Objective To make an epidemiological investigation on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)dampness syndrome manifestations in the population at risk of cerebrovascular diseases in Guangdong area.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the clinical data related to the risk of cerebrovascular diseases in 330 Guangdong permanent residents.The diagnosis of dampness syndrome,quantitative scoring of dampness syndrome and rating of the risk of stroke were performed for the investigation of the distribution pattern of dampness syndrome and its influencing factors.Results(1)A total of 306(92.73%)study subjects were diagnosed as dampness syndrome.The percentage of dampness syndrome in the risk group was 93.82%(258/275),which was slightly higher than that of the healthy group(48/55,87.27%),but the difference was not statistically significant(χ2 = 2.91,P = 0.112).The quantitative score of dampness syndrome in the risk group was higher than that of the healthy group,and the difference was statistically significance(Z =-2.24,P = 0.025).(2)Among the study subjects at risk of cerebrovascular disease,evaluation time(χ2 = 26.11,P = 0.001),stroke risk grading(χ2= 8.85,P = 0.031),and history of stroke or transient ischemic attack(TIA)(χ2 = 9.28,P = 0.015)were the factors influencing the grading of dampness syndrome in the population at risk of cerebrovascular disease.Conclusion Dampness syndrome is the common TCM syndrome in the population of Guangdong area.The manifestations of dampness syndrome are more obvious in the population with risk factors of cerebrovascular disease,especially in the population at high risk of stroke,and in the population with a history of stroke or TIA.The assessment and intervention of dampness syndrome should be taken into account for future project of stroke prevention in Guangdong.

Objective:To construct T cell receptor β (TCRβ) repertoires in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and analyze the differences in TCRβ repertoires between children with SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthy children.Methods:Whole blood samples from 5 children infected with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and from 5 healthy children were collected. After RNA quality inspection and repertoires construction, high-throughput sequencing was conducted to analyze the differences in clonal expansion and diversity indices of the TCR repertoires between children infected with SARS-CoV-2 and healthy children. The frequency of use of TCRβ VJ genes was statistically analyzed using unpaired T-tests.Results:We successfully constructed the TCRβ repertoires of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 using high-throughput sequencing technology. The diversity index of the TCR repertoire in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 (9.78±1.23) was significantly lower compared to that in healthy children (13.40±2.12) ( P<0.05), and the TCR clonal expansion index in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 (0.18±0.07) was significantly higher compared to that in healthy children (0.06±0.06) ( P<0.05). A preliminary comparison of the frequency of use of TCRβ repertoire VJ genes found that, in children infected with the SARS-CoV-2, the most common V and J genes were TRBV28 and TRBJ2-1, respectively. Conclusions:The construction of the TCRβ repertoires in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 using high-throughput sequencing technology has revealed characteristic features of the TCRβ repertoires in these children. This is of significant reference value for unveiling the characteristics of the T-cell repertoires in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 and for the rapid construction of TCRβ immunological repertoires in other viral infections.

Objective:To assess the clinical effect and safety of comprehensive therapy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in the treatment of erectile dysfunction(ED)with damp-heat stasis.Methods:We selected 108 cases of ED with damp-heat stasis meeting the inclusion criteria and treated with tadalafil(the control group,n=54)or tadalafil+comprehensive TCM therapy(the trial group,n=54)in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine in the same period.After 8 weeks of treatment,we recorded the patients'scores on IIEF-5,TCM syndrome,erectile quality(EQS),9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-9)and Generalized Anxiety Scale 7(GAD-7).At 16 weeks of our study,we collected the efficacy parameters,safety indicators and adverse reactions by telephone follow-up and compared the data obtained between the two groups of patients.Results:Totally,103 of the patients completed the study,51 in the control and 52 in the trial group.Compared with the baseline,the IIEF-5 and EQS scores were both markedly increased after 8 weeks of treatment in the trial group(12.35±3.00 vs 18.36±2.82,P＜0.05;39.5[30.25-43]vs 67.5[54.5-76.75],P＜0.05)and the control(11.96±2.79 vs 15.88±3.86,P＜0.05;38.0[29-42]vs 56[49-64],P＜0.05),even more significantly in the former than in the latter(P＜0.05);the TCM syndrome and GAD-7 scores were remarkably decreased in the trial(9.5[8-12]vs 4.0[2.25-5],P＜0.05;5[2.25-6.75]vs 2.5[1-4.75],P＜0.05)and the control group(10.0[8-12]vs 5.0[3-6],P＜0.05;5.0[3-6]vs 4.0[2-5],P＜0.05),even more signif-icantly in the former than in the latter(P＜0.05),so were the PHQ-9 scores(P＜0.05),but with no statistically significant differ-ence between the two groups(P＞0.05).The IIEF-5 scores of the two groups remained significantly higher than the baseline during the follow-up(P＜0.05),even higher in the trial than in the control group(17.04±2.60 vs 14.16±3.34,P＜0.05).No obvious abnormal safety indicators or adverse events were observed during the study.Conclusion:Comprehensive TCM therapy combined with tadalafil is superior to tadalafil alone in the treatment of ED with damp-heat stasis,and has a better long-term efficacy and a higher safety.

