ObjectiveObesity has been identified as one of the most important risk factors for cognitive dysfunction. Physical exercise can ameliorate learning and memory deficits by reversing synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and cortex in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, we aimed to determine whether 8 weeks of treadmill exercise could alleviate hippocampus-dependent memory impairment in high-fat diet-induced obese mice and investigate the potential mechanisms involved. MethodsA total of sixty 6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice, weighing between 20-30 g, were randomly assigned to 3 distinct groups, each consisting of 20 mice. The groups were designated as follows: control (CON), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet with exercise (HFD-Ex). Prior to the initiation of the treadmill exercise protocol, the HFD and HFD-Ex groups were fed a high-fat diet (60% fat by kcal) for 20 weeks. The mice in the HFD-Ex group underwent treadmill exercise at a speed of 8 m/min for the first 10 min, followed by 12 m/min for the subsequent 50 min, totally 60 min of exercise at a 0° slope, 5 d per week, for 8 weeks. We employed Y-maze and novel object recognition tests to assess hippocampus-dependent memory and utilized immunofluorescence, Western blot, Golgi staining, and ELISA to analyze axon length, dendritic complexity, number of spines, the expression of c-fos, doublecortin (DCX), postsynaptic density-95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (Syn), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and the number of major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) positive cells. ResultsMice with HFD-induced obesity exhibit hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, and treadmill exercise can prevent memory decline in these mice. The expression of DCX was significantly decreased in the HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group (P<0.001). Treadmill exercise increased the expression of c-fos (P<0.001) and DCX (P=0.001) in the hippocampus of the HFD-induced obese mice. The axon length (P<0.001), dendritic complexity (P<0.001), the number of spines (P<0.001) and the expression of PSD95 (P<0.001) in the hippocampus were significantly decreased in the HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group. Treadmill exercise increased the axon length (P=0.002), dendritic complexity(P<0.001), the number of spines (P<0.001) and the expression of PSD95 (P=0.001) of the hippocampus in the HFD-induced obese mice. Our study found a significant increase in MHC-II positive cells (P<0.001) and the concentration of IL-1β (P<0.001) in the hippocampus of HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group. Treadmill exercise was found to reduce the number of MHC-II positive cells (P<0.001) and the concentration of IL-1β (P<0.001) in the hippocampus of obese mice induced by a HFD. ConclusionTreadmill exercise led to enhanced neurogenesis and neuroplasticity by increasing the axon length, dendritic complexity, dendritic spine numbers, and the expression of PSD95 and DCX, decreasing the number of MHC-II positive cells and neuroinflammation in HFD-induced obese mice. Therefore, we speculate that exercise may serve as a non-pharmacologic method that protects against HFD-induced hippocampus-dependent memory dysfunction by enhancing neuroplasticity and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of obese mice.

Blood heat syndrome, one of the main subtypes of blood syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), is mainly diagnosed by bleeding and heat manifestations and treated by the blood-cooling method. The biological essence of blood heat syndrome has not been elucidated yet, and there is a lack of systematic research on the potential mechanisms underlying the blood-cooling method. The biological essence of blood heat syndrome is closely related to abnormal immune response, oxidative stress, coagulation dysfunction, endocrine disorders, abnormalities in energy metabolism and so on. Blood heat syndrome is common in autoimmune skin diseases( such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, and purpura), central hyperthermia, infectious diseases( such as infectious mononucleosis and COVID-19), and hemorrhagic diseases in gynecology. As the primary clinical therapy for blood heat syndrome, blood-cooling TCM is usually combined with the TCM with effects of activating blood and resolving stasis, nourishing Yin,and extinguishing wind to play the role of cooling blood. The mechanisms of above therapies may be attributed to reducing inflammation, inhibiting oxidative stress, restoring the balance of blood coagulation and metabolism, regulating the secretion of sex hormones, and alleviating allergic reactions. This article systematically explores the biological essence of blood heat syndrome and elucidates the targets and underlying mechanism of the blood-cooling method, laying a scientific foundation for the clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with blood heat syndrome.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Hyperthermia/diagnosis* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Syndrome

