The study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of Xinyang Tablets( XYP) in modulating the fat mass and obesity-associated protein(FTO)/N6-methyladenosine(m6A) signaling pathway to ameliorate ventricular remodeling in heart failure(HF). A mouse model of HF was established by transverse aortic constriction(TAC). Mice were randomized into sham, model, XYP(low, medium, and high doses), and positive control( perindopril) groups(n= 10). From day 3 post-surgery, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 6 consecutive weeks. Following the treatment, echocardiography was employed to evaluate the cardiac function, and RT-qPCR was employed to determine the relative m RNA levels of key markers, including atrial natriuretic peptide( ANP), B-type natriuretic peptide( BNP), β-myosin heavy chain(β-MHC), collagen type I alpha chain(Col1α), collagen type Ⅲ alpha chain(Col3α), alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), and FTO. The cardiac tissue was stained with Masson's trichrome and wheat germ agglutinin(WGA) to reveal the pathological changes. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression levels of Col1α, Col3α, α-SMA, and FTO in the myocardial tissue. The m6A modification level in the myocardial tissue was measured by the m6A assay kit. An H9c2 cell model of cardiomyocyte injury was induced by angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ), and small interfering RNA(siRNA) was employed to knock down FTO expression. RT-qPCR was conducted to assess the relative m RNA levels of FTO and other genes associated with cardiac remodeling. The m6A modification level was measured by the m6A assay kit, and Western blot was employed to determine the phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(p-PI3K)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K) and phosphorylated serine/threonine kinase(p-Akt)/serine/threonine kinase(Akt) ratios in cardiomyocytes. The results of animal experiments showed that the XYP treatment significantly improved the cardiac function, reduced fibrosis, up-regulated the m RNA and protein levels of FTO, and lowered the m6A modification level compared with the model group. The results of cell experiments showed that the XYP-containing serum markedly up-regulated the m RNA level of FTO while decreasing the m6A modification level and the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt ratios in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, FTO knockdown reversed the protective effects of XYP-containing serum on Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In conclusion, XYP may ameliorate ventricular remodeling by regulating the FTO/m6A axis, thereby inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Animals ; Ventricular Remodeling/drug effects* ; Heart Failure/physiopathology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Mice ; Male ; Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Adenosine/analogs & derivatives* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal

Cardiac fibrosis(CF) is a cardiac pathological process characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM). When the heart is damaged by adverse stimuli, cardiac fibroblasts are activated and secrete a large amount of ECM, leading to changes in cardiac fibrosis, myocardial stiffness, and cardiac function declines and accelerating the development of heart failure. There is a close relationship between heart yin deficiency and cardiac fibrosis, which have similar pathogenic mechanisms. Heart Yin deficiency, characterized by insufficient Yin fluids, causes the heart to lose its nourishing function, which acts as the initiating factor for myocardial dystrophy. The deficiency of body fluids leads to stagnation of blood flow, resulting in blood stasis and water retention. Blood stasis and water retention accumulate in the heart, which aligns with the pathological manifestation of excessive deposition of ECM, as a tangible pathogenic factor. This is an inevitable stage of the disease process. The lingering of blood stasis combined with water retention eventually leads to the generation of heat and toxins, triggering inflammatory responses similar to heat toxins, which continuously stimulate the heart and cause the ultimate outcome of CF. Considering the syndrome of heart Yin deficiency, traditional Chinese medicine capable of nourishing Yin, activating blood, and promoting urination can reduce myocardial cell apoptosis, inhibit fibroblast activation, and lower the inflammation level, showing significant advantages in combating CF.
Humans ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Yin Deficiency/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

This study investigates the effect and underlying mechanism of Guizhi Tongluo Tablets(GZTL) in treating atherosclerosis(AS) in a mouse model. Apolipoprotein E-knockout(ApoE~(-/-)) mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: model, high-, medium-, and low-dose GZTL, and atorvastatin(ATV), and age-matched C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. ApoE~(-/-) mice in other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat diet for the modeling of AS and administrated with corresponding drugs via gavage for 8 weeks. General conditions, signs of blood stasis, and body mass of mice were monitored. Aortic plaques and their stability were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and oil red O staining. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were measured by biochemical assays, and those of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL). Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq) was employed to analyze the differential expression of CD72hi macrophages(CD72hi-Mφ) in the aortas of AS patients and mice. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to visualize CD72hi-Mφ expression in mouse aortic plaques, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was utilized to determine the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, the model group exhibited significant increases in body mass, aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, a notable decrease in collagen fiber content, and an increase in apoptosis. Additionally, the model group showcased elevated serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, alongside marked upregulations in the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. In comparison with the model group, the GZTL groups and the ATV group showed a reduction in body mass, and the medium-and high-dose GZTL groups and the ATV group demonstrated reductions in aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, an increase in collagen fiber content, and a decrease in apoptosis. Furthermore, the treatment goups showcased lowered serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. The data of scRNA-seq revealed significantly elevated CD72hi-Mφ signaling in carotid plaques of AS patients compared with that in the normal arterial tissue. Animal experiments confirmed that CD72hi-Mφ expression, along with several pro-inflammatory cytokines, was significantly upregulated in the aortas of AS mice, which were downregulated by GZTL treatment. In conclusion, GZTL may alleviate AS by inhibiting CD72hi-Mφ activity.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Atherosclerosis/immunology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Male ; Humans ; Apolipoproteins E/genetics* ; Tablets ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Knockout

