Aging is a natural process in which tissue and organ function declines as organisms age. Aging is the inevitable outcome of the organism and is irreversible. The aging process is accompanied by degenerative changes in the morphological structure of multiple organs of the body, leading to an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes year by year. In recent years, natural phytochemicals have attracted widespread attention from the public due to their advantages such as non-toxicity or low toxicity, low cost, and various biological activities. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a dietary polyphenol extracted from green tea, which has a variety of biological functions including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and anti-aging activities. The EGCG-mediated anti-aging mechanism has been investigated in many studies with different aging models. This article reviews the research progress on rodents, nematodes, fruit flies, and cell aging models, focusing on summarizing the lifespan extension and physiological changes of rodents, nematodes and fruit flies after EGCG intervention from multiple angles, and exploring potential mechanism by which EGCG delays aging and extends lifespan. This review provides a theoretical reference for the study of the anti-aging mechanism of phytochemicals.

Objective To investigate how maternal MTR gene polymorphisms and their interactions with periconceptional folic acid supplementation are associated with the incidence of ventricular septal defects(VSD)in offspring.Methods A case-control study was conducted,recruiting 426 mothers of infants with VSD under one year old and 740 mothers of age-matched healthy infants.A questionnaire survey collected data on maternal exposures,and blood samples were analyzed for genetic polymorphisms.Multivariable logistic regression analysis and inverse probability of treatment weighting were used to analyze the associations between genetic loci and VSD.Crossover analysis and logistic regression were utilized to examine the additive and multiplicative interactions between the loci and folic acid intake.Results The CT and TT genotypes of the maternal MTR gene at rs6668344 increased the susceptibility of offspring to VSD(P<0.05).The GC and CC genotypes at rs3768139,AG and GG at rs1050993,AT and TT at rs4659743,GG at rs3768142,and GT and TT at rs3820571 were associated with a decreased risk of VSD(P<0.05).The variations at rs6668344 demonstrated an antagonistic multiplicative interaction with folic acid supplementation in relation to VSD(P<0.05).Conclusions Maternal MTR gene polymorphisms significantly correlate with the incidence of VSD in offspring.Mothers with variations at rs6668344 can decrease the susceptibility to VSD in their offspring by supplementing with folic acid during the periconceptional period,suggesting the importance of periconceptional folic acid supplementation in genetically at-risk populations to prevent VSD in offspring.

Objective:To investigate the improvement of radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction and its preliminary mechanism by Ilex pubescens var.kwangsiensis.Methods:SPF grade male Kunming mice were randomly divided into control group(Control),Ilex pubescens var.kwangsiensis(IP),radiation group(Rad)and radiation+Ilex pubescens var.kwangsiensiss group(Rad+IP),with 10 mice in each group.Morris water maze test and dark avoidance test were used to detect the changes in cognitive function of mice before and after drug intervention.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and electron microscopy were used to observe the changes of brain histopathology and ultrastructure in the hip-pocampus of mice.The expressions of nuclear factor E2-associated factor 2(Nrf2),heme oxygenase 1(HO-1),man-ganese superoxide dismutase(MnSOD),B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2(Bcl-2)and Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax)were detected by immunohistochemical assay.Results:The expressions of MnSOD and Bcl-2 in hippocampal tissue of mice in Rad group were significantly decreased,the expressions of Nrf2,Bax and HO-1 were significantly increased,and the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 was also significantly increased.After intervention,he expressions of MnSOD,Nrf2 and HO-1 were significantly increased,and the apoptosis rate was significantly decreased.Conclusion:Ilex pu-bescens var.kwangsiensis improved cognitive dysfunction in mice after radiation,and the mechanism may be related to Nrf2 activation and regulation of HO-1 transcription and expression,reducing oxidative stress damage.

【Objective】 To compare the risk of generalization in patients with ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) receiving or not receiving immunosuppressive treatment. 【Methods】 The data of patients with OMG registered in Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 1, 2015 to May 1, 2019 were reviewed; the patients were divided into treatment group and control group according to whether they had received immunosuppressive treatment. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis was used to compare the risk of generalization between the two groups of patients within 2 years of onset. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the duration of immunosuppressive treatment and the risk of generalization under different immunotherapy regimens. By using stratified analysis, the consistency of the main results across different levels of subgroup factors was evaluated. 【Results】 A total of 702 OMG patients were collected. Of them 367 patients (52.3%) were included in the treatment group, with an average onset age of (50.54±15.1) years, and 159 (43.3%) being female. Another 335 patients (47.7%) were included in the control group, with an average age of (49.1±14.6) years, and 159 ones (47.5%) were female. A total of 28 cases (7.7%) in the treatment group and 106 cases (31.6%) in the control group developed generalization during the observation period. After multivariate-adjusted Cox model analysis, patients who had received immunosuppressive treatment had a significantly lower risk of generalization compared with the control group (HR=0.24; 95% CI: 0.15-0.37; P<0.001). Sensitivity analysis found that the longer the duration of immunosuppression, the lower the risk of generalization (HR=0.88; 95% CI: 0.85-0.91; P<0.001). Stratified analysis showed that immunosuppressive therapy reduced the risk of generalization in different subgroups of patients. 【Conclusion】 Early immunosuppressive treatment can significantly reduce the risk of generalization in patients with OMG.

Objective To analyze the effect of low-dose methylprednone sodium succinate combined with erythromycin in the treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection with elevated lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in children.Methods Children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP)complicated with elevated LDH were divided into control group and treatment group by random number table method.The control group was given erythromycin treatment,and the treatment group was given low-dose methylprednisolone sodium succinate combined with erythromycin treatment.Clinical efficacy and clinical symptom disappearance time were recorded in both groups.Pulmonary X-ray signs,immune function[T cell subsets(CD4+,CD8+,CD4+/CD8+)],immunoglobulin(Ig)A,IgM and serum LDH were compared between the two groups before and after treatment,and the adverse drug reactions of treatment were observed.Results There were 51 cases in control group and 51 cases in treatment group.The total effective rate in treatment group was 96.00％,which was significantly higher than 81.63％in control group(P＜0.05).The fever abatement times in treatment group and control group were(4.22±0.87)and(5.46±0.98)d;cough disappearance times were(6.31±0.98)and(7.49±1.10)d;disappearance times of pulmonary rales were(7.36±1.14)and(8.61±1.23)d,all with significant difference(all P＜0.05).After treatment,the patchy infiltrating shadow sign rates in treatment group and control group were 2.00％and 16.33％;the bronchial wall thickening sign rates were 4.00％and 18.37％,all with significant difference(all P＜0.05).After treatment,IgA levels in treatment group and control group were(0.55±0.11)and(0.68±0.12)g·L-1;IgM levels were(0.90±0.19)and(1.18±0.21)g·L-1;LDH levels were(229.45±10.30)and(240.18±11.17)U·L-1,all with significant difference(all P＜0.05).The total incidence of adverse drug reactions in treatment group and control group were 6.00％and 4.08％respectively,without significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion Erythromycin combined with low-dose methylprednone in systemic treatment of children with MPP and elevated LDH has a significant efficacy,and it can promote the reductions of inflammation and immune disorders and accelerate the disease outcomes,and it is safe and reliable.

Objective To explore the psychosocial factors affecting the recurrence of the patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).Methods The retrospective analysis was adopted.One hundred and sixty-one pa-tients with MG treated in the neurosurgery department of this hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were selected as the research subjects.The psychosocial data of the patients were collected.The correlation be-tween the gender,age of onset,history of underlying diseases,body mass index (BMI),education level,occu-pational nature,per capita monthly family income,living environment,payment method of medical expenses and mental state with the disease recurrence was analyzed.Results Among 161 patients,111 cases developed the recurrence (included in the recurrence group) and 50 cases (included into the stable group).There were statistically significant differences in the age,gender and mental status between the two groups (P<0.05),but there were no statistically significant differences in the history of underlying diseases,BMI,education lev-el,occupational nature,per capita monthly household income,living environment and payment method of med-ical expenses between the two groups (P>0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the age of onset (OR=0.304,95％CI:0.146-0.634) and anxiety combined with depression (OR=2.706,95％CI:1.090-6.719) were the influencing factors of the recurrence in the patients with MG (P<0.05).Conclusion It is necessary to pay special attention to MG patients with young onset age,anxiety and depression status,which are prone to relapse.

The methanol extract of Huperzia serrata was separated and purified by ODS, AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin, dextran gel Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel column chromatography combined with the semi-pre HPLC. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified by MS, IR, NMR, etc. Four compounds were isolated from Huperzia serrata and identified, named as serratinine C (1), lycobeline C (2), diphaladin A (3) and crenatine (4). Compound 1 is a new alkaloid, compounds 2-4 were isolated for the first time. In vitro biological activity experiments showed that compound 1 could significantly reduce the levels of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in glial cells induced by lipopolysaccharide and had significant antioxidant biological activity.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of moxibustion on the stem cell factor (SCF)/tyrosine kinase receptor (c-kit) signaling pathway and immune function in rats with diarrhea irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), and to explore the mechanism of moxibustion for IBS-D. METHODS: Among 52 young rats born from 6 healthy pregnant SPF rats, 12 rats were randomly selected into the normal group, and the remaining 40 rats were treated with the three-factor combination method of maternal separation, acetic acid enema and chronic restraint stress to establish the IBS-D rat model. Thirty-six rats with successful IBS-D model were randomly divided into a model group, a moxibustion group, and a medication group, 12 rats in each group. The rats in the moxibustion group were treated with suspension moxibustion at "Tianshu" (ST 25) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37); the rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of rifaximin suspension (150 mg/kg). All the treatments were given once a day for 7 consecutive days. The body mass, loose stool rate (LSR), the minimum volume threshold when abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scored 3 were measured before acetic acid enema (35 days old), after modeling (45 days old), and after intervention (53 days old). After intervention (53 days old), HE staining was used to observe the morphology of colon tissue, and spleen and thymus coefficients were measured; ELISA method was used to detect serum inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor a [TNF-a], interleukin [IL]-10, IL-8), T-lymphocyte subsets (CD⁺₄, CD⁺₈, CD⁺₄₅), value of CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈ and immune globulin (IgA, IgG, IgM); real-time PCR method and Western blot method was used to detect the expression of SCF, c-kit mRNA and protein in colon tissue; immunofluorescence staining method were used to detect positive expression of SCF and c-kit. RESULTS: After intervention, compared with the normal group, in the model group, the body mass and the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 were decreased (P<0.01), LSR, spleen and thymus coefficients, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8, CD⁺₄, CD⁺₄₅, CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈, IgA, IgG, IgM were increased (P<0.01), serum IL-10 level and protein and mRNA expression of SCF and c-kit in colon tissue were decreased (P<0.01), and the positive expression of SCF and c-kit was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the moxibustion group and the medication group, the body mass and the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), LSR, spleen and thymus coefficients, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8, CD⁺₄, CD⁺₈, CD⁺₄₅, CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈, IgA, IgG, IgM were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), serum IL-10 level and protein and mRNA expression of SCF and c-kit in colon tissue were increased (P<0.01), and the positive expression of SCF and c-kit was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the medication group, in the moxibustion group, the level of serum CD⁺₄ was decreased (P<0.05), the value of CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈ was increased (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference in other indexes (P>0.05). The expression of SCF and c-kit mRNA was positively correlated with the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 and IL-10 (P<0.01), and negatively correlated with remaining indexes (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Moxibustion could reduce visceral hypersensitivity, improve symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea in IBS-D rats, and its mechanism may be related to up-regulation of the expression of SCF/c-kit signaling pathway and improvement of IBS-D immune function.
Rats ; Animals ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-8 ; Maternal Deprivation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Diarrhea ; Signal Transduction ; Homeostasis ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Immunity ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin M

Objective:To explore the effects of resistance training with elastic band at home on muscle function and walking ability of severely burned children.Methods:A prospective non-randomized controlled study was conducted. From January 2022 to April 2023, 40 children with severe burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University & Wuhan Third Hospital. According to the willingness of the children or their families, the children were assigned to conventional rehabilitation group and combined rehabilitation group. During the study, 8 children dropped out of the study, 17 children were finally included in the conventional rehabilitation group with 6 males and 11 females, aged (8.5±2.4) years, and 15 children were included in the combined rehabilitation group with 5 males and 10 females, aged (9.6±2.5) years. The children in the 2 groups received conventional burn rehabilitation treatment in the hospital, including active and passive activity training, scar massage, and pressure therapy. The children in combined rehabilitation group received resistance training with elastic band of 3 to 5 times per week after discharge, and the children in conventional rehabilitation group received daily activity ability training after discharge. Before home rehabilitation training (1 week before discharge) and 12 weeks after home rehabilitation training, the grip strength was measured using a handheld grip dynamometer, the muscle strengths of the upper and lower limbs were measured using a portable dynamometer for muscle strength, lean body mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance measuring instrument, and the 6-min walking distance was measured. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, paired sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Fisher's exact probability test. Results:After 12 weeks of home rehabilitation training, the grip strengths of children in combined rehabilitation group and conventional rehabilitation group were (15±4) and (11±4) kg, respectively, which were significantly higher than (10±4) and (9±4) kg before home rehabilitation training (with t values of -9.99 and -11.89, respectively, P values all <0.05); the grip strength of children in combined rehabilitation group was significantly higher than that in conventional rehabilitation group ( t=3.24, P<0.05). After 12 weeks of home rehabilitation training, the muscle strengths of upper and lower limbs of children in combined rehabilitation group (with t values of -11.39 and -3.40, respectively, P<0.05) and the muscle strengths of upper and lower limbs of children in conventional rehabilitation group (with t values of -7.59 and -6.69, respectively, P<0.05) were significantly higher than those before home rehabilitation training, and the muscle strengths of upper and lower limbs of children in combined rehabilitation group were significantly higher than those in conventional rehabilitation group (with t values of 3.80 and 7.87, respectively, P<0.05). After 12 weeks of home rehabilitation training, the lean body mass of children in combined rehabilitation group was significantly higher than that before home rehabilitation training ( t=0.21, P<0.05). After 12 weeks of home rehabilitation training, the 6-min walking distances of children in conventional rehabilitation group and combined rehabilitation group were significantly longer than those before home rehabilitation training (with t values of -5.33 and -3.40, respectively, P<0.05), and the 6-min walking distance of children in combined rehabilitation group was significantly longer than that in conventional rehabilitation group ( t=3.81, P<0.05). Conclusions:Conventional burn rehabilitation treatment in hospital and home resistance training with elastic band for 12 weeks after discharge can significantly improve the muscle function and walking ability of severely burned children.

The long-term survival outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP) in Chinese prostate cancer (PCa) patients are poorly understood. We conducted a single-center, retrospective analysis of patients undergoing RP to study the prognostic value of pathological and surgical information. From April 1998 to February 2022, 782 patients undergoing RP at Queen Mary Hospital of The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) were included in our study. Multivariable Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis with stratification were performed. The 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year overall survival (OS) rates were 96.6%, 86.8%, and 70.6%, respectively, while the 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year PCa-specific survival (PSS) rates were 99.7%, 98.6%, and 97.8%, respectively. Surgical International Society of Urological Pathology PCa grades (ISUP Grade Group) ≥4 was significantly associated with poorer PSS (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42-51.25, P = 0.02). Pathological T3 stage was not significantly associated with PSS or OS in our cohort. Lymph node invasion and extracapsular extension might be associated with worse PSS (HR = 20.30, 95% CI: 1.22-336.38, P = 0.04; and HR = 7.29, 95% CI: 1.22-43.64, P = 0.03, respectively). Different surgical approaches (open, laparoscopic, or robotic-assisted) had similar outcomes in terms of PSS and OS. In conclusion, we report the longest timespan follow-up of Chinese PCa patients after RP with different approaches.
Male ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prostate/pathology* ; Prostatectomy ; Prognosis ; Neoplasm Grading