ObjectiveMicrotube associated protein-2 （MAP-2）， alpha-tubulin （α-tubulin）， and synaptophysin （SYP） are important proteins in neuronal signal communication. This paper observed the effects of modified Zhigancao Tang on the expression of serum α-Synuclein （α-Syn） and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP of patients with liver and kidney deficiency of Parkinson's disease （PD）， analyzed their correlation， and evaluated the therapeutic effect of modified Zhigancao Tang in patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD based on α-Syn transmission pathway mediated by neuronal communication in vivo. MethodsA total of 60 patients with PD who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a treatment group （30 cases） and a control group （30 cases）. Both groups were treated on the basis of PD medicine， and the treatment group was treated with modified Zhigancao Tang. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The changes in UPDRS score， TCM syndrome score， and expression of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP were observed before and after 12 weeks of treatment in each group. The correlation between the above-mentioned serum biological indexes and the levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers was analyzed. ResultsAfter treatment， the TCM syndrome score， UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ score of the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ scores in the treatment group were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total effective rate of the control group was 63.3% （19/30）， and that of the treatment group was 86.7% （26/30）. The clinical effect of the observation group was better than the control group （Z=-2.03， P<0.05）. The total effective rate of the observation group was better than that of the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （χ²=5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， the oligomer level of serum α-Syn and MAP-2 level in the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， as well as α-tubulin in the treatment group， were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum α-Syn was correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-Syn oligomer in patients with PD （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP . Serum α-Syn oligomers of patients with PD were correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-tubulin （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP level. Serum SYP of patients with PD was correlated with serum MAP-2 （P<0.05）. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Tang has a therapeutic effect on patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD by inhibiting the production of α-Syn oligomers and intervening α-Syn microtubule transport pathway in vivo.

Background Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is a serious occupational disease in China. Exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can serve as the "breath fingerprint" of internal pathological processes, which provides a theoretical basis for exhaled VOCs to be used as potential non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Objective To screen out the characteristic VOCs and important characteristic VOCs of exhaled air in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and to explore the potential of these VOCs as biomarkers for early non-invasive diagnosis of the disease. Methods In this study, 27 VOCs in the exhaled breath of 22 patients with stage I coal workers' pneumoconiosis, 77 workers exposed to dust, and 92 healthy controls were quantitatively detected by thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Substances with P<0.05 in univariate analysis and variable importance projection (VIP) >1 in supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model were selected as the characteristic VOCs for early diagnosis of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Age was included in the LASSO regression model as a covariate to screen out important characteristic VOCs, and the diagnostic performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Spearman correlation was further used to explore the correlation between important characteristic VOCs and clinical lung function indicators. Results Through univariate analysis and OPLS-DA modeling, 8 VOCs were selected, including 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, n-hexane, methylcyclopentane, n-heptane, methylcyclohexane, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and 2-hexanone, in exhaled breath of patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis. The concentrations of 4 VOCs, including 3-methylpentane, n-hexane, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and 2-hexanone, showed a decreasing trend with the increase of dust exposure years. By LASSO regression, the important characteristic VOCs of the coal workers' pneumoconiosis group and the dust exposure group were n-hexane, methylcyclohexane and 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and the important characteristic VOCs of the coal workers' pneumoconiosis group and the healthy group were 2-methyl-pentane and 4-methyl-2-pentanone. The ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of n-hexane, methylcyclohexane, and 4-methyl-2-pentanone were 0.969, 0.909, and 0.956, respectively, and the AUC of combined diagnosis was 0.988 and its Youden index was 0.961, suggesting that these results can serve as a valuable reference for further research on early diagnosis. The Correlation analysis found that there was a positive correlation between n-hexane and lung function indicators in the important characteristic VOCs, indicating that it could indirectly reflect the obstruction of lung function ventilation, further proving that important characteristic VOCs have the potential to monitor lung function decline. Conclusion Three important characteristic VOCs selected in this study have the potential to be used as non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and disease monitoring of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and are worthy of further study and verification.

