The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is crucial for regulating blood pressure and maintaining fluid balance, while clock genes are essential for sustaining biological rhythms and regulating metabolism. There exists a complex interplay between RAAS and clock genes that may significantly contribute to the development of various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Although current literature has identified correlations between these two systems, the specific mechanisms of their interaction remain unclear. Moreover, the interaction patterns under different physiological and pathological conditions need further investigation. This review summarizes the synergistic roles of the RAAS and clock genes in cardiovascular diseases, explores their molecular mechanisms and pathophysiological connections, discusses the application of chronotherapy, and highlights potential future research directions, aiming to provide novel insights for the prevention and treatment of related diseases.
Humans ; Renin-Angiotensin System/genetics* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/genetics* ; CLOCK Proteins/physiology* ; Animals

This study explores whether the current external quality assessment (EQA) level and acceptable bias for basic semen analysis in China are clinically useful. We collected data of semen EQA from Andrology laboratories in the Hunan Province (China) in 2022 and searched for data in the published literature from January 2000 to December 2023 in China. On the basis of these data, we analyzed the coefficients of variation and acceptable biases of different quality control materials for basic semen analysis through robust statistics. We compared these findings with quality specifications based on biological variation from optimal, desirable, and minimum levels of bias to seek a unified and more suitable semen EQA bias evaluation standard for China's national conditions. Different sources of semen quality control material exhibited considerable variation in acceptable biases among laboratories, ranging from 8.2% to 56.9%. A total of 50.0% of the laboratories met the minimum quality specifications for progressive motility (PR), whereas 100.0% and 75.0% of laboratories met only the minimum quality specifications for sperm concentration and total motility (nonprogressive [NP] + PR), respectively. The Z value for sperm concentration and PR+NP was equivalent to the desirable performance specification, whereas the Z value for PR was equivalent only to the minimum performance specification. This study highlights the feasibility of operating external quality assessment schemes for basic semen analysis using quality specifications based on biological variation. These specifications should be unified among external quality control (EQC) centers based on biological variation.
Semen Analysis/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Male ; Quality Control ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Count/standards*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition caused by dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system, remains difficult to treat due to limited understanding of its molecular mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis identified cerebellin 2 (CBLN2) as highly enriched in human and murine proprioceptive and nociceptive neurons. We found that CBLN2 expression is persistently upregulated in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. In addition, transcription factor SOX11 binds to 12 cis-regulatory elements within the Cbln2 promoter to enhance its transcription. SNL also induced SOX11 upregulation, with SOX11 and CBLN2 co-localized in nociceptive neurons. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Sox11 or Cbln2 attenuated SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. High-throughput sequencing of DRG following intrathecal injection of CBLN2 revealed widespread gene expression changes, including upregulation of numerous NF-κB downstream targets. Consistently, CBLN2 activated NF-κB signaling, and inhibition with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduced CBLN2-induced pain hypersensitivity, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines production, and neuronal hyperexcitability. Together, these findings identified the SOX11/CBLN2/NF-κB axis as a critical mediator of neuropathic pain and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
Animals ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; SOXC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Male ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Hyperalgesia/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Spinal Nerves

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis in Huangpu District, Shanghai Municipality from 2009 to 2023, so as to provide the evidence for formulating targeted pulmonary tuberculosis prevention and control strategies. Methods: Data of registered pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Huangpu District from 2009 to 2023, including gender, age, occupation, and pathogenetic test results, were collected from the Tuberculosis Management Information System of the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The registered incidence was calculated, and the trend was analyzed using the annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC). Spatial distribution pattern was analyzed using kernel density estimation and the average nearest neighbor methods. The temporal-spatial clustering characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis were identified using the spatio-temporal scan analysis. Results: A total of 2 726 pulmonary tuberculosis cases were registered in Huangpu District from 2009 to 2023. The registered incidence decreased from 31.20/100 000 in 2009 to 15.06/100 000 in 2023 (AAPC=-6.156%, P<0.05). A sharp declining trend was particularly observed from 2017 to 2023 (APC=-11.355%, P<0.05). Among them, 1 239 were pathogen-positive, and the pathogen positivity rate increased from 40.80% in 2009 to 71.05% in 2023 (P<0.05). There were 1 906 male cases and 820 female cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.32∶1. There were 798 cases aged 45-<60 years and 981 retirees, accounting for 29.27% and 35.99%, respectively. Temporal-spatial clustering analysis revealed spatial clustering areas during both 2009-2016 and 2017-2023 (both P<0.05). The clustering area for 2009-2016 was located in the central-eastern part of Huangpu District, with the clustering time in 2012. The clustering area for 2017-2023 was in the southwestern part, with the clustering time in 2017. Conclusions The registered incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Huangpu District showed a downward trend from 2009 to 2023. The spatial clustering areas were identified in the central-eastern part in Huangpu District in 2012 and the southwestern part in 2017.

