuang Wan can significantly inhibit osteoclastic function compared with Zuogui Wan,and further research is needed to verify this conclusion.

Objective To explore the impact of paricalcitol(Pal)on the oxidative stress-induced tight junction dam-age of mouse hepatocytes and its mechanism.Methods A model of cholestatic liver injury was created by routine bile duct ligation.The mice were randomly divided into control group(control),model group(BDL)and treatment group(BDL+Pal).HE staining microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of liver tissues.The human hepa-toma cell line HepG2 was cultured and divided into blank group,model group(400 μmol/L H2O2)and treatment group(400 μmol/L H2O2+20 nmol/L Pal).Western blot was used to examine the level of tight junction protein 1(ZO-1),occludin,phosphorylated p65(p-p65),phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK)and phosphorylated myosin II regulated light chain(p-MLC)protein were checked in each group.Results Compared with the control group,the level of p-p65,p-ERK and p-MLC in the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.000 1 or P＜0.01 or P＜0.001).The protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).HE staining mi-croscopy showed an increased hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration.In contrast,the above levels in the treatment group showed an opposite trend relative to the model group.Conclusions Pal is able to alleviate the damage of hepatocyte tight junctions by inhibiting oxidative stress in cholestatic mice and HepG2 cells.Its mecha-nism is potentially related to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species and NF-κB/p65 and ERK signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND:The mechanisms and targets of alendronate in the treatment of osteoporosis still need to be investigated in depth. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the mechanism by which alendronate regulates bone metabolism in rats with osteoporosis and to perform a bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed proteins. METHODS:Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups(n=12 per group):model group,alendronate group and sham-operated group.Animal models of osteoporosis were prepared using ovariectomy in the model and alendronate groups.At 4 weeks after modeling,rats in the alendronate group were gavaged with alendronate;the other two groups were given the equal volume of normal saline.After 12 weeks of continuous gavage,the bone mineral density of the tibia was measured and the lumbar spine of the rats was taken for proteomic analysis using Tandem mass tag-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique to identify differentially expressed proteins for gene ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and protein-protein interaction analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 32 up-regulated proteins and 51 down-regulated proteins identified between the alendronate group and model group.Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in molecular functions,such as binding and catalytic activity,and in biological processes,such as cellular process and metabolic process.Kyoto Encylopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins in the alendronate group and model group were mainly involved in the biosynthesis of pantothenate and coenzyme A.Protein-protein interaction analysis indicated that among the differentially expressed proteins in the alendronate group and model group,Hspa1l,Enpp3,Unc45a,Myh9 and Cant1 were located at the nodes of the protein-protein interaction network and were closely related to bone metabolism.Overall,these findings indicate that alendronate may regulate bone metabolism in the rat model of osteoporosis by regulating the expression of differentially expressed proteins and biosynthesis of pantothenate and coenzyme A.

Objective To establish a non-invasive single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping technology based on direct TaqMan-PCR for high-throughput genotyping of site rs688 and rs964184 associated with lipid metabolism to meet the need for early screening of at-risk populations.Methods Extracted DNA was used to optimize the PCR annealing extension temperature and amplification procedure for the designed TaqMan probe;the oral swabs were placed into the sample treatment solution and then briefly centrifuged,and a small amount of the supernatant was taken for the direct qPCR amplification analysis;the freeze-thawing stability of probe and the effects of sample stor-age time on genotyping results were explored.Results The technology requires only simple treatment of oral swab for PCR analysis and can be stored at room temperature for 4 d.The optimized method was able to distinguish homo-zygous wild type,homozygous mutant type and heterozygote at rs688 and rs964184 loci.Conclusions A fast,con-venient,high-throughput,and low-cost SNP genotyping method has been established,providing an efficient and accurate new approach for large-scale screening of high-risk populations carrying susceptibility genes.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

Objective To analyze the diversity and composition changes of gut fungal communities between mouse model of total parental nutrition(TPN)and normal control mice.Methods After mouse model of TPN was constructed,fresh feces were collected from TPN mice(n=5)and normal control mice(n=5).Internal transcribed spacer(ITS)DNA sequencing was applied to determine intestinal fungi,and then bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify the differences in fungal diversity,structure,and functional properties between the 2 groups of mice.Results There were significant differences in Alpha diversity(P＜0.05)and Beta diversity(P＜0.01)of intestinal fungi between the 2 groups.In the TPN model group,the relative abundances of Candida,Penicillium,Aspergillus and Talaromyces were obviously reduced(all P＜0.01).LEfSe analysis indicated that the above 4 strains were notably enriched in the normal control mice.Conclusion TPN mice exhibit characteristic changes in the composition of gut fungal flora compared to normal control mice.Dysfunction of gut fungal community may promote the occurrence of TPN related complications,and regulating the balance of gut fungal community may become a new strategy for preventing TPN related complications.