Objective:To analyze the quality of surgical specimens of rectal cancer in the Chinese transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) registry collaborative (CTRC) database.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. Based on the concept of real-world research, the clinicopathological data of 1 761 patients with rectal cancer in the CTRC database who underwent taTME in 40 medical centers, including the Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University et al, from November 15, 2017 to December 31, 2022 were collected. There were 1 212 males and 549 females, aged 62(range, 53-68)years. Observation indicators: (1) preoperative examinations; (2) neoadjuvant therapy; (3) postoperative examinations. Measurement data with skewed distri-bution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Preoperative examinations. Of the 1 761 patients, 1 324 patients underwent preoperative pelvic magnetic resonance imaging examination, and the results showed that 4 cases as clinical T0 stage, 30 cases as clinical T1 stage, 250 cases as clinical T2 stage, 828 cases as clinical T3 stage, 141 cases as clinical T4 stage, 11 cases as clinical Tx stage, 60 cases missing clinical T staging data, 490 cases as clinical N0 stage, 373 cases as clinical N1 stage, 311 cases as clinical N2 stage, 86 cases as clinical Nx stage, 64 cases missing clinical N staging data, 156 cases with mesorectal fascia invasion, 223 cases with extraintestinal blood vessels invasion. The distance from lower margin of tumor to anal margin of 1 324 patients was 50(range, 40-60)mm. (2) Neoadjuvant therapy. Of the 1 761 patients, 873 patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy, including 17 cases receiving radiotherapy alone, 155 cases receiving chemotherapy alone, 43 cases receiving short-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy, 26 cases receiving short-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy and delayed surgery, 1 case receiving contact radiotherapy, 277 cases receiving long-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy, 9 cases receiving other treatments, and 345 cases missing neoadjuvant therapy data. (3) Postoperative examinations. Of the 1 761 patients, 1 584 cases achieved R 0 resection, 23 cases achieved R 1 resection, 1 case achieved R 2 resection, and there were 153 cases missing surgical margin data. The tumor diameter, number of lymph nodes harvest and positive rate of intravascular tumor thrombus were 30(range, 20-45)cm, 13(range, 10-17) and 20.794%(330/1 587) in 1 761 patients. There were 1 647 patients with circumferential margin records, which showed positive in 51 cases, and the minimum distance from deep part of tumor to circumferential margin was 5(rang, 3-13)mm in 1 647 patients. There were 547 cases with distal margin records, which showed positive in 4 cases, and the distance from lower margin of tumor to distal margin was 20(10-25)mm in 547 cases. There were 1 698 patients with specimen integrity records, which showed intact specimen in 1 436 cases, fair specimen in 233 cases, poor specimen in 8 cases, unevaluated specimen in 21 cases, and there were 20 cases with rectal tube perforation. Of the 1 761 patients, cases as pathological T0 stage, Tis stage, T1 stage, T2 stage, T3 stage, T4 stage was 103, 23, 145, 515, 712, 179, respectively, and there were 4 cases of pathology that could not be evaluated and 80 cases missing pathological T staging data. Of the 1 761 patients, cases as pathological N0 stage, N1a stage, N1b stage, N1c stage, N2a stage, N2b stage was 1 117, 189, 133, 66, 109, 68, respectively, and there were 79 cases missing pathological N staging data. Of the 1 761 patients, there were 79 cases with distant metastasis, 1 591 cases without distant metastasis, and 91 cases without data of tumor metastasis. Of the 873 patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, there were 405 patients with tumor regression grade records including 105 cases as grade 1, 142 cases as grade 2, 91 cases as grade 3, 43 cases as grade 4, 24 cases as grade 5. Conclusions:In China, the quality of surgical specimens of taTME for rectal cancer is good with low positive rate of resection margin. It is recommended that using a formatted postoperative pathological report for good quality control of pathological report of surgical specimen.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

This study aims to investigate the effect of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma(AC) combination on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon cancer HT-29 cells based on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT). HT-29 cells were respectively treated with 0, 3, 6 and 12 g·kg~(-1) AC-containing serum for 48 h. The survival and growth of cells were measured by thiazole blue(MTT) colorimetry, and the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cells were detected by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU) test and Transwell assay. Cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry. The BALB/c nude mouse model of subcutaneous colon cancer xenograft was established, and then model mice were classified into blank control group, 6 g·kg~(-1) AC group, and 12 g·kg~(-1) AC group. The tumor weight and volume of mice were recorded, and the histopathological morphology of the tumor was observed based on hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The expression of apoptosis-associated proteins B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein(Bax), cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3(caspase-3), and cleaved caspase-3, and EMT-associated proteins E-cadherin, MMP9, MMP2 and vimentin in HT-29 cells and mouse tumor tissues after the treatment of AC was determined by Western blot. The results showed that cell survival rate and the number of cells at proliferation stage decreased compared with those in the blank control group. The number of migrating and invading cells reduced and the number of apoptotic cells increased in the administration groups compared with those in the blank control group. As for the in vivo experiment, compared with the blank control group, the administration groups had small tumors with low mass and shrinkage of cells and karyopycnosis in the tumor tissue, indicating that the AC combination may improve EMT. In addition, the expression of Bcl2 and E-cadherin increased and the expression of Bax, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, MMP9, MMP2, and vimentin decreased in HT-29 cells and tumor tissues in each administration group. In summary, the AC combination can significantly inhibit the proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT of HT-29 cells in vivo and in vitro and promote the apoptosis of colon cancer cells.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Caspase 3 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Vimentin ; HT29 Cells ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Cell Proliferation

Objective To explore whether superovulation impairs the process of pregnancy establishment in mice by changing the intrauterine environment. Methods The implantation and pregnancy of superovulated and normal mice were compared. The superovulated mice were subjected to unilateral tubal ligation on day 0. 5 and blastocysts were transplanted to the other uterine horn on day 2. 5. The number of implantation sites of bilateral uterine horn was compared. The differences between preimplantation uteri of superovulated and normal pseudopregnancy mice were compared by tissue sections and high-throughput sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis was performed on the differentially expressed genes in two groups. Results Compared with the control group, the pregnancy rate of mice in the superovulation group decreased significantly. The number of implantation sites in the superovulation group was higher than the control. There was no significant difference in the pregnancy rate of the uterine horn between the control side and the transplanted side of the superovulated mice. The endometrium was thinned and the number of glands was reduced in superovulated pseudopregnancy mice. The gene expression patterns of preimplantation uterus in superovulation pseudopregnancy and normal pseudopregnancy mice were different. There were 1097 significantly differentially expressed genes, including 752 up-regulated genes and 345 down-regulated genes. Bioinformatics analysis showed that differentially expressed genes are mainly involved in biological processes, such as decidualization, response to progesterone, positive regulation of angiogenesis. They were mainly enriched in FoxO signaling pathway, cell cycle pathway and steroid biosynthesis pathway. Conclusion Superovulation impaired the process of establishing pregnancy and altered the gene expression patterns of biomarker of uterine receptivity in mice.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of functional acupoint electrical stimulation combined with tadara irreg-ular administration in middle-aged and elderly patients with erectile dysfunction(ED),and to provide reference for clinical treatment.Methods:A total of 40 middle-aged and elderly patients with ED admitted to the pelvic floor Center of our hospital from March 2021 to March 2023 were randomly divided into two groups with 20 cases in each group.The control group was treated with tadalafil regular-ly,and the observation group was treated with functional acupoint electrical stimulation on the basis of this treatment.The total course of treatment was 6 weeks.The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared.The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by the Interna-tional Erectile Function Index(IIEF-5),penile hardness score(EHS),serum total testosterone(TT)level,sexual satisfaction scale(SS)and pelvic floor electromyography,and the occurrence of adverse events was recorded.Results:The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group(90％vs 70％,P＜0.05).After 6 weeks of treatment,both groups showed improvements in IIEF-5,EHS,SS,and TT compared to before treatment(P＜0.01).However,the improvement in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group[IIEF-5:(22.13±2.11)vs(19.69±2.04),EHS:(3.68 ±0.47)vs(2.89±0.60),SS:(77.41±7.59)vs(70.32±7.28),TT:(13.43±3.89)nmol/L vs(8.85±3.02)nmol/L,all P＜0.01];There were no significant changes in pelvic floor muscle electromyography values in the control group before and after treatment(P＞0.05),while in the observation group,pelvic floor muscle electromyography values(PFMV)in the pre-resting phase,fast muscle(Type Ⅱ muscle)phase,slow muscle(Type I muscle)phase,endurance testing phase,and post-resting phase all improved compared to before treatment and were superior to the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Functional acupoint electri-cal stimulation combined with tadara irregular administration can improve the therapeutic effect of middle-aged and elderly patients with ED,improve pelvic floor function,safe and reliable.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effect of Jin Ling Zi Powder (JLZ) and its two single herbs. METHODS: The hot plate method was used to induce pain. Totally 36 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups by a complete random design, including control, model, aspirin (ASP, 0.14 g/kg body weight), JLZ (14 g/kg body weight), Corydalis yanhusuo (YHS, 14 g/kg body weight), and Toosendan Fructus (TF, 14 g/kg body weight) groups, 6 mice in each group. The mice in the control and model groups were given the same volume of saline, daily for 2 consecutive weeks. At 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the last administration, the pain threshold of mice in each group was measured, and the improvement rate of pain threshold was calculated. Serum endogenous metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in pain threshold among groups before administration (P>0.05). After 2 weeks of administration, compared with the model group, the pain threshold in JLZ, YHS, TF and ASP groups were increased to varying degrees (P<0.05). JLZ had the best analgesic effect and was superior to YHS and TF groups. A total of 14 potential biomarkers were screened in serum data analysis and potential biomarkers levels were all reversed to different degrees after the treatment with JLZ and its single herbs. These potential biomarkers were mainly related to glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and inositol phosphate metabolism. CONCLUSIONS The analgesic mechanism of JLZ and YHS was mainly due to the combination of glycine and its receptor, producing post-synaptic potential, reducing the excitability of neurons, and weakening the afferent effect of painful information.
Animals ; Mice ; Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Aspirin/pharmacology* ; Biomarkers ; Body Weight ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Glycine ; Glyoxylates ; Inositol Phosphates ; Isoleucine ; Leucine ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Powders ; RNA, Transfer ; Serine ; Threonine ; Valine

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are the most widely used method to identify genetic risk loci associated with orofacial clefts (OFC). However, despite the increasing size of cohort, GWASs are still insufficient to detect all the heritability, suggesting there are more associations under the current stringent statistical threshold. In this study, we obtained an integrated epigenomic dataset based on the chromatin conformation of a human oral epithelial cell line (HIOEC) using RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, H3K27ac ChIP-seq, and DLO Hi-C. Presumably, this epigenomic dataset could reveal the missing functional variants located in the oral epithelial cell active enhancers/promoters along with their risk target genes, despite relatively less-stringent statistical association with OFC. Taken a non-syndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO) GWAS data of the Chinese Han population as an example, 3664 SNPs that cannot reach the strict significance threshold were subjected to this functional identification pipeline. In total, 254 potential risk SNPs residing in active cis-regulatory elements interacting with 1 718 promoters of oral epithelium-expressed genes were screened. Gapped k-mer machine learning based on enhancers interacting with epithelium-expressed genes along with in vivo and in vitro reporter assays were employed as functional validation. Among all the potential SNPs, we chose and confirmed that the risk alleles of rs560789 and rs174570 reduced the epithelial-specific enhancer activity by preventing the binding of transcription factors related to epithelial development. In summary, we established chromatin conformation datasets of human oral epithelial cells and provided a framework for testing and understanding how regulatory variants impart risk for clefts.
Chromatin ; Cleft Lip/genetics* ; Cleft Palate/genetics* ; Epithelium ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans