1.Exploration in Mechanism of Sini San for Inhibiting Ferroptosis and Ameliorating Isoprenaline-induced Myocardial Infarction in Mice Based on Bioinformatics and Experimental Validation
Shupeng LIU ; Zhiguang HAN ; Jiaying LI ; Jiayao XU ; Weihao GAO ; Yanping WU ; Guangguo BAN ; Yongmin LI ; Hongxia YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):67-77
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Sini San (SNS) inhibits ferroptosis, alleviates inflammation and myocardial injury, and improves myocardial infarction (MI). MethodsThe active ingredients of SNS were obtained by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform (TCMSP) database, its target sites were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction Database, and the core components were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in. The targets of MI and ferroptosis were obtained by using GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database, DrugBank, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), FerrDb database and literature review, respectively. The intersection of these targets of SNS-MI-ferroptosis was plotted as a Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database, and the visualization graph was prepared using Cytoscape. The core targets were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in, and the biological functions were clustered by the MCODE plug-in. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the David database. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock and visualized with PyMOL2.5.2. The Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the SNS group, and the trimetazidine (TMZ) group. The mice were subcutaneously injected with isoprenaline (ISO, 5 mg·kg-1·d-1) to establish an MI model. The drug was continuously intervened for 7 days. The ST-segment changes were recorded by electrocardiogram (ECG), and the tissue morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Cardiomyocyte ferroptosis was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Serum creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were detected by biochemical assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect IL-6 and phosphorylated signal transducer and transcription activator 3 (p-STAT3) in cardiac tissues. Western blot was used to detect STAT3 and p-STAT3 in cardiac tissues. Real-time PCR was used to detect the levels of IL-6, IL-18, solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) in cardiac tissues. ResultsA total of 121 active ingredients of SNS were obtained, and 58 potential targets of SNS in the treatment of MI by regulating ferroptosis were screened. The three protein modules with a score5 were mainly related to the inflammatory response. The GO function was mainly related to inflammation, and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that SNS mainly regulated ferroptosis- and inflammation- related signaling pathways. Molecular docking indicated that the core component had a higher binding force to the target site. Animal experiments confirmed that SNS reduced the level of p-STAT3 (P0.01), down-regulated the expression of ALOX15 mRNA (P0.01), up-regulated the level of serum GSH, and the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPx4 mRNA, reduced MDA and 4-HNE levels (P0.05, P0.01). Additionally, SNS improved the mitochondrial injury induced by cardiomyocyte ferroptosis, reduced the area of MI, alleviated inflammation and myocardial injury, lowered the levels of serum CK, CK-MB, LDH, IL-6, and the mRNA expression levels of IL-16 and IL-18 (P0.05), and improved ST segment elevation. ConclusionSNS can reduce ISO-induced STAT3 phosphorylation levels, inhibit ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes, alleviate inflammation and myocardial injury, thereby improving MI.
2.Exploration in Mechanism of Sini San for Inhibiting Ferroptosis and Ameliorating Isoprenaline-induced Myocardial Infarction in Mice Based on Bioinformatics and Experimental Validation
Shupeng LIU ; Zhiguang HAN ; Jiaying LI ; Jiayao XU ; Weihao GAO ; Yanping WU ; Guangguo BAN ; Yongmin LI ; Hongxia YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):67-77
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Sini San (SNS) inhibits ferroptosis, alleviates inflammation and myocardial injury, and improves myocardial infarction (MI). MethodsThe active ingredients of SNS were obtained by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform (TCMSP) database, its target sites were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction Database, and the core components were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in. The targets of MI and ferroptosis were obtained by using GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database, DrugBank, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), FerrDb database and literature review, respectively. The intersection of these targets of SNS-MI-ferroptosis was plotted as a Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database, and the visualization graph was prepared using Cytoscape. The core targets were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in, and the biological functions were clustered by the MCODE plug-in. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the David database. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock and visualized with PyMOL2.5.2. The Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the SNS group, and the trimetazidine (TMZ) group. The mice were subcutaneously injected with isoprenaline (ISO, 5 mg·kg-1·d-1) to establish an MI model. The drug was continuously intervened for 7 days. The ST-segment changes were recorded by electrocardiogram (ECG), and the tissue morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Cardiomyocyte ferroptosis was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Serum creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were detected by biochemical assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect IL-6 and phosphorylated signal transducer and transcription activator 3 (p-STAT3) in cardiac tissues. Western blot was used to detect STAT3 and p-STAT3 in cardiac tissues. Real-time PCR was used to detect the levels of IL-6, IL-18, solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) in cardiac tissues. ResultsA total of 121 active ingredients of SNS were obtained, and 58 potential targets of SNS in the treatment of MI by regulating ferroptosis were screened. The three protein modules with a score5 were mainly related to the inflammatory response. The GO function was mainly related to inflammation, and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that SNS mainly regulated ferroptosis- and inflammation- related signaling pathways. Molecular docking indicated that the core component had a higher binding force to the target site. Animal experiments confirmed that SNS reduced the level of p-STAT3 (P0.01), down-regulated the expression of ALOX15 mRNA (P0.01), up-regulated the level of serum GSH, and the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPx4 mRNA, reduced MDA and 4-HNE levels (P0.05, P0.01). Additionally, SNS improved the mitochondrial injury induced by cardiomyocyte ferroptosis, reduced the area of MI, alleviated inflammation and myocardial injury, lowered the levels of serum CK, CK-MB, LDH, IL-6, and the mRNA expression levels of IL-16 and IL-18 (P0.05), and improved ST segment elevation. ConclusionSNS can reduce ISO-induced STAT3 phosphorylation levels, inhibit ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes, alleviate inflammation and myocardial injury, thereby improving MI.
3.Regional adipose distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotype in Chinese adults: evidence from China National Health Survey.
Binbin LIN ; Yaoda HU ; Huijing HE ; Xingming CHEN ; Qiong OU ; Yawen LIU ; Tan XU ; Ji TU ; Ang LI ; Qihang LIU ; Tianshu XI ; Zhiming LU ; Weihao WANG ; Haibo HUANG ; Da XU ; Zhili CHEN ; Zichao WANG ; Guangliang SHAN
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():5-5
BACKGROUND:
The mechanisms distinguishing metabolically healthy from unhealthy phenotypes within the same BMI categories remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between regional fat distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotypes in Chinese adults across different BMI categories.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study involving 11833 Chinese adults aged 20 years and older. Covariance analysis, adjusted for age, compared the percentage of regional fat (trunk, leg, or arm fat divided by whole-body fat) between metabolically healthy and unhealthy participants. Trends in regional fat percentage with the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately by sex.
RESULTS:
In non-obese individuals, metabolically unhealthy participants exhibited higher percent trunk fat and lower percent leg fat compared to healthy participants. Additionally, percent trunk fat increased and percent leg fat decreased with the number of metabolic abnormalities. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as BMI, higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased odds of being metabolically unhealthy [highest vs. lowest quartile: ORs (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.35, 2.00) for men and 2.00 (1.63, 2.46) for women]. Conversely, compared with the lowest quartile, the ORs (95%CI) of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the highest quartile for percent arm and leg fat were 0.64 (0.53, 0.78) and 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) for men, and 0.72 (0.56, 0.93) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.59) for women, respectively. Significant interactions between BMI and percentage of trunk and leg fat were observed in both sexes, with stronger associations found in individuals with normal weight and overweight.
CONCLUSIONS
Trunk fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolically unhealthy phenotype, while leg and arm fat are protective factors. Regional fat distribution assessments are crucial for identifying metabolically unhealthy phenotypes, particularly in non-obese individuals.