The study aims to elucidate the existence forms(original constituents and metabolites) of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats and reveal its metabolic pathways. After Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma was administered orally once a day for seven consecutive days to rats, all urine and feces samples were collected for seven days, while the blood samples were obtained 6 h after the last administration. Using the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique, this study identified 6, 73, and 156 existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the rat plasma, urine, and feces samples, respectively. Among them, 101 compounds were identified as new existence forms, and 13 original constituents were identified by comparing with reference compounds. The metabolic reactions of constituents from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were mainly deglycosylation, dehydration, hydroxylation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, acetylation, and amino acid conjugation. Furthermore, the possible in vivo metabolic pathways of protopanaxatriol(PPT) in rats were proposed. Through comprehensive analysis of the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) data, isomeric compounds were discriminated, and the planar chemical structures of 32 metabolites were clearly identified. According to the literature, 48 original constituents possess antitumor and cardiovascular protective bioactivities. Additionally, 32 metabolites were predicted to have similar bioactivities by SuperPred. This research lays the foundation for further exploring the in vivo effective forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.
Animals ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Rhizome/metabolism* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Feces/chemistry*

OBJECTIVES: To study clinical manifestations and gene mutation features of neonates with centronuclear myopathy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 5 neonates with centronuclear myopathy diagnosed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2020 to August 2024. The data included gender, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, clinical manifestations, creatine kinase level, electromyography, genetic testing results and the outcomes of the infants. RESULTS: All 5 male neonates had a history of postpartum asphyxia and resuscitation. They all presented with hypotonia, myasthenia, and respiratory failure; two neonates also had swallowing dysfunction. Of the five neonates, three had normal creatine kinase levels, while two had slightly elevated levels. Electromyography was performed for three neonates, among whom two had myogenic damage. MTM1 gene mutations were identified by genetic testing in all five neonates, including two nonsense mutations and three missense mutations, among which one variant had not been previously reported. Four mutations were inherited from the mother, and the other one was a de novo mutation. The five neonates showed no clinical improvement following treatment, failed weaning from mechanical ventilation, and ultimately died after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. CONCLUSIONS Centronuclear myopathy caused by MTM1 gene mutation often has a severe phenotype and a poor prognosis, and it should be considered for neonates with hypotonia and myasthenia after birth. Genetic testing should be performed as soon as possible.
Humans ; Myopathies, Structural, Congenital/genetics* ; Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies ; Mutation ; Female ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases, Non-Receptor/genetics*

Aim To explore the potential targets and related signaling pathways of Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM ) extract in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) based on liquid chromatography mass spectrometry ( LC-MS ), network pharmacology, molecular docking, and were further verified by experiments in vitro. Methods The active components of AbM extract were retrieved from LC-MS, Swiss Target Prediction database was used to predict related targets, and CML disease target genes were obtained from Gen- eCards and DisGeNET databases. After screening the common targets of drug and CML, the protein-protein interaction network of the common targets was performed by STRING, and GO and KEGG enrichment a- nalysis were done by DAVID database. Cytoscape software was used to construct the network of target protein. Molecular docking was carried out by DockThor, and the Pymol software was used to make a visual picture. The inhibitory effect of AbM extract on leukemia cells K562 was determined by CCK-8 experiment, and the effect of AbM extract on the expression and phosphorylation level of related proteins was verified by Western blot. Results The prediction results showed that 126 active components of AbM extract, and 172 common targets were collected. KEGG pathway analysis results showed that PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway might play an important role in the treatment of CML disease. The IC

Objective To evaluate the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation(TEAS)combined with Chinese medicine emotional intervention on immune function and psychological stress in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical rectal cancer surgery.Methods A total of 100 patients hospitalized for laparoscopic radical surgery for rectal cancer were randomly divided into 4 groups of Group A,B,C,and D,25 patients in each group.Group A was given TEAS for 30 minutes before anesthesia,Group B was given TEAS continuously until the end of the surgery,Group C was given TEAS for 30 minutes and Chinese medicine emotional intervention before anesthesia,Group D was given TEAS continuously until the end of the surgery together with Chinese medicine emotional intervention.TEAS was performed at bilateral Zusanli(ST36)points,bilateral Sanyinjiao(SP6)points,Baihui(GV20)points,bilateral Neiguan(PC6)points.The changes of perioperative outcomes and the changes of parameters associated with the immune function,molecular mechanism of Th1/Th2 cells,and psychological stress response before the surgery and 3 days after the surgery in each group were observed.Moreover,the occurrence of adverse reactions in each group was compared.Results(1)The differences of perioperative outcomes operation time,bleeding volume and infusion amount were not statistically significant among the 4 groups(P＞0.05).The Sufentanil dosage,Remifentanil dosage,postoperative awakening time,and 24-hour postoperative pain Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of group D were lower than those of Groups A,B,and C(P＜0.05),and the above indexes of group B and group C were all lower than those of Group A(P＜0.05).(2)Three days after the surgery,the levels of immune function indicators of T lymphocyte subsets CD3+,CD4+ and natural killer(NK)cells in Group D were higher than those in Groups A,B,and C(P＜0.05),while the above indexes in Groups B and C were higher than those in Group A(P＜0.05).(3)Three days after the surgery,the levels of parameters associated with the molecular mechanism of Th1/Th2 cells such as interleukin 2(IL-2)and interferon gamma(IFN-γ)in Group D were higher(P＜0.05),and the serum interleukin 10(IL-10)level was lower than those in Groups A,B,and C(P＜0.05);the serum IL-2 and IFN-γ levels in Group B and C were higher(P＜0.05)and serum IL-10 level was lower than those in Group A(P＜0.05).(4)Three days after the surgery,the scores of the psychological stress response indicators of self-rating anxiety scale(SAS)and self-rating depression scale(SDS)in Group D were lower than those in Groups A,B,and C(P＜0.05),while the above scores in Groups B and C were lower than those in Group A(P＜0.05).(5)In Group A,there was one case of nausea and vomiting;in Group B,there were two cases of nausea and vomiting and one case of dizziness;no adverse reaction occurred in Group C,and there was one case of nausea and vomiting in Group D.The incidences of adverse reactions in Groups A,B,C and D were 4.0%(1/25),12.0%(3/25),0.0%(0/25),and 4.0%(1/25),respectively.The intergroup comparison showed no statistically significant difference among the 4 groups(χ2 = 0.400,P = 0.527).Conclusion In treating patients undergoing laparoscopic radical surgery for rectal cancer,TEAS combined with Chinese medicine emotional intervention can effectively regulate the perioperative immune function,reduce the stress response,and alleviate the anxiety of the patients.Moreover,the therapy exerts certain analgesic effect,which leads to the reduction of the dosage of opioids and the increase of perioperative comfort and surgical tolerance of the patients.

The adulteration and counterfeiting of herbal ingredients in medicinal and food homology (MFH) have a serious impact on the quality of herbal materials, thereby endangering human health. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, health products derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are more easily accessible and closely integrated into consumers' daily life. However, the authentication of the authenticity of TCM ingredients in MFH has not received sufficient attention. The lack of clear standards emphasizes the necessity of conducting systematic research in this area. This study utilized DNA barcoding technology, combining ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK as universal barcode sequences, and DX, HH, JYH as specific barcode sequences, to identify the authenticity of commercial medicinal and food homology scented herbal teas. The aim was to investigate the authenticity of scented herbal tea products circulating in the market. The research results revealed that among 180 scented herbal tea samples, DNA barcodes were successfully obtained from 164 samples, while the remaining samples either lacked the target components or suffered severe DNA degradation, resulting in failed amplification. Combined with morphological identification studies, it was found that out of the 180 samples, 141 were authentic, accounting for 78.33% of the total samples, while 31 samples showed adulteration and 8 samples lacked the target components, accounting for 21.67% of the total samples. Additionally, water testing revealed that 5 samples of Carthamus tinctorius herbal tea exhibited the phenomenon of weight adulteration. This study exposed the presence of adulteration and weight adulteration in scented herbal tea products, highlighting the need for regulatory authorities to expedite the establishment of quality standards in scented herbal tea industry. These findings provide valuable insights for the rapid development of the scented herbal tea industry.

