OBJECTIVE: To explore the inhibitory effects of Nardostachys Jatamansi DC. volatile oil (NJVO) on psychological factors substance P (SP)/cortisol (CORT)-induced hyperpigmentation. METHODS: The model of psychologically-induced hyperpigmentation of B16F10 cells was created using SP (10 nmol/L) + CORT (10 µmol/L) for 72 h. The levels of melanin content, tyrosinase (TYR) activity using NaOH lysis and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) oxidation methods were assessed, respectively. The effect of NJVO on SP/CORT-induced normal human skin tissue pigmentation was detected by Masson staining. Protein expressions of tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase-relative protein 2 (DCT), and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor were determined using Western blot. The melanosome number, maturation, and melanosomal structure changes were detected through transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence experiments. In vivo, zebrafish pigment content was evaluated in SP/CORT-induced zebrafish hyperpigmentation model. RESULTS: NJVO significantly reduced the melanin content (P<0.01) and inhibited tyrosinase activity (P<0.01), the pigmentation of the normal skin tissue in the NJVO group was significantly lower than that in the SP/CORT group (P<0.05). And NJVO considerably downregulated expressions of melanogenesis-related proteins (TYR, TRP-1, DCT) in cells (P<0.01). In addition, the number of melanosomes was decreased and the dentrites formation of B16F10 cells was inhibited after NJVO treatment (P<0.01). In vivo, NJVO significantly reduced the pigment content in the zebrafish body (P<0.01). CONCLUSION NJVO effectively reversed SP/CORT-induced hyperpigmentation by suppressing the activity and expression of TYR and TRPs and inhibiting melanosome maturation in mouse B16F10 melanoma cells.
Animals ; Hyperpigmentation/psychology* ; Zebrafish ; Oils, Volatile/therapeutic use* ; Melanins/metabolism* ; Humans ; Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism* ; Mice ; Nardostachys/chemistry* ; Substance P ; Hydrocortisone ; Skin Pigmentation/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Melanosomes/ultrastructure* ; Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor/metabolism* ; Melanoma, Experimental ; Oxidoreductases/metabolism* ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: Xuebijing injection has been recommended as a therapeutic approach for individuals with severe and critical COVID-19. This study aims to explore the correlation of neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR) with the severity and prognosis of COVID-19, and the effect of XBJ on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 in different inflammatory states. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at Wuhan Union Hospital in China. COVID-19 patients admitted between November 1, 2022 and February 1, 2023 were included. In predicting prognosis for individuals with COVID-19, new inflammatory indicators were used, and their prognostic value was assessed by using Cox regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves. Furthermore, a calculation was made to determine the cutoff value for NLPR. Relative risk and Cox regression models were used to examine the effects of Xuebijing injection on prognosis in patient cohorts that had been stratified by the NLPR cutoff. RESULTS: This research included 455 participants with COVID-19, with a mean age of 72 years. Several inflammatory indicators were found to be strongly correlated with prognosis, and NLPR shows the greatest predictive power. Patients with NLPR > 3.29 exhibited a mortality rate of 17.3%, which was 6.2 times higher than in patients with NLPR ≤ 3.29. Importantly, providing Xuebijing injection to patients with NLPR > 3.29 was associated with a lower risk of 60-day all-cause mortality. However, there was no discernible improvement in survival among patients with NLPR ≤ 3.29 who received Xuebijing injection. CONCLUSION NLPR is the most reliable inflammatory marker for predicting prognosis among individuals with COVID-19, and can accurately identify individuals who may benefit from Xuebijing injection. Please cite this article as: Liao M, Zhang LT, Bai LJ, Wang RY, Liu Y, Han J, Liu LH, Qi BL. Xuebijing injection reduces COVID-19 patients mortality as influenced by the neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 282-288.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Neutrophils ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; COVID-19/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Lymphocytes ; Blood Platelets ; Platelet Count ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult

Objective To evaluate the application value of four-dimensional CT(4D-CT)in the preoperative localization of primary hyperparathyroidism(PHPT). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and parathyroid 4D-CT images of 63 patients who underwent PHPT surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between April 2020 and April 2023.Based on the clinical experience of the hospital's surgeons,parathyroid lesions were categorized into six anatomical regions:around the upper pole of the thyroid,posterior to the mid-thyroid,posterior to the lower pole of the thyroid and the tracheoesophageal groove,below the lower pole of the thyroid and the suprasternal fossa,retrosternal anterior mediastinum,and other rare locations.All images were independently analyzed by two experienced radiologists,with discrepancies resolved through discussion led by a senior radiologist.Using pathological results as the gold standard,the accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),negative predictive value(NPV),Youden index,positive likelihood ratio(PLR),and negative likelihood ratio(NLR)of preoperative 4D-CT in diagnosing PHPT were calculated. Results There were no statistically significant differences between preoperative 4D-CT and surgical localization in the following regions:around the upper pole of the thyroid(χ²=0.500,P=0.480),posterior to the mid-thyroid(χ²<0.001,P>0.999),posterior to the lower pole of the thyroid and the tracheoesophageal groove(χ²=0.571,P=0.450),below the lower pole of the thyroid and the suprasternal fossa(χ²<0.001,P>0.999),retrosternal anterior mediastinum(χ²<0.001,P>0.999),and other rare locations(χ²<0.001,P>0.999).The preoperative 4D-CT diagnosis of PHPT lesions demonstrated a sensitivity of 82.09%,specificity of 97.43%,PPV of 87.30%,NPV of 96.19%,accuracy of 94.71%,Youden index of 79.52%,PLR of 31.94,and NLR of 0.18. Conclusion Parathyroid 4D-CT demonstrates good diagnostic efficacy in the preoperative localization of PHPT.
Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Parathyroid Glands/diagnostic imaging* ; Preoperative Period

Extracting extracts of secondary metabolites from the karst cave fungus Metarhizium anisopliae NHC-M3-2 from the Yilingyan Scenic Area in Guangxi. Ten compounds were isolated and purified from fungal secondary metabolites using thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. 7-Hydroxy-3-hydroxypropyl-5,6-dimethylisochrome-1-one (1) and 7-hydroxy-3,5,6-trimethyl-isochromen-1-one (2) were new isocoumarin compounds, N-acetyl phenylalanine (3), chaetosumin J (4), 2-one-13-hydroxy-3,5,8,7(11)-eudesmatetraen-12,8-olide (5), 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde (6), irpexolaceus B (7), irlactin L (8), cytochalasin K (9), and helvolic acid (10), a total of 8 known compounds. The structure of the compound was determined using methods such as NMR and mass spectrometry. The tumor cytotoxicity of the compound was evaluated using the CCK-8 method. The results showed that the IC₅₀ of compound 2 on HepG2 cells was 29.83 µmol·L^-1, and compound 9 on HCT116 cells was 27.44 µmol·L^-1.

Aim To prepare tripterygium glycoside nanoparticles and probe into their therapeutic effect on collagen-induced arthritis ( CIA) rats. Methods Tripterygium glycosides polyglycoside nanoparticles were prepared by thin film dispersion method and their quality was assessed. The CIA model was established and drug intervention performed. The body weight, toe swelling degree and arthritis index were measured. The pathological changes of the organs, knee and ankle synovium were observed. The serum levels of kidney function and inflammatory cytokine expression were detected in rats. Results The prepared tripterygium wil-fordii polyglycoside nanoparticles were round particles with uniform distribution and stable properties under electron microscope. Compared with the model group, the swelling of the left and right toes of medication group significantly decreased (P < 0. 01), and the ar-thritis index markedly decreased ( P < 0. 01). Among them, the efficacy of the TG-NPs group was better than that of the TG group. Compared with the normal group, the indexes of heart, spleen, kidney and testis all significantly decreased (P <0. 05, P<0.01). TG-NPs group had a significantly reduced pathological ankle-joint injury in knee cartilage and increased apoptotic synovial cells. Compared with the model group, the serum levels of ALT and BUN and CRE in TG-NPs group were significantly lower (P < 0. 05 ), and IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 levels decreased significantly (P <0. 05). Conclusions TG-NPs have good therapeutic effect on CIA through induction of synovial cell apoptosis and decrease of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. By intravenous injection of blood circula-tion, slow and controlled release of drugs can be achieved, the first pass effect caused by oral drug can be avoided, the viscera toxicity can be reduced, which provides an experimental basis for the development of new nanoagents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides (MOIG) on bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and the mechanism of osteoclast function and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RA rats were established by injecting bovin type II collagen. The Bio-ethic Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University approved all experimental protocols associated with this study (IACUC-20180410-03). The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks; the femoral trabecular micro-structure changes were observed in CIA rats by micro-CT; the LPS-induced osteoclasts model further observed the effect and mechanism of anti-inflammatory osteoporosis in vitro. The results indicated that MOIG could markedly increase bone mineral density (BMD) in CIA rats, improve trabecular micro-structure. In vitro studies demonstrated that MOIG could significantly inhibit osteoclastogensis and differentiation, suppress tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, F-actin ring formation, TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) recruitment, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-Bα (IκBα) degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation, thereby repressing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation. Subsequently, MOIG effectively inhibited osteoclast nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) and cellular oncogene Fos (c-Fos) expression, as well as bone resorption related protein activity including matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9) and cathepsin K (CtsK). Meanwhile, MOIG also repressed the phosphorylation expression of Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. Moreover, further studies found that MOIG could suppress glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, and GSK-3β gene silencing could markedly inhibit oetsoclast F-actin ring formation as well as the phosphorylation expression of p65 and STAT3. Of note, compared with GSK-3β gene silencing group, there was no significant difference in the group treated with both MOIG with GSK-3β gene silencing simultaneously. Thus, the results suggested that MOIG may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation via regulating GSK-3β, thereby alleviating bone destruction in RA.

Objective To explore the relationship and internal path between activities of daily living(ADL),sleep quality and mental health of community elderly people in Shanghai.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among community residents aged 60 years and older seeing doctors in community health care center of five streets in Shanghai during Sept to Dec,2021 using convenience sampling.Activities of Daily Living(ADL),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale(K10)were adopted in the survey.Single factor analysis,correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.The effect relationship between the variables was tested using Bootstrap's mediated effects test.Results A total of 1 864 participants were included in the study.The average score was 15.53±4.47 for ADL,5.60±3.71 for PSQI and 15.50±6.28 for K10.The rate of ADL impairment,poor sleep quality,poor and very poor mental health of the elderly were 23.6%,27.3%,11.9%and 4.9%,respectively.ADL and sleep quality were all positively correlated with mental health(r=0.321,P＜0.001;r=0.466,P＜0.001);ADL was positively correlated with sleep quality(r=0.294,P＜0.001).Multiple linear results of factors influencing mental health showed that ADL(β= 0.457,95%CI:0.341-0.573),sleep quality(β =0.667,95%CI:0.598-0.737)and mental health were positively correlated(P＜0.001).Sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between ADL and mental health(95%CI:0.078-0.124)with an effect size of 33.0%.Conclusion Sleep quality is a mediator between ADL and mental health among community elderly people.Improving ADL and sleep quality may improve mental health in the population.

Objective To provide pharmaceutical monitoring using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe(PCNE)for patients with respiratory diseases,to explore effective pharmaceutical monitoring models in the department of respiratory,and to promote clinical rational drug use.Methods Inpatients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)and lung infections in 2022 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology were selected and divided into a simple group and an intervention group.According to the PCNE classification system,the types,causes,interventions,acceptance of interventions,and resolution status of drug-related problems(DRPs)were analyzed.Results A total of 120 cases were included,60 cases in the simple group and 60 cases in the intervention group.Regarding the number of DRPs,there were 15 cases in the simple group and 45 cases in the intervention group,and there was a significant difference between the two groups(P<0.05).There were a total of 82 DRPs,which were mainly related to therapeutic efficacy(51.22%)and safety(46.34%),and the reasons for this were that patients'incorrect medication usage method,inappropriate usage and dosage,and unscheduled safety monitoring,etc.The pharmacist interventions were 75(91.46%)at the drug level,38(46.34%)at the physician level,and 43(52.44%)at the patient level;after the pharmacist interventions,the acceptance rate was in the range of 97.56%,and 74.39%of the DRPs were resolved.Conclusion PCNE classification system helps clinical pharmacists to enhance their ability to find and deal with DRPs,reduce the risk of clinical adverse events and promote reasonable and safe drug use.Meanwhile,it is conducive to the standardization of pharmaceutical care records for patients with respiratory diseases and provides reference for pharmaceutical service models for patients in the department of respiratory.

