This study aims to investigate the ameliorating effect of Corni Fructus(CF) on the myocardial ischemic injury and the pharmacokinetic properties of characteristic components of CF. The mouse model of isoproterenol-induced myocardial ischemia was established and administrated with the aqueous extract of CF. The general efficacy of CF in ameliorating the myocardial ischemic injury was evaluated based on the cardiac histopathology and the levels of myocardial injury markers: creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I(cTn-I). The metabolomics analysis was carried out for the heart and serum samples of mice to screen the biomarkers of CF in ameliorating the myocardial ischemic injury and then the predicted biomarkers were submitted to metabolic pathway enrichment. The pharmacokinetic analysis was performed for morroniside, loganin, and cornuside Ⅰ in mouse heart and serum samples to obtain the pharmacokinetic parameters of these components. The pharmacokinetic parameters were then integrated on the basis of self-defined weighting coefficients to simulate an integrated pharmacokinetic profile of CF iridoid glycosides in the heart and serum of the mouse model of myocardial ischemia. The results indicated that CF reduced the pathological damage to cardiac cells and tissue(hematoxylin-eosin staining) and lowered the levels of CK-MB and cTn-I in the serum of the mouse model of myocardial ischemia(P<0.01). Metabolomics analysis screed out 31 endogenous metabolites in the heart and 35 in the serum as biomarkers of CF in ameliorating the myocardial ischemic injury. These biomarkers were altered by modeling and restored by CF. Six metabolic pathways in the heart and 5 in the serum were enriched based on these metabolic markers. The main integrated pharmacokinetic parameters of CF iridoid glycosides were T_(max)=1 h, t_(1/2)=(1.52±0.05) h in the heart and T_(max)=1 h, t_(1/2)=(1.56±0.50) h in the serum. Both concentration-time curves showed a double-peak phenomenon. In conclusion, CF demonstrated the cardioprotective effect by regulating metabolic pathways such as taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, and pantothenic acid and coenzyme A biosynthesis. The integrated pharmacokinetics reflect the general pharmacokinetic properties of characteristic components in CF.
Animals ; Cornus/chemistry* ; Mice ; Metabolomics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia/metabolism* ; Humans ; Troponin I/metabolism* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form/metabolism*

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a distinct form of cardiomyopathy that can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and sudden death. It has become a major cause of mortality in diabetic patients. The pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy is complex, involving increased oxidative stress, activation of inflammatory responses, disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism, accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), abnormal autophagy and apoptosis, insulin resistance, and impaired intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a crucial protective role by lowering blood glucose levels, promoting lipolysis, inhibiting lipid synthesis, and exerting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-ferroptotic effects. It also enhances autophagy, thereby alleviating myocardial injury under hyperglycemic conditions. Consequently, AMPK is considered a key protective factor in diabetic cardiomyopathy. As part of diabetes prevention and treatment strategies, both pharmacological and exercise interventions have been shown to mitigate diabetic cardiomyopathy by modulating the AMPK signaling pathway. However, the precise regulatory mechanisms, optimal intervention strategies, and clinical translation require further investigation. This review summarizes the role of AMPK in the prevention and treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy through drug and/or exercise interventions, aiming to provide a reference for the development and application of AMPK-targeted therapies. First, several classical AMPK activators (e.g., AICAR, A-769662, O-304, and metformin) have been shown to enhance autophagy and glucose uptake while inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory responses by increasing the phosphorylation of AMPK and its downstream target, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and/or by upregulating the gene expression of glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT4. Second, many antidiabetic agents (e.g., teneligliptin, liraglutide, exenatide, semaglutide, canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin) can promote autophagy, reverse excessive apoptosis and autophagy, and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation by enhancing AMPK phosphorylation and its downstream targets, such as mTOR, or by increasing the expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor‑α (PPAR‑α). Third, certain anti-anginal (e.g., trimetazidine, nicorandil), anti-asthmatic (e.g., farrerol), antibacterial (e.g., sodium houttuyfonate), and antibiotic (e.g., minocycline) agents have been shown to promote autophagy/mitophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, and inhibit oxidative stress and lipid accumulation via AMPK phosphorylation and its downstream targets such as protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) and/or PPAR‑α. Fourth, natural compounds (e.g., dihydromyricetin, quercetin, resveratrol, berberine, platycodin D, asiaticoside, cinnamaldehyde, and icariin) can upregulate AMPK phosphorylation and downstream targets such as AKT, mTOR, and/or the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), thereby exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-pyroptotic, antioxidant, and pro-autophagic effects. Fifth, moderate exercise (e.g., continuous or intermittent aerobic exercise, aerobic combined with resistance training, or high-intensity interval training) can activate AMPK and its downstream targets (e.g., acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), GLUT4, PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), PPAR-α, and forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3)) to promote fatty acid oxidation and glucose uptake, and to inhibit oxidative stress and excessive mitochondrial fission. Finally, the combination of liraglutide and aerobic interval training has been shown to activate the AMPK/FOXO1 pathway, thereby reducing excessive myocardial fatty acid uptake and oxidation. This combination therapy offers superior improvement in cardiac dysfunction, myocardial hypertrophy, and fibrosis in diabetic conditions compared to liraglutide or exercise alone.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and analyze its correlation with clinical prognosis, its regulatory effects on HCC cell behaviors, and the signaling pathways mediating its effects. METHODS: We analyzed the differential expression of PTHLH in HCC and adjacent tissues and its association with patient prognosis based on data from TCGA and GEO databases and from 70 HCC patients treated in our hospital. The effects of PTHLH knockdown and overexpression on proliferation, migration, and invasion of cultured HCC cells were investigated using CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, Transwell migration and invasion assays, and the signaling pathways activated by PTHLH were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: TCGA and GEO database analysis showed significant overexpression of PTHLH mRNA in HCC tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis of the patients (P<0.05). High PTHLH mRNA expression was a probable independent prognostic risk factor for HCC (P<0.05). In the clinical samples, PTHLH mRNA and protein expressions were significantly higher in HCC tissues than in the adjacent tissues (P<0.001 or 0.01). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that high PTHLH mRNA expression was an independent risk factor to affect postoperative disease-free survival of HCC patients (P<0.05). The prognostic prediction model based on PTHLH mRNA expression showed an improved accuracy for predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence in HCC patients. In cultured HCC cells, PTHLH overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, and caused activation of the ERK/JNK signaling pathway in Huh7 and Hep3B cells. CONCLUSIONS High PTHLH expression promotes HCC progression and is associated with poor patient prognosis. Its pro-tumor effects may be mediated by activation of the ERK/JNK signaling pathway.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein/genetics* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Disease Progression ; Signal Transduction ; Male ; RNA, Messenger/genetics* ; Female

Aim To investigate the effects of bone-forming protein BMP9 on aerobic glycolysis,migration and invasion ability in triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and the underlying mechanisms.Methods The experimental group infected MDA-MB-231 cells with human BMP9 recombinant adenovirus(AdBMP9),while the control group infected cells with empty GFP adenovirus.Lactate,glucose and ATP as-say kits were used to detect glucose uptake,lactate and ATP production.The correlation between BMP9 and key glycolytic enzyme genes in pancarcinoma was ana-lyzed using GEPIA2 database.The mRNA expression levels of GLUT1,HK2,PKM2 and LDHA in MDA-MB-231 cells after overexpression of BMP9 were detec-ted by qRT-PCR.Potential targets of BMP9 inhibiting MDA-MB-231 aerobic glycolysis were analyzed in STRING database.The expression levels of HIF-1αand downstream protein were detected by Western blot.The changes of cell migration and invasion ability after different treatments were evaluated by the scratch heal-ing assay and Transwell assay.Results Compared with the control group,BMP9 down-regulated glucose uptake,lactate production,ATP level(P＜0.01),and inhibited HIF-1α and its downstream protein ex-pression in MDA-MB-231 cells.Overexpression of HIF-1α in rescue experiment reversed the inhibitory effect of BMP9 on aerobic glycolysis,migration and in-vasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.Conclu-sion BMP9 down-regulates HIF-1α to inhibit the aer-obic glycolysis and migration and invasion ability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Aim To investigate the effects of autophagy regula-ted by LncRNA SNHG3 on the proliferation,migration,invasion and EMT of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.Methods The expression of SNHG3 in breast cancer and breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was analyzed by bioinformatics and real-time fluores-cent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR);RNAi technology was used to construct MCF-7 recombinant cell lines with knockdown SNHG3(siSNHG3)and control(siNC),and Western blot and cellular immunofluorescence were applied to detect autophagy markers;autophagosome lysosomal fusion inhibitor BafA1 or ear-ly autophagosome formation inhibitor 3-MA was employed to treat MCF-7 cells with or without SNHG3 knockdown,Western blot was used to detect the expression of LC3-Ⅱ or p62,and the effect on autophagic vesicle formation or autophagic degradation was observed;clone formation experiment,CCK8 experiment,wound healing experiment,and Transwell experiment were used to detect the effects of siSNHG3 combined or not combined with BafA1 or 3-MA on the proliferation,lateral migration,longitudi-nal migration,and invasion of MCF-7 cells.Western blot was used to detect its effect on the EMT of MCF-7 cells.Results Bioinformatics analysis and RT-qPCR confirmed that SNHG3 was highly expressed in breast cancer and breast cancer cell line MCF-7;Western blot and cellular immunofluorescence confirmed that knockdown of SNHG3 could activate autophagy in breast cancer;the clone formation,CCK-8,wound healing,and Tran-swell experiment confirmed that downregulation of SNHG3 ex-pression could inhibit tumor proliferation,migration,and inva-sion by activating autophagy;Western blot confirmed that SNHG3 promoted EMT process of breast cancer through negative regulation of autophagy.Conclusions SNHG3 is abnormally overexpressed in breast cancer and negatively regulates autoph-agy,and can enhance the proliferation,migration,invasion and EMT process of breast cancer cells through negatively regulating autophagy,suggesting that SNHG3 is a potential target for diag-nosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of successive trigger needling combined with fire needling in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis of cold-damp obstruction type.Methods A total of 72 patients with rheumatoid arthritis of cold-damp obstruction type were randomly divided into observation group and control group,36 cases in each group.The control group was treated with fire needling combined with ordinary acupuncture,and the observation group was treated with fire needling combined with filiform needle.The treatments were performed once every other day,3 times a week,2 weeks as a course of treatment,continuous treatment for 2 courses.After 4 weeks of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.The changes of pain Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)score and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)score before and after treatment,and the time of morning stiffness of the joints were observed in the two groups.The changes of the number of joint swelling and the number of joint tenderness were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.Results(1)After treatment,the time of morning stiffness of the joints of the two groups of patients was significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving morning stiffness of the joints,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the number of swollen joints and the number of joint pressure and pain in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving swollen joints and joint pressure and pain,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the VAS and SAS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the VAS and SAS scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)The total effective rate of the observation group was 91.66%(33/36),while that of the control group was 77.78%(28/36).The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Successive trigger needling combined with fire needling treating rheumatoid arthritis of cold-damp obstruction type can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients,reduce their anxiety,and thus improve the quality of life of patients,with remarkable efficacy.

Abstract: Objective　To find out the causes and risk factors of this food-borne disease outbreak that occurred in November 2019 at four schools in Qinzhou, Guangxi, implement effective preventive and control measures to curb the spread and escalation of the outbreak, and provide a basis for the investigation and management of similar incidents in the future. Methods　Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the cases' clinical characteristics, three-dimensional distribution, and related risk factors. The etiological food was determined by the method of analytical epidemiology. A food hygiene investigation was conducted to trace the process of food contamination, and biological samples from cases and workers, suspicious food, and environmental samples were collected for laboratory testing. The detected Salmonella strains were analyzed for homogeneity using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results　The event involved four schools, with 69 suspected cases identified, resulting inan attack rate of 0.52% (69/13 307). The main clinical symptoms were abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever, with an average incubation period of 20 hours.The epidemic curve indicated a point-source outbreak. Descriptive epidemiological methods inferred that bakery products distributed by Company F were the suspect foods. The case-control study indicated the risk of illness was increased among those who purchased and consumed food supplied by Company F (OR=37.67, 95%CI:14.03-101.13),particularly those who consumed the delicious hamburger (OR=30.13，95%CI:13.22-68.67). Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) was detected in 12 anal swabsfrom patients, one patient's vomit, one flour sample used for bread-making, and one egg,with homogeneity of 100% achieved in PFGE molecular typing of the 15 positive Salmonella strains. Conclusions　The outbreak is a food-borne disease outbreak caused by Salmonella contamination. It is recommended that regulatory authorities strengthen supervision and management of production and processing enterprises, standardize food processing processes, and establish and improve food safety management systems and long-term mechanisms for food safety knowledge promotion and education in schools to enhance students' hygiene awarenessand prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Objective:To study the changes of cord blood neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) under different levels of hypoxia at birth and its correlations with hypoxic organ damage (including liver, kidney and heart).Methods:From April to October 2022, all neonates born in our hospital were prospectively enroll in the study. The neonates without perinatal risk factors were assigned into the control group. The neonates with intrauterine distress or hypoxia during labor were assigned into the hypoxia group (no asphyxia at birth) and the asphyxia group (with asphyxia at birth). Cord blood was collected from the umbilical artery and cord blood gas (CBG) and NGAL were measured. Liver enzymes, kidney function and cardiac enzymes as biomarkers for hypoxic organ damage were measured 24~48 h after birth. The correlations of NGAL and the biomarkers were analyzed.Results:A total of 161 neonates were enrolled, including 91 in the control group, 49 in the hypoxia group and 21 in the asphyxia group. NGAL in the asphyxia group was significantly higher than the hypoxia group and the control group [(1.81±0.71) ng/ml vs. (1.22±0.53) ng/ml, (0.88±0.47) ng/ml], NGAL in the hypoxia group significantly higher than the control group ( P<0.05). NGAL was negatively correlated with Apgar score, pH and BE of CBG ( r<-0.3, P<0.05) and positively correlated with lactate, ALT, creatinine ( r>0.3, P<0.05). No significant correlations existed between NGAL and gender, gestational age, birth weight, mother's age, BMI and CK-MB ( P<0.05). ROC curve showed that sensitivity and specificity of NGAL for predicting hypoxic organ damage were 84.3% and 60.3%, respectively, with a cut-off value of 1.07 ng/ml. Conclusions:Cord blood NGAL may increase with the deterioration of hypoxia at birth and may be associated with hypoxic organ damage.

Aim To investigate the involvement and mechanism of miR-619-5p in the proliferation, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cells. Methods The expression of miR-619-5p in breast cancer and normal breast tissue and cells was detected using bioinformatic analysis or qRT-PCR. After transfection with miR-619-5p mimics or inhibitors, the expression of miR-619-5p and EMT-related molecule mRNA was determined by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was detected using CCK-8 assay; cell migration and invasion capacity was estimated by the wound healing assay and Transwell assay. The protein levels of EMT-related molecules were analyzed by Western blot. The target genes of miR-619-5p were analyzed by bioinformatic a-nalysis, and a preliminary analysis of the potential target gene CREB1 was carried out. Results miR-619-5p was low expressed in breast cancer tissues and breast cancer cells. Compared with the control group, over-expression of miR-619-5p resulted in up-regula-tion of miR-619-5p expression levels and EMT epithelial markers, down-regulation of pro-EMT molecules and mesenchymal markers, impairment of cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and down-regulation of CREB1 expression. The results of the low miR-619-5p expression group were opposite to the above results. Conclusions In breast cancer tissue and cells, miR-619-5p expression is lower. miR-619-5p inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of breast cancer cells, and its possible mechanism of the effects may be targeting CREB1.

Objective : To explore the role of Argonaute ( Ago) gene and RNA⁃Dependent RNA Polymerase (RDRP) gene of Aspergillus flavus in the growth and development about the RNAi mechanism . Methods : A. flavus Ago1 , Ago2 , RDRP1 , RDRP3 gene mutant strains were constructed by homologous recombination . The growth and development of the mutant strains were observed on potato dextrose agar(PDA) + uracil uridine (UU) medium inoculated with 3 μl 106 CFU/mL spores . 200 , 400 μg cell wall pressure agent conidored ( CR) , 0. 8 mol/L , 1 . 6 mol/L osmotic pressure agent NaCl , 2 mmol/L , 4 mmol/L oxidative pressure agent hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) and 0. 01% , 0. 02% genomic damage agent methyl mesylate (MMS) were added to the Yeast extract Glucose Minimum (YGM) + UU medium to analyze the stress response of the mutant strains . Results : A. flavus mutant strains about ΔAgo1 , ΔAgo2 , ΔRDRP1 , ΔRDRP3 were successfully constructed and its growth and development were normal . The ΔAgo1 and ΔAgo2 strains reduced the stress effects on cell wall and osmotic pressure compared to the control . Ago1 gene deletion reduced the effect of H2 O2 , and conversely RDRP3 gene deletion increased the inhibition of H2 O2 . The Ago2 and RDRP1 strains reduced the effect on genetic damage agent . In addition , ΔRDRP1 increased the effect of osmotic stress . Conclusion The Ago1 , Ago2 , RDRP1 and RDRP3 genes of A. flavus are not in⁃ volved in the regulation of growth rate and asexual reproduction and can participate in the regulating of the host stress response to the environment .