Radiation-induced injury is a key factor in determining the prognosis of patients undergoing radiotherapy, highlighting the significant clinical importance of developing drugs for radiation prevention and treatment. Especially in oncology, radiation-induced injury remains a pivotal determinant of therapeutic outcomes, because of its direct correlation with normal tissue damage during radiotherapy. Efforts to mitigate or treat such injury are thus paramount in enhancing the overall safety and efficacy of cancer treatment. Novel nanomedicines with prolonged systemic circulation, versatile drug-loading capacities, enhanced tissue retention, and stimuli responsiveness exhibit unique advantages in the treatment and prevention of radiation-induced diseases, as they can be designed based on the specific microenvironment of radiation-damaged tissues, which offers innovative solutions to address the limitations of conventional radioprotectors such as short half-life, poor tissue targeting, and systemic side effects. This review thus aims to provide an overview of recent advance in the design and application of nanomaterials for radiation prevention and treatment. Generally, ionizing radiation damages cells either by inducing DNA double-strand breaks or through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The resulting oxidative stress would disrupt the structural integrity of cell membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids, leading to apoptosis, chronic inflammation, and systemic effects across multiple systems, including hematopoietic system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, lungs, brain, and heart. Radiation protection strategies focus on scavenging ROS, stimulating cellular repair and regeneration, inducing tissue hypoxia, and inhibiting apoptotic pathways. Recent advances in nanomedicine have introduced novel approaches for targeted and efficient radiation protection and treatment. For radiation-induced hematopoietic injury, nanoparticles can been designed to promote red and white blood cell regeneration while reducing oxidative stress. To address radiation-induced gastrointestinal injuries, nanomaterials enable localized antioxidant delivery and extended intestinal retention, effectively relieving radiation enteritis by scavenging ROS and modulating gut microbiota. For radiation-induced skin injuries, self-assembling peptide hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix can serve as effective scaffolds for wound healing. These hydrogels exhibit excellent antioxidant properties, stimulating angiogenesis, and accelerating the recovery of radiation dermatitis. In cases of radiation-induced brain damage, nanoparticles were designed to cross the blood-brain barrier to rescue neuronal damage and protect cognitive function. This review provides an in-depth insight into the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced injuries and highlights how nanomaterial were construtced according to the specific injury. Therefore, nanotechnology endowers durgs with transformative potential for preventing and treating radiation-induced injuries. Despite significant progress in nanomedicine, there are still challenges in long-term biocompatibility, precise targeting of damaged tissues, and scalable manufacturing. In addition, an in-depth understanding of the interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems remains to be covered. Future efforts should focus on optimizing design strategies, enhancing clinical translatability, and ensuring long-term safety, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Besides, expanding research into other radiation-induced diseases, such as radiation-induced ophthalmic disorders and hepatic injuries, may diversify therapeutic options.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy of Wenshen Chushi Decoction combined with low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by renal deficiency and phlegm-dampness syndrome. METHODS: One hundred and twenty ED patients were included from the Department of Andrology in the First Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The patients in control group were treated with Wenshen Chushi Decoction. While the patients in observation group were treated with Wenshen Chushi Decoction combined with LIPUS for 8 consecutive weeks. After the treatment, the efficacy was evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score, Penile Flow Index (PFI), Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Score, Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) score, and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score. Safety was also observed. And the efficacy was followed up 4 weeks after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Fifty-seven cases were enrolled into control group finally with 55 cases in the treatment group. After the treatment, all the patients in both of groups showed an improvement in IIEF-5 scores (P<0.01). Compared with the control group (19.09 ± 2.22), the IIEF-5 score in observation group (20.42 ± 2.39) increased significantly (P<0.01). After the treatment, the scores of PFI, TCM syndrome and SDS in both groups decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the control group (［3.77 ± 1.21］, ［9.91 ± 1.71］ and ［39.88 ± 2.63］ points), the observation group (［2.92 ± 1.08］, ［4.78 ± 1.45］, and ［34.51 ± 2.09］ points） showed a more significant decrease (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in total effective rate between the two groups (P>0.05). During follow-up, the IIEF-5 scores of both groups of patients were higher than those before (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the observation group score was higher than that in the control group (［17.15 ± 3.37］ vs ［13.63 ± 1.96］, P<0.01). No adverse reaction and abnormality of indicators occurred in both of two groups. CONCLUSION Wenshen Chushi Decoction has a significant therapeutic effect on ED caused by renal deficiency and phlegm-dampness syndrome. It can not only improve the quality of erection, but also improve the physical and mental symptoms associated with ED， which makes therapeutic effect lasting longer.
Humans ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Ultrasonic Therapy ; Phytotherapy

Objective To evaluate the value of gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound in diagnosing extraluminal duodenal diverticulum. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 cases of extraluminal duodenal diverticula confirmed by upper gastrointestinal barium meal and gastroduodenoscopy,all of whom underwent gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination.The detection rate and imaging features of duodenal diverticula were retrospectively analyzed. Results Gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound detected 34 out of 40 cases of extraluminal duodenal diverticula,with the detection rate (85.0%) higher than that (10.0%,4/40) of conventional fasting ultrasound (P<0.001).Gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound demonstrated higher detection rate for single diverticula than for multiple diverticula (97.1% vs.44.4%,P<0.001) and was particularly effective for duodenal diverticula in the descending segment (91.7%).According to imaging features,duodenal diverticula were classified into sac-like,gas-containing mass,and air-line types. Conclusion Gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound facilitates the detection of extraluminal duodenal diverticula in the descending segment,allows concurrent visualization of biliary-pancreatic system pathologies,and enables comprehensive assessment of the association between duodenal diverticula and biliary-pancreatic diseases,demonstrating significant clinical value.
Humans ; Diverticulum/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Duodenal Diseases/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Contrast Media ; Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult

The MADS-box gene family is a very important transcriptional regulator gene, which plays a role in the whole growth and development process of plants. The APETALA1 (AP1) gene is considered to play an important regulatory role in the transformation of plant flowering, but also to control the characteristic development of floral organs. Lonicera macranthoides is used as medicine with dry buds and early flowers. Therefore, studying the potential mechanism of AP1 gene in regulating flower organ development can provide a basis for improving its medicinal value by molecular means. To explore the potential mechanism of the AP1 gene in the regulation of floral organ development in L. macranthoides, the full-length cDNA of the AP1 was cloned by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and named LmMADS4. The results show that the CDS of the LmMADS4 gene is 729 bp and encodes 242 amino acids, and the LmMADS4 protein contains no signal peptide and no transmembrane structure, which is an unstable hydrophilic protein. Through homologous sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, LmMADS4 and L. japonica MADS27 protein cluster into one class and are closely related. Finally, the expression pattern and protein interaction pattern of LmMADS4 were analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and yeast two-hybrid technology. The qRT-PCR showed that LmMADS4 gene was differentially expressed in the stems, leaves and flower bud at different developmental stages, including bud type variety Longhua and common variety Baiyun; and LmMADS4 gene was highly expressed in the flower buds, and with the development of flower buds, LmMADS4 gene was continuously up-regulated in the flower bud variety Longhua, however, the expression level of LmMADS4 in the Baiyun terminal flower bud was lower than that in the late flower bud, but the difference was not significant. The yeast two-hybrid results showed that the bait vector pGBKT7-LmMADS4 was not toxic to yeast strains and had no self-activating activity. LmMADS4 protein interacted with LmSVP1, LmSVP3 and LmSOC1s proteins. This study can provide a theoretical basis for exploring the mechanism of long flower bud stage and corolla non-unfolding at the molecular level and variety improvement of L. macranthoides.

Exploring the risk "time interval window" of sequential medication of Reduning injection (RDN) and penicillin G injection (PG) by detecting the correlation between serum biochemical indexes and plasma metabonomic characteristics, in order to reduce the risk of adverse reactions caused by the combination of RDN and PG. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). The changes of biochemical indexes in serum of rats were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It was determined that RDN combined with PG could cause pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) activated by complement pathway. Further investigation was carried out at different time intervals (1.5, 2, 3.5, 4, 6, and 8 h PG+RDN). It was found that sequential administration within 3.5 h could cause significant PARs. However, PARs were significantly reduced after administration interval of more than 4 h. LC-MS was used for plasma metabolomics analysis, and the levels of serum biochemical indicators and plasma metabolic profile characteristics were compared in parallel. 22 differential metabolites showed similar or opposite trends to biochemical indicators before and after 3.5 h. And enriched to 10 PARs-related pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism. In conclusion, there is a risk "time interval window" phenomenon in the adverse drug reactions caused by the sequential use of RDN and PG, and the interval medication after the "time interval window" can significantly reduce the risk of adverse reactions.

Based on the strategy of metabolomics combined with bioinformatics, this study analyzed the potential allergens and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) induced by the combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology combined with UNIFI software, a total of 21 compounds were identified in Reduning and penicillin G mixed injection. Based on molecular docking technology, 10 potential allergens with strong binding activity to MrgprX2 agonist sites were further screened. Metabolomics analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology revealed that 34 differential metabolites such as arachidonic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes were endogenous differential metabolites of PARs caused by combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. Through the analysis of the "potential allergen-target-endogenous differential metabolite" interaction network, the chlorogenic acids (such as chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and isochlorogenic acid A) and β-lactam allergens in the combination of the two may be mainly regulated by PLD1, PLA2G12A and CYP1A1. The three upstream signal target proteins mainly activate the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, promote the degranulation of mast cells, release downstream endogenous inflammatory mediators, and induce PARs.

