ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of heat-sensitive moxibustion on chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsFifty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into blank group （n=14） and modeling group （n=44）. Rats in the blank group were fed routinely， while the rats in the modeling group received drinking water containing 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） at a concentration of 140 μg/ml， combined with irregular fasting and feeding for 12 weeks to establish CAG model. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into model group （n=10）， inhibitor group （n=10） and moxibustion group （n=20）. After 40 minutes of suspended moxibustion at "Zhongwan" （CV 12） daily， the rats in the moxibustion group were divided into heat-sensitive moxibustion group （n=10） and non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group （n=9） according to the change of tail temperature during moxibustion. The inhibitor group was bound for 40 minutes daily， and then administered with PI3K/Akt signaling pathway inhibitor， rapamycin solution， by gavage at a dose of 1 mg/kg. The model group received intragastric administration of 1 ml/kg normal saline after 40 minutes of restraint stress each day. All interventions were administered once daily for 28 consecutive days， while the blank group received no intervention. After the intervention finished， the body weight of rats in each group was compared. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa. The apoptosis-positive rate of gastric mucosal cells was detected by TUNEL assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the protein levels of matric metalloproteinase-7 （MMP7）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA） and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） in gastric mucosa. The mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） in gastric mucosal tissues were detected by qPCR. The protein levels of phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt） and phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR） in rat gastric mucosal tissues were measured by Western Blotting. ResultsCompared to the blank group， rats in all other groups exhibited decreased body weight， significantly increased gastric mucosal cell apoptosis-positive rates， elevated protein levels of MMP7， VEGFA and EGFR in gastric mucosa， increased mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mTOR， and enhanced protein expression levels of p-Akt and p-mTOR （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed thinning of the gastric mucosa， glandular disorganization and atrophy， accompanied by intestinal metaplasia.Compared to the model group， the heat-sensitive moxibustion group， the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group and the inhibitor group all showed significant improvements in the above-mentioned indicators （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the heat-sensitive moxibustion group， the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group and the inhibitor group exhibited increased positive rates of gastric mucosal cell apoptosis； the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group showed increased protein levels of MMP7， VEGFA and EGFR， as well as mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mTOR， and protein expressions of p-Akt and p-mTOR； the inhibitor group exhibited elevated protein expression level of EGFR （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Histopathological examination showed that the gastric mucosal glands in the heat-sensitive moxibustion group were arranged more regularly， with an approximately normal structural appearance. ConclusionHeat-sensitive moxibustion can improve the body weight of CAG rats and repair gastric mucosal injury. Its therapeutic effects may be mediated by inhibiting excessive activation of gastric mucosal PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， thereby reducing gastric mucosal cell apoptosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of heat-sensitive moxibustion on chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsFifty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into blank group （n=14） and modeling group （n=44）. Rats in the blank group were fed routinely， while the rats in the modeling group received drinking water containing 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） at a concentration of 140 μg/ml， combined with irregular fasting and feeding for 12 weeks to establish CAG model. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into model group （n=10）， inhibitor group （n=10） and moxibustion group （n=20）. After 40 minutes of suspended moxibustion at "Zhongwan" （CV 12） daily， the rats in the moxibustion group were divided into heat-sensitive moxibustion group （n=10） and non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group （n=9） according to the change of tail temperature during moxibustion. The inhibitor group was bound for 40 minutes daily， and then administered with PI3K/Akt signaling pathway inhibitor， rapamycin solution， by gavage at a dose of 1 mg/kg. The model group received intragastric administration of 1 ml/kg normal saline after 40 minutes of restraint stress each day. All interventions were administered once daily for 28 consecutive days， while the blank group received no intervention. After the intervention finished， the body weight of rats in each group was compared. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa. The apoptosis-positive rate of gastric mucosal cells was detected by TUNEL assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the protein levels of matric metalloproteinase-7 （MMP7）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA） and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） in gastric mucosa. The mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） in gastric mucosal tissues were detected by qPCR. The protein levels of phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt） and phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR） in rat gastric mucosal tissues were measured by Western Blotting. ResultsCompared to the blank group， rats in all other groups exhibited decreased body weight， significantly increased gastric mucosal cell apoptosis-positive rates， elevated protein levels of MMP7， VEGFA and EGFR in gastric mucosa， increased mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mTOR， and enhanced protein expression levels of p-Akt and p-mTOR （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed thinning of the gastric mucosa， glandular disorganization and atrophy， accompanied by intestinal metaplasia.Compared to the model group， the heat-sensitive moxibustion group， the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group and the inhibitor group all showed significant improvements in the above-mentioned indicators （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the heat-sensitive moxibustion group， the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group and the inhibitor group exhibited increased positive rates of gastric mucosal cell apoptosis； the non-heat-sensitive moxibustion group showed increased protein levels of MMP7， VEGFA and EGFR， as well as mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt and mTOR， and protein expressions of p-Akt and p-mTOR； the inhibitor group exhibited elevated protein expression level of EGFR （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Histopathological examination showed that the gastric mucosal glands in the heat-sensitive moxibustion group were arranged more regularly， with an approximately normal structural appearance. ConclusionHeat-sensitive moxibustion can improve the body weight of CAG rats and repair gastric mucosal injury. Its therapeutic effects may be mediated by inhibiting excessive activation of gastric mucosal PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， thereby reducing gastric mucosal cell apoptosis.

