ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of Wenweishu granule （WWSG） on functional dyspepsia （FD） with spleen-stomach deficiency cold syndrome in rats by integrating network pharmacology， molecular docking， and animal experiments. MethodsActive components and corresponding targets of WWSG were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine （BATMAN-TCM）. Disease-related targets for FD with spleen-stomach deficiency cold syndrome were screened using GeneCards and the Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMIP）. Core therapeutic targets were identified via Cytoscape and validated by molecular docking. A rat model of FD with spleen-stomach deficiency cold syndrome was established using vinegar gavage combined with tail-clamping. The rats were randomly divided into a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose WWSG groups （2.0， 4.0， 8.0 g·kg^-1）， a domperidone group （3.0 mg·kg^-1）， a Fuzi Lizhong pillwan （0.8 g·kg^-1）， and a normal control group （n=10 per group）. Drugs were administered once daily by gavage for 14 consecutive days. After treatment， body weight， symptom scores， and gastrointestinal motility indices were recorded. Gastric and duodenal pathologies changes were observed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Brain-gut peptides were measured in serum and tissue using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were performed to assess stem cell factor （SCF） and receptor tyrosine kinase （c-Kit） protein expression in gastric tissues. ResultsA total of 305 drug targets， 1 140 disease targets， and 116 overlapping targets were identified. Cytoscape analysis revealed 104 core targets. Enrichment analysis indicated that the SCF/c-Kit signaling pathway was the key mechanism. Molecular docking confirmed a strong binding affinity between active components of WWSG and SCF/c-Kit proteins （binding energy<-5.1 kcal·mol^-1）. Compared with the normal group， model rats exhibited slower weight gain （P<0.05）， reduced gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion （P<0.01）， mild gastric mucosal shedding， duodenal inflammatory cell infiltration， decreased levels of gastrin （GAS）， 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， and vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and elevated somatostatin （SS） expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. WWSG treatment ameliorated weight gain， symptom scores， and low-grade inflammation in gastric/duodenal tissues. High-dose WWSG significantly improved gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion， upregulated GAS， 5-HT， and VIP， and downregulated SS expression in serum and tissues （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot demonstrated that SCF and c-Kit protein expression was decreased in the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， which was reversed by WWSG intervention （P<0.05）. ConclusionWWSG exerts therapeutic effects on FD with spleen-stomach deficiency cold syndrome in rats， potentially by regulating the SCF/c-Kit signaling pathway to enhance gastrointestinal motility.

Aim To explore the effect of circ_0038467 on nerve cell damage induced by hypoxia-glucose dep-rivation(OGD)and its possible mechanism.Methods Rat cortical nerve cells were isolated and cultured,and then induced by OGD to establish a cell injury model.si-NC,si-circ_0038467,miR-NC,and miR-940 mimics were transfected into rat cortical nerve cells and treated with OGD for 6 h.si-circ_0038467 and an-ti-miR-NC or anti-miR-940 were co-transfected into rat cortical neurons,followed by OGD treatment for 6 h.qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of circ_0038467 and miR-940.CCK-8 method and flow cytometry were used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis.LDH method was used to detect cell dam-age.The dual luciferase reporter experiment was used to detect the targeting relationship between circ_0038467 and miR-940.Western blot was employed to detect cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 protein levels.Results Circ_0038467 expression increased and miR-940 expression decreased in OGD-induced nerve cells(P＜0.01).After transfection with si-circ_0038467 or miR-940 mimics,cell survival rate in-creased(P＜0.01),while LDH release rate,apopto-sis rate,and the protein levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 decreased(P＜0.01).Circ_0038467 could target miR-940.Compared with the OGD+si-circ_0038467+anti-miR-NC group,cell survival rate in OGD+si-circ_0038467+anti-miR-940 group was down-regulated(P＜0.01),while LDH re-lease rate,apoptosis rate and cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9 levels were up-regulated(P＜0.01).Conclusion Interference of circ_003 8467 and could protect nerve cells from OGD-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis by up-regulating miR-940.

Aim To explore how Danzhi Jiangtang cap-sules(DJC)safeguard the mitochondrial activity of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)by controlling the LncRNA TUG1/β-catenin signaling pathway to de-crease vascular calcification(VC).Methods Vascu-lar smooth muscle cell calcification models were in-duced with β-glycerin and diabetic vascular calcifica-tion rat models were induced with vitamin D3+high-fat diet.Von Kossa staining was applied to detect cal-cification of cells and vascular tissue.Colorimetric method of phthalein complex was used to determine calcium content.P-nitrobenzene phosphate colorimetry was employed to assess alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity.RT-qPCR was used to analyze the expression of VSMCs'osteoblast transformation related genes bone morphogenetic protein2(BMP2),smooth muscle actin alpha(α-SMA),taurine up-regulated1,LncRNA Tug1(Lnc-RNA TUG1),and β-catenin.Western blotting was utilized to detect the protein expression of BMP2,α-SMA and β-catenin.The mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 fluorescence probe.Mitochondrial structure was observed by trans-mission electron microscope.Results DJC reduced LncRNA TUG1 expression,down-regulated β-catenin expression,decreased ALP activity and calcium depo-sition,protected mitochondrial function,restored mem-brane potential,and decreased osteoblastic transforma-tion of VSMCs induced by glycerin phosphate.Impor-tantly,DJC attenuated diabetic lower limb VC by down-regulating the expression of LncRNA TUG1,β-catenin,and elevating the expression of α-SMA.Con-clusions DJC capsules significantly improved VSMCs by protecting mitochondrial function by LncRNA TUG1/β-catenin signaling to reduce VSMCs'osteo-blast transformation.

AIM To investigate the effects of Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe on necroptosis pathway in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with cerebral infarction(CI).METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the metformin group(0.045 g/kg),and the low,medium and high dose Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe groups(6.5,13,26 g/kg),with 9 rats in each group.In contrast to rats of the sham operation group,rats of the other groups were given 4 weeks feeding of high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to establish a T2DM rat model with one week stable blood glucose,followed by gavage of corresponding drugs 3 days before the establishment of the middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)model.After 7 days of administration,the rats had their CI injury assessed by mNSS method and TTC staining;their level of blood glucose detected by blood glucose meter;their levels of glycated serum protein,serum TNF-α and IL-1β detected by ELISA;their cerebral mRNA expressions of FADD,RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL detected by RT-qPCR;and their cerebral protein expressions of FADD,p-RIPK1,p-RIPK3 and p-MLKL detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the model group displayed increased levels of blood glucose value,glycosylated serum protein,neurological function score,cerebral infarction volume,cerebral FADD,RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL mRNA expressions,cerebral FADD,p-RIPK1,p-RIPK3 and p-MLKL protein expressions,serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels(P＜0.01);and more disordered and morphologically diverse neurons with smaller nucleus.Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with medium or high dose Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe,or metformin shared improvement in terms of the aforementioned indices(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and more neurons with regular morphology neat arrangement,and reduced cell gap.CONCLUSION Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe can improve the neurological dysfunction of the rat model of T2DM complicated with CI,which may associate with the inhibited activation of necroptosis signaling pathway.

Objective To construct and validate a risk prediction model for poor inhalation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)patients receiving inhaler therapy,providing a decision support tool for personalized prevention of poor inhalation.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data related to COPD patients receiving inhaler therapy,forming a dataset.The dataset was randomly divided into a training set and a test set in a ratio of 4∶1.Four different methods for missing value imputation,3 methods for variable feature selection,and 18 machine learning algorithms were employed to successfully construct 216 models on the training set.The monte carlo simulation method was used for resampling in the test set to validate the models,with the area under curve(AUC),accuracy,precision,recall,and F1 score used to evaluate model performance.The optimal model was selected to build the poor inhalation prediction platform.Results A study involving 308 patients with COPD found that 135(43.8%)were at risk of adverse inhalation.Using 33 predictor variables,216 risk prediction models were developed.Of these models,the ensemble learning algorithm yielded the highest average AUC of 0.844,with a standard deviation of 0.058[95%CI=(0.843,0.845)].The differences in predictive performance among the 216 models were statistically significant(P＜0.01).Under the ensemble learning algorithm,adherence to inhaler use(38.087 4%),inhaler satisfaction(25.680 1%),literacy(24.031 3%),number of inhalers(5.482 3%),age(4.204 5%)and number of acute exacerbations in the past year(2.184 7%)contributed most to the predictive model.The model exhibited superior performance,with an AUC of 0.869 3,an accuracy of 83.87%,a precision of 86.96%,a recall of 74.07%,and an F1 score of 0.8.Conclusion This study has developed a predictive model for poor inhalation risk in COPD inhaler therapy patients using machine learning algorithms,which exhibits strong predictive capabilities and holds potential clinical application value.

Aim To investigate the effect of quercetin on the aging model of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells established under microgravity. Methods Using 3D gyroscope, a aging model of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was constructed, and after receiving quercetin and microgravity treatment, the anti-aging effect of the quercetin was evaluated by detecting related proteins and oxidation indexes. Results Compared to the control group, the expressions of age-related proteins p21, pi6, p53 and RB in the microgravity group significantly increased, while the expressions of cyclin D1 and lamin B1 significantly decreased, with statistical significance (P<0.05). In the microgravity group, mitochondrial membrane potential significantly decreased (P<0.05), ROS accumulation significantly increased (P <0.05), SOD content significantly decreased and MDA content significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared to the microgravity group, the expressions of age-related proteins p21, pi6, p53 and RB in the quercetin group significantly decreased, while the expressions of cyclin D1 and lamin B1 significantly increased, with statistical significance (P<0.05). In the quercetin group, mitochondrial membrane potential significantly increased (P<0.05), ROS accumulation significantly decreased (P<0.05), SOD content significantly increased and MDA content significantly decreased (P<0.05). Conclusions Quercetin can resist oxidation, protect mitochondrial function and normal cell cycle, thus delaying the aging of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by microgravity.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with Shenqi Huoxue Decoction in the treatment of adenomyosis of qi deficiency and blood stasis type.Methods Seventy patients with adenomyosis of qi deficiency and blood stasis type were randomly divided into observation group and control group,35 cases in each group.The control group was treated with Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system,and the observation group was treated with acupuncture combined with Shenqi Huoxue Decoction on the basis of the treatment of the control group.One menstrual cycle was a course of treatment,and the treatment lasted for three courses.After 3 months of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes of Endometriosis Health Profile-5(EHP-5)score,serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT)were observed in the two groups before and after treatment.The changes of serum carbohydrate antigen CA125,carbohydrate antigen 199(CA199)and human epididymis protein 4(HE4)levels were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.Results(1)The total effective rate was 97.14％(34/35)in the observation group and 77.14％(27/35)in the control group.The clinical efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the levels of serum CA125,CA199 and HE4 in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement of serum CA1 25,CA199 and HE4 levels in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the levels of serum SOD and CAT in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement of serum SOD and CAT levels in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the EHP-5 score of quality of life in the two groups was significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the EHP-5 score of quality of life in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture combined with Shenqi Huoxue Decoction in the treatment of adenomyosis of qi deficiency and blood stasis type can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients,regulate the levels of SOD and CAT,so as to improve the quality of life of patients,and the curative effect is significant.

The purity of 4,4′-dimethoxy-5,6,5′,6′-bis (methylenedioxy)-2′-morpholine methylenebiphenyl-2-methyl formate methanesulfonate (IMH), a new drug for fatty liver treatment, was determined through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Analysis of two-factor non repeatability method was performed in the investigation the effects of two factors (heating rate and sample weight) on purity determination. The DSC experimental parameters were optimized as follows: heating rate was 10 ℃·min^-1, temperature range was 150-300 ℃, sample weight was 2.0-4.1 mg, and N₂ flow rate was 80 mL·min^-1. The linear correlation coefficient (r) of this DSC method was 0.999 8. The RSD value (n = 6) of precision was 0.03%. The standard value and uncertainty of the purity results of the multiple batches of IMH drugs were (99.74 ± 0.29)%, (99.91 ± 0.28)%, (99.90 ± 0.28)%, and (99.81 ± 0.28)% with inclusion factor (K) of 2 and confidence probability (P) of 0.95. The results were basically consistent with the results of the mass balance method. The DSC mehod is a simple, rapid and accurate method, and provides a new reference method for determining the purity of IMH drugs, improves the accuracy and reliability of purity determination.

Excessive application of chemical fertilizer has caused many problems in Angelica dahurica var. formosana planting, such as yield decline and quality degradation. In order to promote the green cultivation mode of A. dahurica var. formosana and explore rhizosphere fungus resources, the rhizosphere fungi with nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, potassium solubilization, iron-producing carrier, and IAA-producing properties were isolated and screened in the rhizosphere of A. dahurica var. formosana from the genuine and non-genuine areas, respectively. The strains were identified comprehensively in light of the morphological characteristics and ITS rDNA sequences, and the growth-promoting effect of the screened strains was verified by pot experiment. The results showed that 37 strains of growth-promoting fungi were isolated and screened from the rhizosphere of A. dahurica var. formosana, mostly belonging to Fusarium. The cultured rhizosphere growth-promoting fungi of A. dahurica var. formosana were more abundant and diverse in the genuine producing areas than in the non-genuine producing areas. Among all strains, Aspergillus niger ZJ-17 had the strongest growth promotion potential. Under the condition of no fertilization outdoors, ZJ-17 inoculation significantly promoted the growth, yield, and accumulation of effective components of A. dahurica var. formosana planted in the soil of genuine and non-genuine producing areas, with yield increases of 73.59% and 37.84%, respectively. To a certain extent, it alleviated the restriction without additional fertilization on the growth of A. dahurica var. formosana. Therefore, A. niger ZJ-17 has great application prospects in increasing yield and quality of A. dahurica var. formosana and reducing fertilizer application and can be actually applied in promoting the growth of A. dahurica var. formosana and producing biofertilizer.
Fertilizers ; Rhizosphere ; Angelica/chemistry* ; Fungi/genetics* ; Phosphorus

ObjectiveTo investigate the in vivo effect of dietary cichoric acid supplement in allergic asthmatic mice. MethodsSixteen five-week-old female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups： normal group （control）， allergic asthmatic group （OVA）， dietary cichoric acid group （OVA + CA）， and drug-control group （OVA + DEX）. Ovalbumin was applied to induce allergic asthmatic murine model. During the whole experiment， mice were fed with feed that contained 400 mg/kg cichoric acid or no cichoric acid. The body weight changes and nasal symptoms were observed and recorded during the experiment. After sacrifice， the pulmonary histopathological changes， the number and proportion of peripheral inflammatory cells， and the percentages of subsets of helper T cell （Th） and cytotoxic T cell （Tc） in lung tissues were measured. ResultsCompared with OVA group， the mice in OVA + CA group showed alleviated body weight loss and nasal symptoms （P<0.05）， decreased number of eosinophils and eosinophil/lymphocyte ratio in peripheral blood （P<0.05）， alleviated inflammatory infiltration and goblet cell proliferation of lungs tissues （P<0.05）， decreased percentages of Th2， Th17 ， Tc2， Tc17 in lungs （P<0.001）， while the percentages of Th1 and Tc1 did not change （P>0.05）. ConclusionsDietary cichoric acid supplementation could improve in vivo inflammation in allergic asthmatic mice.