Objective:To explore the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D]and handgrip strength in middle-aged and elderly people in 5 cities of Western China.Methods:Based on the data of a cross-sectional survey conducted in the 5 cities of Western China from February to July 2023,the relevant demographic characteristics of people were collected by questionnaire,handgrip strength was collected by physical examination,and serum 25(OH)D was detected by HPLC-MS/MS.The association between the serum 25(OH)D and handgrip strength was analyzed using Logistic regres-sion and Chi-square test for between-group comparisons models.Results:The prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency among the middle-aged and elderly people in the 5 cities of Western China was 52.9％and 34.5％,respectively.The people who were older,female,and sampled in winter had lower serum 25(OH)D levels(P＜0.05).The prevalence of loss of handgrip strength among the mid-dle-aged and elderly people was 25.3％.The prevalence of handgrip strength loss was higher in the aged 65-80 participants with 25(OH)D deficiency(45.0％)than in those with 25(OH)D insufficiency(32.6％)and 25(OH)D sufficiency(20.6％).The highest prevalence of loss of handgrip strength was found in the aged 75-80 participants with 25(OH)D deficiency(62.1％),followed by the 25(OH)D insufficient group(11.1％,P＜0.05).The study found that middle-aged and elderly people with 25(OH)D deficiency had a 1.4-fold increased risk of handgrip strength loss compared with those with 25(OH)D sufficiency(OR=2.403,95％CI:1.202-4.804,P=0.013).No significant association was found between 25(OH)D insufficiency and handgrip strength status in the middle-aged and elderly people.For every 5 μg/L increase in total serum 25(OH)D,the risk of handgrip strength loss reduced by 13.1％(OR=0.869,95％CI:0.768-0.982,P=0.025).For every 5 μg/L increase in serum 25(OH)D2,the risk of handgrip strength loss reduced by 24.1％(OR=0.759,95％CI:0.582-0.990,P=0.042).No significant association was found between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and the risk of hand-grip strength loss.The risk of handgrip strength loss in middle-aged and elderly people was reduced by 25.2％for each incremental increase in the total serum 25(OH)D levels(deficient,insufficient and suf-ficient)(OR=0.748,95％CI:0.598-0.936,P=0.011).The risk of handgrip loss was reduced by 40.0％for each incremental increase in serum 25(OH)D levels in the aged 65-80 and aged 65-69 participants,and by 80.0％for each incremental increase in 25(OH)D levels in the aged 75-80 parti-cipants.Conclusion:Serum total 25(OH)D and 25(OH)D2 levels are associated with handgrip strength status in middle-aged and elderly people in the 5 cities of Western China.

Objective:To compare the effects of transurethral resection of the prostate(TURP)and transurethral columnar bal-loon dilatation of the prostate(TUCBDP)in the treatment of BPH.Methods:This study included 218 BPH patients treated in Qin-huangdao Workers'Hospital from July 2021 to November 2022,109 by TURP and the other 109 by TUCBDP.We followed up the patients for 12 months,observed their postoperative recovery,complications,serum pain,inflammatory index,cytokine level,urodynamic index,symptom improvement and quality of life(QOL)and compared the data obtained between the two groups of patients.Results:At 12 months after surgery,the total effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group(93.58%vs 84.40%,P<0.05),and the postoperative recovery was better in the former than in the latter(P<0.05).Compared with the baseline,the lev-els of serum prostaglandin E2(PGE2),substance P,tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)were remarkably increased in both of the groups on the first day after surgery(P<0.05),more significantly in the TURP than in the TUCBDP group(P<0.05),while the levels of serum PSA and E2 decreased and the T level elevated in all the patients at 3 months postoperatively(P<0.05),more significantly in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group(P<0.05).Before and at 3 and 12 months af-ter operation,the postvoid residual urine volume(PVR)and NIH-CPSI,IPSS and QOL scores showed a decreasing trend,while the maximum urinary flow rate(Qmax),maximum cystometric capacity(MCC)and maximum urethral closure pressure(MUCP)exhibited an increasing trend in both of the two groups,even more significantly in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group(P<0.05).Conclu-sion:TUCBDP is advantageous over TURP in promoting postoperative recovery,improving QOL,reducing postoperative pain,inflamma-tion and complications,regulating the levels of serum cytokines,and improving urodynamics and clinical symptoms in BPH patients.However,with the extension of postoperative time,the two strategies are basically comparable in improving the urodynamics,symptoms and QOL of the patients.