GPR126, also known as ADGRG6, is one of the most deeply studied aGPCRs. Initially, GPR126 was thought to be a receptor associated with muscle development and was primarily expressed in the muscular and skeletal systems. With the deepening of research, it was found that GPR126 is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues and organs, and is involved in many biological processes such as embryonic development, nervous system development, and extracellular matrix interactions. Compared with other aGPCRs proteins, GPR126 has a longer N-terminal domain, which can bind to ligands one-to-one and one-to-many. Its N-terminus contains five domains, a CUB (complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1) domain, a PTX (Pentraxin) domain, a SEA (Sperm protein, Enterokinase, and Agrin) domain, a hormone binding (HormR) domain, and a conserved GAIN domain. The GAIN domain has a self-shearing function, which is essential for the maturation, stability, transport and function of aGPCRs. Different SEA domains constitute different GPR126 isomers, which can regulate the activation and closure of downstream signaling pathways through conformational changes. GPR126 has a typical aGPCRs seven-transmembrane helical structure, which can be coupled to Gs and Gi, causing cAMP to up- or down-regulation, mediating transmembrane signaling and participating in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. GPR126 is activated in a tethered-stalk peptide agonism or orthosteric agonism, which is mainly manifested by self-proteolysis or conformational changes in the GAIN domain, which mediates the rapid activation or closure of downstream pathways by tethered agonists. In addition to the tethered short stem peptide activation mode, GPR126 also has another allosteric agonism or tunable agonism mode, which is specifically expressed as the GAIN domain does not have self-shearing function in the physiological state, NTF and CTF always maintain the binding state, and the NTF binds to the ligand to cause conformational changes of the receptor, which somehow transmits signals to the GAIN domain in a spatial structure. The GAIN domain can cause the 7TM domain to produce an activated or inhibited signal for signal transduction, For example, type IV collagen interacts with the CUB and PTX domains of GPR126 to activate GPR126 downstream signal transduction. GPR126 has homology of 51.6%-86.9% among different species, with 10 conserved regions between different species, which can be traced back to the oldest metazoans as well as unicellular animals.In terms of diseases, GPR126 dysfunction involves the pathological process of bone, myelin, embryo and other related diseases, and is also closely related to the occurrence and development of malignant tumors such as breast cancer and colon cancer. However, the biological function of GPR126 in various diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target still needs further research. This paper focuses on the structure, interspecies differences and conservatism, signal transduction and biological functions of GPR126, which provides ideas and references for future research on GPR126.

Objective To explore the relationship between dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI)and clinical pathological features of invasive breast cancer and lymphovascular invasion(LVI).Methods Imaging and clinical pathological data were retrospectively collected from 508 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent breast DCE-MRI at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to August 2021.Patients were divided into the LVI-positive(LVI+)group(n=79)and LVI-negative(LVI-)group(n=429)based on postoperative pathological results.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for LVI.Results Compared with LVI-group,LVI+group had a higher proportion of patients aged<45 years(44.3%vs.27.0%,P=0.002),non-mass-like enhancement(NME)(31.7%vs.17.7%,P=0.004),Ki-67 expression rate(40.0%vs.30.0%,P<0.001),high Ki-67 expression(94.9%vs.78.1%,P=0.001),Luminal B subtype(76.0%vs.60.1%,P=0.008),and positive axillary lymph nodes rate(72.2%vs.31.5%,P<0.001),while the proportion of Luminal A subtype was lower(2.5%vs.21.5%,P<0.001).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age≥45 years(OR=0.468,95%CI 0.280-0.783,P=0.004)was an independent protective factor for LVI,while NME(OR=1.987,95%CI 1.126-3.444,P=0.016)was an independent risk factor.Compared with Luminal A subtype,patients with Luminal B subtype(OR=10.482,95%CI 3.164-64.923,P=0.001),HER-2 overexpression subtype(OR=11.571,95%CI 2.755-79.341,P=0.003)and triple-negative subtypes(OR=8.433,95%CI 1.985-57.908,P=0.009)had a higher risk of LVI.Conclusions Age≥45 years is an independent protective factor for LVI,while NME is an independent risk factor.Among molecular subtypes,patients with Luminal B,HER-2 overexpression and triple-negative subtypes have a higher risk of LVI compared with the Luminal A subtype.