Ecological cultivation is an important way for the sustainable production of traditional Chinese medicine in the context of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Facility cultivation and simulative habitat cultivation modes have been developed and applied to develop the endangered Dendrobium huoshanense on the basis of protection. However, the differences in the greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential of these cultivation modes remain unexplored, which limits the accurate assessment of carbon-friendly ecological cultivation modes of D. huoshanense. Greenhouse gas emission flux monitoring based on the static chamber method provides an effective way to solve this problem. Therefore, this study conducted a field experiment in the facility cultivation and simulative habitat cultivation modes at a D. huoshanense cultivation base in Dabie Mountains, Anhui Province. From April 2023 to March 2024, samples of greenhouse gases were collected every month, and the concentrations of CO_2, CH_4, and N_2O of the samples were then detected by gas chromatography. The greenhouse gas emission fluxes, cumulative emissions, and global warming potential were further calculated, and the following results were obtained.(1)The two cultivation modes of D. huoshanense showed significant differences in greenhouse gas emission fluxes, especially the CO_2 emission flux, with a pattern of facility cultivation>simulative habitat cultivation [(35.60±11.70)mg·m~(-2)·h~(-1) vs(2.10±4.59)mg·m~(-2)·h~(-1)].(2) The annual cumulative CO_2 emission flux in the case of facility cultivation was significantly higher than that of simulative habitat cultivation[(3 077.00±842.00)kg·hm~(-2) vs(221.00±332.00)kg·hm~(-2)], while no significant difference was found in annual cumulative CH_4 and N_2O emission fluxes.(3) The facility cultivation mode had a significantly higher global warming potential than the simulative habitat cultivation mode [(3 053.00±847.00)kg·hm~(-2) vs(196.00±362.00)kg·hm~(-2)]. Overall, the simulative habitat cultivation of D. huoshanense has obvious carbon-friendly characteristics compared with facility cultivation, which is in line with the concept of ecological cultivation of medicinal plants. This study is of great reference significance for the implementation and promotion of the ecological cultivation mode of D. huoshanense under carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Greenhouse Gases/metabolism* ; Carbon/analysis* ; Ecosystem ; Carbon Dioxide/metabolism* ; China ; Global Warming

This article reports the clinical features and gene mutation types of a large family with Nascimento form of syndromic X-linked intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSN), involving 9 individuals across 3 generations, and a literature review was conducted. In this family, 9 individuals had similar manifestations including mental retardation and unusual facies, and 4 of them had passed away. Genetic testing showed that the proband had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene, which was inherited from the mother. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the proband and his uncle had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's mother, grandmother, and great-aunt had a heterozygous deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's father, sister, and aunt had a normal copy number of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene. The 34 patients reported in the literature had diverse clinical phenotypes, and UBE2A gene mutations (22/34, 65%) and large fragment deletions (12/34, 35%) were the main mutation types. Moderate to severe mental retardation (34/34, 100%), speech and language impairment (33/34, 97%), and unusual facies (32/34, 94%) were the main clinical manifestations of MRXSN patients. The disease has obvious phenotypic heterogeneity, and early diagnosis facilitates optimal prenatal and postnatal management to improve reproductive outcomes.
Humans ; Male ; Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes/genetics* ; Female ; X-Linked Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Gene Deletion ; Child ; Pedigree ; Child, Preschool ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Tanreqing Injection (TRQ) on the activation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in macrophages infected with influenza A virus and the underlying mechanism based on mitophagy pathway. METHODS: The inflammatory model of murine macrophage J774A.1 induced by influenza A virus [strain A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1), PR8] was constructed and treated by TRQ, while the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant Mito-TEMPO and autophagy specific inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) were used as controls to intensively study the anti-inflammatory mechanism of TRQ based on mitophagy-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS)-NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. The levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1 p20, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 II (LC3II) and P62 proteins were measured by Western blot. The release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, the mtROS level was detected by flow cytometry, and the immunofluorescence and co-localization of LC3 and mitochondria were observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy. RESULTS: Similar to the effect of Mito-TEMPO and contrary to the results of 3-MA treatment, TRQ could significantly reduce the expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1 p20, and autophagy adaptor P62, promote the expression of autophagy marker LC3II, enhance the mitochondrial fluorescence intensity, and inhibit the release of mtROS and IL-1β (all P<0.01). Moreover, LC3 was co-localized with mitochondria, confirming the type of mitophagy. CONCLUSION TRQ could reduce the level of mtROS by promoting mitophagy in macrophages infected with influenza A virus, thus inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the release of IL-1β, and attenuating the inflammatory response.
Mitophagy/drug effects* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Animals ; Macrophages/virology* ; Inflammasomes/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Injections

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential effects and mechanisms of Liang-Ge-San (LGS) for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) through network pharmacology analysis and to verify LGS activity through biological experiments. METHODS: The key ingredients of LGS and related targets were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. ARDS-related targets were selected from GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed using the Metascape Database. Molecular docking analysis was used to confirm the binding affinity of the core compounds with key therapeutic targets. Finally, the effects of LGS on key signaling pathways and biological processes were determined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: A total of LGS-related targets and 496 ARDS-related targets were obtained from the databases. Network pharmacological analysis suggested that LGS could treat ARDS based on the following information: LGS ingredients luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein may be potential candidate agents. Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (MAPK14), recombinant V-Rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RELA), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) may be potential therapeutic targets. Reactive oxygen species metabolic process and the apoptotic signaling pathway were the main biological processes. The p38MAPK/NF-κ B signaling pathway might be the key signaling pathway activated by LGS against ARDS. Moreover, molecular docking demonstrated that luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein had a good binding affinity with MAPK14, RELA, and TNF α. In vitro experiments, LGS inhibited the expression and entry of p38 and p65 into the nucleation in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE) cells induced by LPS, inhibited the inflammatory response and oxidative stress response, and inhibited HBE cell apoptosis (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In vivo experiments, LGS improved lung injury caused by ligation and puncture, reduced inflammatory responses, and inhibited the activation of p38MAPK and p65 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION LGS could reduce reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting p38MAPK/NF-κ B signaling pathway, thus reducing apoptosis and attenuating ARDS.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/enzymology* ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Animals ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Humans ; Male ; Network Pharmacology ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Mice

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory effects of two traditional mineral medicines (TMMs), Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao, GF) and Terra Flava Usta (Zaoxintu, TFU), on gut-beneficial bacteria in mice, and preliminarily explore their mechanisms of action. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 per group): the control group (standard diet), the GF group (diet supplemented with 2% GF), and the TFU group (diet supplemented with 2% TFU). After 4-week intervention, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the changes in the gut microbiota (GM). Scanning electron microscopy, in combination with coumarin A tetramethyl rhodamine conjugate and Hoechst stainings, was used to observe the bacteria and biofilm formation. RESULTS: Principal coordinate analysis revealed that GF and TFU significantly altered the GM composition in mice. Further analysis revealed that GF and TFU affected different types of gut bacteria, suggesting that different TMMs may selectively modulate specific bacterial populations. For certain bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum and Ileibacterium, both GF and TFU exhibited growth-promoting effects, implying that they may be sensitive to TMMs and that different TMMs can increase their abundance through their respective mechanisms. Notably, Lactobacillus reuteri, a widely recognized and used probiotic, was significantly enriched in the GF group. Random forest analysis identified Ileibacterium valens as a potential indicator bacterium for TMMs' impact on GM. Further mechanistic studies showed that gut bacteria formed biofilm structures on the TFU surface. CONCLUSIONS This study provides new insights into the interaction between TMMs and GM. As safe and effective natural clays, GF and TFU hold promise as potential candidates for prebiotic development.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Bacteria/growth & development* ; Mice ; Biofilms/drug effects* ; Male ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