Adult
;
Aged
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Young Adult
;
Adipose Tissue
;
Body Fat Distribution
;
Body Mass Index
;
China/epidemiology*
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Cross-Sectional Studies
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Health Surveys
;
Phenotype
4.Dapansutrile(OLT1177)alleviates acute radiation-induced lung injury
Weihao CI ; Yating LI ; Litao XU ; Chen CHEN ; Xiaoming YANG ; Guangming REN
Military Medical Sciences 2024;48(5):334-339
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor-dapansutrile(OLT1177)-against acute radiation lung injury.Methods Mice were divided into the control group,OLT1177 injection group,irradiation group,and irradiation+OLT1177 injection group.A single dose of 22 Gy whole-lung 60Co radiation was used to establish a model of acute radiation lung injury.After 6 h of radiation,OLT1177(100mg/kg,once daily)was administered intraperitoneally.After 14 consecutive days of administration,lung tissues were collected and weighed while the lung coefficient was calculated.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and F4/80 immuno-histochemical staining were used to observe the pathological changes and inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues.Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR)was used to detect the transcription levels of NLRP3,IL-1β,and other mRNAs in lung tissues.Serum cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 were measured by cytometric bead array(CBA).The activation of Caspase-1 and IL-18 was detected by Western blotting.Results Radiation caused acute inflammation in the lung tissues of mice,manifested as edema in the lung tissues and destruction of the alveolar structure,increased macrophage infiltration,and elevated expressions of inflammatory genes NLRP3,IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6 in the lung tissues and higher serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6.Treatment with OLT1177 significantly improved the above symptoms induced by radiation.OLT1177 inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome downstream Caspase-1 and IL-18 induced by radiation.Conclusion OLT1177 can significantly alleviate acute radiation lung injury in mice,which may be due to its inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by radiation.
5.Comparison of HPLC fingerprint and contents of four nucleoside components before and after processing of Succus bambusae pinella preparata
Linyu ZHENG ; Weihao ZHU ; Meimei LUO ; Chunmei MEI ; Weidong LI ; Lei XU ; Yuyu HUANG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(21):2590-2595
OBJECTIVE To investigate the changes in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint spectra and nucleoside components between Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and its processed product Succus bambusae pinella preparata, providing a reference for the quality evaluation of the latter. METHODS HPLC fingerprint was established for 10 batches of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and its processed product Succus bambusae pinella preparata following the Similarity Evaluation System of TCM Chromatographic Fingerprints (2012 Edition). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS- DA) were conducted on their common peaks. The contents of four nucleoside components, hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine, and guanosine, in both Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata were determined. RESULTS The similarity between the fingerprints of the 10 batches of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine, Succus bambusae pinella preparata, and their corresponding reference fingerprints ranged from 0.851 to 0.990. A total of 10 common peaks were obtained for both samples, and 4 components were identified as hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine, and guanosine. The results of HCA, PCA and OPLS-DA showed that the samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata were clustered into separate categories, with OPLS-DA selecting 4 differential components between them, ranked by variable importance projection values as peak 8, peak 1, peak 6 (adenine) and peak 10. The content determination results showed that the average contents of hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine and guanosine in Succus bambusae pinella preparata declined by 15.90%, 12.00%, 26.04% and 22.18% compared to Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine, respectively, with statistically significant differences in the contents of hypoxanthine, adenine and guanosine (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprint and content determination methods are simple to operate and have good repeatability, which are suitable for qualitative and quantitative analysis of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata. The average contents of the four nucleoside components decreased after the processing of Succus bambusae pinella preparata.
6. The efficacy and safety of Rivaroxaban for elderly patients with thrombotic diseases
Shasha SUN ; Jian CAO ; Hongbin LIU ; Jiakun LUO ; Weihao XU ; Lu LIU ; Yanqi DI ; Xiao ZOU ; Jianhua LI ; Li FAN
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2020;39(1):43-46
Objective:
To investigate the efficacy and safety of Rivaroxaban for elderly patients with thrombotic diseases.
Methods:
This was a retrospective study.A total of 301 elderly patients taking Rivaroxaban from October 2012 to November 2017 at the Second Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital were consecutively selected.The ages ranged from 60 to 102 years, with an average age of(86.5±8.4)years.Anticoagulation regimens were developed based on comprehensive evaluation of indications, creatinine clearance, ischemia and bleeding risk.Patients were divided into a Rivaroxaban 2.5-5.0 mg/d group(n=72), a 10.0 mg/d group(n=205), and a 15.0-20.0 mg/d group(n=24). Hepatic function, renal function, and coagulation indexes were measured before and after the administration of Rivaroxaban.Fatal bleeding, cardiovascular deaths, all-cause deaths, non-fatal bleeding and thromboembolic events were recorded during the follow-up period.
Results:
The average dose of Rivaroxaban was(9.3±3.0)mg/d, and the minimum dose was 2.5 mg/d.The average follow-up time was(14.9± 13.9)months and the longest follow-up time was 48 months.One patient had intracranial bleeding.Twenty patients(6.6%)died with a cumulative incidence of 25.2%, three(1.0%)died of cardiac events, and 55.0% died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure.Forty patients(13.3%)had non-fatal hemorrhagic events with a cumulative incidence of 42.4%.Seven patients(2.3%)had thromboembolic events with a cumulative incidence of 16.0%, including 2 cases of non-fatal myocardial infarction, 3 cases of cerebral infarction and 2 cases of deep vein thrombosis.After treatment, levels of prothrombin time and fibrinogen significantly increased while levels of D-dimer significantly deceased(
7.Cardiac functional alterations and its risk factors in elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome free of cardiovascular disease.
Yinghui GAO ; Yongfei WEN ; Xiaoshun QIAN ; Libo ZHAO ; Hu XU ; Weihao XU ; Xiaoxuan KONG ; Hebin CHE ; Yabin WANG ; Lin LIU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2020;40(11):1587-1592
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the changes of cardiac structure and function and their risk factors in elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) without cardiovascular complications.
METHODS:
Eighty-two elderly OSA patients without cardiovascular disease admitted between January, 2015 and October, 2016 were enrolled in this study. According to their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI, calculated as the average number of episodes of apnoea and hypopnoea per hour of sleep), the patients were divided into mild OSA group (AHI < 15) and moderate to severe OSA group (AHI ≥ 15). The demographic data and the general clinical data were recorded and fasting blood samples were collected from the patients on the next morning following polysomnographic monitoring for blood cell analysis and biochemical examination. Echocardiography was performed within one week after overnight polysomnography, and the cardiac structure, cardiac function and biochemical indexes were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS:
Compared with those with mild OSA group, the patients with moderate to severe OSA had significantly higher hematocrit (0.22±0.08
CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac diastolic function impairment may occur in elderly patients with moderate or severe OSA who do not have hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases, and the severity of the impairment is positively correlated with AHI.
Aged
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Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology*
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Humans
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Risk Factors
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Severity of Illness Index
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Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/complications*
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Stroke Volume
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Ventricular Dysfunction, Left
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Ventricular Function, Left
8.Correlation between severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and red cell distribution width in elderly patients.
Shuping WU ; Yinghui GAO ; Xiaoshun QIAN ; Libo ZHAO ; Hu XU ; Weihao XU ; Xiaoxuan KONG ; Yang YANG ; Hebin CHE ; YaBin WANG ; Xina YUAN ; Lin LIU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2020;40(5):703-707
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the correlation between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and red cell distribution width (RDW) in elderly patients.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 311 elderly patients diagnosed with OSAS in the snoring clinic between January, 2015 and October, 2016 and 120 healthy controls without OSAS from physical examination populations in the General Hospital of PLA. The subjects were divided into control group with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) <5 (=120), mild OSAS group (AHI of 5.0-14.9; =90), moderate OSAS group (AHI of 15.0-29.9; =113) and severe OSAS group (AHI ≥ 30; =108). The clinical characteristics and the results of polysomnography, routine blood tests and biochemical tests of the subjects were collected. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the correlation between OSAS severity and RDW.
RESULTS:
The levels of RDW and triglyceride were significantly higher in severe OSAS group than in the other groups ( < 0.01). The levels of fasting blood glucose and body mass index were significantly higher in severe and moderate OSAS groups than in mild OSAS group and control group ( < 0.05 or < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that AHI was positively correlated with body mass index (β=0.111, =0.032) and RDW (β=0.106, =0.029). The area under ROC curve of RDW for predicting the severity of OSAS was 0.687 (=0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS
The RDW increases as OSAS worsens and may serve as a potential marker for evaluating the severity of OSAS.
Aged
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Erythrocyte Indices
;
Humans
;
Polysomnography
;
Severity of Illness Index
;
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
9.Relationship between sleep duration and the risk of stroke in Asian populations:A meta-analysis
Jing WANG ; Jian CAO ; Weihao XU ; Shengyuan YU
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2019;38(6):691-694
Objective To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and the risk of stroke in Asian populations.Methods Using duration of sleep,stroke and cerebrovascular event as search terms,we searched the China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI),Wanfang,Chinese BioMedical Literature(CBM),Vip Citation Databases(VIP),PubMed,EMBASE and Science Citation Index databases from the time of database construction to April 1,2018.Observational studies including cross-sectional studies,case-control studies and cohort studies that aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep duration and the risk of stroke in Asian populations were collected.Two investigators independently screened the literature,extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies.All analyses were performed by using the Stata 12.0 software.Results A total of 18 studies,including 658 778 participants,were included in this meta-analysis.Pooled results showed that short sleep duration was not associated with increased risk of stroke(OR =1.08,95 %CI:0.96-1.22,Z =1.27,P =0.205),but long sleep duration was associated with increased risk of stroke(OR =1.61,95 %CI:1.42-1.83,Z =7.49,P < 0.001).Subgroup analysis showed that short sleep duration was correlated with a high risk of stroke only in the Singaporean population while it was not the case in other Asian populations,and long sleep duration was correlated with a high risk of stroke in many studies except in pooled results of case-control studies and pooled research results concerning the Korean population.Conclusions Long but not short sleep duration is a risk factor for the incidence of stoke in Asian populations.
10. Identification of the stroke type of hemorrhage and ischemic based on microwave measurement technique
Feng WANG ; Junlin BAO ; Huaiqiang LI ; Weihao PENG ; Jia XU ; Wei ZHUANG ; Jun YANG ; Haisheng ZHANG ; Xu NING ; Mingxin QIN ; Mingsheng CHEN
International Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2019;42(5):404-408
Objective:
To establish a microwave scattering parameter acquisition system to detect cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia animal models, and to study the non-contact rapid identification methods for the two stroke types.
Methods:
Rabbits were selected for modeling. Eight rabbits in the cerebral hemorrhage group were injected with autologous blood. Six rabbits in the cerebral ischemia group were treated with bilateral common carotid artery clamping and femoral artery bleeding. The measurement excitation source has a scanning frequency range of 300 kHz to 3 GHz and an intermediate frequency bandwidth of 30 kHz. The signal of the S21 phase was acquired. The collected microwave scattering signals were subjected to mean filtering, principal component analysis dimension reduction, and mean clustering and nearest neighbor analysis to realize the identification of stroke types.
Results:
The microwave scattering measurement method can reflect the changes of cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia. The phase of S21 decreases with the increase of blood loss and increases with the increase of ischemic duration. The results of the differential experiment showed that all 14 models were correctly identified.
Conclusions
The stroke identification system based on microwave scattering measurement can effectively distinguish rabbit cerebral hemorrhage model and ischemic model. This technology is low cost, portable non-invasive, simple operation and fast, which make it be a promising method for identifying pre-hospital stroke types.

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