ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Renshentang treats atherosclerosis （AS） in mice， focusing on the regulation of endothelial inflammatory responses mediated by transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 （TRPV1）. MethodsAn AS model was established in apolipoprotein E knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice fed a high-fat diet. The mice were randomly divided into a simvastatin group （0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1） and low-， medium-， and high-dose Renshentang groups （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 12 mice in each group. ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated simultaneously. C57BL/6J mice fed a normal diet served as the normal group （n=9）. After continuous administration for 12 weeks， mice were anesthetized and the aortas were collected. Oil Red O staining was used to observe lipid plaque formation in the aorta. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to examine pathological changes in the aortic root. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the levels of pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， as well as the expression of TRPV1， phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt） in the aortic root. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS） mRNA expression in the aorta， and Western blot was used to detect TRPV1 protein expression. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant increase in aortic plaque formation （P<0.01） and significantly elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the aortic root （P<0.01）. The expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， and p-Akt were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and eNOS mRNA expression was reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Renshentang groups significantly reduced aortic plaque formation （P<0.01）， significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-1β levels （P<0.01）， and markedly increased the expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， p-Akt， and eNOS mRNA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang may inhibit endothelial inflammation and suppress the formation of AS by increasing TRPV1 protein expression and up-regulating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway， which may be one of the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effect against AS.

Objective:To analyze the incidence rate and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate of Chlamydia trachomatis ( C. trachomatis) infection in women aged 15-49 years in China from 1990 to 2021, identify the vulnerable populations, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection. Methods:The data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 were used to analyze the incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection in women aged 15-49 years in China from 1990 to 2021 by using Joinpoint regression model. The age-period-cohort analysis method was used to decompose the age effect, period effect and cohort effect of incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection. Results:From 1990 to 2021, the incidence rate of C. trachomatis infection increased from 5 892.02/100 000 in 1990 to 7 402.23/100 000 in 2021 in women aged 15-49 years in China. The DALY rate increased from 1.92/100 000 person-years in 1990 to 2.00/100 000 person-years in 2021. Joinpoint regression showed that, from 1990 to 2021, the annual incidence of C. trachomatis infection in Chinese women age aged 15-49 years increased by 0.74% [average annual percent change (AAPC) =0.74%, 95% CI: 0.67%-0.81%, t=21.94, P<0.001] and the annual average DALY rate increased by 0.11% (AAPC=0.11%, 95% CI: -0.09%-0.30%, t=1.06, P=0.287). Age-period-cohort model analyses showed that women aged 30-34 years were at high risk to be infected with C. trachomatis and women aged 40-44 years were at high risk to have high DALY. The period effect showed that the risk for C. trachomatis infection began to increase in 1990, peaked during 2000-2004, then gradually decreased. During 2015-2019, the infection risk increased again, while the risk for high DALY showed a decreasing trend. The cohort effect showed that the risks for C. trachomatis infection and DALY were lower in later birth cohorts. Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021, the incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection showed fluctuations in women aged 15-49 years in China. It is necessary to pay close attention to the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection in women aged 30-34 years.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

Objective:To analyze the incidence rate and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate of Chlamydia trachomatis ( C. trachomatis) infection in women aged 15-49 years in China from 1990 to 2021, identify the vulnerable populations, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection. Methods:The data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 were used to analyze the incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection in women aged 15-49 years in China from 1990 to 2021 by using Joinpoint regression model. The age-period-cohort analysis method was used to decompose the age effect, period effect and cohort effect of incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection. Results:From 1990 to 2021, the incidence rate of C. trachomatis infection increased from 5 892.02/100 000 in 1990 to 7 402.23/100 000 in 2021 in women aged 15-49 years in China. The DALY rate increased from 1.92/100 000 person-years in 1990 to 2.00/100 000 person-years in 2021. Joinpoint regression showed that, from 1990 to 2021, the annual incidence of C. trachomatis infection in Chinese women age aged 15-49 years increased by 0.74% [average annual percent change (AAPC) =0.74%, 95% CI: 0.67%-0.81%, t=21.94, P<0.001] and the annual average DALY rate increased by 0.11% (AAPC=0.11%, 95% CI: -0.09%-0.30%, t=1.06, P=0.287). Age-period-cohort model analyses showed that women aged 30-34 years were at high risk to be infected with C. trachomatis and women aged 40-44 years were at high risk to have high DALY. The period effect showed that the risk for C. trachomatis infection began to increase in 1990, peaked during 2000-2004, then gradually decreased. During 2015-2019, the infection risk increased again, while the risk for high DALY showed a decreasing trend. The cohort effect showed that the risks for C. trachomatis infection and DALY were lower in later birth cohorts. Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021, the incidence rate and DALY rate of C. trachomatis infection showed fluctuations in women aged 15-49 years in China. It is necessary to pay close attention to the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection in women aged 30-34 years.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism and effect of Qingfei Paidu decoction on transient receptor potential vanilloid-1/Transient receptor potential ankyrin1 （TRPV1/TRPA1） based on heat-sensitive channel and inflammatory response. MethodAccording to body weight， 80 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the normal group， model group， dexamethasone group （5 mg·kg^-1）， and low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of Qingfei Paidu decoction （14.865， 29.73， 59.46 g·kg^-1）， with 12 mice in each group. In addition to the normal group， the other groups were administered 20 μL （1×10^-3 g·kg^-1） to each mouse by airway infusion to establish the acute lung injury （ALI） model. In the administration group， the drug was given 1 h after modeling and again after an interval of 24 h. The lung tissue was taken 36 h after modeling. Double lung wet/dry weight ratio（W/D）， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and Western blot were used to observe and detect the pathological changes of lung tissue， expression levels of inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and expressions of TRPV1 and TRPA1 proteins in heat-sensitive channel， nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB）， inhibitor of NF-κB （IκBα） in inflammatory pathway， and phosphorylated proteins. The phosphorylated protein/total protein ratio was calculated. ResultCompared with that in the normal group， the lung tissue of mice in the model group was seriously damaged， and pulmonary capillary permeability increased. Alveolar capillary congestion and dilation destroyed the complete structure of the alveolar， and the alveolar wall thickened. A large number of inflammatory cells and red blood cells were infiltrated， and pulmonary edema was significantly aggravated. The expressions of TNF-α， IL-6， TRPV1， TRPA1， phosphorylated NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65， and phosphorylated IκBα/IκBα were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the whole lung W/D was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the dexamethasone group and low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of Qingfei Paidu decoction could significantly improve pulmonary edema. TNF-α， IL-6， TRPV1， TRPA1， lung tissue NF-κB p65， and IκBα phosphorylated protein/total protein ratio decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The whole lung W/D also decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQingfei Paidu decoction has anti-inflammatory and protective effects on LPS-ALI mice， which can effectively reduce inflammation， induce diuresis， and alleviate edema. Its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the expression of TRPA1 and TRPV1 and the inhibition of the activation of the NF-κB pathway.

Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes,promoting the onset and progression of cancer.Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks,tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes,which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy,cancer immunotherapy,and their combinations.Herein,we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes,DNA methylation,histone post-translational modification,and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity,and introduce these epigenetic research methods.We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immuno-therapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Objective To analyze the prevalence and risk factors of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to provide theoretical basis for the prevention of SAS in AD patients. Methods A total of 130 AD patients admitted to the Department of Neurology of Guang'an People's Hospital of Sichuan Province from January 2019 to September 2022 were selected and divided into control group (without SAS) and observation group (with SAS) according to whether the patients were complicated with SAS{AHI ≥5 times/h}. Snoring, waking at night, dry mouth in the morning, AHI and SaO2 values were compared between the two groups. Clinical data of AD patients, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), AD course, tobacco and alcohol history, and neurodegenerative diseases, were collected by self-made questionnaire and consulting the patient's electronic medical record bed. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to analyze the independent risk factors for SAS in AD patients. Results Among 130 AD patients, 43 cases (33.08%) of SAS occurred. The proportion of snoring, awakening at night, dry mouth in the morning and AHI value in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). SaO2 value in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05). There were significant differences in age, duration of AD, BMI, smoking history, combined hypertension, neurodegenerative disease, PSQI score and PSQI score between the two groups (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BMI≥28 kg/m², PSQI score >16 points and CDR score ≥2 points were independent risk factors for SAS in AD patients (P<0.05). Conclusion The incidence of SAS associated with AD is higher, and the main risk factors are BMI≥28 kg/m², PSQI score >16 and CDR score. Polysomnosis monitoring should be performed regularly to prevent SAS.