BACKGROUND:Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the central nervous system,and various subsets of astrocytes are heterogeneous,performing a variety of special functions.Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)technology developed in recent years has extended our understanding of astrocyte heterogeneity from the perspective of transcriptome profiling. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the heterogeneity of scRNA-seq technology in different time and space,and pathological states and expand our knowledge of astrocyte heterogeneity on both molecular and functional levels. METHODS:The relevant articles on astrocyte heterogeneity and scRNA-seq were searched on PubMed,Elsevier,and CNKI databases.The search terms were"astrocytes,scRNA-seq,heterogeneity,Alzheimer disease,spinal cord injury,multiple sclerosis"in Chinese and English.Finally,74 articles were selected for viewing after screening according to inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:scRNA-seq studies related to the heterogeneity of astrocytes have shown that astrocyte is significantly heterogeneous across four aspects:species,developmental stage,central nervous system region,and pathological state.(1)Unique expression of certain genes occurs in astrocytes of different species,and the discovery of species-specific genes is beneficial for the translation of clinical studies.(2)During astrocyte development,differential gene expression emerged in the cellular subtypes identified at each stage,which further refined the cellular lineage of astrocytes and laid the foundation for the study of astrocyte developmental trajectories and mechanisms.(3)The discovery of differential gene expression allows regional localization of different astrocyte subpopulations and assists in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.(4)Astrocyte heterogeneity revealed by scRNA-seq can provide specific markers at the time of disease diagnosis and identify potential therapeutic targets.(5)The heterogeneity of astrocytes exists in many aspects,interacts with each other and is complex.The mechanisms of its generation,maintenance and transformation remain unclear.At present,molecular research on the single-cell level is still lacking.Linking transcriptionally defined astrocyte subpopulations to cellular activity,behavior and disease markers in real time remains one of the great challenges in the field.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of unilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)combined with 3D printing technology for the treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fracture.Methods A total of 77 patients with thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures from October 2020 to April 2022 were included in the study,all of which were vertebral body compression fractures caused by trauma.According to different treatment methods,they were di-vided into experimental group and control group.Thirty-two patients used 3D printing technology to improve unilateral transpedicle puncture vertebroplasty in the experimental group,there were 5 males and 27 females,aged from 63 to 91 years old with an average of(77.59±8.75)years old.Forty-five patients were treated with traditional bilateral pedicle puncture vertebroplasty,including 7 males and 38 females,aged from 60 to 88 years old with an average of(74.89±7.37)years old.Operation time,intraoperative C-arm X-ray times,anesthetic dosage,bone cement injection amount,bone cement diffusion good and good rate,complications,vertebral height,kyphotic angle(Cobb angle),visual analogue scale(VAS),Oswestry disability index(ODI)and other indicators were recorded before and after surgery,and statistically analyzed.Results All patients were followed up for 6 to 23 months,with preoperative imaging studies,confirmed for thoracolumbar osteoporosis com-pression fractures,two groups of patients with postoperative complications,no special two groups of patients'age,gender,body mass index(BMI),time were injured,the injured vertebral distribution had no statistical difference(P＞0.05),comparable data.Two groups of patients with bone cement injection,bone cement dispersion rate,preoperative and postoperative vertebral body height,protruding after spine angle(Cobb angle),VAS,ODI had no statistical difference(P＞0.05).The operative time,intra-operative fluoroscopy times and anesthetic dosage were statistically different between the two groups(P＜0.05).Compared with the traditional bilateral puncture group,the modified unilateral puncture group combined with 3D printing technology had shorter operation time,fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy times and less anesthetic dosage.The height of anterior vertebral edge,kyphosis angle(Cobb angle),VAS score and ODI of the affected vertebrae were statistically different between two groups at each time point after surgery(P＜0.05).Conclusion In the treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures,3D printing technology is used to improve unilateral puncture PVP,which is convenient and simple,less trauma,short operation time,fewer fluoroscopy times,satisfactory distribution of bone cement,vertebral height recovery and kyphotic Angle correction,and good functional improvement.

Eag1(ether-à-go-go-1,also known as Kv10.1,KC-NH1)is a member of the KCNH gene family of voltage-gated potassiumion(K+)channels,which is mainly expressed in the central nervous system as well as in a variety of malignancies and plays an important role in tumor development.The study of the distribution and mechanism of action of Eag1 is of great impor-tance to reveal its physiological function and its association with pathological mechanisms.This paper reviews the current re-search progress on the physiological and pathological properties of Eag1,the relationship between Eag1 and tumor development and the anti-tumor application of Eag1 modulators.