With the establishment of bio-psycho-social medical model,both social and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence,development and treatment of diseases.Hypertension is a common chronic multiple disease in China,and patients are often complicated with depression and other e-motional disorders.The interaction between hypertension and depression significantly increases the risk of poor prognosis.Current studies have shown a bidirectional promoting relationship between hypertension and depression,and they have some com-mon pathogenesis.However,the specific mechanism of their co-morbidity has not been fully elucidated.Renin-angiotensin sys-tem(RAS)plays an important role in the regulation of hyperten-sion and depression and other emotions.It is composed of two antagonistic pathways.The balance is maintained by angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).Therefore,this article reviews the relationship and mechanism of RAS in hypertension,depres-sion and comorbid states,in order to provide new treatment ide-as for hypertension and depression.

Objective To investigate the effects of Bushen Shengjing Tiaohe Qixue Prescription on rats with diminished ovarian reserve(DOR)based on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Methods Totally 60 8-week-old SD female rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,estradiol valerate group and TCM low-,medium-and high-dosage groups,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the control group,the rats in the other groups were given a single intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide 75 mg/kg to replicate the DOR rat model.From the next day of modeling,the corresponding drugs was administered for medication groups by gavage for 3 weeks.The general conditions of the rats were observed,ELISA was used to detect the contents of serum follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH),estradiol(E2),anti-mullerian hormone(AMH)and inhibin B(INHB),HE staining was used to observe the morphologic changes in ovarian tissue,Western blot was used to detect GSK3β,β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC protein expressions in ovarian tissues,immunohistochemical staining was used to observe β-catenin expression in ovarian tissue,RT-qPCR was used to detect Wnt1,Wnt2,Wnt4,GSK3β,β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC mRNA expression in ovarian tissue,transmission electron microscopy was used to observe ultrapathologic structure of ovarian granulosa cells.Results Compared with the control group,the rats in the model group had reduced intake of food and water,slow or even reduced body mass gain,and disturbed estrous cycle,the serum contents of FSH and LH increased(P<0.01),the contents of E2,AMH and INHB decreased(P<0.01);the number of follicles of all levels in ovarian tissue was reduced,and there was increased number of atretic follicles with disturbed arrangement of the granulosa cells;the expression of GSK3β protein in ovarian tissue increased(P<0.01),the expression of β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC protein decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and β-catenin positive expression decreased(P<0.01),the expression of Wnt1,Wnt2,Wnt4,β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC mRNA in ovarian tissue decreased(P<0.01),GSK3β mRNA expression was increased(P<0,01);organelles such as mitochondria and nuclei of ovarian granulosa cells were highly swollen and partially lysed.Compared with the model group,the rats in the administered group all had different degrees of body mass increase,partial restoration of the motility cycle,serum FSH and LH contents decreased,and serum E2,AMH and INHB contents increased(P<0.01,P<0.05);the number of follicles at all levels in ovarian tissue increased to varying degrees,and the atretic follicles were reduced;the expression of GSK3β protein in ovarian tissue decreased,β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC protein expressions increased,β-catenin positive expression increased,the expression of Wnt1,Wnt2,Wnt4,β-catenin,CyclinD1 and c-MYC mRNA in ovarian tissue increased,and GSK3β mRNA expression decreased,with statistical significance in estradiol valerate group and TCM high-dosage group(P<0.05,P<0.01);mitochondria,endoplasmic reticulum and other organelles of ovarian granulosa cells were mildly to moderately swollen.Conclusion Bushen Shengjing Tiaohe Qixue Prescription can improve ovarian function and regulate serum sex hormone levels in DOR model rats,and its mechanism might be related to the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

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OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult