This study investigates the effect and underlying mechanism of Guizhi Tongluo Tablets(GZTL) in treating atherosclerosis(AS) in a mouse model. Apolipoprotein E-knockout(ApoE~(-/-)) mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: model, high-, medium-, and low-dose GZTL, and atorvastatin(ATV), and age-matched C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. ApoE~(-/-) mice in other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat diet for the modeling of AS and administrated with corresponding drugs via gavage for 8 weeks. General conditions, signs of blood stasis, and body mass of mice were monitored. Aortic plaques and their stability were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and oil red O staining. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were measured by biochemical assays, and those of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL). Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq) was employed to analyze the differential expression of CD72hi macrophages(CD72hi-Mφ) in the aortas of AS patients and mice. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to visualize CD72hi-Mφ expression in mouse aortic plaques, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was utilized to determine the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, the model group exhibited significant increases in body mass, aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, a notable decrease in collagen fiber content, and an increase in apoptosis. Additionally, the model group showcased elevated serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, alongside marked upregulations in the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. In comparison with the model group, the GZTL groups and the ATV group showed a reduction in body mass, and the medium-and high-dose GZTL groups and the ATV group demonstrated reductions in aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, an increase in collagen fiber content, and a decrease in apoptosis. Furthermore, the treatment goups showcased lowered serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. The data of scRNA-seq revealed significantly elevated CD72hi-Mφ signaling in carotid plaques of AS patients compared with that in the normal arterial tissue. Animal experiments confirmed that CD72hi-Mφ expression, along with several pro-inflammatory cytokines, was significantly upregulated in the aortas of AS mice, which were downregulated by GZTL treatment. In conclusion, GZTL may alleviate AS by inhibiting CD72hi-Mφ activity.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Atherosclerosis/immunology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Male ; Humans ; Apolipoproteins E/genetics* ; Tablets ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Knockout

Both anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease and the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) are common causes of pulmonary-renal syndrome. Organizing pneumonia (OP), a special pattern of interstitial lung disease, is extremely rare either in AAV or anti-GBM disease. We report an old woman presented with OP on a background of co-presentation with both ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies.
Female ; Humans ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Organizing Pneumonia ; Autoantibodies ; Glomerulonephritis ; Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease ; Pneumonia ; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis/complications*

Objective: To investigate the incidence and treatment of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in Hubei Province. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 7 474 patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in 62 hospitals in 15 cities (state) of Hubei Province in 2019 were collected in the form of network database. There were 4 749 males and 2 725 females. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range: 17 to 96 years). The hemoglobin value of the first time in hospital and the first day after operation was used as the criterion of preoperative anemia and postoperative anemia. Anemia was defined as male hemoglobin <120 g/L and female hemoglobin <110.0 g/L, mild anemia as 90 to normal, moderate anemia as 60 to <90 g/L, severe anemia as <60 g/L. The t test and χ² test were used for inter-group comparison. Results: The overall incidence of preoperative anemia was 38.60%(2 885/7 474), and the incidences of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 25.09%(1 875/7 474), 11.37%(850/7 474) and 2.14%(160/7 474), respectively. The overall incidence of postoperative anemia was 61.40%(4 589/7 474). The incidence of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 48.73%(3 642/7 474), 12.20%(912/7 474) and 0.47%(35/7 474), respectively. The proportion of preoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 26.86% (775/2 885), and the proportion of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 14.93% (685/4 589). The proportions of preoperative anemia patients in grade ⅢA, grade ⅢB, and grade ⅡA hospitals receiving treatment were 26.12% (649/2 485), 32.32% (85/263), and 29.93% (41/137), and the proportions of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment were 14.61% (592/4 052), 22.05% (73/331), and 9.71% (20/206). The proportion of intraoperative blood transfusion (16.74% (483/2 885) vs. 3.05% (140/4 589), χ²=434.555, P<0.01) and the incidence of postoperative complications (17.78% (513/2 885) vs. 14.08% (646/4 589), χ²=18.553, P<0.01) in the preoperative anemia group were higher than those in the non-anemia group, and the postoperative hospital stay in the preoperative anemia group was longer than that in the non-anemia group ((14.1±7.3) days vs. (13.3±6.2) days, t=5.202, P<0.01). Conclusions: The incidence of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms is high. Preoperative anemia can increase the demand for intraoperative blood transfusion and affect the short-term prognosis of patients. At present, the concept of standardized treatment of perioperative anemia among gastrointestinal surgeons in Hubei Province needs to be improved.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anemia/epidemiology* ; Blood Transfusion ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

This study aims to explore the pharmacodynamic differences of Puerariae Lobatae Radix(PLR), Puerariae Thomsonii Radix(PTR) and their different processed products and the influences of these medical materials on the diversity of intestinal flora. The Sennae Folium-induced diarrhea model, streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetes model and L-nitro-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME)-induced hypertension model were used to compare the pharmacodynamic differences in anti-diarrhea, blood glucose reduction and blood pressure lowering among raw, roasted and vinegar-processed PLR and PTR. The effects of raw and processed PLR and PTR on intestinal flora diversity of rats were evaluated by 16 S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The roasted PLR and PTR performed better in anti-diarrhea, especially the former. PLR and its processed products all presented the efficacy of reducing blood glucose, and the vinegar-processed PLR was the most outstanding. The raw PTR was not that effective in reducing blood glucose, whereas its efficacy was improved after roasting and vinegar processing. Both PLR and PTR were capable of lowering blood pressure to a certain extent, and PLR is superior to PTR in this aspect. Further, the vinegar-processed PLR showed the best effect. The diversity of intestinal flora was different among rats to which different products of PLR and PTR were administered. The roasted PLR led to the highest abundance of Lactobacillus, which was closely related to its best antidiarrheal effect. The highest abilities of vinegar-processed PLR to lower blood glucose and blood pressure were associated with the high abundance of Blautia and Prevotella_9. This study lays a foundation for elucidating the processing mechanisms of PLR and PTR and provides a basis for their further development and application.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Plant Roots ; Pueraria ; Rats

In recent years， the incidence of neurological diseases has been increasing year by year. To give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of neurological disorders， identify the breakthrough point of integrating TCM with western medicine， and further standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment of TCM， the China Association of Chinese Medicine organized neurologists in TCM and western medicine to carry out in-depth discussion on the neurological diseases responding specifically to TCM and integrated TCM and western medicine， such as stroke， headache， vertigo， multiple sclerosis， and epilepsy， aiming to formulate a well-recognized and integrated treatment protocol for TCM and western medicine and improve the efficacy of neurological disorders. Furthermore， the treatment suggestions of the corresponding diseases in TCM and western medicine were proposed to provide references for clinical practice and scientific research.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia in neonates.

METHODSA total of 70 neonates who were admitted to 17 hospitals in Foshan, China from January 2011 to December 2014 were enrolled as case group, and another 70 neonates who were hospitalized during the same period and had no anal atresia or other severe deformities were enrolled as control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia.

RESULTSThe univariate analysis revealed that the age of mothers, presence of oral administration of folic acid, infection during early pregnancy, and polyhydramnios, and sex of neonates showed significant differences between the case and control groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infection during early pregnancy (OR=18.776) and male neonates (OR=9.304) were risk factors for congenital anal atresia, and oral administration of folic acid during early pregnancy was the protective factor (OR=0.086).

CONCLUSIONSInfection during early pregnancy is the risk factor for congenital anal atresia, and male neonates are more likely to develop congenital anal atresia than female neonates. Supplementation of folic acid during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of congenital anal atresia.

OBJECTIVETo provide new germplasm materials for breeding new varieties of Pseudostellaria heterophylla.

METHODThe method of single plant selection was adopted, with the comparative experiments being carried out under the same conditions in Shibing county. The 8 plants of Shibing SB-4 were compared respectively with factor analysis for 27 phenotypic traits and 8 yield traits, and single factor variance analysis for the contents of polysaccharides.

