This study aims to explore the role and mechanism of berberine in promoting the expression of aquaporin 4(AQP4) in astrocytes by regulating the expression of miR-383-5p in HepG2 cell-derived exosomes under insulin resistance(IR). The IR-HepG2 cell model was established with 1×10~(-6) mol·L~(-1) insulin. With metformin as the positive control, the safe concentrations of berberine and metformin were screened by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) leakage assays, and the effect of berberine on the IR of HepG2 cells was evaluated by glucose consumption. NanoSight was used to measure the particle size and concentration of exosomes secreted by HepG2 cells in each group. HepG2 cell-derived exosomes in each group were incubated with astrocytes for 24 h, and the protein and mRNA levels of AQP4 in HA1800 cells were determined by Western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. qRT-PCR was performed to determine the expression of miR-383-5p in HepG2 cell-derived exosomes and HA1800 cells after co-incubation. Western blotting was employed to determine the expression levels of miRNAs and proteins associated with exosome production and release in HepG2 cells. The results showed that 10 μmol·L~(-1) berberine and 1 mmol·L~(-1) metformin significantly alleviated the IR of HepG2 cells and reduced the concentration of exosomes in HepG2 cells. The exosomes of HepG2 cells treated with berberine and metformin significantly up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of AQP4 in HA1800 cells. The mRNA level of miR-383-5p in HepG2 cell exosomes and HA1800 cells co-incubated with berberine and metformin decreased significantly. The intervention with berberine and metformin significantly down-regulated the expression of proteins associated with the production of miRNAs(Dicer, Drosha) as well as the production(Alix, Vps4A) and release(Rab35, VAMP3) of exosomes in IR-HepG2 cells. In conclusion, berberine can promote the expression of AQP4 in astrocytes by inhibiting the production and release of miR-383-5p in HepG2-derived exosomes under IR.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Berberine/pharmacology* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Exosomes/genetics* ; Aquaporin 4/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Astrocytes/drug effects*

The study aims to elucidate the existence forms(original constituents and metabolites) of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats and reveal its metabolic pathways. After Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma was administered orally once a day for seven consecutive days to rats, all urine and feces samples were collected for seven days, while the blood samples were obtained 6 h after the last administration. Using the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique, this study identified 6, 73, and 156 existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the rat plasma, urine, and feces samples, respectively. Among them, 101 compounds were identified as new existence forms, and 13 original constituents were identified by comparing with reference compounds. The metabolic reactions of constituents from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were mainly deglycosylation, dehydration, hydroxylation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, acetylation, and amino acid conjugation. Furthermore, the possible in vivo metabolic pathways of protopanaxatriol(PPT) in rats were proposed. Through comprehensive analysis of the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) data, isomeric compounds were discriminated, and the planar chemical structures of 32 metabolites were clearly identified. According to the literature, 48 original constituents possess antitumor and cardiovascular protective bioactivities. Additionally, 32 metabolites were predicted to have similar bioactivities by SuperPred. This research lays the foundation for further exploring the in vivo effective forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.
Animals ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Rhizome/metabolism* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Feces/chemistry*

Non-functioning pituitary adenomas(NFPAs)are relatively common.Apart from hyperprolactinemia caused by pituitary compression,they typically lack overt hormonal hypersecretion and usually present with clinical symptoms due to mass effects.Previously considered a uniform entity,NFPAs are actually a highly heterogeneous group of tumors,including aggressive subtypes like silent corticotroph adenomas(SCA)and null cell adenomas.The 2022 WHO new classification of pituitary tumors employs transcription factors[e.g.,pituitary-specific transcription factor 1(PIT-1),T-box transcription factor 19(TBX19,also known as TPIT),steroidogenic factor 1(SF-1)]for detailed categorization,allowing precise subclassification of NFPAs into multiple subtypes derived from distinct cell lineages,including silent gonadotroph adenomas,SCA,and plurihormonal PIT-1-positive adenomas.This helps identify highly invasive subtypes with high recurrence risk,guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment,prognostic assessment,and individualized management.The new classification also provides a theoretical basis for targeted therapies of NFPAs(e.g.,somatostatin analogs and temozolomide).This review comprehensively discusses the latest pathological classification of NFPAs and its clinical implications,aiming to enhance understanding of this disease and offer valuable insights for precise diagnosis,treatment,and prognostic assessment.

The structure of intestinal tissue is complex. In vitro simulation of intestinal structure and function is important for studying intestinal development and diseases. Recently, organoids have been successfully constructed and they have come to play an important role in biomedical research. Organoids are miniaturized three-dimensional (3D) organs, derived from stem cells, which mimic the structure, cell types, and physiological functions of an organ, making them robust models for biomedical research. Intestinal organoids are 3D micro-organs derived from intestinal stem cells or pluripotent stem cells that can successfully simulate the complex structure and function of the intestine, thereby providing a valuable platform for intestinal development and disease research. In this article, we review the latest progress in the construction and application of intestinal organoids.
Organoids/cytology* ; Intestines/physiology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Pluripotent Stem Cells

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Supplemented Baihe Gujin Decoction on elderly patients with postoperative pulmonary infection following non-small cell lung cancer surgery.METHODS Ninety-two patients were randomly assigned into control group(46 cases)for 1-week intervention of conventional treatment,and observation group(46 cases)for 1-week intervention of both Supplemented Baihe Gujin Decoction and conventional treatment.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,immune function indices(CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,CD4+/CD8+),inflammatory indices(CRP,PCT,TNF-α),serum indices(sTREM-1,CD40L,NLR)and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,CD8+,inflammatory indices,serum indices(P＜0.05),and increased CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+(P＜0.05),especially for the observation group(except for CD4+,CD8+)(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION For the elderly patients with postoperative pulmonary infection following non-small cell lung cancer surgery,Supplemented Baihe Gujin Decoction can safely and effectively relieve clinical symptoms,enhance immune functions,reduce serum sTREM-1,CD40L levels and NLR,and control inflammatory responses.

Objective To summarize the clinical features,treatment and prognosis of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma(PCNSL)with clonal bone marrow B cells,and to explore the influence on clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods PCNSL patients with clonal bone marrow B cells diagnosed by flow cytometry between Jan 2020 and Jul 2023 at Huashan Hospital of Fudan University were enrolled.The auxiliary examination data of these patients were collected,including complete blood count,routine biochemistry,bone marrow aspiration and biopsy,contrast-enhanced brain MRI,and whole-body PET-CT.Kaplan-Meier was used to draw the survival curve,and relevant literature was reviewed.Results A total of 223 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients were included,187 of whom completed bone marrow puncture and biopsy evaluation.We found clonal bone marrow B cells in 16 of 187 cases(8.56%)by flow cytometry.2 patients showed B lymphoma involving the bone marrow.All patients received a high-dose methotrexate based chemotherapy.The median progression free survival(PFS)of 16 patients with clonal bone marrow B cells was 11.1 months,and the median PFS of 171 patients with normal bone marrow was 12.6 months.There was no significant difference in the PFS between the two groups.Conclusion PCNSL with clonal bone marrow B cells had no specific clinical features,but bone marrow flow cytometry showed clonal B cells.High-dose methotrexate treatment regimen is effective.There was no significant difference in PFS for PCNSL patients with clonal B cells and normal findings in bone marrow.Clonal B cells in bone marrow may be caused by monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis(MBL),lymphoma involves the bone marrow and the presence of common precursor cells.Bone marrow examination should be performed in the initial evaluation of suspected PCNSL.

Objective To summarize the changing prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales based on the data of CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021 for improving antimicrobial treatment in clinical practice.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial automated susceptibility testing system according to the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 31st ed in 2021.Results Over the seven-year period(2015-2021),the overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 9.43％(62 342/661 235).The prevalence of CRE strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Citrobacter freundii,and Enterobacter cloacae was 22.38％,9.73％,and 8.47％,respectively.The prevalence of CRE strains in Escherichia coli was 1.99％.A few CRE strains were also identified in Salmonella and Shigella.The CRE strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.23±2.80)％,followed by blood(20.88±3.40)％and urine(18.40±3.45)％.Intensive care units(ICUs)were the major source of the CRE strains(27.43±5.20)％.CRE strains were resistant to all the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most non-β-lactam antimicrobial agents.The CRE strains were relatively susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxins with low resistance rates.Conclusions The prevalence of CRE strains was increasing from 2015 to 2021.CRE strains were highly resistant to most of the antibacterial drugs used in clinical practice.Clinicians should prescribe antimicrobial agents rationally.Hospitals should strengthen antibiotic stewardship in key clinical settings such as ICUs,and take effective infection control measures to curb CRE outbreak and epidemic in hospitals.

Objective To characterize the changing species distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of respiratory isolates in hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Commercial automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and disk diffusion method were used to test the susceptibility of respiratory bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents following the standardized technical protocol established by the CHINET program.Results A total of 589 746 respiratory isolates were collected from 2015 to 2021.Overall,82.6％of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria and 17.4％were Gram-positive bacteria.The bacterial isolates from outpatients and inpatients accounted for(6.0±0.9)％and(94.0±0.1)％,respectively.The top microorganisms were Klebsiella spp.,Acinetobacter spp.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus spp.,Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,Escherichia coli,and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Each microorganism was isolated from significantly more males than from females(P＜0.05).The overall prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)was 39.9％.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae was 1.4％.The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 67.8％and 41.3％,respectively.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli,K.pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii was 3.7％,20.8％,9.4％,29.8％,and 73.3％,respectively.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 96.1％in Moraxella catarrhalis and 60.0％in Haemophilus influenzae.The H.influenzae isolates from children(＜18 years)showed significantly higher resistance rates to β-lactam antibiotics than the isolates from adults(P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are still predominant in respiratory isolates associated with serious antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should be strengthened in clinical practice to support accurate etiological diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.