ObjectiveTo explore the effect of different drying conditions on the appearance and intrinsic quality indicators of Pinelliae Rhizoma for screening suitable drying conditions， so as to provide reference for its standardized production and quality evaluation. MethodsDifferent dried samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma were prepared by lime-assisted sweating method and intermittent drying method. Visual analysis was employed to measure the color brightness values（L^*） of the surface， cross-section and powder of the samples， texture analyzer was used to determine the hardness of the samples under different drying conditions. The total starch content was calculated by measuring the contents of amylose and amylopectin in the samples with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of seven nucleoside components（uracil， hypoxanthine， uridine， inosine， guanosine， β-thymidine and adenosine） in the samples. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between the external characteristics and intrinsic indicators of the different dried samples. Principal component analysis（PCA） was used to comprehensively rank the data of various indicators， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was used to screen differential components with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Furthermore， the difference between the optimal drying condition for Pinelliae Rhizoma and the traditional sun-drying method was explored by independent samples t-test. ResultsWith the increase of temperature， the color of the intermittently dried samples gradually deepened， while their hardness gradually decreased. Concurrently， the contents of extract， total starch， uridine and adenosine exhibited an upward trend， whereas the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine displayed a downward trajectory. Compared with the intermittent drying group， the content of extract in the samples subjected to lime-assisted sweating increased. With the increase of lime dose， the hardness and the total content of nucleoside components in the samples showed a downward trend， while the total starch content showed an upward trend. Correlation analysis showed that the comprehensive score of L^* was negatively correlated with the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine， and positively correlated with the contents of uridine， guanosine and adenosine. Hardness was negatively correlated with adenosine content， and positively correlated with the contents of inosine， uracil and hypoxanthine. Through comprehensive consideration and comprehensive score of principal components， the method of 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days emerged as the top-ranking approach. Except for the extract， the results of independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days and the traditional sun-drying in terms of other content indicators. ConclusionThe whiteness and firmness of Pinelliae Rhizoma exhibit significant correlations with its chemical composition， while uridine， uracil， guanosine， adenosine and inosine are the key constituents responsible for the quality difference of Pinelliae Rhizoma under different drying conditions. The lime-assisted sweating method optimized in this study can be proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional sun-drying method. This method not only ensures the quality of the medicinal material but also effectively reduces the drying time and prevents mold contamination， which provides a valuable reference for the standardization of drying conditions and the establishment of quality evaluation criteria for Pinelliae Rhizoma.

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), caused by cerebrovascular dysfunction, severely impacts the quality of life in the elderly population, yet effective therapeutic approaches remain limited. Mitophagy, a selective mitochondrial quality-control mechanism, has emerged as a critical focus in neurological disease research. Accumulating evidence indicates that mitophagy modulates oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal apoptosis. Key signaling pathways associated with mitophagy—including PINK1/Parkin, BNIP3/Nix, FUNDC1, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and AMPK—have been identified as potential therapeutic targets for VCI. This review summarizes the mechanistic roles of mitophagy in VCI pathogenesis and explores emerging therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways, aiming to provide novel insights for clinical intervention and advance the development of effective treatments for VCI.

Objective:To explore the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and β-catenin in skin lesions of condyloma acuminatum, and analyze their relationship with clinical prognosis.Methods:A prospective study was conducted to select 96 patients with condyloma acuminatum admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2020 to June 2023 as the case group. Another 96 normal tissue samples from patients who underwent external genital plastic surgery or circumcision at the same time in the hospital were taken as the control group. All patients in the case group received 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) treatment, and the outcome was achieved at 6 months after follow-up. The case group was divided into recurrent subgroups and non- recurrent subgroups based on whether there was a recurrence. The expression of NF-κB and β-catenin in patients with different prognoses between the case group and the control group were compared. The Phi coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between NF-κB, β-catenin, and condyloma acuminatum. COX regression analysis were used to test the relationship between NF-κB, β-catenin and recurrence, and then receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of NF-κB, β-catenin for recurrence in patients with condyloma acuminatum.Results:The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the lesion tissues of the case group were higher than those in the control group: 55.21%(53/96) vs. 23.96%(23/96), 56.25%(54/96) vs. 36.46%(35/96), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). According to the Phi coefficient test, there was a positive correlation between NF-κB and β-catenin positivity and condyloma acuminatum ( r>0, P<0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, 35 of the 96 patients relapsed, with a recurrence rate of 36.46% (35/96). The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the recurrent subgroup were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrent subgroup: 85.71%(30/35) vs. 37.70%(23/61), 85.71%(30/35) vs. 39.34%(24/61), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). COX regression analysis showed that the positive expression of NF-κB and β-catenin was related to the recurrence of patients with condyloma acuminatum after treatment ( HR = 4.017, 3.898, 95% CI 1.516 - 10.646, 1.470 - 10.336, P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that NF-κB, β-catenin, and their combination had moderate predictive value for recurrence in patients with condyloma acuminatum after treatment. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.740 and 0.732, respectively. Among them, the combined predictive value was the highest, with an AUC of 0.810 ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the skin lesions of patients with condyloma acuminatum are relatively high, and they have certain predictive value for the recurrence of patients after treatment.

BACKGROUND:Oligodendrocyte precursor cells are seed cells for the treatment of white matter damage diseases.Establishing an efficient and stable in vitro differentiation method is an important prerequisite for clinical translational research.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of fibronectin on biological characteristics such as proliferation,migration,and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells derived from human neural stem cells.METHODS:Human neural stem cells cultured in suspension were digested into single cells using Accutase.The expression of specific markers Nestin,Sox2,Vimentin,CD133,and Musashi was detected by flow cytometry.The single cells of human neural stem cells were resuspended in oligodendrocyte precursor cell medium and seeded in six-well plates coated with different concentrations of fibronectin(0,1,2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL).Accutase digestion was performed after 7 days of culture.Cells were counted by trypan staining.Fibronectin-coated group with the strongest amplification ability and the oligodendrocyte precursor cells without fibronectin-coated group were selected for further tests.The migration ability of the two groups of cells was detected by Transwell.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of Olig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α.Oligodendrocyte precursor cells were induced to differentiate into oligodendrocytes for 3 weeks,and the expression of Galc in differentiated cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)H uman neural stem cells grew in suspension spheres.Flow cytometry showed that human neural stem cells highly expressed Nestin,Sox2,Vimentin,CD133,and Musashi.(2)The cell bodies of oligodendrocyte precursor cells induced by human neural stem cells were round or oval,with strong refractive nature and bipolar or tertiary protrusions.Compared with the 0 μg/mL fibronectin coating group,there was a significant difference in the amplification ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the 2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL fibronectin coating groups(P＜0.05).The amplification ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells was the strongest when the fibronectin concentration was 10 μg/mL.(3)Flow cytometry results showed that the oligodendrocyte precursor cell markers 0Iig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α were highly expressed in the 0 and 10 μg/mL fibronectin coating groups,and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).(4)Transwell chamber assay results showed that compared with the 0 μg/mL fibronectin-coated group,the migration ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the 10 μg/mL fibronectin-coated group was increased(P＜0.01).(5)After 3 weeks of differentiation into oligodendrocytes,oligodendrocyte precursor cells showed complex morphology with multiple branches,grids or membrane sheets.Immunofluorescence staining results showed that there was no statistical difference in the Galc positive rate of oligodendrocytes between the two groups(P＞0.05).These findings indicate that when the concentration of fibronectin coated well plate is 10 μg/mL,the proliferation and migration of oligodendrocyte precursor cells are the strongest,but it does not affect the expression of oligodendrocyte precursor cells-specific markers Olig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α and their differentiation into oligodendrocytes.

AIM:We investigated the survival,migration and differentiation abilities of human oligodendro-cyte precursor cells(hOPC)in the brains of mice with vascular dementia(VaD),the effects of hOPC on cerebral white matter,and the underlying mechanisms.METHODS:Mouse VaD model was constructed using the bilateral common ca-rotid artery stenosis method,and the mice were randomly divided into sham,VaD and hOPC groups.Eight weeks after model establishment,the mice in VaD and hOPC groups received equal volume of vehicle(PBS)and hOPC solution,re-spectively,through the corpus callosum.Survival,migration and differentiation of hOPC in the brain were observed by im-munofluorescence staining at 4 and 12 weeks after transplantation.Twelve weeks after transplantation,the effects of hOPC on mouse brain white matter were detected by immunofluorescence staining of myelin basic protein(MBP),myelin-associ-ated glycoprotein(MAG),neurofilament protein 200(NF200)and non-phosphorylated neurofilament H(using monoclo-nal antibody SMI32),and by water maze experiments.Paracrine signaling by hOPC was explored using immunofluores-cence staining for vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF).RESULTS:The hOPC survived in the brains of VaD mice for 12 weeks,migrated to damaged white matter areas,and partially differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes(approxi-mately 64%).Twelve weeks after transplantation,hOPC significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of MBP,MAG,and NF200(P<0.05 or P<0.01)and decreased the fluorescence intensity of SMI32(P<0.01).The VEGF expression in hOPC-treated mice was significantly higher than that in sham and VaD groups(P<0.01).The difference in water maze test performance between hOPC and sham groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The mice in hOPC group had a shorter latency than those in VaD group(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and performed more platform crossings than those in VaD group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The hOPC can survive,migrate and differentiate in the brains of VaD mice,attenuate cerebral white matter lesions,and improve cognitive function.These improvements may be attributed to cell replacement and paracrine effects.

Mitochondria are the center of intracellular energy metabolism.Mitochondrial dynamics refers to the dynamic process of mitochondrial fusion and fission,which plays an important role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and central nervous system function.Optic atrophy 1(OPA1)is a key factor involved in mitochondrial dynamics.OPA1 acts by regulating mitochondrial fusion and fission,reducing oxidative stress,inhibiting apoptosis,and promoting mitochondrial autophagy,to maintain the dynamic changes in mitochondrial quantity,structure,and biological function.Numerous studies have shown that OPA1-mediated mitochondrial dynamics plays an important role in ischemic stroke,Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,spinal cord injury,multiple sclerosis,and other central nervous system diseases.Here we review the regulatory mechanism of OPA1 in terms of mitochondrial dynamics and the important role of mitochondrial function mediated by OPA1 in central nervous system diseases,to provide new ideas for clinical treatment.

AIM:We investigated the survival,migration and differentiation abilities of human oligodendro-cyte precursor cells(hOPC)in the brains of mice with vascular dementia(VaD),the effects of hOPC on cerebral white matter,and the underlying mechanisms.METHODS:Mouse VaD model was constructed using the bilateral common ca-rotid artery stenosis method,and the mice were randomly divided into sham,VaD and hOPC groups.Eight weeks after model establishment,the mice in VaD and hOPC groups received equal volume of vehicle(PBS)and hOPC solution,re-spectively,through the corpus callosum.Survival,migration and differentiation of hOPC in the brain were observed by im-munofluorescence staining at 4 and 12 weeks after transplantation.Twelve weeks after transplantation,the effects of hOPC on mouse brain white matter were detected by immunofluorescence staining of myelin basic protein(MBP),myelin-associ-ated glycoprotein(MAG),neurofilament protein 200(NF200)and non-phosphorylated neurofilament H(using monoclo-nal antibody SMI32),and by water maze experiments.Paracrine signaling by hOPC was explored using immunofluores-cence staining for vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF).RESULTS:The hOPC survived in the brains of VaD mice for 12 weeks,migrated to damaged white matter areas,and partially differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes(approxi-mately 64%).Twelve weeks after transplantation,hOPC significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of MBP,MAG,and NF200(P<0.05 or P<0.01)and decreased the fluorescence intensity of SMI32(P<0.01).The VEGF expression in hOPC-treated mice was significantly higher than that in sham and VaD groups(P<0.01).The difference in water maze test performance between hOPC and sham groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The mice in hOPC group had a shorter latency than those in VaD group(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and performed more platform crossings than those in VaD group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The hOPC can survive,migrate and differentiate in the brains of VaD mice,attenuate cerebral white matter lesions,and improve cognitive function.These improvements may be attributed to cell replacement and paracrine effects.

Objective:To explore the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and β-catenin in skin lesions of condyloma acuminatum, and analyze their relationship with clinical prognosis.Methods:A prospective study was conducted to select 96 patients with condyloma acuminatum admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2020 to June 2023 as the case group. Another 96 normal tissue samples from patients who underwent external genital plastic surgery or circumcision at the same time in the hospital were taken as the control group. All patients in the case group received 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) treatment, and the outcome was achieved at 6 months after follow-up. The case group was divided into recurrent subgroups and non- recurrent subgroups based on whether there was a recurrence. The expression of NF-κB and β-catenin in patients with different prognoses between the case group and the control group were compared. The Phi coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between NF-κB, β-catenin, and condyloma acuminatum. COX regression analysis were used to test the relationship between NF-κB, β-catenin and recurrence, and then receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of NF-κB, β-catenin for recurrence in patients with condyloma acuminatum.Results:The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the lesion tissues of the case group were higher than those in the control group: 55.21%(53/96) vs. 23.96%(23/96), 56.25%(54/96) vs. 36.46%(35/96), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). According to the Phi coefficient test, there was a positive correlation between NF-κB and β-catenin positivity and condyloma acuminatum ( r>0, P<0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, 35 of the 96 patients relapsed, with a recurrence rate of 36.46% (35/96). The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the recurrent subgroup were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrent subgroup: 85.71%(30/35) vs. 37.70%(23/61), 85.71%(30/35) vs. 39.34%(24/61), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). COX regression analysis showed that the positive expression of NF-κB and β-catenin was related to the recurrence of patients with condyloma acuminatum after treatment ( HR = 4.017, 3.898, 95% CI 1.516 - 10.646, 1.470 - 10.336, P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that NF-κB, β-catenin, and their combination had moderate predictive value for recurrence in patients with condyloma acuminatum after treatment. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.740 and 0.732, respectively. Among them, the combined predictive value was the highest, with an AUC of 0.810 ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The positive rates of NF-κB and β-catenin in the skin lesions of patients with condyloma acuminatum are relatively high, and they have certain predictive value for the recurrence of patients after treatment.

Mitochondria are the center of intracellular energy metabolism.Mitochondrial dynamics refers to the dynamic process of mitochondrial fusion and fission,which plays an important role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and central nervous system function.Optic atrophy 1(OPA1)is a key factor involved in mitochondrial dynamics.OPA1 acts by regulating mitochondrial fusion and fission,reducing oxidative stress,inhibiting apoptosis,and promoting mitochondrial autophagy,to maintain the dynamic changes in mitochondrial quantity,structure,and biological function.Numerous studies have shown that OPA1-mediated mitochondrial dynamics plays an important role in ischemic stroke,Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,spinal cord injury,multiple sclerosis,and other central nervous system diseases.Here we review the regulatory mechanism of OPA1 in terms of mitochondrial dynamics and the important role of mitochondrial function mediated by OPA1 in central nervous system diseases,to provide new ideas for clinical treatment.

BACKGROUND:Oligodendrocyte precursor cells are seed cells for the treatment of white matter damage diseases.Establishing an efficient and stable in vitro differentiation method is an important prerequisite for clinical translational research.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of fibronectin on biological characteristics such as proliferation,migration,and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells derived from human neural stem cells.METHODS:Human neural stem cells cultured in suspension were digested into single cells using Accutase.The expression of specific markers Nestin,Sox2,Vimentin,CD133,and Musashi was detected by flow cytometry.The single cells of human neural stem cells were resuspended in oligodendrocyte precursor cell medium and seeded in six-well plates coated with different concentrations of fibronectin(0,1,2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL).Accutase digestion was performed after 7 days of culture.Cells were counted by trypan staining.Fibronectin-coated group with the strongest amplification ability and the oligodendrocyte precursor cells without fibronectin-coated group were selected for further tests.The migration ability of the two groups of cells was detected by Transwell.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of Olig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α.Oligodendrocyte precursor cells were induced to differentiate into oligodendrocytes for 3 weeks,and the expression of Galc in differentiated cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)H uman neural stem cells grew in suspension spheres.Flow cytometry showed that human neural stem cells highly expressed Nestin,Sox2,Vimentin,CD133,and Musashi.(2)The cell bodies of oligodendrocyte precursor cells induced by human neural stem cells were round or oval,with strong refractive nature and bipolar or tertiary protrusions.Compared with the 0 μg/mL fibronectin coating group,there was a significant difference in the amplification ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the 2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL fibronectin coating groups(P＜0.05).The amplification ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells was the strongest when the fibronectin concentration was 10 μg/mL.(3)Flow cytometry results showed that the oligodendrocyte precursor cell markers 0Iig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α were highly expressed in the 0 and 10 μg/mL fibronectin coating groups,and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).(4)Transwell chamber assay results showed that compared with the 0 μg/mL fibronectin-coated group,the migration ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the 10 μg/mL fibronectin-coated group was increased(P＜0.01).(5)After 3 weeks of differentiation into oligodendrocytes,oligodendrocyte precursor cells showed complex morphology with multiple branches,grids or membrane sheets.Immunofluorescence staining results showed that there was no statistical difference in the Galc positive rate of oligodendrocytes between the two groups(P＞0.05).These findings indicate that when the concentration of fibronectin coated well plate is 10 μg/mL,the proliferation and migration of oligodendrocyte precursor cells are the strongest,but it does not affect the expression of oligodendrocyte precursor cells-specific markers Olig2,Sox10,and PDGFR-α and their differentiation into oligodendrocytes.