Objective To explore the correlation between the proximal angle of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and neovascularization scores,and their clinical application value in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 88 patients who underwent carotid plaque ultrasound examination in our hospital were selected.According to CT/MRI results,patients were divided into the non-cerebral infarction group(45 cases)and the cerebral infarction group(43 cases).Conventional ultrasound examination was performed followed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.Plaque length,thickness and proximal angle were measured,and the neovascularization score of the proximal end was evaluated using contrast-enhanced ultrasound,and the results were compared and analyzed.Results In the cerebral infarction group,plaque thickness,proximal angle,and neovascularization score were significantly higher than those in the non-cerebral infarction group(P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in plaque length.The proportion of plaques with a proximal neovascularization score of 2 or 3 was higher in the cerebral infarction group than those of the non-cerebral infarction group(79.1%vs.24.4%,P＜0.01).A positive correlation was found between the proximal angle and neovascularization score in all patients(rs=0.374,P＜0.01).There was no significant difference between the area under the ROC curve for neovascularization score in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction and the proximal angle(P＞0.05).The optimal cutoff value of the proximal angle was 18.8,and the sensitivity and the specificity for predicting recurrent cerebral infarction were 93.0%and 62.2%.In the cerebral infarction group,seven patients(16.3%)had recurrent infarction within one year,and these patients had higher proximal neovascularization scores,with angles greater than 18.8°.Conclusion There is a strong correlation between proximal angle of carotid plaques and neovascularization score,which has a positive predictive role in the recurrence of cerebral infarction,providing a reliable auxiliary diagnostic basis for clinical practice.

AIM:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Qingre sanzhuo decoction on rats with hyperuri-caemia combined with gouty arthritis and its effect on TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB signalling pathway.METHODS:Forty-eight SD male rats were randomly divided into blank,model,and colchicine groups(0.3 mg·kg-1·d-1),and Origre sanzhou decotion low,medium and high-dosage groups(7.42,14.85,29.70 g·kg-1·d-1),which were treated with the modified Coderre method for hyperuricemia combined with acute gouty arthritis via gavage of yeast paste combined with potassium oxa-late,which was used for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis combined with hyperuricemia.A composite rat model of acute gouty arthritis was constructed by combining yeast paste with potassium oxalate gavage to cause hyperuricaemia,combined with the modified Coderre method.After 7 days of intervention,the circumference of the right ankle joint of rats was measured and the swelling of the ankle joint was calculated,the blood uric acid(HUA)level of rats was determined by biochemical method,the histopatho-logical and morphological changes of the synovial membrane of the ankle joint of rats were examined by HE staining,and the serum levels of inflammatory factors,tumour necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),inter-leukin-6(IL-6),and IL-1β were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and Western blotting was performed to determine the levels of inflammatory factors,TNF-α,and IL-1β.The protein expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation factor 88(Myd88),and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)in the synovial tissues of the ankle joints of the rats were determined by Western blot method,and the mRNA expression of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB in the rat was determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR).RESULTS:Compared with the blank group,rats in the model group showed significantly lower ankle joint swelling(P<0.01),increased levels of HUA,dis-organised synovial tissue structure,large number of inflammatory cells infiltration,and significantly higher serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β(P<0.01),and the protein and mRNA expression levels of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB in the synovial membrane of the ankle joints of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.01).levels were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with the model group,joint swelling was significantly reduced in the colchicine group,and the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction(P<0.05);synovial hyperplasia and inflam-matory cell infiltration were improved in the colchicine group and the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction,and the HUA and the levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were significantly decreased in the dosing groups(P<0.05,P<0.01),and compared with the model group,the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction could significantly reduce the expression of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB protein and mRNA(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Qingre sanzhuo decoction reduces the release of inflamma-tory factors by inhibiting the TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB pathway,and plays a role in the treatment of hyper-uricaemia combined with gouty arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To comprehensively evaluate the quality of Sanzi powder from different batches based on 12 components quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition and entropy weight-TOPSIS method.METHODS The contents of 12 components in 15 batches of Sanzi powder(No.S1-S15)were determined by HPLC-MS/MS,such as ethyl gallate,gallic acid,ferulic acid,corilagin,genipin-1-O-β-D-gentiobioside,toosendanin,geniposide,caffeic acid,methyl deacetylated coumarinate,tannic acid,rutin,quercetin.Cluster analysis(CA),principal component analysis(PCA),and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were conducted on the assay results.Using variable importance projection(VIP)value＞1 and P＜0.05 as the evaluation criteria,the quality differential markers in Sanzi powder were screened.The entropy weight method was used to calculate the weight value,and TOPSIS method was used to rank the quality of 15 batches of Sanzi powder from superior to inferior.RESULTS The contents of the 12 components were 13.494-24.292,2 069.608-3 188.100,1.410-3.616,1 065.030-2 630.584,1 404.704-1 838.078,101.640-354.268,9 193.720-14 777.854,1.240-5.060,148.028-5 541.990,4 261.422-5 607.438,107.560-195.512,2.226-4.192 μg/g,respectively.The results of CA,PCA and OPLS-DA indicated that 15 batches of Sanzi powder could be clustered into two groups.Specifically,batches S3,S7,S10 and S15 were grouped into one category,and remaining batches were grouped into one category.VIP values of geniposide,quercetin,caffeic acid,and methyl deacetylated coumarinate were all greater than 1,with corresponding P-values less than 0.05.The results of the entropy weight-TOPSIS analysis revealed that methyl deacetylate exhibited the smallest information entropy and the highest weight.The relative closeness degrees of samples S3,S7,S10 and S15 ranged from 0.789 to 0.973,while the remaining samples ranged from 0.054 to 0.172.CONCLUSIONS The contents of 12 components in Sanzi powder could be determined accurately by using HPLC-MS/MS technology.Methyl deacetylated coumarinate,geniposide,quercetin and caffeic acid were identified as the quality differential markers.It was found that the overall quality of samples S3,S7,S10 and S15 were superior to that of other batches.Notably,the quality of Gardeniae Fructus decoction pieces emerges as a critical factor in ensuring the consistency of the preparation's quality.

AIM:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Qingre sanzhuo decoction on rats with hyperuri-caemia combined with gouty arthritis and its effect on TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB signalling pathway.METHODS:Forty-eight SD male rats were randomly divided into blank,model,and colchicine groups(0.3 mg·kg-1·d-1),and Origre sanzhou decotion low,medium and high-dosage groups(7.42,14.85,29.70 g·kg-1·d-1),which were treated with the modified Coderre method for hyperuricemia combined with acute gouty arthritis via gavage of yeast paste combined with potassium oxa-late,which was used for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis combined with hyperuricemia.A composite rat model of acute gouty arthritis was constructed by combining yeast paste with potassium oxalate gavage to cause hyperuricaemia,combined with the modified Coderre method.After 7 days of intervention,the circumference of the right ankle joint of rats was measured and the swelling of the ankle joint was calculated,the blood uric acid(HUA)level of rats was determined by biochemical method,the histopatho-logical and morphological changes of the synovial membrane of the ankle joint of rats were examined by HE staining,and the serum levels of inflammatory factors,tumour necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),inter-leukin-6(IL-6),and IL-1β were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and Western blotting was performed to determine the levels of inflammatory factors,TNF-α,and IL-1β.The protein expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation factor 88(Myd88),and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)in the synovial tissues of the ankle joints of the rats were determined by Western blot method,and the mRNA expression of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB in the rat was determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR).RESULTS:Compared with the blank group,rats in the model group showed significantly lower ankle joint swelling(P<0.01),increased levels of HUA,dis-organised synovial tissue structure,large number of inflammatory cells infiltration,and significantly higher serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β(P<0.01),and the protein and mRNA expression levels of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB in the synovial membrane of the ankle joints of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.01).levels were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with the model group,joint swelling was significantly reduced in the colchicine group,and the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction(P<0.05);synovial hyperplasia and inflam-matory cell infiltration were improved in the colchicine group and the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction,and the HUA and the levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were significantly decreased in the dosing groups(P<0.05,P<0.01),and compared with the model group,the medium-and high-dose groups of Qingre sanzhuo decoction could significantly reduce the expression of TLR4,Myd88,and NF-κB protein and mRNA(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Qingre sanzhuo decoction reduces the release of inflamma-tory factors by inhibiting the TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB pathway,and plays a role in the treatment of hyper-uricaemia combined with gouty arthritis.

Aim To investigate the effect of cordycepin(COR)on gentamicin(GEN)-induced nephrotoxicity and the molecular mechanism of inhibiting oxidative stress and ferroptosis induced by GEN.Methods The oral SD rats were divided into a control group,GEN group,and GEN+COR group.Following the success-ful setting up of the animal model,the serum creatinine(CR)and urea nitrogen(BUN)levels of rats were measured,and renal tissue injury was assessed using HE staining.In addition,the contents of malondialde-hyde and glutathione in kidney tissues of SD rats in each group were detected,and the expressions of fer-roptosis markers GPX4 and SLC7A11 were analyzed by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,CR and BUN in GEN-stimulated group signifi-cantly increased(P＜0.01),and the level of CR and BUN was effectively reduced after 50 mg·kg-1 COR oral administration.HE results also showed that COR could alleviate the kidney tissue damage caused by GEN.COR could reverse the increase of malondialde-hyde level and the decrease of glutathione level caused by GEN in rat kidney tissue,and COR could restore the decrease of GPX4 and SLC7A11 protein levels induced by GEN.Conclusion COR can reduce GEN-induced kidney injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and ferrop-tosis.

Aim To evaluate the role of the glucose transporter protein 1(GLUT1)-dependent glycolytic in the attenuation of oxygen-glucose deprivation-reoxygen-ation(OGD/R)injury in HK-2 cells by dexmedetomi-dine(Dex).Methods C57/BL6 mice were random-ly divided into three groups(n=6),namely,sham operation group(Sham group),renal ischemia reper-fusion group(I/R group)and Dex group(I/R+Dex group).Serum creatinine(Cr)and urea nitrogen(BUN)were measured,while the levels of key glyco-lytic enzymes HK2,PFKFB3 and GLUT1 were meas-ured.HK-2 cells were cultured and randomised into seven groups(n=6),which was treated with OGD/R,overexpression or interference with GLUT1,Dex and glycolysis inhibitor 2-DG.CCK-8 and LDH activi-ty were used to detect cellular damage.Glycolysis lev-els were detected by lactate and ECAR.The inflamma-tory level was reflected by qRT-PCR for IL-6 and TNF-α.qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to de-tect the levels of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3.Results Dex significantly ameliorated kidney injury and HK-2 cell injury(P＜0.05).Dex inhibited the OGD/R-induced rise in lactate and extracellular acidification rate(ECAR),as evidenced by suppression of the ex-pression of GLUT1,HK2 and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).In vitro experiments showed that GLUT1 knockdown sig-nificantly improved OGD/R-induced cellular damage.Lactate,ECAR,glycolysis-related mRNAs and pro-teins were inhibited by GLUT1 knockdown(P＜0.05).Significantly,there were no significant differ-ences in above indexes after Dex treatment based on GLUT1 knockdown.Overexpression of GLUT1 abroga-ted the protective effects of Dex,while reversing the inhibitory effects of Dex on the expression of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).Conclusions Dexmedetomidine attenuates OGD/R induced injury in HK-2 cells by inhibiting GLUT1-dependent glycolysis.

Objective To comprehensively and systematically evaluate the clinical effect of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medical treatment in patients with cerebral infarction using meta-analysis.Methods Domestic databases were searched,including China Knowledge Network,Wanfang,and Wipu databases,and foreign databases were mainly PubMed.The qualified literature was screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,and was evaluated using the software of RevMan5.3 and Stata14.0 after quality assessment.Results Eight randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on the combination of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule and western medicine were included,with a total of 728 patients with cerebral infarction,among which 365 cases were in the group of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medicine and 363 cases were in the group of western medicine alone.The results were analyzed in terms of the total effective rate,neurological deficit score such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),daily living scores,such as the Barthel Index and Activities of Daily Living(ADL)scores and inflammation level(Inflammatory mediator IL-6,ultrasensitive C-reactive protein)as the outcome indexes.Meta-analysis results showed that the total effective rate[95%CI,1.18(1.12,1.25),P<0.00001],neurological function impairment score[95%CI,-1.37(-2.08,-0.67),P=0.0001],daily life score[95%,0.88(0.51,1.25),P<0.00001],and inflammation level[95%CI,-0.75(-0.96,-0.54),P<0.00001]were better than those of the control group and showed significant differences.The incidence of adverse events[95%CI,0.89(0.37,2.15),P=0.80],and the difference was not statistically significant with that of western medicine treatment alone.Conclusion Compared with the control group which only used western medicine,the treatment effect of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medicine in the treatment of cerebral infarction is more significant,and the combined treatment can improve the neurological function of the patients,enhance the quality of daily life,and reduce the level of inflammation more effectively.

Objective To comprehensively and systematically evaluate the clinical effect of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medical treatment in patients with cerebral infarction using meta-analysis.Methods Domestic databases were searched,including China Knowledge Network,Wanfang,and Wipu databases,and foreign databases were mainly PubMed.The qualified literature was screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,and was evaluated using the software of RevMan5.3 and Stata14.0 after quality assessment.Results Eight randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on the combination of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule and western medicine were included,with a total of 728 patients with cerebral infarction,among which 365 cases were in the group of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medicine and 363 cases were in the group of western medicine alone.The results were analyzed in terms of the total effective rate,neurological deficit score such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),daily living scores,such as the Barthel Index and Activities of Daily Living(ADL)scores and inflammation level(Inflammatory mediator IL-6,ultrasensitive C-reactive protein)as the outcome indexes.Meta-analysis results showed that the total effective rate[95%CI,1.18(1.12,1.25),P<0.00001],neurological function impairment score[95%CI,-1.37(-2.08,-0.67),P=0.0001],daily life score[95%,0.88(0.51,1.25),P<0.00001],and inflammation level[95%CI,-0.75(-0.96,-0.54),P<0.00001]were better than those of the control group and showed significant differences.The incidence of adverse events[95%CI,0.89(0.37,2.15),P=0.80],and the difference was not statistically significant with that of western medicine treatment alone.Conclusion Compared with the control group which only used western medicine,the treatment effect of Chuanzhi Tongluo capsule combined with western medicine in the treatment of cerebral infarction is more significant,and the combined treatment can improve the neurological function of the patients,enhance the quality of daily life,and reduce the level of inflammation more effectively.

OBJECTIVE To establish a extraction process of Changyan Heji Ⅱ(CYHJ-Ⅱ)based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology combined with response surface analysis,and to optimize the extraction process.METHODS The chemical components in CYHJ-Ⅱ were qualitatively analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology,and the chemical components with good linear relation-ship in mass spectrometry response were selected as process investigation indicators;the extraction process parameters(water addition amount,extraction time and soaking time)were investigated by Box-Behnken design;the comprehensive score was obtained by princi-pal component analysis(PCA),and the optimal process was determined by the comprehensive score combined with response surface a-nalysis.RESULTS Through qualitative analysis,110 components were inferred and identified from CYHJ-Ⅱ,including 2 organic acids,82 flavonoids,13 terpenoids,and 13 alkaloids.Based on the results of qualitative analysis,48 index components with good lin-ear relationships were derived by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with Masshunter mass spectrometry data analysis software.PCA was performed and the comprehensive score was calculated.Response surface analysis was performed with the comprehensive score as an indicator.The optimal extraction process obtained by combining the response surface prediction results and actual production was:soaking for 45 min,8 times the amount of solvent,2 extractions,each time for 120 min.CONCLUSION This study provides a new idea for the investigation of the extraction process of traditional Chinese medicine compound prescriptions and expands a new method for the development of traditional Chinese medicine compound prescriptions.

Objective To explore the correlation between the proximal angle of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and neovascularization scores,and their clinical application value in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 88 patients who underwent carotid plaque ultrasound examination in our hospital were selected.According to CT/MRI results,patients were divided into the non-cerebral infarction group(45 cases)and the cerebral infarction group(43 cases).Conventional ultrasound examination was performed followed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.Plaque length,thickness and proximal angle were measured,and the neovascularization score of the proximal end was evaluated using contrast-enhanced ultrasound,and the results were compared and analyzed.Results In the cerebral infarction group,plaque thickness,proximal angle,and neovascularization score were significantly higher than those in the non-cerebral infarction group(P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in plaque length.The proportion of plaques with a proximal neovascularization score of 2 or 3 was higher in the cerebral infarction group than those of the non-cerebral infarction group(79.1%vs.24.4%,P＜0.01).A positive correlation was found between the proximal angle and neovascularization score in all patients(rs=0.374,P＜0.01).There was no significant difference between the area under the ROC curve for neovascularization score in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction and the proximal angle(P＞0.05).The optimal cutoff value of the proximal angle was 18.8,and the sensitivity and the specificity for predicting recurrent cerebral infarction were 93.0%and 62.2%.In the cerebral infarction group,seven patients(16.3%)had recurrent infarction within one year,and these patients had higher proximal neovascularization scores,with angles greater than 18.8°.Conclusion There is a strong correlation between proximal angle of carotid plaques and neovascularization score,which has a positive predictive role in the recurrence of cerebral infarction,providing a reliable auxiliary diagnostic basis for clinical practice.