ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Renshentang treats atherosclerosis （AS） in mice， focusing on the regulation of endothelial inflammatory responses mediated by transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 （TRPV1）. MethodsAn AS model was established in apolipoprotein E knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice fed a high-fat diet. The mice were randomly divided into a simvastatin group （0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1） and low-， medium-， and high-dose Renshentang groups （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 12 mice in each group. ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated simultaneously. C57BL/6J mice fed a normal diet served as the normal group （n=9）. After continuous administration for 12 weeks， mice were anesthetized and the aortas were collected. Oil Red O staining was used to observe lipid plaque formation in the aorta. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to examine pathological changes in the aortic root. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the levels of pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， as well as the expression of TRPV1， phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt） in the aortic root. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS） mRNA expression in the aorta， and Western blot was used to detect TRPV1 protein expression. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant increase in aortic plaque formation （P<0.01） and significantly elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the aortic root （P<0.01）. The expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， and p-Akt were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and eNOS mRNA expression was reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Renshentang groups significantly reduced aortic plaque formation （P<0.01）， significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-1β levels （P<0.01）， and markedly increased the expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， p-Akt， and eNOS mRNA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang may inhibit endothelial inflammation and suppress the formation of AS by increasing TRPV1 protein expression and up-regulating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway， which may be one of the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effect against AS.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

Objective To introduce the modeling method of pendulum-like modified rat abdominal heart heterotopic transplantation model and evaluate the quality of the model. Methods An operator without transplantation experience performed 15 consecutive models, recorded the time of each step, changes in body weight and modified Stanford scores, and calculated the surgical success rate, postoperative 1-week survival rate and technical success rate. Ultrasound examinations was performed in 1 week postoperatively. Results The times for donor heart acquisition, donor heart processing, recipient preparation and transplantation anastomosis were (14.3±1.4) min, (3.5±0.6) min, (13.6±2.1) min and (38.3±5.2) min respectively. The surgical success rate was 87% (13/15), and the survival rate 1 week after operative was 100% (13/13). The improved Stanford score indicated a technical success rate of 92% (12/13), and the postoperative 1-week ultrasound examination showed that grafts with Stanford scores ≥3 had detectable pulsation and blood flow signals. Conclusions The pendulum-like modified rat abdominal heart heterotopic transplantation improved model further optimizes the operational steps with a high success rate and stable quality, may be chosen as a modeling option for basic research in heart transplantation in the future.

To solve the safety problems caused by the restriction of interaction space and the singular configuration of rehabilitation robot in terminal traction upper limb rehabilitation training, a trajectory planning and tracking control scheme for rehabilitation training is proposed. The human-robot safe interaction space was obtained based on kinematics modeling and rehabilitation theory, and the training trajectory was planned based on the occupational therapy in rehabilitation medicine. The singular configuration of the rehabilitation robot in the interaction space was avoided by exponential adaptive damped least square method. Then, a nonlinear controller for the upper limb rehabilitation robot was designed based on the backstepping control method. Radial basis function neural network was used to approximate the robot model information online to achieve model-free control. The stability of the controller was proved by Lyapunov stability theory. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed singular avoidance control scheme.
Humans ; Upper Extremity ; Robotics/methods* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Traction/methods* ; Algorithms

Objective To explore the mechanism by which Liqi Huoxue Dripping Pill(LQHXDP)inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(MIRI).Methods Male Sprague-Dawley(n=96)rats were randomly assigned to a normal,sham-operated,model,LQHXDP,adenovirus negative control(Ad-shNC),adenovirus-mediated HIF-1α knockdown(Ad-shHIF-1α),LQHXDP+Ad-shNC,or LQHXDP+Ad-shHIF-1α group using a random number table.LQHXDP was administered daily via oral gavage at 175.0 mg/(kg·d)for 10 consecutive days.On day 7,recombinant adenovirus was injected into the left ventricular wall of rats in the corresponding groups at multiple points.On day 10,the MIRI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery.The sham-operated group underwent thoracotomy and suture placement without coronary ligation.Samples were collected after reperfusion was completed.Serum creatine kinase isoenzymes(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),and heart-type fatty acid binding protein(H-FABP)levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to measure the volume ratio of myocardial infarction.HE staining was performed to observe the morphology of myocardial tissue.Terminal transferase uridyl nick end labeling assay was conducted to analyze the apoptosis rate of cardiomyocytes,and Western blotting was used to detect the expression of key proteins in the apoptosis(B-cell lymphoma-2[Bcl-2],Bcl-2 associated X protein[Bax],and cleaved cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3[Cleaved-Caspase-3]and HIF-1α/Bcl-2-adenovirus E1B 19 kDa interacting protein 3(BNIP3)signaling pathway(HIF-1α,heme oxygenase-1[HO-1],and BNIP3).Results LQHXDP pretreatment significantly reduced serum CK-MB,cTnI,and H-FABP levels,as well as the myocardial infarction volume ratio in rats with MIRI.LQHXDP also improved myocardial tissue morphology,decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis,upregulated Bcl-2 protein expression,and downregulated Bax,Cleaved-Caspase-3,HIF-1α,HO-1,and BNIP3 protein expressions(P<0.05).However,adenovirus-mediated shRNA HIF-1α impaired the effects of LQHXDP pretreatment in attenuating myocardial injury and inhibiting apoptosis in MIRI rats(P<0.05).Conclusion LQHXDP reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis and protects rat myocardium from MIRI by regulating the HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling pathway.

This study aims to prepare nanobodies for the epitopes of spike protein(S)of porcine ep-idemic diarrhea virus(PEDV),and verify its reactivity.The expression vector pCZN1-SN was con-structed by the prokaryotic expression system,and SN fragment was expressed in prokaryotic ex-pression and purified by Ni-NTA chromatography column.The SN nanobodies were displayed u-sing phage display technology and screened from the natural nanobody library.The results showed that SN fragments with a size of 26 kDa were obtained by prokaryotic induction,and the specific nanobodies were obtained through three rounds screening by phage display technology.One strain with the best reactivity was selected for prokaryotic expression and purified.The nanobodies were obtained with a size of 14 kDa by Western blot and demonstrated to have a good binding ability to PEDV SN protein.In summary,nanobodies with epitope fragments of PEDV S protein were suc-cessfully screened and prepared based on the phage display technology,which provided a new way for the in-depth application of nanobodies.

Objective To investigate the differences in cortical activation and functional connectivity during speech under different cognitive loads in young individuals.Methods Twenty-one participants(mean age 21.9±1.33 years)were instructed to read short sentences embedded with color words under both congruent(where the color words matched the font color)and incongruent(where the color words did not match the font color)condi-tions.The color words required reading the font color instead of the word itself.Functional near-infrared spectros-copy(fNIRS)was utilized to analyze differences in cortical activation(changes in HbO concentration)and functional connectivity(Pearson correlation of HbO between brain regions)in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC)and supplementary motor area(SMA)bilaterally.Results The fNIRS results revealed significant increase in HbO con-centration changes in the RDLPFC(t=3.4,P=0.003),LDLPFC(t=2.58,P=0.019),RSMA(t=3.59,P=0.002),and LSMA(t=4.06,P=0.001)under the incongruent condition compared to the congruent condition.Additionally,there was a significant enhancement in the correlation between RDLPFC and LDLPFC(t=2.44,P=0.025).However,the differences in correlation between left and right SMA,as well as between SMA and DLPFC,were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion These findings suggest that during speech under incongru-ent conditions,increased cognitive load leads to elevated cortical activation in the DLPFC and SMA,along with in-creased functional connectivity between the left and right DLPFC.

Objective To observe the changes of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue and blood lipids of high-fat diet-fed mice,and to analyze the correlation between iNK T cells and lipid metabolism.Methods Fifty-two C57BL/6 mice were selected as the high-fat diet group,and 51 C57BL/6 mice as the normal control group.The high-fat diet intervention lasted for 12 weeks.At weeks 1,4,8,and 12,the epididymal and perirenal fats of mice in both groups were collected and weighed to record the visceral fat mass(VFM),and the changes in body fat content(BFC)were calculated.Flow cytometry and laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to detect the changes of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue.An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the lipid levels in mice,and the correlations of iNKT cells in visceral adipose tissue with VFM,BFC,and serum lipid levels were analyzed.Results At 12 weeks after high-fat diet feeding,the body weight,VFM,BFC,serum total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)increased significantly,while the content of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue decreased obviously in the high-fat diet group,as compared with the control group(P＜0.01).The iNKT cell number in visceral adipose tissue of mice was negatively correlated with VFM,BFC,serum HDL-C and serum TG(r=-0.293,-0.289,-0.337,-0.199,P＜0.05),and was not correlated with serum TC and LDL-C(r=-0.122,-0.082,P＞0.05).Conclution VFM is increased and iNK T cell number is decreased in in adipose tissue of high-fat diet-fed mice.The number of iNK T cells is negatively correlated with VFM,BFC,serum HDL-C and TG.

Objective To observe the changes of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue and blood lipids of high-fat diet-fed mice,and to analyze the correlation between iNK T cells and lipid metabolism.Methods Fifty-two C57BL/6 mice were selected as the high-fat diet group,and 51 C57BL/6 mice as the normal control group.The high-fat diet intervention lasted for 12 weeks.At weeks 1,4,8,and 12,the epididymal and perirenal fats of mice in both groups were collected and weighed to record the visceral fat mass(VFM),and the changes in body fat content(BFC)were calculated.Flow cytometry and laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to detect the changes of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue.An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the lipid levels in mice,and the correlations of iNKT cells in visceral adipose tissue with VFM,BFC,and serum lipid levels were analyzed.Results At 12 weeks after high-fat diet feeding,the body weight,VFM,BFC,serum total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)increased significantly,while the content of invariant natural killer T(iNK T)cells in visceral adipose tissue decreased obviously in the high-fat diet group,as compared with the control group(P＜0.01).The iNKT cell number in visceral adipose tissue of mice was negatively correlated with VFM,BFC,serum HDL-C and serum TG(r=-0.293,-0.289,-0.337,-0.199,P＜0.05),and was not correlated with serum TC and LDL-C(r=-0.122,-0.082,P＞0.05).Conclution VFM is increased and iNK T cell number is decreased in in adipose tissue of high-fat diet-fed mice.The number of iNK T cells is negatively correlated with VFM,BFC,serum HDL-C and TG.