Objective:Previous studies have shown that insomnia is closely related to erectile dysfunction(ED).However,the causal relationship between them is still unclear.Mendelian randomization(MR)provides a new method for studying the relationship between the two,and the theory of heart-kidney interaction in TCM provides a new idea for exploring the causal relationship between them.Methods:Based on the statistical data collected by genome-wide association studies(GWAS),the causal relationship be-tween insomnia and ED was discussed by MR.Inverse variance weighted(IVW)is the main analysis method,and weighted median(WME),simple mode(SM),weighted mode(WM)and MR Egger method were the supplementary analysis to evaluate the causal effect.MR-Egger intercept test,Cochran Q test and leave-one-out method were used in sensitivity analysis to verify the reliability of MR results.Results:Thirty-nine SNPs significantly related to insomnia were finally included for MR analysis.The results of IVW method in MR analysis showed that insomnia had a significant causal relationship with the increased risk of ED(OR=3.111,95％CI=1.566-6.181,P=1.193 × 10-3).The results obtained by MR-Egger method,WME method,WM method and SM method were consistent with IVW method in the direction of effect.The sensitivity results suggested that the results of this study were robust.Conclusion:Our study reveals the causal relationship between insomnia and ED,which provides a new basis for future clinical practice and prevention and treatment of ED.

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction on postoperative patients with lumbar vertebral fracture complicated with spinal cord injury due to Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Pattern.METHODS One hundred and twenty patients were randomly assigned into control group(60 cases)for 6-week intervention of conventional treatment,and observation group(60 cases)for 6-week intervention of both Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction and conventional treatment.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,spinal cord conduction signals(SEP amplitude,MEP amplitude),serum neurotrophic factors(NGF,IGF-1,BDNF),coagulation and inflammatory indices(PT,APTT,TNF-α,IL-1 β)and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,TNF-α,IL-1β(P＜0.05),increased spinal cord conduction signals,coagulation and inflammatory indices(P＜0.05),and shortened PT,APTT(P＜0.05),especially for the observation group(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with lumbar vertebral fracture complicated with spinal cord injury due to Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Pattern,Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction can safely and effectively promote neurological function recovery.

Objective To obtain tree shrew Vasorin(VASN)recombinant protein through prokaryotic expression and purification,prepare monoclonal antibody against tree shrew VASN by immunizing mice with this protein,and preliminarily evaluate its application value.Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was used to amplify the full-length sequence of tree shrew VASN gene in vitro.The tree shrew VASN gene fragment was inserted into pET-30a vector to construct pET-30a-VASN recombinant plasmid.The recombinant plasmid was subjected to double digestion with BamH Ⅰ and Sal Ⅰfor identification,and its correctness was further verified by sequencing.The recombinant plasmid with correct sequencing was transformed into BL21(DE3)competent cells,and isopropyl β-D-thiogalactoside(IPTG)was used to induce expression of VASN recombinant protein.Proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE),and the VASN recombinant protein was purified by KCI.Purified recombinant protein was used to immunize BALB/c mice for four times,and serum antibody titer was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Splenocytes from mice with serum antibody titer above 1:10 000 were used for cell fusion with myeloma cells.Hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine(HAT)culture medium was first used to screen hybridoma cells.ELISA was used to screen positive hybridoma cell lines that could secrete specific antibodies,and monoclonal hybridoma cell lines were obtained by limiting dilution method.VASN monoclonal antibodies were prepared in large quantities by ascites induction method,purified using rProtein G,and the affinity and in vitro reaction specificity of the monoclonal antibodies were detected by ELISA and Western blotting.Results The full-length sequence of the tree shrew VASN gene was successfully amplified and the recombinant plasmid vector of tree shrew pET-30a-VASN was constructed.The sequence obtained by sequencing of the recombinant plasmid vector was identical to the tree shrew VASN target gene sequence.Recombinant protein VASN mainly existed in the form of inclusion bodies,and the purity after purification reached 90％,meeting the requirements of subsequent immunization experiments.After four immunizations with recombinant protein VASN,mouse serum antibody titer reached 1:729 000.Monoclonal positive hybridoma cell lines were obtained through ascites induction and purification,and the constant affinity value of monoclonal antibodies measured by ELISA reached 2.59x107 L/mol.Western blotting results showed that the tree shrew VASN monoclonal antibody could bind to tree shrew VASN recombinant protein,but it showed no binding reaction with porcine retinol-binding protein 4 recombinant protein,human VASN-leucine rich repeat recombinant protein,or bovine serum albumin.Anti-tree shrew VASN monoclonal antibody could specifically recognize VASN protein in tree shrew heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney and muscle,with clear bands and clean background.Immunohistochemical detection results showed that this monoclonal antibody could recognize VASN protein in tree shrew spleen,lung,and tree shrew immortalized fibroblasts with high VASN mRNA expression levels,and the detection results were positive.Conclusion Monoclonal antibody against tree shrew VASN is successfully prepared.This antibody can be used for immunohistochemical detection of tree shrew immortalized fibroblasts,spleen tissue,and lung tissue,providing an important tool for further research on the function of VASN in tree shrew models.

Objective To obtain tree shrew Vasorin(VASN)recombinant protein through prokaryotic expression and purification,prepare monoclonal antibody against tree shrew VASN by immunizing mice with this protein,and preliminarily evaluate its application value.Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was used to amplify the full-length sequence of tree shrew VASN gene in vitro.The tree shrew VASN gene fragment was inserted into pET-30a vector to construct pET-30a-VASN recombinant plasmid.The recombinant plasmid was subjected to double digestion with BamH Ⅰ and Sal Ⅰfor identification,and its correctness was further verified by sequencing.The recombinant plasmid with correct sequencing was transformed into BL21(DE3)competent cells,and isopropyl β-D-thiogalactoside(IPTG)was used to induce expression of VASN recombinant protein.Proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE),and the VASN recombinant protein was purified by KCI.Purified recombinant protein was used to immunize BALB/c mice for four times,and serum antibody titer was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Splenocytes from mice with serum antibody titer above 1:10 000 were used for cell fusion with myeloma cells.Hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine(HAT)culture medium was first used to screen hybridoma cells.ELISA was used to screen positive hybridoma cell lines that could secrete specific antibodies,and monoclonal hybridoma cell lines were obtained by limiting dilution method.VASN monoclonal antibodies were prepared in large quantities by ascites induction method,purified using rProtein G,and the affinity and in vitro reaction specificity of the monoclonal antibodies were detected by ELISA and Western blotting.Results The full-length sequence of the tree shrew VASN gene was successfully amplified and the recombinant plasmid vector of tree shrew pET-30a-VASN was constructed.The sequence obtained by sequencing of the recombinant plasmid vector was identical to the tree shrew VASN target gene sequence.Recombinant protein VASN mainly existed in the form of inclusion bodies,and the purity after purification reached 90％,meeting the requirements of subsequent immunization experiments.After four immunizations with recombinant protein VASN,mouse serum antibody titer reached 1:729 000.Monoclonal positive hybridoma cell lines were obtained through ascites induction and purification,and the constant affinity value of monoclonal antibodies measured by ELISA reached 2.59x107 L/mol.Western blotting results showed that the tree shrew VASN monoclonal antibody could bind to tree shrew VASN recombinant protein,but it showed no binding reaction with porcine retinol-binding protein 4 recombinant protein,human VASN-leucine rich repeat recombinant protein,or bovine serum albumin.Anti-tree shrew VASN monoclonal antibody could specifically recognize VASN protein in tree shrew heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney and muscle,with clear bands and clean background.Immunohistochemical detection results showed that this monoclonal antibody could recognize VASN protein in tree shrew spleen,lung,and tree shrew immortalized fibroblasts with high VASN mRNA expression levels,and the detection results were positive.Conclusion Monoclonal antibody against tree shrew VASN is successfully prepared.This antibody can be used for immunohistochemical detection of tree shrew immortalized fibroblasts,spleen tissue,and lung tissue,providing an important tool for further research on the function of VASN in tree shrew models.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction on postoperative patients with lumbar vertebral fracture complicated with spinal cord injury due to Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Pattern.METHODS One hundred and twenty patients were randomly assigned into control group(60 cases)for 6-week intervention of conventional treatment,and observation group(60 cases)for 6-week intervention of both Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction and conventional treatment.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,spinal cord conduction signals(SEP amplitude,MEP amplitude),serum neurotrophic factors(NGF,IGF-1,BDNF),coagulation and inflammatory indices(PT,APTT,TNF-α,IL-1 β)and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,TNF-α,IL-1β(P＜0.05),increased spinal cord conduction signals,coagulation and inflammatory indices(P＜0.05),and shortened PT,APTT(P＜0.05),especially for the observation group(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with lumbar vertebral fracture complicated with spinal cord injury due to Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Pattern,Supplemented Buyang Huanwu Decoction can safely and effectively promote neurological function recovery.

Objective China is among the 30 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis(TB)worldwide,and TB remains a public health concern.Kashgar Prefecture in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region is considered as one of the highest TB burden regions in China.However,molecular epidemiological studies of Kashgar are lacking. Methods A population-based retrospective study was conducted using whole-genome sequencing(WGS)to determine the characteristics of drug resistance and the transmission patterns. Results A total of 1,668 isolates collected in 2020 were classified into lineages 2(46.0%),3(27.5%),and 4(26.5%).The drug resistance rates revealed by WGS showed that the top three drugs in terms of the resistance rate were isoniazid(7.4%,124/1,668),streptomycin(6.0%,100/1,668),and rifampicin(3.3%,55/1,668).The rate of rifampicin resistance was 1.8%(23/1,290)in the new cases and 9.4%(32/340)in the previously treated cases.Known resistance mutations were detected more frequently in lineage 2 strains than in lineage 3 or 4 strains,respectively:18.6%vs.8.7 or 9%,P<0.001.The estimated proportion of recent transmissions was 25.9%(432/1,668).Multivariate logistic analyses indicated that sex,age,occupation,lineage,and drug resistance were the risk factors for recent transmission.Despite the low rate of drug resistance,drug-resistant strains had a higher risk of recent transmission than the susceptible strains(adjusted odds ratio,1.414;95%CI,1.023-1.954;P = 0.036).Among all patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis(DR-TB),78.4%(171/218)were attributed to the transmission of DR-TB strains. Conclusion Our results suggest that drug-resistant strains are more transmissible than susceptible strains and that transmission is the major driving force of the current DR-TB epidemic in Kashgar.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Huang'e Capsules in the treatment of type ⅢA chronic prostatitis, and its effects on the levels of the inflammatory cytokines neutrophil elastase (NE), IL-8 and TGF-β1 in the expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) of the patients. METHODS: We selected 120 patients with type ⅢA chronic prostatitis and randomly assigned them to medication with Huang'e Capsules (the trial group, n = 60) or Levofloxacin and Tamsulosin (the control group, n = 60), both for a course of 4 weeks. We obtained the NIH-CPSI scores and the levels of NE, IL-8 and TGF-β1 in the EPS, and compared them between the two groups before and after treatment. RESULTS: Totally, 116 of the patients completed the study, 59 in the trial and 57 in the control group. The overall clinical effectiveness was significantly higher in the trial group than in the control (89.8% vs 77.2%, P<0.05). Compared with the baseline, the patients of the trial group showed significant decreases after treatment in the total NIH-CPSI scores (32.5±7.4 vs 13.2±5.1), pain symptom scores (13.7±3.9 vs 4.2±2.3), urination symptom scores (6.9±2.4 vs 5.1±3.2) and quality of life (QOL) scores (8.3±2.7 vs 3.7±1.5) (all P< 0.05), and so did the controls in the total NIH-CPSI scores (30.8±7.8 vs 13.7±3.9), pain symptom scores (14.2±4.1 vs 7.8±2.9), urination symptom scores (7.1±2.7 vs 4.9±3.4) and quality of life (QOL) scores (8.1±2.4 vs 5.6±1.9) (all P< 0.05), and the decreases were even more significant in the trial than in the control group in the pain symptom and QOL scores ( P< 0.05). The patients of the trial group also exhibited a marked reduction after treatment in the contents of NE (［1135.4±321.5］ vs ［347.6±207.3］ ng/L, P< 0.05) and IL-8 (［974.9±231.6］ vs ［ 431.3±207.2］ ng/L, P< 0.05) but an elevation in that of TGF-β1 (［591.0±172.1］ vs ［1 402.1 ± 221.5］ ng/L, P< 0.05) in the EPS, and so did the controls in the levels of NE (［1052.8±280.3］ vs ［761.1±225.1］ ng/L, P<0.05), (［1007.5±287.7］ vs ［775.7±182.5］ ng/L, P< 0.05), (［607.8±201.3］ vs ［871.3±192.5］ ng/L, P< 0.05), with even more significant improvement in the trial than in the control group (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION Huang'e Capsules has a significant clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of type IIIA prostatitis, which can effectively relieve the pain and urination symptoms and improve the levels of the inflammatory cytokines NE, IL-8 and TGF-β1 in the patients.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis/metabolism* ; Interleukin-8/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Prostate/metabolism* ; Leukocyte Elastase/metabolism* ; Tamsulosin ; Treatment Outcome ; Capsules ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Adult ; Levofloxacin

Five new terpenoids, including two vibsane-type diterpenoids (1, 2) and three iridoid allosides (3-5), together with eight known ones, were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Viburnum odoratissimum var.sessiliflorum. Their planar structures and relative configurations were determined by spectroscopic methods, especially 2D NMR techniques. The sugar moieties of the iridoids were confirmed as β-D-allose by GC analysis after acid hydrolysis and acetylation. The absolute configurations of neovibsanin Q (1) and dehydrovibsanol B (2) were determined by quantum chemical calculation of their theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra and Rh₂(OCOCF₃)₄-induced ECD analysis. The anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1, 3, 4, and 5 were evaluated using an LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model. Compounds 3suppressed the release of NO in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC₅₀ value of 55.64 μmol·L^-1. The cytotoxicities of compounds 1-5 on HCT-116 cells were assessed and the results showed that compounds 2 and 3 exhibited moderate inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 13.8 and 12.3 μmol·L^-1, respectively.
Terpenes/pharmacology* ; Viburnum/chemistry* ; Molecular Structure ; Diterpenes/chemistry* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital, and to explore the influencing factors of NAFLD, in order to provide a basis for the prevention of NAFLD in overweight/obese children. METHODS: Overweight/obese children who visited Hunan Children's Hospital from June 2019 to September 2021 were recruited. The prevalence rate of NAFLD was examined. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the development of NAFLD [non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)]. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the influencing factors for NAFL and NASH. RESULTS: A total of 844 overweight/obese children aged 6-17 years were enrolled. The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children was 38.2% (322/844), among which the prevalence rates of NAFL and NASH were 28.8% (243/844) and 9.4% (79/844), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with the development of NAFL and NASH (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C had a predictive value for NAFL (area under the curve: 0.653, 95%CI: 0.613-0.694), and for NASH (area under the curve: 0.771, 95%CI: 0.723-0.819). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital is high. WHR and HDL-C are associated with the development of NAFLD and the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C has a certain value for predicating the development of NAFLD.
Child ; Humans ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/complications* ; Overweight/complications* ; Pediatric Obesity/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Adolescent