ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Jingui Shenqiwan （JSW） and Liuwei Dihuangwan （LDW） on the reproductive ability and brain function of normal mice and compare the actions of the two medications. MethodsSeven groups of female and male mice were divided at a ratio of 2∶1. Except for the control group， the other six groups were as follows： a group of both males and females receiving JSW （3.0 g·kg^-1）， a group of both males and females receiving LDW （4.5 g·kg^-1）， a group of males receiving water and females receiving JSW， a group of males receiving water while females receiving LDW， a group of females receiving water while males receiving JSW， and a group of females receiving water while males receiving LDW. Each group was administered the drug for 14 days and then caged together at a 2∶1 （female∶male） ratio to detect the number of pregnant mice and calculate the pregnancy rate. Pregnant mice continued receiving the drug until they naturally gave birth， which was followed by the observation of newborn mice， calculation of their average number， and the measurement of the offspring's preference for sugar water and neonatal recognition index. At the end of the experiment， the weights of the thymus and spleen were measured to calculate the organ coefficients， and mRNA or protein expression was analyzed in the brain and testes or ovaries. A 1% sucrose solution was used to examine the euphoria of their brain reward systems， while novel object recognition test （NOR） was applied to assess their memory capabilities. mRNA expression was detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） assay， and protein expression was analyzed with Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， oral administration of JSW to both male and female mice for 14 days significantly increased the pregnancy rate of female mice on day 2 after being caged together （P<0.05）， while LDW showed a trend but no statistical significance. Additionally， compared with the control group， JSW could upregulate the gene expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone （GnRH） in the thalamus， as well as reproductive stem cell factor （SCF） and tyrosine kinase receptor （c-Kit） in the testes and reproductive stem cell marker mouse vasa homologue （MVH） in the ovaries， upregulate the expression of proteins influencing neuronal functional activity， such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， in hippocampal neurons （P<0.05）， and enhance sucrose preference in male mice （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， JSW significantly increased sucrose preference and novel object recognition index in offspring mice （P<0.05）， which was related to the upregulation of hippocampal dopamine D1 receptor （D1R） and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor （Nmdar） gene expression. Compared with the control group， both JSW and LDW could upregulate the protein expression of glucocorticoid receptor （GR）， BDNF， and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） in the hippocampus of offspring mice （P<0.05）. ConclusionJSW significantly enhances the reproductive ability of normal mice， which is not only related to the release of gonadotropin but also associated with its regulation of brain function. Additionally， JSW has a certain regulatory effect on the brain function of the offspring mice.

Objective: To understand the current status and associated factors of sleep problems among preschool children in Hainan Province, so as to provide scientific evidence for improving sleep health in this population. Methods: From January 2021 to June 2022, a total of 4 105 preschool children aged 3-6 years from 62 kindergartens in Hainan Province were selected using stratified cluster random sampling method. Demographic information and lifestyle habits were collected through the Hainan Province Child Growth and Development Survey Questionnaire. The Children s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was employed to assess sleep status. Unconditional binary Logistic regression model was applied to investigate the associated factors of sleep problems among preschool children. Results: The overall CSHQ score for children was 58.03±18.84, with 80.95% of preschool children exhibiting sleep related issues. The top three most prevalent sleep problem domains were bedtime resistance (72.42%), sleep anxiety ( 54.88 %), and parasomnias (38.86%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher family annual income ( OR=0.60, 95%CI = 0.45-0.79), higher maternal education level ( OR=0.53, 95%CI =0.32-0.89), regular or daily vitamin D supplementation ( OR=0.77, 95%CI =0.60-0.99), and fully self initiated eating behavior ( OR=0.71, 95%CI =0.59-0.85) were negatively related with children s sleep problems; in addition, screen exposure ( OR=1.27, 95%CI =1.06-1.51) and picky eating ( OR= 1.47 , 95%CI =1.21-1.78) were positively related to children s sleep problems (all P <0.05). Conclusion The high detection rate of sleep problems among preschool children in Hainan Province is multifactorially associated with family environment, dietary habits, and lifestyle behaviors.