Objective:To compare the detection rate of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) DNA between urine and urethral/cervical swab samples. Methods:From December 2018 to December 2019, a total of 1 475 outpatients were collected from sexually transmitted disease clinics in 7 medical institutions, such as Department of Venereology, Guangzhou Institute of Dermatology, including 1 118 males and 357 females. One urethral/cervical swab sample and one urine sample were collected successively from each patient. Real-time fluorescence-based PCR was performed to detect CT DNA in urine and urethral/cervical swab samples, and paired chi-square test was used to compare the positive rate of CT DNA between the 2 kinds of samples. Random- or fixed-effect meta-analysis was conducted for the test of heterogeneity and merging of positive rates of CT DNA in the urine and urethral/cervical swabs among 7 medical institutions.Results:The positive rate of CT DNA in the urine samples was significantly higher than that in the swab samples from 4 medical institutions (all P < 0.05) , while there was no significant difference in the positive rate of CT DNA between the 2 kinds of samples from 3 medical institutions (all P > 0.05) . The heterogeneity ( I2) estimates of the CT-DNA positive rate in urine and swab samples among different medical institutions were 78.6% (95% CI: 55.9% - 89.6%) and 73.7% (95% CI: 43.7% - 87.7%) , respectively; meta-analysis showed that the total merged positive rate of CT DNA in the urine samples was 10.8% (95% CI: 7.2% - 15.9%) , which was significantly higher than that in the swab samples (7.8%, 95% CI: 4.9% - 12.1%; χ2 = 39.2, P < 0.05) . Compared with the swab sample-based CT-DNA detection method, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and consistency rate of the urine sample-based CT-DNA detection method were 97.0% (128/132) , 96.3% (1 293/1 343) , 71.9% (128/178) , 99.7% (1 293/1 297) , and 96.3% (1 421/1 475) , respectively. The positive rate of CT DNA in the urine samples from 1 118 male patients was 11.0% (95% CI: 7.2% - 16.5%) , which was significantly higher than that in the swab samples (7.6%, 95% CI: 4.9% - 11.8%; χ2 = 34.3, P < 0.05) . There was no significant difference in the positive rate of CT DNA between the urine (11.9%, 95% CI: 7.7% - 17.9%) and cervical swab samples from 357 female patients (10.4%, 95% CI: 7.6% - 14.0%; χ2 = 3.2, P > 0.05) . Conclusions:The positive rate of CT DNA in urine samples is higher than or similar to that in urethral/cervical swab samples. The urine sample-based CT-DNA detection method has characteristics of convenience, non-invasiveness, painlessness and low cost, and is worthy of clinical promotion.

OBJECTIVE： To observe improvement effects of fingolimod on middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion （MCAO/R） injury model rats. METHODS： Male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group and fingolimod low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （0.5， 1， 2 mg/kg）， with 8 rats in each group. Except for sham operation group， MCAO/R injury model was induced by suture-occluded method in other groups. Administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically after reperfusion [1 h after reperfusion （1st day）， 22.5 h after reperfusion （2nd day）， and then every 24 h until 142.5 h of reperfusion （7th day）]. Sham operation group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for consecutive 7 d. The scores of neurological deficit and balance beam test， the times of memory error [work memory error （WME）， reference memory error （RME） and total error] were recorded in each group. The contents of serum inflammatory cytokines （IL-6， IL-8， IL-10， TNF-α） were determined by ELISA， and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining method was used to detect the rate of cerebral infarction. RESULTS： Compared with sham operation group， neurological deficit scores （at different time points of 1st-7th day after administration）， balance beam test scores （2nd， 4th， 7th day after administration）， times of memory error （2nd， 4th， 7th day after administration）， the contents of serum inflammatory cytokines and the rate of cerebral infarction were increased significantly in model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with model group， neurological deficit scores （low-dose group at different time points of 3rd-7th day， medium-dose and high-dose groups at different time points of 2nd-7th day after administration）， balance beam test scores （low-dose group at 7th day， medium-dose group at 4th and 7th day， high-dose group at 2nd， 4th， 7th day）， RME times and total error times （low-dose group at 4th and 7th day， medium-dose group and high-dose group at 2nd， 4th， 7th day after administration）， WME times （administrations groups at 7th day after administration）， serum contents of IL-6， IL-8 and IL-10 （administrations groups）， serum contents of TNF-α （medium-dose and high-does groups） and cerebral infarction rate （medium-dose and high-dose groups） were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS： Intragastric administration of fingolimod can significantly reduce neurological deficit score， balance beam test score and the times of memory error in MCAO/R injury model rats， and has a protective effect on cerebral tissue and memory function. These effects may be related to the down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α by fingolimod.