Microbial detection and control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are crucial for the quality control of TCM preparations. It is also a key area of research in the measurement technology and equipment development for TCM manufacturing. Guided by TCM manufacturing measurement methodologies, this study presented a design of a novel portable microbial detection device, using Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma decoction pieces as a demonstration. Immunomagnetic separation technology was employed for specific isolation and labeling of target microorganisms. Enzymatic signal amplification was utilized to convert weak biological signals into colorimetric signals, constructing an optical biosensor. A self-developed smartphone APP was further applied to analyze the colorimetric signals and quantify target concentrations. A portable and automated detection system based on Arduino microcontroller was developed to automatically perform target microbial separation/extraction, as well as mimetic enzyme labeling and catalytic reactions. The developed equipment specifically focuses on the rapid and quantitative microbial analysis of TCM active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates in TCM manufacturing, and final TCM products. Experimental results demonstrate that the equipment could detect Salmonella in samples within 2 h, with a detection limit as low as 5.1 × 10~3 CFU·mL~(-1). The equipment enables the rapid detection of microorganisms in TCM decoction pieces, providing a potential technical solution for on-site rapid screening of microbial contamination indicators in TCM. It has broad application prospects in measurement technology for TCM manufacturing and offers strong technical support for the modernization, industrialization, and intelligent development of TCM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Atractylodes/microbiology* ; Rhizome/microbiology* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Colorimetry/instrumentation* ; Quality Control

Cervical spine health issues not only seriously affect patients' quality of life but also impose a heavy burden on the social healthcare system. Existing guidelines lack sufficient clinical guidance on lifestyle and work habits, such as exercise, posture, daily routine, and diet, making it difficult to meet practical needs. To address this, relying on the China Association of Chinese Medicine, Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences took the lead and joined hands with more than ten institutions to form a multidisciplinary guideline development group. For the first time, the group developed the Guidelines for Cervical Spine Health Intervention based on evidence-based medicine methods, strictly following the standardized procedures outlined in the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development and the Guiding Principles for the Formulation/Revision of Clinical Practice Guidelines in China (2022 Edition). This proposal systematically explains the methods and steps for developing the guideline, aiming to make the guideline development process scientific, standardized, and transparent.
Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic/standards* ; Cervical Vertebrae ; China

Objective:This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of the maladaptation of H3N2 influenza virus in chicken embryos, provide a theoretical basis for the restoration of H3N2 influenza vaccine production in chicken embryos.Methods:Samples of respiratory secretions from patients with influenza-like symptoms (Influenza-like Illness, ILI) caused by H3N2 influenza virus were inoculated into chicken embryos and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cells (MDCK), respectively. After isolating the virus, hemagglutination experiments were conducted to detect hemagglutination titers and hemagglutination inhibition experiments were used to compare antigenic differences; further, whole-genome sequencing of H3N2 influenza virus was performed using second-generation high-throughput gene sequencing (Next Generation High-Throughput Gene Sequencing, NGS), and key amino acid sites of mutations were identified through sequence alignment; combined with sialic acid receptor binding experiments, the differences in the binding of wild-type and mutant receptor binding sites (RBS) to sialic acid receptors were compared; finally, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation method were used to explore the specific molecular mechanisms of how mutation sites affect the differences in the affinity of the RBS pocket for sialic acid receptors.Results:The hemagglutination assay result indicated that both chicken embryos and MDCK cells could isolate the influenza virus, and the hemagglutination inhibition test showed that no antigenic differences were produced in the isolated strains. NGS analysis revealed that the H3N2 virus underwent an F195Y mutation in the (RBS) region of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein after adaptation through chicken embryo passages. Receptor-binding experiments demonstrated that the F195Y mutation enhanced the virus′s binding ability to α2, 3-linked sialic acid glycan (Neu5Acα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-PAA, 3′SLN), while the mutation did not affect the affinity of the RBS pocket for α2, 6-linked sialic acid glycan (Neu5Acα2-6Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-PAA, 6′SLN). Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation result indicate that the F195Y mutation, by replacing a hydrophobic amino acid with a hydrophilic one, leads to a significant decrease in the structure of the RBS pocket, enhancing the binding stability of the H3N2 influenza virus with α2, 3-sln. This is specifically manifested by an increase in binding time and an increase in the number of hydrogen bonds at the RBS site with the receptor. Furthermore, the F195Y mutation does not alter the binding of the virus to other receptors.Conclusions:The F195Y mutation in the RBS pocket of H3N2 influenza virus is a key site affecting the viral chicken embryo inadaptability.