ObjectiveBased on the clinical characteristics of chronic gouty arthritis （CGA） in both traditional Chinese and western medicine， this study aims to systematically evaluate the clinical concordance of existing CGA animal models， providing recommendations for establishing animal models that align with the pathological characteristics of CGA and the manifestations of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes. MethodsBy comprehensively retrieving Chinese and international databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure， Wanfang， VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database （VIP）， and PubMed， all relevant literature on CGA animal models was collected. Based on the guidelines， the diagnostic criteria of both traditional Chinese and western medicine were summarized and organized. The evaluation indicators for the CGA model were constructed with reference to existing evaluation modes， and the CGA animal models were analyzed to systematically evaluate the clinical concordance of existing models. ResultsThe current methods used to construct CGA animal models mainly include monosodium urate crystal induction， high-protein diet induction （poultry lack urate oxidase）， and high-fat diet combined with urate oxidase inhibitors and joint injection. Based on 11 pieces of included literature， the traditional Chinese and western medicine scoring data of each model were extracted， and the average scoring values of all models were ultimately calculated. The results show that the average clinical concordances of existing CGA animal models in both traditional Chinese and western medicine are 43.33% and 64.44%， respectively. Among them， the model with the highest clinical concordance rate is the one with a high-fat diet combined with potassium oxonate to induce hyperuricemia plus joint injection， achieving 83.33% clinical concordance in western medicine and 60% in traditional Chinese medicine. This model aligns well with the pathogenic characteristics and pathological changes of clinical CGA. ConclusionAlthough current CGA animal models can simulate some pathological characteristics of CGA， they struggle to comprehensively reflect the complex pathological processes of CGA and the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes. Therefore， in the future， it is necessary to establish the CGA animal models that incorporate the clinical disease and syndrome characteristics of traditional Chinese and western medicine and formulate the uniform model evaluation criteria， providing more precise tools for CGA mechanism research and the development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To explore the potential causal relationship between 91 inflammatory factors and the risk of lung cancer (LC). Methods By extracting related data of inflammatory factors and LC and its subtypes from public databases of Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS), bidirectional, repeated, multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) and subgroup MR methods were used for analysis. The inverse variance weighted method was mainly used for causal inference, and a series of sensitivity analyses were applied to verify the strength of the results. Results Higher levels of CD5, interleukin-18 (IL-18), and oncostatin-M (OSM) were causally associated with a lower risk of LC, while nerve growth factor-β (NGF-β) and S100 calcium-binding protein A12 (S100A12) were associated with an increased risk of LC. Subgroup MR analysis results showed that IL-18 had a causal relationship with a reduced risk of lung adenocarcinoma, while NGF-β and S100A12 had a causal relationship with an increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma; CD5 and OSM had a causal relationship with a reduced risk of lung squamous cell carcinoma; NGF-β had a causal relationship with an increased risk of small cell lung cancer. Conclusion Five inflammatory factors, including CD5, IL-18, OSM, NGF-β, and S100A12 have a causal correlation with the risk of LC, providing potential targets for early screening of LC patients and development of therapeutic drugs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effects and potential mechanism of alisol B 23-acetate on acute alcoholic liver injury in mice. METHODS Fifty male Kunming mice were divided into the blank group， model group， and alisol B 23-acetate low-， medium- and high-dose groups （10， 20， 40 mg/kg）， with 10 mice in each group. Each group was given relevant drug solution or normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 2 consecutive weeks. On the 15th day， mice in the blank group were given normal saline intragastrically， while the other four groups were given 12 mL/kg white wine intragastrically， twice at six-hour intervals， to establish an acute alcoholic liver injury model. On the 16th day of the experiment， the liver indexes of mice in each group were calculated； the serum levels of alanine transaminase （ALT）， aspartate transaminase （AST）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione （GSH） were also determined. The histopathological morphology of their liver tissues was observed and scored. The protein expressions of cytochrome P450 2E1 （CYP2E1）， Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 （Keap1）， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2） and NAD（P）H： quinone oxidoreductase 1 （NQO1） were measured in liver tissue. RESULTS Compared with model group， mice in each dosage group of alisol B 23-acetate showed varying degrees of recovery in body weight， along with improvements in pathological changes in liver tissues such as inflammatory cell infiltration and fatty vacu oles. Their liver indexes， histopathological scores of liver tissue， serum levels of ALT， AST， TC， TG and MDA， as well as the protein expressions of CYP2E1 and Keap1 in liver tissue， were all significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05 or P ＜0.01）. The serum GSH levels and the protein expressions of Nrf2 （except for the alisol B 23-acetate low-dose group） and NQO1 in liver tissue were significantly increased （ P ＜0.05 or P ＜0.01）， and the changes in the above quantitative indicators showed a dose-dependent pattern. CONCLUSIONS Alisol B 23-acetate can ameliorate acute alcoholic liver injury in mice， and its mechanism may be related to improving antioxidant capacity by regulating the Keap1/Nrf2/NQO1 signaling pathway while simultaneously improving liver lipid metabolism-related indexes.

BACKGROUND:Bone remodeling is the biological basis of orthodontic tooth movement.Type 2 diabetes mellitus leads to metabolic changes in the jaw and alveolar bone,so it is hypothesized that tooth mobility characteristics may be altered in a high-sugar environment.OBJECTIVE:To explore the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on orthodontic tooth movement in rats within one tooth movement cycle.METHODS:Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were selected.Forty rats were randomly chosen and fed with a high-fat diet to construct a type 2 diabetes mellitus model.Thirty-two rats that were successfully modeled were randomly divided into a type 2 diabetes mellitus group(n=16)and a diabetic orthodontic group(n=16).The remaining 32 rats were randomly divided into a control group(n=16)and an orthodontic group(n=16).The rats in the orthodontic group and the diabetic orthodontic group were equipped with nickel-titanium coil spring orthodontic force application devices to move the unilateral maxillary first molars mesially with a force of 50 g.The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed on the 3rd,7th,14th,and 21st days after orthodontic treatment,and Micro-CT was used to measure the mesial displacement of the first molars and detect the changes in the bone microstructure parameters on the tension side.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were significant differences in the tooth movement distances among the four groups of rats on the 3rd,7th,14th,and 21st days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in bone mineral density,bone volume fraction and trabecular bone separation on the tension side among the four groups on the 7th,14th,and 21st days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).There were differences in the trabecular thickness among the four groups on the 3rd and 14th days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).The diabetic orthodontic group had the smallest tension-side alveolar bone mineral density,bone volume fraction,and trabecular thickness,and the largest tooth movement distance and trabecular separation on the 21st day of orthodontic treatment.The above results indicate that type 2 diabetes mellitus adversely affects bone microstructural parameters on the tension side in orthodontic tooth movement in rats,suggesting the occurrence of an osteoporotic state.