Purpose::To identify the risk factors for training-related lower extremity muscle injuries in young males by a non-invasive method of body composition analysis.Methods::A total of 282 healthy young male volunteers aged 18 -20 years participated in this cohort study. Injury location, degree, and injury rate were adjusted by a questionnaire based on the overuse injury assessment methods used in epidemiological studies of sports injuries. The occurrence of training injuries is monitored and diagnosed by physicians and treated accordingly. The body composition was measured using the BodyStat QuadScan 4000 multifrequency Bio-impedance system at 5, 50, 100 and 200 kHz to obtain 4 impedance values. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check whether the data conformed to a normal distribution. Data of normal distribution were shown as mean ± SD and analyzed by t-test, while those of non-normal distribution were shown as median (Q 1, Q 3) and analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum test. The receiver operator characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate risk factors for developing training-related lower extremity injuries and accuracy. Results::Among the 282 subjects, 78 (27.7%) developed training injuries. Lower extremity training injuries revealed the highest incidence, accounting for 23.4% (66 cases). These patients showed higher percentages of lean body mass ( p = 0.001), total body water (TBW, p=0.006), extracellular water ( p=0.020) and intracellular water ( p=0.010) as well as a larger ratio of basal metabolic rate/total weight ( p=0.006), compared with those without lower extremity muscle injuries. On the contrary, the percentage of body fat ( p=0.001) and body fat mass index ( p=0.002) were lower. Logistic regression analysis showed that TBW percentage > 65.35% ( p=0.050, odds ratio =3.114) and 3rd space water > 0.95% ( p=0.045, odds ratio =2.342) were independent risk factors for lower extremity muscle injuries. Conclusion::TBW percentage and 3rd space water measured with bio-impedance method are potential risk factors for predicting the incidence of lower extremity muscle injuries in young males following training.

Objective:To assess the capability of seven reference medical laboratories to detect BCR::ABL1 p210 transcription levels and to compare the results among those laboratories.Methods:The interlaboratory comparison was carried out in two stages. The samples were prepared by the reference laboratory. The quantitative values of BCR::ABL1 p210 of the comparison samples covered 0.001%-0.01%, 0.01%-0.1%, 0.1%-1%, 1%-10% and>10% in each stage. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) and dPCR (digital PCR) were used to examine the samples. The conversion factor (CF) was calculated and validated for each laboratory.Results:In the RT-PCR comparison, one laboratory was failed to detect BCR::ABL1 p210 in fourteen samples at the first stage. The results of the other six laboratories were qualified with the bias <±1.2 folds (-0.133-0.338) and 95% limits of agreement within ±5 folds (upper limit 0.147-0.785, lower limit -0.770--0.109), and the corresponding CF values were calculated and validated. In the dPCR comparison, one laboratory did not report results at the second stage. The results of the other six laboratories were qualified with the bias <±1.2 folds (-0.026-0.267) and 95% limits of agreement within±5 folds (upper limit 0.084-0.991, lower limit -0.669--0.135), and the corresponding CF values were calculated and validated. The samples with BCR::ABL1 p210 quantitative values of 0.01%-0.1%, 0.1%-1%, 1%-10% and >10% could be detected by both RT-PCR and qPCR. When the quantitative value of BCR::ABL1 p210 was 0.001%-0.01%, the detection rate of dPCR was higher than that of RT-PCR (85.56% vs. 68.00%).Conclusions:A good consistency is present among various laboratories. The quantitative value of BCR::ABL1 p210 is comparable among laboratories as shown by the CF value conversion. For quantitative detection of BCR::ABL1 p210 deep molecular reaction, dPCR has a higher positive detection rate and more advantages than RT-PCR. To ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of the BCR::ABL1 p210 test, it is imperative for every laboratory to enhance their daily quality control practices.