Objective To investigate the effect of osthole(Ost)on neuroinflammation in IS rats by regulating the HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway.Methods After rat IS model was established with middle cerebral artery occlusion by intraluminal suture,40 model rats were grouped into model group,low-and high-dose Ost(Ost-L and Ost-H)groups,and Ost-H+recombinant rHMGB1(Ost-H+rHMGB1)group,with 10 rats in each groups.Another 10 rats served as sham operation group.Zea-Longa scoring was used to evaluate the neurological function.Serum nerve growth factor(NGF)and LDH levels,and hippocampal TNF-α,IL-10,and IL-1β contents were detected by ELISA.Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining,Nissl staining,and TUNEL staining were applied respectively to observe the volume of cerebral infarction,hippocampal morphology,and apoptosis in hippocampal tissue cells.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the hip-pocampus was detected by hydroxylamine assay,and that of catalases(CAT)was by ammonium molybdate.The content of malonic dialdehyde(MDA)was determined by thiobarbituric acid method.Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,NF-κB,and p-NF-κB in brain tissue.Results The model group showed obvious damage in the hippocampal tissues,higher neurological function score,increased stroke volume percentage,serum LDH level and hippocampal TNF-α and IL-1βlevels,elevated neuronal apoptot-ic rate and MDA content,and up-regulation of cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,and p-NF-κB/NF-κB proteins,while decreased serum NGF level,hippocampal IL-10 content and SOD and CAT activities when compared with the sham group(P＜0.05).Low-and high-dose Ost treatment re-sulted in obviously declined damage in the hippocampal tissue,decreased neurological function score,lower stroke volume percentage,reduced serum LDH level and hippocampal tissue TNF-αand IL-1β contents,lower neuronal apoptotic rate and MDA content,and down-regulated cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,and p-NF-κB/NF-κB protein,while raised serum NGF level,hipp-ocampal IL-10 content and SOD and CAT activities when compared with the model group(265.84±34.76 pg/ml and 394.52±41.68 pg/ml vs 187.56±23.54 pg/ml,P＜0.05;41.84±5.67 pg/ml and 68.57±8.39 pg/ml vs 16.73±3.52 pg/ml,P＜0.05;87.49±12.53 U/mg and 109.86±14.67 U/mg vs 52.73±8.46 U/mg,P＜0.05;45.38±5.72 U/mg and 67.43±8.91 U/mg vs 21.54±3.47 U/mg,P＜0.05).rHMGB1 could alleviate the improvement effect of Ost on nerve damage in IS rats.Conclusion Ost can attenuate neuroinflammation,oxidative stress,and neuronal apoptosis in IS rats,which may be through its inhibiting the HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway.

C-Reactive protein(CRP)is an important acute-phase response protein,which is widely used in the assessment of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk,and acts as a pathogenic factor directly involved in the disease process of certain conditions.Therefore,developing immunosuppressants targeting CRP or investigating its pathogenic mechanisms is of significant importance.Most B-cell epitopes are conformational epitopes,and studying conformational epitopes is typically challenging.To date,no methods have been reported for mapping the conformational epitopes of CRP in solution.In this study,a rapid strategy was developed for studying conformational epitopes by combining hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry(HDX-MS)with multiparametric prediction of B-cell epitopes and protein secondary structure analysis.This approach was successfully applied to the binding sites and allosteric targets of the 115 kDa full pentameric CRP and the clinically used monoclonal antibody(mAb)5A8.The results showed that the amino acid residues 84-103,138-146,and 165-173 together form the potential conformational epitopes for mAb 5A8 on CRP,while the amino acid residues 21-32 and 175-178 were identified as potential allosteric targets.The discovery of the mAb 5A8 binding sites and allosteric targets was crucial for improving clinical diagnostic capabilities.Experimental results demonstrated that this workflow allowed rapid conformational epitope mapping of CRP under near-physiological conditions,with advantages such as high speed,high sensitivity,and high throughput.

Intestinal fibrosis is a significant clinical challenge in inflammatory bowel diseases, but no effective anti-fibrotic therapy is currently available. Glucagon receptor (GCGR) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) are both peptide hormone receptors involved in energy metabolism of epithelial cells. However, their role in intestinal fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Herein GCGR and GLP1R were found to be reduced in the stenotic ileum of patients with Crohn's disease as well as in the fibrotic colon of mice with chronic colitis. The downregulation of GCGR and GLP1R led to the accumulation of the metabolic byproduct lactate, resulting in histone H3K9 lactylation and exacerbated intestinal fibrosis through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Dual activating GCGR and GLP1R by peptide 1907B reduced the H3K9 lactylation in epithelial cells and ameliorated intestinal fibrosis in vivo. We uncovered the role of GCGR/GLP1R in regulating EMT involved in intestinal fibrosis via histone lactylation. Simultaneously activating GCGR/GLP1R with the novel dual agonist peptide 1907B holds promise as a treatment strategy for alleviating intestinal fibrosis.