Objective:To translate the Pediatric Epilepsy-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life (PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module) into Chinese and test its reliability and validity in children aged 5 to 7 years old and their parents. Methods:Brislin translation model was used for forward translation, back translation, harmonization, and proofreading of the PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module. Chinese version of PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module beta version was developed through cognitive interviews, expert consultations, and pre-surveys for cross-cultural adaptation of the scale. From April to November 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 420 children with epilepsy and their parents admitted to the Children's Hospital of Soochow University as participants for a questionnaire survey to test its reliability and validity. Results:A total of 840 questionnaires were distributed (420 for children and 420 for parents), and 394 valid questionnaires were collected from children and 400 valid questionnaires were collected from parents, and the effective response rates of the questionnaires were 93.81% (394/420) and 95.24% (400/420), respectively. Chinese version of PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module (child report version) included five dimensions and 28 items. Chinese version of PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module (parent agent report version) consisted of five dimensions and 29 items. The content validity indices at the item level were 0.800 to 1.00, while the content validity indices at the scale level were 0.978 and 0.979, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis of two versions of the scale showed that five common factors were extracted, with cumulative variance contribution rates of 64.557% and 75.205%, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the models of the two scales fitted well. The total Cronbach's α coefficients of the two scales were 0.906 and 0.914, respectively, with Cronbach's α coefficients for each dimension ranging from 0.869 to 0.991. The total test-retest reliability coefficients of the scale were 0.998 and 0.995, respectively, and the test-retest reliability coefficients of each dimension were 0.803 to 0.995. Conclusions:Chinese version of the PedsQL TM Epilepsy Module has good reliability and validity, and is suitable for evaluating the health-related quality of life of children with epilepsy aged 5 to 7 years old in China.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and prognoses of severe autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy (GFAP-A).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed. The clinical data of 12 patients with severe GFAP-A admitted to Department of Neurology, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital from January 2018 to June 2023 were collected, including demography, clinical manifestations, MRI features, laboratory examination results (such as antibodies), treatments and prognoses.Results:Among the 12 patients, 9 were male and 3 were female, with an average onset age of (46.58±17.53) years. Primary symptoms included headache, limb weakness, limb numbness, mental disorder, epileptic seizure, and urinary and defecation disorder; 9 patients had fever before onset. With aggravated severe GFAP-A, 12 patients had impaired consciousness, 12 had respiratory failure, 6 had unstable blood pressure and heart rate, and 2 had status epilepticus. Cranial MRI indicated abnormal lesions in all 12 patients, including 10 with brainstem involvement (7 had involved medulla oblongata); 10 showed soft meningeal enhancement. In 8 patients received MRI of the whole spinal cord, 7 had abnormal spinal cord lesions; point-like enhancement of the whole spinal meninges was observed in 6 of the 7 patients. All 12 patients had positive cerebrospinal fluid GFAP-IgG, and 3 patients also had positive serum GFAP-IgG. All patients accepted glucocorticoids and immunoglobulin immunotherapy, and 1 patient was supplemented with mycophenolate mofetil; 8 patients had good prognosis, and 4 patients died. Pulmonary infection, hyponatremia, hypoproteinemia, and deep vein thrombosis were the common complications.Conclusion:Patients with severe GFAP-A mainly manifest as meningoencephalitis and meningoencephalomyelitis, and are likely involved medulla oblongata, enjoying rapid clinical progression; even with early immunotherapy, high mortality rate is still noted.

ObjectiveTo develop a questionnaire on the knowledge needs of respiratory rehabilitation training for in-service healthcare workers, and test its reliability and validity. MethodsA theoretical framework was constructed based on the contents of the respiratory rehabilitation course modules of American Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and American Association for Respiratory Care. The first draft of the questionnaire was prepared through literature searches and analyses, semi-structured interviews, and expert group discussions. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was tested by interviewing 17 respiratory rehabilitation professionals and 16 respiratory rehabilitation experts by correspondence, and investigating 380 cases of in-service healthcare workers engaged in respiratory rehabilitation. ResultsThe knowledge needs questionnaire of respiratory rehabilitation training for in-service healthcare workers included progress in respiratory rehabilitation, physiological basis and diagnosis of chronic lung diseases, individualized assessment and management principles of chronic lung diseases, treatment of chronic lung diseases and guideline-recommended medications, oxygen therapy, exercise assessment and exercise prescription, tobacco addiction and cessation, nutritional assessment and weight management, psychological screening and intervention, self-management and health behavior promotion, and effectiveness assessment of respiratory rehabilitation, totaling eleven dimensions and 52 items. The total Cronbach's α was 0.921, the total folded half reliability was 0.904, the total retest reliability was 0.922, and the Cronbach's α of each dimension ranged from 0.909 to 0.953; the folded half reliabilities ranged from 0.882 to 0.924, and the retest reliabilities ranged from 0.908 to 0.950. The validity of the questionnaire's content was 0.902. In exploratory factor analysis, eleven metric factors were extracted, and their cumulative variance contribution rate was 75.324%. ConclusionThe questionnaire on the knowledge needs of respiratory rehabilitation training for in-service healthcare workers is reliable and valid, and can be used to assess the knowledge needs of healthcare workers participating in in-service training in respiratory rehabilitation.

【Objective】 To analyze the blood dispatching of hospitals in Shijiazhuang area, in order to provide reference for blood dispatching policy of hospitals and ensure clinical blood supply. 【Methods】 The hospital blood dispatching data from 2018 to 2021 were queried through the blood center information management system (SHINOW9.5) and TMIS system, and the blood dispatching volume, frequency, variety and blood type distribution of hospitals at all levels were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. 【Results】 From 2018 to 2021, there were 1 196 times of blood dispatching in hospitals with a total volume of 4 648.5 U, showing a downward and then upward trend two years before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. As the main blood dispatching product, erythrocyte dispatching was 3 988 U, accounting for 85.79% of the total dispatching volume, with a dispatching rate of 2.99‰. The dispatching volume of red blood cells in secondary hospitals accounted for 86.13%.The dispatching rate of erythrocyte in secondary and tertiary hospitals was 1.03% and 0.06%, respectively, with significant difference(P<0.05). The dispatching rates of type A and AB red blood cells were 3.08‰ and 4.97‰, which were significantly different from those of type B and O red blood cells. 【Conclusion】 Blood dispatching has become an effective way to avoid blood waste and ensure emergency blood use in secondary and tertiary hospitals. In the actual operation, health administration department should strengthen supervision and hospitals should improve the blood dispatching process to ensure blood safety.