BACKGROUND:Bone remodeling is the biological basis of orthodontic tooth movement.Type 2 diabetes mellitus leads to metabolic changes in the jaw and alveolar bone,so it is hypothesized that tooth mobility characteristics may be altered in a high-sugar environment.OBJECTIVE:To explore the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on orthodontic tooth movement in rats within one tooth movement cycle.METHODS:Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were selected.Forty rats were randomly chosen and fed with a high-fat diet to construct a type 2 diabetes mellitus model.Thirty-two rats that were successfully modeled were randomly divided into a type 2 diabetes mellitus group(n=16)and a diabetic orthodontic group(n=16).The remaining 32 rats were randomly divided into a control group(n=16)and an orthodontic group(n=16).The rats in the orthodontic group and the diabetic orthodontic group were equipped with nickel-titanium coil spring orthodontic force application devices to move the unilateral maxillary first molars mesially with a force of 50 g.The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed on the 3rd,7th,14th,and 21st days after orthodontic treatment,and Micro-CT was used to measure the mesial displacement of the first molars and detect the changes in the bone microstructure parameters on the tension side.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were significant differences in the tooth movement distances among the four groups of rats on the 3rd,7th,14th,and 21st days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in bone mineral density,bone volume fraction and trabecular bone separation on the tension side among the four groups on the 7th,14th,and 21st days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).There were differences in the trabecular thickness among the four groups on the 3rd and 14th days of orthodontic treatment(P＜0.05).The diabetic orthodontic group had the smallest tension-side alveolar bone mineral density,bone volume fraction,and trabecular thickness,and the largest tooth movement distance and trabecular separation on the 21st day of orthodontic treatment.The above results indicate that type 2 diabetes mellitus adversely affects bone microstructural parameters on the tension side in orthodontic tooth movement in rats,suggesting the occurrence of an osteoporotic state.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of action of the Qufeng Tongqiao Cough-relieving Decoction （祛风通窍止咳方， QTCD） in the treatment of upper airway cough syndrome （UACS）. MethodsTwenty-four guinea pigs were randomly divided into blank group， model group， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） group， and inhibitor group， with six guinea pigs in each group. Except for the blank group， guinea pigs were sensitized with ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide via intraperitoneal injection， followed by ovalbumin nasal drops combined with smoke exposure to establish the UACS model. After modeling， the TCM group was administered QTCD 0.9 g/（100 g·d） by gavage， the inhibitor group received the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 4 （TRPV4） inhibitor GSK2193874 1 mmol/L， 5 min by nebulisation， and the blank group and model group were given 2 ml/（100 g·d） normal saline by gavage once daily. After 7 days of treatment， a cough provocation test was performed using 0.4 mol/L citric acid. The levels of IgE in serum and inflammatory cytokines， including interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8） in serum， bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF）， and nasal lavage fluid （NLF） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Histopathological changes in lung and nasal mucosal tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein levels of TRPV4， substance P （SP）， and calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP） in lung and nasal mucosal tissues. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of TRPV4， SP， and CGRP in lung tissues. ResultsHE staining showed significant structural damage and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lung and nasal mucosal tissues in the model group， while the TCM group and inhibitor group showed improved pathological changes. Compared with the blank group， the model group showed increased cough frequency， serum IgE level， and IL-6 and IL-8 levels in serum， BALF， and NLF. The protein levels of TRPV4， SP， and CGRP in lung and nasal mucosal tissues and their mRNA expression were elevated （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the TCM group and inhibitor group showed reduced cough frequency， serum IgE level， and TRPV4 and SP mRNA expression in lung tissues. The TCM group showed reduced IL-6 and IL-8 levels in serum， BALF， and NLF， and reduced TRPV4 and CGRP protein levels in lung and nasal mucosal tissues. The inhibitor group showed reduced IL-6 and IL-8 levels in serum， BALF， and NLF， reduced IL-6 in BALF， reduced IL-8 in NLF， and decreased TRPV4， SP， and CGRP protein levels in lung tissues and SP and CGRP protein levels in nasal mucosal tissues （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the TCM group， the inhibitor group had increased serum IgE， IL-6， and IL-8 levels， increased IL-6 level in BALF， and increased IL-8 levle in NLF， but decreased SP protein level in lung tissues and increased TRPV4 and SP mRNA expression in lung tissues （P＜0.01）. ConclusionQTCD effectively reduces cough frequency in the UACS guinea pig model. Its mechanism may involve inhibiting the activation of the TRPV4 pathway， improving airway neurogenic inflammation， alleviating inflammatory responses， and reducing cough hypersensitivity.