OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group. Rats were administrated intragastrically QDG [0.9 g/(kg•d)] or an equivalent volume of pure water for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, histopathological changes, cardiac function, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were measured. Furthermore, to gain insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of QDG against hypertension-induced cardiac injury, a network pharmacology study was conducted. Predicted results were validated by Western blot, radioimmunoassay immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of QDG resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure levels in SHRs (P<0.01). Histological examinations, including hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining revealed that QDG effectively attenuated hypertension-induced cardiac damage. Furthermore, echocardiography demonstrated that QDG improved hypertension-associated cardiac dysfunction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric method indicated that QDG significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory response levels in both myocardial tissue and serum (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both network pharmacology and experimental investigations confirmed that QDG exerted its beneficial effects in decreasing hypertension-induced cardiac damage by regulating the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II receptor type 1 axis and ACE/Ang II/Ang II receptor type 2 axis.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/pathology* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Rats ; Inflammation/pathology*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of different multi-modality fusion models for predicting radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) following radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: We retrospectively collected the data from 198 patients with locally advanced NPC who experienced RIOM following radiotherapy at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from September, 2022 to February, 2023. Based on oral radiation dose-volume parameters and clinical features of NPC, basic classification models were developed using different combinations of feature selection algorithms and classifiers and integrated using a multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM)-based classifier fusion (MCF) strategy and its variant, the H-MCF model. The basic classification models, MCF model, the H-MCF model with a single modality or multiple modalities and other ensemble classifiers were compared for performances for predicting RIOM by assessing the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: The H-MCF model, which integrated multi-modality features, achieved the highest accuracy for predicting severe RIOM with an AUC of 0.883, accuracy of 0.850, sensitivity of 0.933, and specificity of 0.800. CONCLUSIONS Compared with each of the individual classifiers, the multimodal multi-classifier fusion algorithm combining clinical and dosimetric modalities demonstrates superior performance in predicting the incidence of severe RIOM in NPC patients following radiotherapy.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/radiotherapy* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomatitis/diagnosis* ; Algorithms ; Radiation Injuries/diagnosis* ; Female ; Male ; ROC Curve

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of Dianxianqing granules on the tau protein in P301S mice by regulating mitophagy. METHODS Totally 36 P301S mice were randomly divided into model group， Dianxianqing granule group （12.48 g/kg）， donepezil hydrochloride group （positive control， 1.3 mg/kg）， with 12 mice in each group； another 10 C57BL6 mice were selected as control group. Administration groups were given relevant drug solutions intragastrically， and control group and model group were given constant volume of water intragastrically. The gavage volume was 20 mL/kg， once a day， for consecutive 5 months. During the experiment， the general condition of mice was observed in each group. After the last medication， the learning and memory ability was determined by Y maze test and Morris water maze test； HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes in brain tissue， and Nissl staining was used to observe the structure of neural cells and the number of Nissl bodies in cerebral tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of phospho-tau serine 202/threonine 205 （abbreviated as AT8） in brain tissue. Western blot assay was used to determine the expressions of mitophagy-associated proteins [PTEN-induced putative kinase-1 （PINK1）， Parkin， microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B）， p62]， synaptic-associated proteins [postsynaptic density protein-95 （PSD-95）， synaptophysin （SYP）， and growth-associated protein-43 （GAP-43）] and the phosphorylation of tau protein [expressed by the phosphorylation levels of serine 199 （Ser199） and Ser202] in brain tissue. RESULTS The mice in E-mail：lnzyxyqy2003@163.com model group showed symptoms such as white hair， decreased body mass， and lower limb paralysis， with incomplete hippocampal structures in their brain tissue， as well as incomplete cell membrane edges and cell structures； the spontaneous alternating response rate， the times of crossing platform， the number of Nissl bodies， the protein expressions of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， SYP， GAP-43， and PSD-95 were decreased significantly， compared with control group； swimming latency （fourth and fifth day）， the protein expressions of AT8 and p62，the phosphorylation levels of Ser199 and Ser202 were increased or lengthened significantly， compared with control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with model group， the above symptoms and indexes of mice were improved significantly in administration groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Dianxianqing granules can effectively improve cognitive impairment in P301S mice，the mechanism of which may be associated with inducing mitochondrial autophagy， reducing the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein， up-regulating the expression of synaptic-associated proteins in brain tissue，and repairing damaged neural cells.

Abstract: Objective　To evaluate the influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control measures on the transmission and epidemic of influenza in Chongqing, so as to provide references for formulating targeted influenza prevention and control strategies. Methods　The influenza surveillance data, during the year 2018 to 2020, were collected through the "China Influenza Surveillance Information System", and the seasonal characteristics of influenza epidemic were analyzed. The percentage of influenza like cases (ILI%) and influenza virus positive rate between 2020 and 2018-2019 were compared, so as to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control measures on influenza epidemic characteristics. Results　The annual proportions of ILI cases in Chongqing were respectively 3.53%, 2.23% and 1.2% from 2018 to 2020, while the positive rates of influenza virus were respectively 13.97%, 23.81% and 2.65%. The distribution trend of ILI% from 2018 to 2019 fluctuated were similar, but it continued to drop and remain at a low level since February 2020. The positive rate of influenza virus showed an epidemic peak from December to March in 2018-2019, also peaked from November 2019 to January 2020, but decreased to 0 in March. ILI% was positively correlated with the positive rate of influenza virus (r=0.404 8, P<0.05). In 2020, compared with the same period of 2018-2019, the growth rate of ILI% was -66.09% and -46.32%, respectively. The positive rate of influenza virus in 2020 decreased by 81.03% and 88.87% compared with the same period of 2018-2019, respectively. The growth rates of influenza virus positive rate in January 2020 were decreased with a small rate of about 39.87%, and with a significantly decline of more than 93.65% from February. No influenza epidemic was found after March. Conclusions　Since COVID-19 prevention and control measures were implemented in January 2020 in Chongqing, the ILI% and the positive rate of influenza virus in sentinel hospitals decreased significantly. In the season of high incidence of respiratory infectious diseases, personal protection and other measures can effectively reduce influenza virus infection.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disease. It is featured by abnormal alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Macroautophagy (autophagy) is an evolutionarily conserved cellular process for degradation of cellular contents, including protein aggregates, to maintain cellular homeostasis. Corynoxine B (Cory B), a natural alkaloid isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Jacks., has been reported to promote the clearance of α-syn in cell models by inducing autophagy. However, the molecular mechanism by which Cory B induces autophagy is not known, and the α-syn-lowering activity of Cory B has not been verified in animal models. Here, we report that Cory B enhanced the activity of Beclin 1/VPS34 complex and increased autophagy by promoting the interaction between Beclin 1 and HMGB1/2. Depletion of HMGB1/2 impaired Cory B-induced autophagy. We showed for the first time that, similar to HMGB1, HMGB2 is also required for autophagy and depletion of HMGB2 decreased autophagy levels and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase III activity both under basal and stimulated conditions. By applying cellular thermal shift assay, surface plasmon resonance, and molecular docking, we confirmed that Cory B directly binds to HMGB1/2 near the C106 site. Furthermore, in vivo studies with a wild-type α-syn transgenic drosophila model of PD and an A53T α-syn transgenic mouse model of PD, Cory B enhanced autophagy, promoted α-syn clearance and improved behavioral abnormalities. Taken together, the results of this study reveal that Cory B enhances phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase III activity/autophagy by binding to HMGB1/2 and that this enhancement is neuroprotective against PD.

Aim To study the inhibitory effect of attenuated salmonella SGN1, overexpressing methioninase, on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and the underlying mechanism. Methods The cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell apoptosis, clony formation and migration a-bility of 5-8F, HNE-2, CNE-2 cells were measured u-sing flow cytometry assay, clone formation assay, and wound assay after the methionine restriction treatment. 5-8F, HNE-2, CNE-2 cells were infected with SGN1 at the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1: 100 for 5 hours, followed with the measurement of cell growth. A xenograft model was constructed by subcutaneous injection of 5-8F cells in mice to observe the inhibitory effect of SGN1 on nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Results Compared with the control group, methionine restriction significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration ability, and clone formation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and blocked the G

The current clinical evidence and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were summarized, so as to better optimize clinical treatment. The relevant articles of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of IBS in recent years were retrieved and summarized. We found that the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of IBS was relatively reliable. However, the mutual relationships among various mechanisms of action such as abnormal gastrointestinal motility, high visceral sensitivity, intestinal microenvironment disorders, and abnormal intestinal-brain interactions need to be further explored. The authors believe that in-depth explorations of the bidirectional regulation of "gut-brain axis", the law of changes in the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora, and the establishment of a more ideal animal model of TCM syndrome differentiation are useful ideas for subsequent research.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion

Acupuncture can regulate peripheral inflammatory response mainly through somatosensory-vagal/sympathetic nerve-splenic/adrenal/local reflex pathway. Besides, acupuncture may also play an anti-inflammatory role through gut microbiota and neuro-endocrine pathway. The effects of acupuncture have acupoint specificity and time window effect, and are influenced by voltage, current and frequency of electroacupuncture. Future research should focus on the connection and interaction of multiple targets, pathways and mechanisms in the brain, and clarify the multi-target advantages of acupuncture anti-inflammatory.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Electroacupuncture

Objective: To evaluate the recognition of acute respiratory infection (ARI) by a pretrained model based on electronic medical records (EMRs). Methods: 38 581 EMRs were obtained from Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital in December 2021. Bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT) pretrained model was used to identify ARI in EMRs. The results of medical professionals were considered as the gold standard to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, Kappa value, and area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (AUC). Results: There were 3 817 EMRs in the test set, with 1 200 ARIs. A total of 1 205 cases were determined as ARI by the model, with a sensitivity of 92.67% (1 112/1 200) and a specificity of 96.45% (2 524/2 617). The model identified ARI with similar accuracy in males and females (AUCs 0.95 and 0.94, respectively), and was more accurate in identifying ARI cases in those aged less than 18 than in adults 18-59 and adults 60 and older (AUCs 0.94, 0.89 and 0.94, respectively). The current model had a better identification of ARIs in outpatient patients than that in hospitalized patients, with AUCs of 0.74 and 0.95, respectively. Conclusion: The use of the BERT pretrained model based on EMRs has a good performance in the recognition of ARI cases, especially for the outpatients and juveniles. It shows a great potential to be applied to the monitoring of ARI cases in medical institutions.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Electronic Health Records ; Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis* ; Outpatients

To analyze the risk factors for urinary tract infection (UTI) among inpatients. The case data of 1 875 inpatients receiving urinary bacterial culture in Beijing Haidian Hospital from October 2019 to May 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the etiological diagnostic criteria of UTI, they were divided into infection group and non-infection group. The species and distribution of pathogens in the infection group were analyzed, and the case data and laboratory indexes were subjected to univariate analysis. The variables with statistical significance were selected for binary logistic regression to analyze the risk factors of urinary tract infection and establish a prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn for each parameter included in the model, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The diagnostic and predictive efficacy of each parameter alone and their combination for UTI were evaluated. So, a total of 1 162 patients with non-infection group and 713 patients with UTI were detected. Among the cultured pathogens, the constituent ratio of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria and fungi was 57.2%(408/713), 35.9%(256/713) and 6.9%(49/713) respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that, Age, duration of urinary catheterization>7 d, stroke and orthopedic surgery were the risk factors of UTI among inpatients. The use of antibiotics is a protective factor for urinary tract infections. The prediction model of UTI was established by the risk factors, age, duration of urinary catheterization>7 d, stroke, orthopedic surgery, urinary leukocyte esterase, urinary nitrite and Coefficient of variability of red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW-CV). The AUC of the combination of the eight parameters in diagnosing and predicting UTI was 0.835 (95%CI: 0.816-0.855), with the sensitivity of 70.7% and the specificity of 82.8%. In conclusion,the combination of the eight parameters can better assist in the diagnosis and prediction of UTI, and provide an experimental basis for clinicians to judge UTI.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Inpatients ; Urinary Tract Infections/microbiology* ; Urinalysis ; Stroke