Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the commonest neurodegenerative disease that causes memory decline, cognitive dysfunction and behavior disorders in the aged people. Primary pathological hallmarks of AD include amyloid-β (Aβ), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), gliosis, and neuronal loss. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels have important physiological functions, especially in aspects of controlling the resting membrane potential, pacemaker activity, memory formation, sleep and arousal. This article reviews the structure, distribution, regulation of HCN channels and the role of HCN channels in the pathological mechanisms of AD, aiming to provide drug therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of AD.
Humans ; Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology* ; Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels/physiology* ; Animals ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism*

Anxiety disorder is a highly prevalent psychological illness, and research has shown that obesity is a significant risk factor for its development. This study explored the ameliorative effects and mechanisms of saponins from Panax japonicus(SPJ) on anxiety disorder in mice fed a high-fat diet(HFD). Fifty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control diet(NCD) group, HFD group, and low-and high-dose SPJ groups. At week 12, six mice from the HFD group were further divided into a control group(treated with DMSO) and an exogenous fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21) group(administered rFGF21). The anxiety-like behavior of the mice was assessed using the open field test and elevated plus maze test. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and oil red O staining were performed to observe pathological changes in the liver and adipose tissue. Glucose metabolism was evaluated through the glucose tolerance test(GTT) and insulin tolerance test(ITT). Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of FGF21 and its downstream-related proteins in the liver and cortex, along with the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF), disks large homolog 4(DLG4), and synaptophysin(SYP) in the cortex. Real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR(qPCR) was used to detect the expression of FGF21 and its receptor genes in the liver and cortex. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to examine the expression of neuronal activator c-Fos, FGF21, and the FGF21 co-receptor β-klotho in the cerebral cortex. The results showed that SPJ significantly improved the frequency of activity in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the central area of the open field in HFD mice, up-regulated the expression of BDNF, DLG4, and SYP, and effectively alleviated anxiety-like behaviors in HFD mice. Compared with the NCD group, HFD mice exhibited up-regulated expression of FGF21 in the liver and cerebral cortex, while the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1(FGFR1) and β-klotho was significantly down-regulated, suggesting that HFD mice exhibited FGF21 resistance. SPJ markedly up-regulated the β-klotho levels in HFD mice, reversing FGF21 resistance. Further comparison with exogenously administered FGF21 revealed that SPJ activates brain cortical regions in a consistent manner, and additionally, SPJ promotes the number and colocalization of c-Fos and β-klotho positive cells in the brain cortex. In summary, SPJ effectively alleviates anxiety-like behaviors in HFD mice. Its mechanism is associated with up-regulation of β-klotho expression in the brain, reversal of FGF21 resistance, and subsequent activation of neurons in the cerebral cortex and amygdala.
Animals ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Fibroblast Growth Factors/genetics* ; Mice ; Male ; Panax/chemistry* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Anxiety/etiology* ; Saponins/administration & dosage* ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics* ; Humans ; Liver/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*

Metal ion-promoted chemodynamic therapy(CDT) combined with photodynamic therapy(PDT) offers broad application prospects for enhancing anti-tumor effects. In this study, glycyrrhizic acid(GA), copper ions(Cu~(2+)), and norcantharidin(NCTD) were co-assembled to successfully prepare a natural small-molecule, carrier-free hydrogel(NCTD Gel) with excellent material properties. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, NCTD Gel responded to the tumor microenvironment(TME) and acted as an efficient Fenton reagent and photosensitizer, catalyzing the conversion of endogenous hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) within the tumor into oxygen(O_2), and hydroxyl radicals(·OH, type Ⅰ reactive oxygen species) and singlet oxygen(~1O_2, type Ⅱ reactive oxygen species), while depleting glutathione(GSH) to stabilize reactive oxygen species and alleviate tumor hypoxia. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that NCTD Gel exhibited significant CDT/PDT synergistic therapeutic effects. Further safety evaluation and metabolic testing confirmed its good biocompatibility and safety. This novel hydrogel is not only simple to prepare, safe, and cost-effective but also holds great potential for clinical transformation, providing insights and references for the research and development of metal ion-mediated hydrogel-based anti-tumor therapies.
Hydrogels/chemistry* ; Animals ; Photochemotherapy ; Humans ; Mice ; Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage* ; Photosensitizing Agents/chemistry* ; Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Female ; Copper/chemistry* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Male

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) resources are an important foundation for the theory and practice of TCM. Rare and endangered TCM, as a significant component of these resources, plays an essential role. Conducting research on substitutes for rare and endangered TCM resources is of great significance for alleviating resource shortages, promoting the sustainable utilization of TCM, and advancing TCM modernization. This paper reviews the conservation achievements of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials in China and organizes the substitution methods for these materials. Currently, the main substitution approaches include introduction and domestication, tissue culture, varietal replacement, and artificial synthesis. Furthermore, this paper proposes the following approaches for researching the application scenarios of rare and endangered medicinal materials, i.e., tracing the historical context of their use to clarify foundational principles; verifying disease classifications to strengthen the clinical application scenarios of these materials; analyzing the evolution patterns of prescription formulations to strengthen the mining of the compatibility application scenarios of rare and endangered medicinal materials; scientifically evaluating to strengthen the application scenario research and development of endangered Chinese patent medicine industry. These efforts aim to promote the scientific substitution and sustainable utilization of rare and endangered medicinal materials and their substitutes.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; China ; Plants, Medicinal/growth & development* ; Endangered Species ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical effect of autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) in the treatment of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint with glenoid cartilage defect in rabbits by establishing a model of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint with < 20% glenoid cartilage defect in rabbits. METHODS: Twenty-four male New Zealand white rabbits, aged 6-month-old, weighed (2.69±0.17) kg were selected. The labrum of shoulder joint of rabbits was artificially destroyed to establish a model of recurrent anterior dislocation of shoulder joint with cartilage defect. They were divided into AOT surgery group and simple suture group, with 12 rabbits in each group. AOT group were underwent AOT surgery, while simple suture group was treated with simple Bankart suture for recurrent shoulder joint dislocation. At 6 and 12 weeks after operation, 6 rabbits between two groups were sacrificed for sampling. The dietary conditions, activity conditions, mental states of rabbits and healing conditions of grafts in the specimens were observed and compared between two groups. HE staining was used to observe cell creep, cell morphology, inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrochondrocytes and their arrangement. Masson staining was used to observe the formation and arrangement of collagen fibers; Safrane-green staining was used to observe the regeneration of articular cartilage, subchondral bone and bone tissue. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume (BV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) between two groups were measured by Micro-CT to evaluate the remodeling of shoulder glenoid bone defects by autologous osteochondral cartilage. RESULTS: After different surgical interventions were carried out in both groups of rabbits, at 6 weeks after the operation, the abduction, extension, internal rotation and external rotation of the shoulder joint on the operated side showed limited range of motion compared with the contralateral side, while adduction and forward flexion showed no obvious abnormalities compared with the contralateral side. At 12 weeks after operation, the range motion of tshoulder joints in both groups of rabbits had returned to the state before modeling. The effects of HE staining, Masson staining and safrane-green staining at 12 weeks after operation in both groups were stronger than the staining results at 6 weeks after operation. Moreover, the results of HE staining, Masson staining and safranin fixation green staining in AOT group at 6 and 12 weeks after operation were all higher than those in simple suture group. Micro-CT scan results at 6 and 12 weeks after operation showed that BMD (0.427±0.014), (0.466±0.032) g·cm-3, BV(116.171±3.527), (159.327±3.500) mm3, and Tb.Th (0.230±0.006), (0.285±0.009) mm in AOT group, which were higher than those of simple suture group in BMD(0.358±0.011), (0.384±0.096) g·cm-3, BV(72.657±3.903), (118.713±3.860) mm3, and Tb.Th(0.204±0.009), (0.243±0.007) mm;and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION AOT procedure could effectively promote osteogenesis and fibrocartilage regeneration in the cartilage defect area of the shoulder glenoid <20%, which is conducive to reshaping the structure of the shoulder glenoid.
Animals ; Rabbits ; Male ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Cartilage, Articular/injuries* ; Shoulder Dislocation/physiopathology* ; Bone Transplantation ; Shoulder Joint/surgery*

PURPOSE: To investigate the protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on ischemic hypoxic injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss. METHODS: This article performed a random controlled trial. Brain tissue of 7 yorkshire was selected and divided into the sub-low temperature anterograde machine perfusion group (n = 4) and the blank control group (n = 3) using the random number table method. A yorkshire model of brain tissue injury induced by traumatic blood loss was established. Firstly, the perfusion temperature and blood oxygen saturation were monitored in real-time during the perfusion process. The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, NA⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ ions concentrations and pH of the perfusate were detected. Following perfusion, we specifically examined the parietal lobe to assess its water content. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were then dissected for histological evaluation, allowing us to investigate potential regional differences in tissue injury. The blank control group was sampled directly before perfusion. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 Student t-test. All tests were two-sided, and p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. RESULTS: The contents of red blood cells and hemoglobin during perfusion were maintained at normal levels but more red blood cells were destroyed 3 h after the perfusion. The blood oxygen saturation of the perfusion group was maintained at 95% - 98%. NA⁺ and K⁺ concentrations were normal most of the time during perfusion but increased significantly at about 4 h. The Ca²⁺ concentration remained within the normal range at each period. Glucose levels were slightly higher than the baseline level. The pH of the perfusion solution was slightly lower at the beginning of perfusion, and then gradually increased to the normal level. The water content of brain tissue in the sub-low and docile perfusion group was 78.95% ± 0.39%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (75.27% ± 0.55%, t = 10.49, p < 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the blank control group, the structure and morphology of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex and CA1 region of the hippocampal gyrus were similar, and their integrity was better. The structural integrity of granulosa neurons was destroyed and cell edema increased in the perfusion group compared with the blank control group. Immunofluorescence staining for glail fibrillary acidic protein and Iba1, markers of glial cells, revealed well-preserved cell structures in the perfusion group. While there were indications of abnormal cellular activity, the analysis showed no significant difference in axon thickness or integrity compared to the 1-h blank control group. CONCLUSIONS Mild hypothermic machine perfusion can improve ischemia and hypoxia injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss and delay the necrosis and apoptosis of yorkshire brain tissue by continuous oxygen supply, maintaining ion homeostasis and reducing tissue metabolism level.
Animals ; Perfusion/methods* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Brain Injuries/etiology* ; Swine ; Male ; Hypothermia, Induced/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influencing factors of pathological positive surgical margins (PSM) after radical resection of prostate cancer. METHODS: The clinical data of 407 patients who underwent radical resection of prostate cancer in our hospital from 2011 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. And the patients were divided into two groups according to postoperative pathological results. Single factor analysis was used to evaluate the differences in postoperative Gleason score, preoperative total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), preoperative serum free prostate-specific antigen to preoperative tPSA ratio (fPSA/ tPSA), clinical stage, postoperative pathological stage, operation method, age, body mass index (BMI), diameter and volume of prostate tumor. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factor of PSM. RESULTS: Among 407 patients with prostate cancer, 179 cases (43.98%) were positive. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in postoperative Gleason score, preoperative tPSA, clinical stage and postoperative pathological stage between the two groups (P<0.05). And Gleason score, preoperative tPSA and pathologic stage were independent risk factors for PSM. CONCLUSION There are relationships between PSM and postoperative Gleason score, tPSA, clinical T stage, postoperative pathologic pT stage. Among them, postoperative Gleason score (Gleason=7 points, Gleason≥8 points), preoperative total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA > 20 μg/L), and postoperative pathologic pT stage (pT3a, pT3b) were independent risk factors for positive pathological margins of prostate cancer.
Margins of Excision ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Prostatectomy/statistics & numerical data* ; Prostate/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Grading/statistics & numerical data* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Neoplasm Staging/statistics & numerical data* ; Postoperative Period ; Risk Factors ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of zedoarondiol on neovascularization of atherosclerotic (AS) plaque by exosomes experiment. METHODS: ApoE^-/- mice were fed with high-fat diet to establish AS model and treated with high- and low-dose (10, 5 mg/kg daily) of zedoarondiol, respectively. After 14 weeks, the expressions of anti-angiogenic protein thrombospondin 1 (THBS-1) and its receptor CD36 in plaques, as well as platelet activation rate and exosome-derived miR-let-7a were detected. Then, zedoarondiol was used to intervene in platelets in vitro, and miR-let-7a was detected in platelet-derived exosomes (Pexo). Finally, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with miR-let-7a mimics and treated with Pexo to observe the effect of miR-let-7a in Pexo on tube formation. RESULTS: Animal experiments showed that after treating with zedoarondiol, the neovascularization density in plaques of AS mice was significantly reduced, THBS-1 and CD36 increased, the platelet activation rate was markedly reduced, and the miR-let-7a level in Pexo was reduced (P<0.01). In vitro experiments, the platelet activation rate and miR-let-7a levels in Pexo were significantly reduced after zedoarondiol's intervention. Cell experiments showed that after Pexo's intervention, the tube length increased, and the transfection of miR-let-7a minics further increased the tube length of cells, while reducing the expressions of THBS-1 and CD36. CONCLUSION Zedoarondiol has the effect of inhibiting neovascularization within plaque in AS mice, and its mechanism may be potentially related to inhibiting platelet activation and reducing the Pexo-derived miRNA-let-7a level.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Humans ; Blood Platelets/drug effects* ; Apolipoproteins E/deficiency* ; Thrombospondin 1/metabolism* ; CD36 Antigens/metabolism* ; Platelet Activation/drug effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Amantadine(AMD)residue can accumulate in organisms through the food chain and cause serious harm to human body.AMD can specifically bind to AMD specific aptamer and cause its conformation to change from a random single strand to a stem-loop structure.To avoid the influence of excess nucleotides on binding of aptamer to AMD,the truncation of the AMD original aptamer J was optimized by retaining an appropriate stem-loop structure,and a new type of truncation aptamers was developed in this work.By comparing the truncated aptamer with the original aptamer,it was found that the truncated aptamer J-7 had better affinity and specificity with AMD.The detection limit of AMD was 0.11 ng/mL by using J-7 as specific recognition element and molybdenum disulfide nanosheet(MoS2Ns)as signal amplification element.The developed method base on truncated aptamer J-7 was used for detection of AMD in milk,yogurt and SD rat serum samples for the first time with recoveries of 86.6%-108.2%.This study provided a reference for truncating other long sequence aptamers and provided a more sensitive detection method for monitoring AMD residues in food.

Objective To study the activity of ten kinds of antipyretic-antidotal traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),including radix tinosporae.herb of blin conyza and turmeric,against extensively drug-resistant Acineto-bacter baumannii(XDR-AB)infection,screen out the extracts of antipyretic-antidotal TCM which have in vivo anti-infection activity,provide a research basis for the discovery of novel antimicrobials against XD-RAB infection.Methods Ten antipyretic-antidotal TCM were extracted with water,50％ethanol and 95％ethanol respectively,and TCM extracts with different concentrations were prepared,which were co-incubated with the model of XDR-AB-infected Caenorhabditis elegans previously optimized by the research group.The in vivo activity of antipyretic-antidotal TCM against XDR-AB infection was judged through the survival rate of Caenorhabditis elegans.Results With the increase of concentration of turmeric and cortex pseudolaricis extracts,the survival rate of XDR-AB-infec-ted nematodes continued to improve.The water extract,50％ethanol extract,and 95％ethanol extract of turmeric at a concentration of 1 000 μg/mL could increase the survival rates of XDR-AB-infected Caenorhabditis elegans to 54.2％(compared to the negative control group,P＜0.001),18.8％,and 13.3％,respectively.The water ex-tract,50％ethanol extract,and 95％ethanol extract of cortex pseudolaricis at a concentration of 1 000 μg/mL could increase the survival rates of XDR-AB-infected Caenorhabditis elegans to 47.4％(compared to the negative control group,P＜0.001),23.8％,and 15.8％,respectively.Conclusion The water extracts of turmeric and cortex pseudolaricis have good activity against XDR-AB infection,and their main chemical components can be tested for in vitro antimicrobial efficacy to discover novel antimicrobial agents against XDR-AB infection.