Objective To study the impact of a subject's testing state on residual noise level and ABR wave V amplitude during non-sedated ABR testing using Kalman-weighted averaging(KWA).Methods Twenty-one adults(18～34 years old,42 ears)with normal hearing were enrolled for non-sedated ABR testing under three different states(lying,sitting,and writing)in a quiet room using a new Kalman-weighted averaging ABR system(vivosonic integrity system).The residual noise level and the amplitude of wave V for click ABR(cABR)of each subject were recorded.The traditional ABR test system(interacoustics,IA)was also used to record ABR with the residual noise level and the amplitude of wave V measured at the same time.Results ① There was no significant difference in am-plitude of wave V between traditional ABR and non-sedated ABR in three different testing states(P＞0.05).②The residual noise levels in the lying and sitting states of KWA ABR were lower than those of traditional ABR,but there was no statistically difference(P＜0.05).The residual noise level of the KWA ABR system in writing state was significantly higher than that of the other three conditions(P＜0.05).③ There was no significant difference between the left and right ears in the residual noise level and amplitude of wave V for non-sedated ABR in writing state(P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with traditional ABR,the non-sedated KWA ABR system in uriting state was significantly higher than that of the other three conolitions.Haw ever,the residual noise level in lying and sit-ting states had no significant difference with conditional ABR,and different states of the subject had impact on the residual noise level in the ABR testing to sone extent.

This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of Xinyang Tablets on myocardial fibrosis in uremic cardiomyopathy(UCM) using single-cell sequencing technology. UCM mouse models were established by 5/6 nephrectomy(NPM) and randomly divided into the model group, Xinyang Tablets group, and sham-operated(sham) group as the control. The Xinyang Tablets group received postoperative interventions of Xinyang Tablets(0.34 g·kg~(-1)). After eight weeks, the hearts of the mice in each group were disassociated and subjected to 10×Genomics single-cell sequencing. The data were subjected to t-SNE dimensionality reduction, K-means clustering, and CellMarker annotation prior to analyzing differential expression and cell differentiation trajectories using the Seurat and Monocle3 tools. Additionally, the CellChat tool was used to parse intercellular signaling communication. The results showed that a total of nine types of cells including fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and immune cells were identified in this study. The single-cell expression results of fibroblasts and Gene Ontology(GO) enrichment analysis showed that Xinyang Tablets regulated myocardial fibrosis factors and related signals. Mimetic timing analysis identified three major differentiation trajectories of mouse cardiac fibroblasts and identified the expression of secreted phosphoprotein 1(Spp1) as consistent with the fibroblast differentiation trajectory. Cellular interaction network analysis showed that the communication signals between mouse cardiac fibroblasts and other cells were weakened in the Xinyang Tablets group compared with the model group. The results of ligand-receptor interaction analysis showed that the interaction between myeloid cell-derived osteopontin(OPN) and cardiac fibroblasts and between myeloid cell Spp1 ligand and cardiac fibroblast receptor of mice in the Xinyang Tablets group was weakened compared with the model group. In conclusion, Xinyang Tablets may improve myocardial fibrosis in UCM by inhibiting both endogenous and exogenous OPN at the single-cell level.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Cardiomyopathies/pathology* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Male ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Uremia/metabolism* ; Tablets ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans

Humans ; Philadelphia Chromosome ; Neoplasms ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/genetics* ; Disease Progression

Corticosteroid switching can reverse abiraterone resistance in some patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Here, we investigated the potential biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of corticosteroid switching during treatment with abiraterone acetate (AA). We retrospectively analyzed 101 mCRPC patients receiving corticosteroid switching from West China Hospital and Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center between January 2016 and December 2018. All cases received AA plus prednisone as first-line therapy during mCRPC. Primary end points were biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS) and overall survival (OS). The risk groups were defined based on multivariate analysis. A total of 42 (41.6%) and 25 (24.8%) patients achieved 30% and 50% decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), respectively, after corticosteroid switching. The median bPFS and median OS on AA plus dexamethasone were 4.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.7-6.0) months and 18.8 (95% CI: 16.2-30.2) months, respectively. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3) expression (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.15, 95% Cl: 1.22-3.80, P = 0.008) and baseline serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP; HR: 4.95, 95% Cl: 2.40-10.19, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of efficacy before corticosteroid switching in the multivariate analysis of bPFS. Only baseline serum ALP >160 IU l^-1 (HR: 3.41, 95% Cl: 1.57-7.38, P = 0.002) together with PSA level at switch ≥50 ng ml^-1 (HR: 2.59, 95% Cl: 1.22-5.47, P = 0.013) independently predicted poorer OS. Based on the predictive factors in multivariate analysis, we developed two risk stratification tools to select candidates for corticosteroid switching. Detection of serum ALP level, PSA level, and tissue AKR1C3 expression in mCRPC patients could help make clinical decisions for corticosteroid switching.
Abiraterone Acetate/therapeutic use* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Androstenes ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Dexamethasone/therapeutic use* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Male ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/pathology*