Objective To summarize the effect of the timing of lung transplantation and related treatment measures on clinical prognosis of patients with paraquat poisoning. Methods Clinical data of a patient with paraquat poisoning undergoing bilateral lung transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, diagnosis and treatment of this patient were summarized and analyzed. Results A 17-year-old adolescent was admitted to hospital due to nausea, vomiting, cough and systemic fatigue after oral intake of 20-30 mL of 25% paraquat. After symptomatic support treatment, the oxygen saturation was not improved, and pulmonary fibrosis continued to progress. Therefore, sequential bilateral lung transplantation was performed under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). After postoperative rehabilitation and active prevention and treatment for postoperative complications, the patient was discharged at postoperative 50 d. Conclusions The timing of lung transplantation after paraquat poisoning may be selected when the liver and kidney function start to recover. Active and targeted prevention of potential pathogen infection in perioperative period and early rehabilitation training contribute to improving clinical prognosis of lung transplant recipients.

Background: Genetic defects in the human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TSHR) gene can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). However, the biological functions and comprehensive genotype–phenotype relationships for most TSHR variants associated with CH remain unexplored. We aimed to identify TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH, analyze the functions of the variants, and explore the relationships between TSHR genotypes and clinical phenotypes. Methods: In total, 367 patients with CH were recruited for TSHR variant screening using whole-exome sequencing. The effects of the variants were evaluated by in-silico programs such as SIFT and polyphen2. Furthermore, these variants were transfected into 293T cells to detect their Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling activity. Results: Among the 367 patients with CH, 17 TSHR variants, including three novel variants, were identified in 45 patients, and 18 patients carried biallelic TSHR variants. In vitro experiments showed that 10 variants were associated with Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling pathway impairment to varying degrees. Patients with TSHR biallelic variants had lower serum TSH levels and higher free triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels at diagnosis than those with DUOX2 biallelic variants. Conclusions We found a high frequency of TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH (12.3%), and 4.9% of cases were caused by TSHR biallelic variants. Ten variants were identified as loss-of-function variants. The data suggest that the clinical phenotype of CH patients caused by TSHR biallelic variants is relatively mild. Our study expands the TSHR variant spectrum and provides further evidence for the elucidation of the genetic etiology of CH.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatments and fertility recovery of rudimentary horn pregnancy (RHP). Methods: The clinical data of 12 cases with RHP diagnosed and treated in Peking University Third Hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical informations, diagnosis and treatments of RHP and the pregnancy status after surgery were analyzed. Results: The median age of 12 RHP patients was 29 years (range: 24-37 years). Eight cases of pregnancy in residual horn of uterus occurred in type Ⅰ residual horn of uterus, 4 cases occurred in type Ⅱ residual horn of uterus; among which 5 cases were misdiagnosed by ultrasound before surgery. All patients underwent excision of residual horn of uterus and affected salpingectomy. After surgery, 9 patients expected future pregnancy, and 3 cases of natural pregnancy, 2 cases of successful pregnancy through assisted reproductive technology. Four pregnancies resulted in live birth with cesarean section, and 1 case resulted in spontaneous abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. No uterine rupture or ectopic pregnancy occurred in subsequent pregnancies. Conclusions: Ultrasonography could aid early diagnosis of RHP while misdiagnosis occurred in certain cases. Thus, a comprehensive judgment and decision ought to be made based on medical history, physical examination and assisted examination. Surgical exploration is necessary for diagnosis and treatment of RHP. For infertile patients, assisted reproductive technology should be applied when necessary. Caution to prevent the occurrence of pregnancy complications such as uterine rupture, and application of cesarean section to terminate pregnancy are recommended.
Pregnancy ; Humans ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Cesarean Section/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy, Ectopic/surgery* ; Pregnancy, Cornual/surgery* ; Uterus/surgery* ; Uterine Rupture/etiology* ; Abortion, Spontaneous