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects and mechanism of Portulaca oleracea cream on skin pruritus and barrier function in allergic contact dermatitis （ACD） mice. METHODS Low-concentration and high-concentration P. oleracea creams were prepared， with the P. oleracea extract solution （1 g/mL， calculated by crude drug） concentrations of 10% and 20%. Sixty BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into blank group， model group， Mometasone furoate cream group （positive control）， blank matrix cream group， P. oleracea low-concentration and high-concentration cream groups. Except for blank group， ACD model was induced in each group using 2，4-dinitrochlorobenzene solution. The blank group and model groups received normal saline， while the remaining groups were treated with their respective creams， once a day， at a dose of approximately 0.5 g per application， continuously for 14 days. At 24 h post-final administration， skin lesions of mice were observed and scored； pathological changes of skin tissue were observed； serum levels of immunoglobulin E（IgE） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were quantified. mRNA expression of MAS-related G protein-coupled receptors （including MrgprA3， MrgprC11， and MrgprD） in dorsal root ganglion （DRG） was assessed； while protein expressions of skin barrier function-related proteins Claudin-1 and Occludin in skin tissues were determined. RESULTS Compared with blank group， mice in the model group exhibited severe skin damage， characterized by loss of epidermal architecture， hyperkeratosis of the skin tissue， and the infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells. The skin injury scores， as well as the serum levels of IgE and TNF-α， and the mRNA expression levels of MrgprA3， MrgprC11， and MrgprD in DRG， were all significantly elevated compared to the blank group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； in contrast， the protein expression levels of Claudin-1 and Occludin in the skin tissue were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， mice in P. oleracea low-concentration and high- concentration cream groups demonstrated significant alleviation of skin damage， as evidenced by reduced epidermal hyperplasia， mitigated spongiosis in the dermis， and decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells； these quantitative indicators were almost significantly reversed （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant differences were observed in the aforementioned skin injuries， pathological alterations， or quantitative indicators between the blank matrix cream group and the model group. CONCLUSIONS P. oleracea may ameliorate skin lesions and restore skin barrier function of ACD mice， the mechanism of which may be associated with downregulating mRNA expressions of MrgprA3， MrgprC11 and MrgprD in DRG， and up-regulating the protein expressions of Claudin-1 and Occludin in skin tissue.

ObjectiveTo study the effect of Taikong Yangxin Pills on the metabolism of simulated weightless rats based on metabolomics and discuss the metabolism mechanism. MethodsIn the simulated space capsule environment on the ground， the rat model of simulated weightlessness was established by the tail suspension method. Rats were randomly grouped as follows： out-of-capsule control， in-capsule control， model， and high （3.0 g·kg^-1） and low （1.5 g·kg^-1） doses of Taikong Yangxin Pills， and they were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 28 days. The serum levels of endogenous metabolites in rats were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF/MS）. The obtained data were processed by principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） to screen for differential metabolites and potential biomarkers. MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was used for pathway enrichment analysis to explain the metabolic regulation mechanism of the drug. ResultsCompared with the out-of-capsule control group， the in-capsule control group showed elevated levels of thirteen metabolites， including 14-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid， linoleic acid， and α-linolenic acid （P<0.05）， which suggested that the space capsule environment mainly affected the metabolism of α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid in the rats. Compared with the in-capsule control group， the model group showed lowered levels of fourteen metabolites， including 4-imidazolone-5-propionic acid， isocitric acid/citric acid， and L-tyrosine （P<0.05）， which were recovered after the treatment with Taikong Yangxin pills （P<0.05）. The pathway enrichment analysis revealed that weightlessness induced by tail suspension and drug intervention mainly involved the phenylalanine， tyrosine， and tryptophan biosynthesis， tyrosine metabolism， histidine metabolism， and citric acid cycle. ConclusionThe simulated space capsule environment and simulated weightlessness induced by tail suspension can both affect the metabolism level of rats. Taikong Yangxin pills can ameliorate the metabolic abnormality in the rat model of weightlessness by regulating various amino acids and energy metabolism-related pathways.