Objective By observing and measuring the relevant data of the buccal branch of the facial nerve,the parotid duct and the facial artery,the positional relationship among the three was analyzed to avoid accidental injury to the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct when ligaturing the facial artery during the operation.Methods Forty adult head and neck specimens were dissected to observe the relationship between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct,the course and positional relationship of the facial artery,and the relationship between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the peripheral vascular network.The relevant diameters were measured with a vernier caliper.Results The buccal branch of the facial nerve was divided into the superior buccal branch and the inferior buccal branch,and there was no direct anastomosis or connecting fiber between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct.The superior buccal branch was relatively thick,and it has a relatively constant position,which was parallel to the parotid duct.The position of the inferior buccal branch was not constant and it ran on or slightly above the plane of angulus oris.The superior buccal branch was located(10.76±5.54)mm from the parotid duct,while the inferior buccal branch was positioned(6.84±4.06)mm away from the parotid duct.The course of the main trunk of the facial artery was relatively fixed.Moreover,if the branch of the facial artery was missing,other branches of the facial artery would extend to replace the missing branch artery.The main trunk of the facial artery had a diameter of(2.34±0.83)mm,and its branches formed anastomoses with the buccal branch of the maxillary artery,creating a vascular network in the parotid and buccal regions.There was a vascular network around the buccal branch of the facial nerve,which was mostly small branches of the facial artery and the superficial temporal artery.Conclusion The buccal branch of the facial nerve exhibits a consistent anatomic relationship with the parotid duct and the facial artery.During the ligation of the facial artery,the parotid duct can serve as a landmark to accurately locate the buccal branch of the facial nerve,thereby significantly reducing the risk of inadvertent injury to the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major form of dementia in the elderly and is closely related to the toxic effects of microglia sustained activation. In AD, sustained microglial activation triggers impaired synaptic pruning, neuroinflammation, neurotoxicity, and cognitive deficits. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that aberrant expression of deubiquitinating enzymes is associated with regulating microglia function. Here, we use RNA sequencing to identify a deubiquitinase YOD1 as a regulator of microglial function and AD pathology. Further study showed that YOD1 knockout significantly improved the migration, phagocytosis, and inflammatory response of microglia, thereby improving the cognitive impairment of AD model mice. Through LC-MS/MS analysis combined with Co-IP, we found that Myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9), a key regulator maintaining microglia homeostasis, is an interacting protein of YOD1. Mechanistically, YOD1 binds to MYH9 and maintains its stability by removing the K48 ubiquitin chain from MYH9, thereby mediating the microglia polarization signaling pathway to mediate microglia homeostasis. Taken together, our study reveals a specific role of microglial YOD1 in mediating microglia homeostasis and AD pathology, which provides a potential strategy for targeting microglia to treat AD.

Objective:To evaluate the improvement in the outcome of intracapsular condylar fractures(ICFs)treatment with pre-cise soft tissue reduction in combination with open reduction and internal fixation(PSTR-ORIF)by comparson with traditional open reduction and internal fixation(T-ORIF).Methods:40 patients with ICFs were treated by T-ORIF and PSTR-ORIF(n=20)re-spectively.Preoperative and 6-month postoperative whole-mouth panoramic tomography,CT and MRI imaging data were analyzed,the repositioning of the soft and hard tissues of temporomandibular joints(TMJs),the Helkimo index,clinical symptoms and subjec-tive symptoms were compared between the 2 groups.Results:In PSTR-ORIF(26 sides)and T-ORIF(27 sides)groups,the rate of complete anatomical restoration of fractured segments at 6 months after surgery was 96.15％and 81.48％,and the overall effective rate of ICF articular disc restoration was 96.15％and 74.07％respectively,the height of the ascending mandibular branch was bet-ter restored in patients with B-type fracture after surgery(P＜0.05).At 6 months postoperatively,patients in the PSTR-ORIF group showed significant improvement in mouth opening,mandibular anterior extension distance,and lateral movement compared with the T-ORIF group(P＜0.05).The Helkimo index showed that the PSTR-ORIF group got a significant improvement in the complaint symptom index score and the clinical symptom index score compared with the T-ORIF group(P＜0.05).Conclusion:PSTR-ORIF is more effective than T-ORIF in the treatment of ICFs for the healing of condylar fractures,restore postoperative TMJ mobility and reduce the postoperative joint discomfort through good repositioning of soft tissues.

Objective By observing and measuring the relevant data of the buccal branch of the facial nerve,the parotid duct and the facial artery,the positional relationship among the three was analyzed to avoid accidental injury to the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct when ligaturing the facial artery during the operation.Methods Forty adult head and neck specimens were dissected to observe the relationship between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct,the course and positional relationship of the facial artery,and the relationship between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the peripheral vascular network.The relevant diameters were measured with a vernier caliper.Results The buccal branch of the facial nerve was divided into the superior buccal branch and the inferior buccal branch,and there was no direct anastomosis or connecting fiber between the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct.The superior buccal branch was relatively thick,and it has a relatively constant position,which was parallel to the parotid duct.The position of the inferior buccal branch was not constant and it ran on or slightly above the plane of angulus oris.The superior buccal branch was located(10.76±5.54)mm from the parotid duct,while the inferior buccal branch was positioned(6.84±4.06)mm away from the parotid duct.The course of the main trunk of the facial artery was relatively fixed.Moreover,if the branch of the facial artery was missing,other branches of the facial artery would extend to replace the missing branch artery.The main trunk of the facial artery had a diameter of(2.34±0.83)mm,and its branches formed anastomoses with the buccal branch of the maxillary artery,creating a vascular network in the parotid and buccal regions.There was a vascular network around the buccal branch of the facial nerve,which was mostly small branches of the facial artery and the superficial temporal artery.Conclusion The buccal branch of the facial nerve exhibits a consistent anatomic relationship with the parotid duct and the facial artery.During the ligation of the facial artery,the parotid duct can serve as a landmark to accurately locate the buccal branch of the facial nerve,thereby significantly reducing the risk of inadvertent injury to the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct.

Objective:To evaluate the improvement in the outcome of intracapsular condylar fractures(ICFs)treatment with pre-cise soft tissue reduction in combination with open reduction and internal fixation(PSTR-ORIF)by comparson with traditional open reduction and internal fixation(T-ORIF).Methods:40 patients with ICFs were treated by T-ORIF and PSTR-ORIF(n=20)re-spectively.Preoperative and 6-month postoperative whole-mouth panoramic tomography,CT and MRI imaging data were analyzed,the repositioning of the soft and hard tissues of temporomandibular joints(TMJs),the Helkimo index,clinical symptoms and subjec-tive symptoms were compared between the 2 groups.Results:In PSTR-ORIF(26 sides)and T-ORIF(27 sides)groups,the rate of complete anatomical restoration of fractured segments at 6 months after surgery was 96.15％and 81.48％,and the overall effective rate of ICF articular disc restoration was 96.15％and 74.07％respectively,the height of the ascending mandibular branch was bet-ter restored in patients with B-type fracture after surgery(P＜0.05).At 6 months postoperatively,patients in the PSTR-ORIF group showed significant improvement in mouth opening,mandibular anterior extension distance,and lateral movement compared with the T-ORIF group(P＜0.05).The Helkimo index showed that the PSTR-ORIF group got a significant improvement in the complaint symptom index score and the clinical symptom index score compared with the T-ORIF group(P＜0.05).Conclusion:PSTR-ORIF is more effective than T-ORIF in the treatment of ICFs for the healing of condylar fractures,restore postoperative TMJ mobility and reduce the postoperative joint discomfort through good repositioning of soft tissues.

ObjectiveTo explore the syndromes and mechanisms of depression induced by maternal separation （MS） combined with chronic restraint stress （RS） in mice. MethodOn postnatal day 0 （PD0）， the offspring mice were randomized into a blank group （NC） and a modeling group. The mouse model of depression was established by MS+RS for 21 days. After removal of female mice on PD21， the modeled mice were randomized into model， Wenyang， Jieyu， Wenyang Jieyu， and fluoxetine groups， with 15 mice in each group. The sucrose preference， tail suspension， and open field tests were carried out to evaluate the anxiety and depression-like behavior in mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the adrenocorticotrophic hormone （ACTH） and corticosterone （CORT） levels in mouse plasma. High performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector was used to determine the content of monoamine neurotransmitters in the hippocampus. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed to determine the mRNA levels of genes in the 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） system， hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis， and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） signaling pathway in the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry was employed to determine the expression levels of proteins in the 5-HT system and HPA axis in the hippocampus. The Simple Western system was used to determine the protein levels of BDNF and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） in the hippocampus. ResultCompared with the NC group， the model group exhibited depression-like behavior， which was significantly relieved by Wenyang Jieyu prescription and fluoxetine. Compared with the NC group， the model group showed elevated levels of CORT and ACTH in the plasma （P<0.01）， which， however， were lowered by Wenyang Jieyu prescription and fluoxetine （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the NC group， the model group showed inhibited expression of neurotransmitters in the hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while Wenyang Jieyu prescription and fluoxetine restored the expression of neurotransmitters （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with NC group， the model group showed inhibition of the 5-HTergic nerve and abnormal activation of the HPA axis， and Wenyang Jieyu prescription and fluoxetine regulated the abnormal state of the 5-HTergic nerve and HPA axis. Compared with NC group， the modeling down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF and TrkB in the hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）， which， however， were recovered in Wenyang， Jieyu， Wenyang Jieyu， and fluoxetine groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe mouse model of depression induced by MS+RS may present the syndrome of Yang deficiency and liver depression. Wenyang Jieyu prescription may increase the content of hippocampal neurotransmitters by regulating the 5-HT system and the BDNF signaling pathway mediated by the HPA axis， thereby alleviating depression-like behavior in mice.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Wenyang Jieyu prescription （WJP） on neuroinflammation and synaptic plasticity in the mouse model of depression induced by maternal separation combined with restraint stress. MethodThe mice on postnatal day 0 （PD0） were randomized into a control group and a modeling group. Maternal separation combined with restraint stress was employed to establish the mouse model of depression. After the removal of female mice， the modeled mice were randomized into model， Wenyang prescription （5.85 g·kg^-1）， Jieyu prescription （12.03 g·kg^-1）， WJP （16.71 g·kg^-1）， and fluoxetine （2.6 mg·kg^-1） groups on the weaning day （PD21）， with 15 mice in each group. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs mixed with the diet from PD21 to PD111. The sucrose preference test， open field test， O-maze test， and novel object recognition test were then carried out to evaluate the depression state， memory， and learning ability of the mice. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was employed to observe the ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 （Iba-1） in hippocampal microglia. High performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was employed to measure the content of noradrenaline （NE） and epinephrine （E） in the hippocampus. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the content of interleukin （IL）-18 and IL-1β in the hippocampus. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， cysteine aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）， IL-1β， synaptophysin （Syn）， and postsynaptic density 95 （PSD95）. ResultCompared with control group， the model group showed decreased sucrose preference rate， time spent in central zone within 5 min， total movement distance， time spent in the open arm， and cognition index （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The microglia in the model group presented amoeba-like appearance， the Iba1 increased. Moreover， the model group showed decreased content of NE and E （P<0.01）， elevated levels of IL-1β and IL-18 （P<0.01）， down-regulated protein levels of PSD95 and Syn （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， and IL-1β （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with model group， WJP and fluoxetine increased the sucrose preference rate， time spent in central zone within 5 min， total movement distance， time spent in the open arm， and cognition index （P<0.05， P<0.01）. They recovered the microglia and the Iba1 decreased. Moreover， the drugs increased the content of NE and E （P<0.05， P<0.01）， lowered the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 （P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of PSD95 and Syn （P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， and IL-1β （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionWJP can treat the depressive behavior induced by maternal separation combined with restraint stress in mice， with the performance outperforming Wenyang prescription and Jieyu prescription. It may alleviate the neuroinflammation induced by microglia and improve the synaptic plasticity by regulating the NLRP3 pathway and increasing neurotransmitters in the hippocampus.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Wenyang Jieyu prescription in regulating hippocampal neuron apoptosis and improving synaptic plasticity in the mouse model of depression induced by maternal separation combined with restraint stress. MethodThe mice on postnatal day 0 （PD0） were randomly assigned into a control group （n=10） and a modeling group （n=50）. Maternal separation combined with restraint stress was adopted to establish the mouse model of depression， and the modeled mice were randomized into model， Wenyang prescription， Jieyu prescription， Wenyang Jieyu prescription， and fluoxetine groups （n=10） on the weaning day （PD21）. From PD21 to PD111， the mice were fed with the diets mixed with corresponding medicines. The sucrose preference test， open field test， O-maze test， and novel object recognition test were then conducted to evaluate the depression， memory， and learning abilities of mice. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was employed to measure the atomic absorbance （AA） of postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD95） in the hippocampus. Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling （TUNEL） was employed to detect the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， phosphorylated tyrosine kinase receptor B/tyrosine kinase receptor B （p-TrkB/TrkB）， phosphorylated protein kinase B/protein kinase B （p-Akt/Akt）， phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin/mammalian target of rapamycin （p-mTOR/mTOR）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X （Bax）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3）， synaptophysin （Syn）， and PSD95. ResultCompared with the control group， the modeling decreased the sucrose preference rate， time spent in central zone within 5 min， total movement distance， time spent in the open arm， and cognition index （P<0.01）. Furthermore， it decreased the expression of PSD95， increased the neuron apoptosis in the hippocampus （P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of BDNF， p-TrkB/TrkB， p-Akt/Akt， p-mTOR/mTOR， Bcl-2， PSD95， and Syn （P<0.01）， and up-regulated the protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.05） in the hippocampus. Compared with the model group， Wenyang Jieyu prescription and fluoxetine increased the sucrose preference rate， time spent in central zone within 5 min， total movement distance， time spent in the open arm， and cognition index （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the drugs increased the expression of PSD95， reduced the neuron apoptosis （P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of BDNF， p-TrkB/TrkB， p-Akt/Akt， p-mTOR/mTOR， Bcl-2， PSD95， and Syn （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.01）. ConclusionWenyang Jieyu prescription outperformed Wenyang prescription and Jieyu prescription in the treatment of the depressive behavior induced by maternal separation combined with restraint stress in mice. It exerted the therapeutic effect by reducing the hippocampal neuron apoptosis and improving the synaptic plasticity via the BDNF/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the degree of liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and the left ventricular structure and function of the heart.Methods A total of 411 patients with NAFLD admitted to the Sec-ond Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from June 2022 to April 2023 were collected.NAFLD patients were stratified using the FIB-4 non-invasive liver fibrosis scoring system and divided into the progressive fibrosis group(n=138)and non-progressive fi-brosis group(n=273).A total of 151 patients with normal abdominal ultrasound examination during the same period were selected as the control group,the relationship between the severity of liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients and the left ventricular structure and function of the heart were analyzed.Results Liver fibrosis was a risk factor for cardiac diastolic function limitation in NAFLD patients(P＜0.05),and the more severe the degree of liver fibrosis,the more severe the cardiac diastolic function limitation.Conclusion The degree of liver fi-brosis in NAFLD is significantly correlated with limited left ventricular diastolic function;it may be related to changes in the left ventricu-lar structure of the heart.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets in the treatment of premature ovarian failure (POF) using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology; To conduct further experimental verification.Methods:The active components and related targets of Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets were obtained using TCMSP and PubChem databases, and the related targets of POF were obtained by using GeneCards database. The Venn online tool was used to screen the intersection genes, and the STRING database was used to construct the PPI network. Then, GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the intersecting genes through the Metescape database, and Cytoscape 3.7.1 software was used to construct the "active component-target" network and "Chinese materia medica-active component-target-key pathway-disease" network. Finally, molecular docking verification was carried out. Mice were divided into blank group, model group, and Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets group using a random number table method, with 8 mice in each group. Except for the blank group, mice in each group were treated with zona pellucida polypeptide 3 (ZP3) and Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) to establish a mouse model of immune POF. Mice in the Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets group received Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets solution 0.56 g/kg for gavage, and the blank control group and the model group received saline for gavage for consecutive 4 weeks. The histopathological changes of the mouse ovary were observed by HE staining. Immunohistochemical staining was used to observe the expression of ESR1, and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Akt and p-Akt.Results:A total of 80 intersection targets between Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets and POF were obtained, and the PPI network contained 44 core targets. The top 5 compounds in the topological analysis were formononetin, quercetin, Betulinic acid, Hydroxysafflor Yellow A and Baicalin, and the top 5 targets were PPARG, ESR1, AR, AKT1 and IL6. The molecular function of core genes was mainly receptor ligand activity, and its biological process mainly involved the positive regulation of cell migration. The cellular components mainly included membrane rafts, which were involved in signaling pathways such as cancer signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and HIF-1 signaling pathway. "Chinese materia medica-component-target-pathway-disease" network showed that 8 kinds of Chinese materia medica in the Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets had important core components, among which Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos involved the most important core components. Molecular docking results showed that the active components had a good affinity with the core target. The experimental verification confirmed that Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets promoted follicular development, increased the expression of ESR1 in ovarian tissues and up-regulated the expression level of the key factor of Akt phosphorylation in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.Conclusions:The various active components of Honghua Xiaoyao Tablets may act on PPARG, ESR1 and other targets through multiple signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt and HIF-1 to treat POF. The potential active components are mainly formononetin, quercetin, etc.