RESULTUsing factor analysis, 27 phenotypic traits were classified into 7 principal divisors and 8 yield traits were simplified into 3 principal divisors. The 4 strains of P. heterophylla, ZT-01, ZT-02, ZT-06 and ZT-07, performed better than others in the phenotypic traits, and ZT-01, ZT-02, ZT-03 and ZT-07 in the yield traits. The contents of polysaccharides of ZT-01, ZT-02, ZT-05 and ZT-08 showed significantly higher value.

CONCLUSIONThere is significant difference among the 8 strains of P. heterophylla in phenotypic traits, yield traits and quality traits, making it possible to select certain strains for different purposes. ZT-01 and ZT-02 can be breaded further. ZT-06 and ZT-07 were used as ornamental cultivars for its great phenotypic traits. ZT-03 with good resistance and high yield was taken as resistant variety, and ZT-05 would face next selection on the basis of its high content of polysaccharide.

OBJECTIVETo apply the Wright-Giemsa stain in micronucleus test and to explore the stain outcomes of Wright-Giemsa dye of various proportions and staining times.

METHODSUse Wright-Giemsa dye, Wright dye (staining time 3 min) and Giemsa dye (staining time 5 min) to stain HepG2 and then observe the staining effect. The Wright-Giemsa dye was applied under 5 different proportions (3:1-1:3) and different staining times (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 min).

RESULTSAfter stained for 3-5 min with the proportion ratio of 3:1 of Wright-Giemsa dye, the HepG2 cells showed much better staining outcomes compared with the single stain of either Wright or Giemsa.

CONCLUSIONSWright-Giemsa stain can be used in cell micronucleus test to obtain good staining outcomes.

To study the effect of liquiritin (Liq) on the transport of strychnine (Str) in Caco-2 cell monolayer model, the transport parameters of Str, such as apparent permeability coefficient (P app (B-->A) and P app (A-->B)) and cumulative transport amount (TRcum), were determined and comparatively analyzed when Str was used solely and co-used with Liq. The effect of drug concentrations, conveying times, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor verapamil and conveying liquor pH values on the transport of Str were also investigated. The results indicated that the absorption of Str in Caco-2 cell monolayer model was well and the passive transference was the main intestinal absorption mechanism of Str in the Caco-2 monolayer model, along with the excretion action mediated by P-gp. Liq enhanced the absorption of Str. Meanwhile, conveying liquor pH value had significant influence on the excretion transport of Str.
ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Absorption ; drug effects ; Biological Transport ; drug effects ; Caco-2 Cells ; Flavanones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Glucosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; chemistry ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Permeability ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Strychnine ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Strychnos nux-vomica ; chemistry ; Verapamil ; pharmacology

To study the effects of major components of Maijunan tablets, puerarin (Pue) and rhynchophylline (Rhy) on the transport of hydrochlorothiazide (Hct) Caco-2 cell monolayer model, the transport parameters of Hct, such as apparent permeability coefficient (P(app) (B --> A) and P(app) (A --> B)) and the ratio of P(app) (B --> A) versus P(app) (A --> B), were studied and compared when Hct was used solely and co-used with Pue and/or Rhy. The effects of drug concentrations, conveying times, P-glyprotein (P-gp) inhibitor verapamil and conveying Liq pH values on the transport of Hct in the above conditions were also investigated. The results indicated that the absorption of Hct in Caco-2 cell monolayer model could be a carrier-mediated active transport, along with the excretion action mediated by P-gp. Pue can decrease the excretion action of Hct mediated by P-gp, and Rhy had no significant effect on the transport of Hct. The co-use of Hct, Pue and Rhy enhanced the absorption of Hct. Meanwhile, conveying Liq pH value had significant influence on the transport of Hct. The absorption of Hct at pH 6.0 was higher than that at pH 7.4.
ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Absorption ; drug effects ; Biological Transport, Active ; drug effects ; Caco-2 Cells ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hydrochlorothiazide ; pharmacokinetics ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Indole Alkaloids ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Isoflavones ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Time Factors ; Vasodilator Agents ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Verapamil ; pharmacology