ObjectiveExisting artificial vision devices can be divided into two types: implanted devices and extracorporeal devices, both of which have some disadvantages. The former requires surgical implantation, which may lead to irreversible trauma, while the latter has some defects such as relatively simple instructions, limited application scenarios and relying too much on the judgment of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide enough security. Here we propose a system that has voice interaction and can convert surrounding environment information into tactile commands on head and neck. Compared with existing extracorporeal devices, our device can provide a larger capacity of information and has advantages such as lower cost, lower risk, suitable for a variety of life and work scenarios. MethodsWith the latest remote wireless communication and chip technologies, microelectronic devices, cameras and sensors worn by the user, as well as the huge database and computing power in the cloud, the backend staff can get a full insight into the scenario, environmental parameters and status of the user remotely (for example, across the city) in real time. In the meanwhile, by comparing the cloud database and in-memory database and with the help of AI-assisted recognition and manual analysis, they can quickly develop the most reasonable action plan and send instructions to the user. In addition, the backend staff can provide humanistic care and emotional sustenance through voice dialogs. ResultsThis study originally proposes the concept of “remote virtual companion” and demonstrates the related hardware and software as well as test results. The system can not only achieve basic guide functions, for example, helping a person with visual impairment to shop in supermarkets, find seats at cafes, walk on the streets, construct complex puzzles, and play cards, but also can meet the demand for fast-paced daily tasks such as cycling. ConclusionExperimental results show that this “remote virtual companion” is applicable for various scenarios and demands. It can help blind people with their travels, shopping and entertainment, or accompany the elderlies with their trips, wilderness explorations, and travels.

Objective To analyze the risk of adverse drug events in pediatric clinical applications of tocilizumab versus inflixima.Methods Adverse event(AE)reporting data for tocilizumab versus infliximab in the U.S.Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database for the pediatric population from Q1 2013 to Q1 2023 were collected.AE risk signal mining was performed using the reporting odds ratio(ROR)method and the proportional reporting ratio(PRR)method.AEs were also classified and statistically analyzed according to the preferred system organ classification and preferred terminology(PT)of the International Dictionary of Medical Terminology.Results Data were extracted and cleaned to include 1 052 AE reports with 198 positive PT signals for tocilizumab as the suspected drug and 9 1 39 AE reports with 387 positive PT signals for infliximab as the suspected drug.The analyses suggested that the stronger positive risk signals for both drugs were focused on gastrointestinal disorders,infectious and invasive diseases,laboratory tests,musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders,and blood,vascular,and lymphatic disorders.The risk signals for infliximab were focused on gastrointestinal disorders,infections,and infectious diseases,while the risk signals for tocilizumab were focused on the musculoskeletal muscle system.Conclusion Clinical use of both drugs in children has multi-system effects,tocilizumab may have effects on growth and development,and infliximab has effects on the gastrointestinal tract in children.

Objective:To investigate distribution and drug resistance of pathogens of bloodstream infection in patients with hematological malignancies,in order to provide reference for clinical infection control and treatment.Methods:The clinical information of blood culture patients in the hematology department of our hospital from January 2016 to December 2021 was reviewed.They were divided into transplantation group and non-transplantation group according to whether they had undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.The types of pathogens and their drug resistance were analyzed.Results:Two hundred and ninety-nine positive strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected.In the transplantation group,Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 68.5％(50/73),Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 6.8％(5/73),and fungi accounted for 24.7％(18/73).The resistance rate of Escherichia coli to the third-generation cephalosporins was 77.8％,and 11.5％to carbapenems.The resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae to the third-generation cephalosporins was 50.0％,and 56.2％to carbapenems.In the non-transplantation group,Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 64.1％(145/226),Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 31.0％(70/226),and fungi accounted for 4.9％(11/226).Gram-positive bacteria were mainly Enterococcus faecium(6.6％,15/226)and Coagulase-negative Staphylococci(6.2％,14/226).The fungi were all Candida tropicalis.The resistance rate of Escherichia coli to the third-generation cephalosporins was 63.8％,and 10.3％to carbapenems.The resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae to the third-generation cephalosporins was 46.3％,and 26.8％to carbapenems.Conclusion:The types of pathogenic bacteria in bloodstream infection in patients with hematological malignancies are varied.Gram-negative bacteria is the main pathogenic bacteria.The resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics is severe.Antibiotics should be used scientifically and reasonably according to the detection and resistance of pathogenic bacteria.