Objective To construct a predictive model for patients with verte-brobasilar dolichoectasia(VBD)complicated by posterior circulation acute cerebral infarction(ACI)based on the characteristics of verte-brobasilar artery magnetic resonance vascular wall imaging(MR-VWI),thereby providing a reference for clinical prevention.Methods A total of 102 patients with VBD complicated by posterior circulation ACI who were admitted to our hospital between March 2016 and January 2023 were selected as the concurrent group.An addi-tional 102 patients with VBD without concurrent posterior circulation ACI were selected as the non-concurrent group at a 1∶1 ratio.The MR-VWI characteristics(basilar artery[BA]diameter,BA length,vertebral artery[VA]intracranial segment length,BA deviation grade,and BA bifurcation height grade)and clinical data of the two groups were compared,and the factors influencing posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD were analyzed.Based on the MR-VWI features and related influencing factors,a nomogram prediction model of pos-terior circulation ACI in patients with VBD was constructed,and the clinical significance of the nomogram prediction model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)and calibration curves.Results A significant difference were observed in the D-dimer levels between the two groups(P＜0.05).BA diameter,BA length,and VA intracranial length were greater in the concurrent group than in the non-concurrent group.The proportion of BA bifurcation height grade ≥ 2 and BA deviation grade≥2 in the concurrent group was higher than that in the non-concurrent group(P＜0.05).BA diameter,BA length,BA bifurcation height classification,BA deviation classi-fication,and D-dimer level were all independent risk factors for posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of the posterior circulation ACI predicted using the nomogram model was 0.900(95％CI:0.858-0.943),and good calibration was noted.Conclusion BA diameter,BA length,BA bifurcation height classification,BA offset classification,and D-dimer level were inde-pendent influencing factors of posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD.Based on these factors,a nomogram prediction model was constructed with high prediction efficiency and good calibration.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Lidan Huatan Huoxue Decoction improving cognitive impairment caused by obesity based on metabolomics.Methods Twenty-four 6-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group fed with regular diet(Con,n=6)and a modeling group fed with high-fat and high-sugar diet(n=18).Rats with a body mass that is 20%higher than the standard body mass of their age-matched peers fed with ordinary diet were considered to have a successful obese model established.The presence of cognitive impairment was assessed by Morris water maze and Barnes maze tests.After the obese-induced cognitive impairment(OICI)model was established,the modeling rats were randomly divided into a model group(Model,n=6),a donepezil group(Donepezil,n=6),and a Lidan Huatan Huoxue Decoction group(LHH,n=6).Drugs were administered to the donepezil and LHH groups by gastric intubation.The donepezil group was administered with a dose of 0.45 mg·(kg·d)-1,while the LHH group was administered with a dose of 25 g·(kg·d)-1.The normal and model groups were given the same volume of normal saline by gastric intubation for 8 weeks.Before the rats were sacrificed,water maze and Barnes maze experiments were conducted to assess cognitive function.After sacrifice,specimens were collected for biochemical and histological examination of liver tissue and brain tissue.Non-targeted metabolomic analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)was performed on feces,serum,and brain tissue to analyze changes in differential metabolites in rats.Results Compared with the model group,the intervention of Donepezil and LHH effectively improved the learning and memory ability of OICI rats(P<0.05 or P<0.01),inhibited the overactivation of hippocampal microglia,and increased the number of hippocampal synaptic proteins.LHH improved metabolic-related indicators in OICI rats(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Metabolomic analysis showed significant differences in metabolites in feces,serum,and brain tissue between the model group and the normal group.The main affected pathways in fecal metabolites included steroid biosynthesis,caffeine metabolism,lysosome,vitamin B6 metabolism,phenylalanine,tyrosine,and tryptophan biosynthesis.The main affected pathways in serum metabolites included central carbon metabolism in cancer,pentose phosphate pathway,mineral absorption,protein digestion and absorption,and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis.The main affected pathways in brain tissue metabolites included glycerophospholipid metabolism,β-alanine metabolism,propionic acid metabolism,niacin and nicotinamide metabolism,and caffeine metabolism.After LHH intervention,fecal metabolites showed the most significant changes,mainly involving vitamin B6 metabolism,vitamin digestion and absorption,histidine metabolism,fructose and mannose metabolism,and steroid biosynthesis.Conclusion LHH can improve cognitive impairment in obese rats mainly by regulating fecal metabolites.The main pathways involved include vitamin B6 metabolism,vitamin digestion and absorption,histidine metabolism,fructose and mannose metabolism,and steroid biosynthesis.Among them,vitamin B6 metabolism and vitamin digestion and absorption may be the most important pathways.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Lidan Huatan Huoxue Decoction improving cognitive impairment caused by obesity based on metabolomics.Methods Twenty-four 6-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group fed with regular diet(Con,n=6)and a modeling group fed with high-fat and high-sugar diet(n=18).Rats with a body mass that is 20%higher than the standard body mass of their age-matched peers fed with ordinary diet were considered to have a successful obese model established.The presence of cognitive impairment was assessed by Morris water maze and Barnes maze tests.After the obese-induced cognitive impairment(OICI)model was established,the modeling rats were randomly divided into a model group(Model,n=6),a donepezil group(Donepezil,n=6),and a Lidan Huatan Huoxue Decoction group(LHH,n=6).Drugs were administered to the donepezil and LHH groups by gastric intubation.The donepezil group was administered with a dose of 0.45 mg·(kg·d)-1,while the LHH group was administered with a dose of 25 g·(kg·d)-1.The normal and model groups were given the same volume of normal saline by gastric intubation for 8 weeks.Before the rats were sacrificed,water maze and Barnes maze experiments were conducted to assess cognitive function.After sacrifice,specimens were collected for biochemical and histological examination of liver tissue and brain tissue.Non-targeted metabolomic analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)was performed on feces,serum,and brain tissue to analyze changes in differential metabolites in rats.Results Compared with the model group,the intervention of Donepezil and LHH effectively improved the learning and memory ability of OICI rats(P<0.05 or P<0.01),inhibited the overactivation of hippocampal microglia,and increased the number of hippocampal synaptic proteins.LHH improved metabolic-related indicators in OICI rats(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Metabolomic analysis showed significant differences in metabolites in feces,serum,and brain tissue between the model group and the normal group.The main affected pathways in fecal metabolites included steroid biosynthesis,caffeine metabolism,lysosome,vitamin B6 metabolism,phenylalanine,tyrosine,and tryptophan biosynthesis.The main affected pathways in serum metabolites included central carbon metabolism in cancer,pentose phosphate pathway,mineral absorption,protein digestion and absorption,and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis.The main affected pathways in brain tissue metabolites included glycerophospholipid metabolism,β-alanine metabolism,propionic acid metabolism,niacin and nicotinamide metabolism,and caffeine metabolism.After LHH intervention,fecal metabolites showed the most significant changes,mainly involving vitamin B6 metabolism,vitamin digestion and absorption,histidine metabolism,fructose and mannose metabolism,and steroid biosynthesis.Conclusion LHH can improve cognitive impairment in obese rats mainly by regulating fecal metabolites.The main pathways involved include vitamin B6 metabolism,vitamin digestion and absorption,histidine metabolism,fructose and mannose metabolism,and steroid biosynthesis.Among them,vitamin B6 metabolism and vitamin digestion and absorption may be the most important pathways.

Objective To construct a predictive model for patients with verte-brobasilar dolichoectasia(VBD)complicated by posterior circulation acute cerebral infarction(ACI)based on the characteristics of verte-brobasilar artery magnetic resonance vascular wall imaging(MR-VWI),thereby providing a reference for clinical prevention.Methods A total of 102 patients with VBD complicated by posterior circulation ACI who were admitted to our hospital between March 2016 and January 2023 were selected as the concurrent group.An addi-tional 102 patients with VBD without concurrent posterior circulation ACI were selected as the non-concurrent group at a 1∶1 ratio.The MR-VWI characteristics(basilar artery[BA]diameter,BA length,vertebral artery[VA]intracranial segment length,BA deviation grade,and BA bifurcation height grade)and clinical data of the two groups were compared,and the factors influencing posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD were analyzed.Based on the MR-VWI features and related influencing factors,a nomogram prediction model of pos-terior circulation ACI in patients with VBD was constructed,and the clinical significance of the nomogram prediction model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)and calibration curves.Results A significant difference were observed in the D-dimer levels between the two groups(P＜0.05).BA diameter,BA length,and VA intracranial length were greater in the concurrent group than in the non-concurrent group.The proportion of BA bifurcation height grade ≥ 2 and BA deviation grade≥2 in the concurrent group was higher than that in the non-concurrent group(P＜0.05).BA diameter,BA length,BA bifurcation height classification,BA deviation classi-fication,and D-dimer level were all independent risk factors for posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of the posterior circulation ACI predicted using the nomogram model was 0.900(95％CI:0.858-0.943),and good calibration was noted.Conclusion BA diameter,BA length,BA bifurcation height classification,BA offset classification,and D-dimer level were inde-pendent influencing factors of posterior circulation ACI in patients with VBD.Based on these factors,a nomogram prediction model was constructed with high prediction efficiency and good calibration.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Dachengqi decoction on patients with mild acute pancreatitis (MAP).Methods:A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty-eight patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) admitted to Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-Integrated Hospital from March 2018 to February 2021 were enrolled. Referring to the condition on admission of the patients and whether they agreed to receive the Dachengqi decoction or not, they were divided into conventional treatment group and Dachengqi decoction group according to the principle of 1∶1 equal randomness. Meanwhile, 20 healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. Both groups of patients were treated with octreotide, fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, antipyretic and analgesic, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of gastric acid and pancreatic juice secretion, maintenance of electrolyte balance and other western conventional medicine. The patients in the Dachengqi decoction group received Dachengqi decoction orally on the basis of routine treatment, 100 mL each time, twice a day, for seven consecutive days. The inflammation parameters [white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6)] before and after treatment and the recovery time of gastrointestinal function (first exhaust time, time to recover bowel sounds, first defecation time) of patients were recorded. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of stool samples was recorded, and normalized data were obtained after quality control and other related processing. The data were subjected to diversity analysis (Alpha diversity and Beta diversity) and linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis (LEfSe analysis) to observe changes in the gut microbiota of MAP patients. Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between inflammatory indexes and microorganisms at the intestinal genus level. Blood, urine, stool samples, renal function, and electrocardiogram (ECG) during treatment of MAP patients were detected to assess the safety of the treatment.Results:Of the 68 patients with AP, 16 were excluded from moderate-severe AP, 4 were not collected or voluntarily abandoned treatment. Finally, 48 patients with MAP were enrolled, 24 in the conventional treatment group and 24 in the Dachengqi decoction group. The inflammation parameters levels at 7 days of treatment in both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment. CRP, PCT and IL-6 levels in the Dachengqi decoction group were significantly lower than those in the conventional treatment group [CRP (mg/L): 8.50 (3.50, 13.00) vs. 16.00 (9.25, 29.75), PCT (μg/L): 0.06 (0.03, 0.08) vs. 0.09 (0.05, 0.11), IL-6 (ng/L): 6.36 (3.96, 10.79) vs. 13.24 (6.69, 18.87), all P < 0.05]. The first exhaust time, time to recover bowel sounds and first defecation time in the Dachengqi decoction group were significantly shorter than those in the conventional treatment group [first exhaust time (days): 1.62±0.65 vs. 2.80±0.65, time to recover bowel sounds (days): 1.13±0.58 vs. 2.31±0.76, first defecation time (days): 3.12±0.75 vs. 4.39±0.76, all P < 0.05]. The analysis of intestinal microflora diversity showed that both the diversity and abundance of microbial communities were the highest in the healthy control group and the lowest in the conventional treatment group. In addition, the coincidence degree of microbial communities in healthy controls and MAP patients was small, while the coincidence degree of MAP patients among different treatment methods was relatively large. LEfSe analysis showed that Dachengqi decoction reduced the relative abundance of Escherichia coli-Shigella and Clostridium erysipelae, and increased the relative abundance of three beneficial bacteria, namely Lactobacillus, Rombutzia and Brutella. In the intestines of MAP patients, Lactobacillus mucilaginus and Lactobacillus conjunctus were significantly enriched. Correlation analysis showed that positive correlations between Escherichia coli- Shigella and the four inflammatory indicators including WBC, CRP, PCT, IL-6 were statistically significant ( r value was 0.31, 0.41, 0.57, 0.43, respectively, all P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between other bacteria and inflammatory indicators. During the treatment, there was no obvious abnormality in blood, urine and feces, renal function and ECG of MAP patients. Conclusions:Dachengqi decoction could reduce inflammatory responses and promote recovery of intestinal microecological balance and gastrointestinal function in patients with MAP by regulating the composition of intestinal flora. No significant adverse effects were observed during the treatment period.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Dachengqi decoction combined with octreotide in the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:From March 2018 to February 2021, a total of 68 patients with mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) admitted to Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital were included, and they were randomly divided into western medicine treatment group and Dachengqi decoction group. The patients in the western medicine treatment group received conventional western medicine (octreotide+symptomatic treatment); in the Dachengqi decoction group, 100 mL of Dachengqi decoction was taken orally on the basis of conventional western medicine, twice a day; the observation time for both groups was 7 days. The levels of inflammation parameters [white blood cell count (WBC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP)] and serum amylase (Amy) before and after treatment of patients between the two groups, as well as the occurrence of clinical efficacy indicators and adverse reactions were compared.Results:Among the 68 included patients, 4 were excluded because the specimen was not obtained or the patient gave up the treatment. A total of 64 patients were finally enrolled in the analysis, including 32 cases in the Dachengqi decoction group and 32 cases in the western medicine treatment group respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in inflammation parameters or serum Amy levels before treatment between the two groups. At 7 days of treatment, the inflammatory parameters and serum Amy levels of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment [western medicine treatment group: WBC (×10 9/L) was 5.94±2.08 vs. 11.81±3.66, IL-6 (ng/L) was 7.22 (5.72, 14.23) vs. 30.13 (15.77, 85.37), PCT (μg/L) was 0.068 (0.052, 0.128) vs. 0.290 (0.231, 0.428), CRP (mg/L) was 26.0 (18.3, 35.8) vs. 112.0 (62.0, 126.0), Amy (U/L) was 77 (57, 116) vs. 352 (162, 1 576); Dachengqi decoction group: WBC (×10 9/L) was 5.56±2.04 vs. 12.22±2.85, IL-6 (ng/L) was 5.70 (3.26, 11.06) was 50.30 (23.99, 88.32), PCT (μg/L) was 0.038 (0.028, 0.808) vs. 0.308 (0.129, 0.462), CRP (mg/L) was 11.0 (3.5, 24.0) vs. 150.0 (75.0. 193.0), Amy (U/L) was 78 (57, 104) vs. 447 (336, 718); all P < 0.05], and the levels of IL-6, PCT, and CRP decreased more significantly after treatment in the Dachengqi decoction group (all P < 0.05). The total clinical effective rate of patients in the Dachengqi decoction group was significantly higher than that of the western medicine treatment group [93.75% (30/32) vs. 71.88% (23/32), P < 0.05]. There was no obvious adverse event during the treatment and observation period in the two groups. Conclusion:Dachengqi decoction combined with octreotide therapy could improve the clinical efficacy of AP patients, and its mechanism might be related to reducing the level of inflammatory factors, thereby inhibiting the inflammatory response, and regulating the level of serum Amy.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Qinggan-Huoxue recipe in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease by observing its function on alcoholic liver disease rat fibroblast growth factor -21 (FGF21). Methods The rats were randomly divided into the blank group (n=10), the carbon tetrachloride group (n=10), the model group (n=11), the Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group (n=10), the Qinggan recipe group (n=9) and the Huoxue recipe group (n=10). Except for the blank group and the carbon tetrachloride group, the other rats were given 10 ml/kg alcohol, corn oil and pyrazole mixture (4.5 ml: 2 ml: 25 mg), once a day, 0.3 ml/kg carbon tetrachloride olive oil solution (carbon tetrachloride: olive oil =1: 3) intraperitoneally, and twice a week for 12 weeks to prepare the alcoholic liver disease model. In the ninth week, the Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group was treated with 4.75 g/kg of Qinggan-Huoxue recipe, the Qinggan recipe group was treated with 1.5 g/kg of Qinggan recipe, and the Huoxue recipe group was treated with 3.25 g/kg of Huoxue recipe, once a day, and 28 d for continuous administration. The pathological changes of liver tissue were observed by HE staining and Masson staining. The serum levels of AST and ALT were detected in rats. The changes of FGF21 protein and mRNA expression were detected by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results Compared with the model group, the liver weight and liver body ratio in the Qinggan recipe group, Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group and Huoxue recipe group were significantly lower (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the serum ALT (41.95 ± 26.78 U/L, 46.63 ± 21.00 U/L, 37.57 ± 27.85 U/L vs. 138.34 ± 43.35 U/L), AST (102.74 ± 23.55 U/L, 111.50 ± 21.26 U/L, 83.72 ± 37.57 U/L vs. 257.41 ± 162.31 U/L) in the Qinggan recipe group, Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group and Huoxue recipe group significantly decreased (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of FGF21 protein (1.19 ± 0.07, 1.24 ± 0.12 vs. 0.92 ± 0.04) in Qinggan recipe group and Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group significantly increased (P<0.05), and the expression of FGF21 mRNA (1.25 ± 0.08 vs. 0.95 ± 0.05) in Qinggan-Huoxue recipe group significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions FGF21 plays an important role in the alcoholic liver disease. During the process of liver injury, FGF21 increases continuously. Qinggan-Huoxue recipe can improve the content of FGF21 in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease.