This paper aims to study the effect of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts on chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)-induced depression-like and insomnia behavior models of mice. The CUMS-induced depression-like and insomnia behavior model of mice was established by CUMS treatment for three weeks. The mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, positive drug diazepam group(2 mg·kg~(-1)), as well as low-dose group(1.95 g·kg~(-1)), medium-dose group(3.9 g·kg~(-1)), and high-dose group(7.8 g·kg~(-1)) of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts, with 18 mice in each group. On the 15th day of modeling, the drug was administered intragastrically once a day for one week. Then, the pentobarbital sodium cooperative righting experiment, open field experiment, and elevated plus maze experiment were carried out, respectively. The contents of neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid(5-HIAA) in serum and thalamus of mice, as well as the levels of corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH), and corticosterone(CORT) in serum, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The neuron damage in the hippocampus of mice was observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Nissl staining. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of tryptophan hydroxylase 2(TPH2), serotonin transporter(SERT), monoamine oxidase A(MAOA), five prime repressors under dual repression binding protein 1(Freud1), synaptic plasticity-related proteins [cellular gene FOS(C-FOS), postsynaptic density protein 95(PSD95), synapsin 1(SYN1), and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated gene(ARC)], blood-brain barrier(BBB) permeability-related proteins [zonula occludens 1(ZO-1), occludin, and claudin 1], inflammatory factors [NOD-, LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC), gasdermin D(GSDMD), caspase-3, and caspase-8], and antioxidant factors [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(NRF2) and heme oxygenase 1(HO1)] in thalamic tissue of mice. The results indicated that compared with that in the model group, the sleep latency was significantly shortened, and the sleep duration was significantly prolonged in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. The number of visits to the central area of the open field and the distance and time of visits were significantly increased in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. In addition, the proportion of distance and time of entering the open arm area of the elevated plus maze was significantly increased in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. The contents of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in serum and thalamus of mice increased to varying degrees in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts; the contents of CRH, ACTH, and CORT in serum of mice were significantly decreased. The protein expression of TPH2 was significantly increased. The protein expression of MAOA, SERT, and Freud1 was significantly decreased. Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts could also significantly reduce the protein expression of C-FOS but significantly increase the protein expression of PSD95, ARC, and SYN1. They could reduce the pathological damage of the hippocampus in mice and significantly increase the protein expression of ZO-1, occluding, and claudin 1. The protein expression of NLRP3, GSDMD, ASC, caspase-3, and caspase-8 in the thalamic tissue of mice was significantly decreased, and the protein expression of HO1 and NRF2 was significantly increased. In conclusion, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts could effectively improve sleep disorders and depression-like behaviors in CUMS-induced model mice, which may be related to regulating the 5-HT anabolism process and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis-related hormone levels, reducing pathological damage in the hippocampus, improving synaptic plasticity, repairing BBB integrity, and alleviating inflammatory response and oxidative stress damage.
Animals ; Ziziphus/chemistry* ; Mice ; Male ; Depression/psychology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/psychology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications* ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal

Objective:The primary goal of this study is to explore the safety and effectiveness of a new modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (MECEA).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. One hundred patients were consecutively treated with MECEA by the same operator at Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. There were 77 males and 23 females. The age was (66.0±8.6)years (range: 39 to 85 years). Twenty-four (24.0%) patients were symptomatic with the degree of carotid stenosis over 50%,76 patients (76.0%) were asymptomatic with the degree of stenosis over 70%. All these patients meet the indication of carotid endarterectomy. The main difference between MECEA and traditional eversion carotid endarterectomy was the anterior,lateral,and posterior walls of the internal carotid artery were incised obliquely from the origin of the internal carotid artery toward the common carotid artery,leaving the wall of internal carotid artery intact at the bifurcation. The surgical process,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and other surgical complications were recorded. The incidences of complications,restenosis of intraoperative target lesions and re-intervention were collected during follow-up.Results:All procedures were performed successfully under general anesthesia. The total operation time was (36.5±10.1)minutes (range: 22 to 65 minutes),and carotid clamping time was (15.0±6.3)minutes (range: 7 to 31 minutes). One patient (1.0%) occurred postoperative cerebrovascular accident,1 patient (1.0%) developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS),and another 1 patient (1.0%) suffered myocardial infarction. All these patients were recovered after medical treatment within a week. The follow-up time( M(IQR)) was 24 (28) months (range: 6 to 62 months). Two patients (2.0%) were reported to have hemodynamically significant restenosis within 2 years,with one patient requiring intervention. No patient suffered from ipsilateral ischemic stroke. Conclusions:MECEA is a safe and effective surgical method of treating carotid artery stenosis. This method can reduce carotid clamping time and lowers the risk of ischemic stroke. Meantime,it preserves the integrity of the adventitia at the bifurcation of carotid artery,reduces the chance of restenosis. Moreover,it might be helpful to prevent postoperative CHS due to reducing damage to the carotid body and carotid sinus nerve.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Objective:The primary goal of this study is to explore the safety and effectiveness of a new modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (MECEA).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. One hundred patients were consecutively treated with MECEA by the same operator at Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. There were 77 males and 23 females. The age was (66.0±8.6)years (range: 39 to 85 years). Twenty-four (24.0%) patients were symptomatic with the degree of carotid stenosis over 50%,76 patients (76.0%) were asymptomatic with the degree of stenosis over 70%. All these patients meet the indication of carotid endarterectomy. The main difference between MECEA and traditional eversion carotid endarterectomy was the anterior,lateral,and posterior walls of the internal carotid artery were incised obliquely from the origin of the internal carotid artery toward the common carotid artery,leaving the wall of internal carotid artery intact at the bifurcation. The surgical process,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and other surgical complications were recorded. The incidences of complications,restenosis of intraoperative target lesions and re-intervention were collected during follow-up.Results:All procedures were performed successfully under general anesthesia. The total operation time was (36.5±10.1)minutes (range: 22 to 65 minutes),and carotid clamping time was (15.0±6.3)minutes (range: 7 to 31 minutes). One patient (1.0%) occurred postoperative cerebrovascular accident,1 patient (1.0%) developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS),and another 1 patient (1.0%) suffered myocardial infarction. All these patients were recovered after medical treatment within a week. The follow-up time( M(IQR)) was 24 (28) months (range: 6 to 62 months). Two patients (2.0%) were reported to have hemodynamically significant restenosis within 2 years,with one patient requiring intervention. No patient suffered from ipsilateral ischemic stroke. Conclusions:MECEA is a safe and effective surgical method of treating carotid artery stenosis. This method can reduce carotid clamping time and lowers the risk of ischemic stroke. Meantime,it preserves the integrity of the adventitia at the bifurcation of carotid artery,reduces the chance of restenosis. Moreover,it might be helpful to prevent postoperative CHS due to reducing damage to the carotid body and carotid sinus nerve.

Objective:To explore the effects of the scaffolding-based flipped classroom approach in the teaching of Infectious Disease Nursing. Methods:We assigned 152 students of nursing and midwifery majors of grade 2018 (experimental group) to be taught using the scaffolding-based flipped classroom approach and 182 students of grade 2017 (control group) to be taught using the traditional lecture method. Teaching effects were evaluated through students' exam performance and a questionnaire survey. Numerical data were analyzed using the χ2 test and t test with the use of SPSS 18.0, and text data were processed using NVivo 11 for thematic analysis. Results:The experimental group and control group showed significant differences in the interim exam score (83.19±7.96 vs. 79.62±3.14, P<0.001) and final exam score (78.47±6.92 vs. 73.16±8.24, P<0.001). The students of grade 2018 had a high level of participation in online learning. The questionnaire results showed that the scaffolding-based flipped classroom was well recognized in terms of students' overall perception, perceived course quality, perceived value of learning, and satisfaction and the open-ended question, with low scores for learner complaints and loyalty. Conclusions:The scaffolding-based flipped classroom is feasible in the teaching of Infectious Disease Nursing, which can improve students' academic performance and overall competence.

Objective:To explore the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of acne inversa (AI) .Methods:Skin tissue samples were obtained from 8 AI patients and 4 healthy controls from Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College from 2013 to 2019, and high-throughput sequencing was performed for tissue-specific mRNA expression profiling. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were carried out. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to verify the results of high-throughput sequencing.Results:Analysis of the specific expression profiles showed that 2 738 differentially expressed genes were screened out in the AI patients compared with the healthy controls, of which 1 328 genes were significantly up-regulated and 1 410 genes were significantly down-regulated. GO analysis demonstrated that the positive regulation of interferon γ secretion, T cell receptor complex and C-X-C chemokine receptor activity were significantly enriched in the AI lesions. KEGG analysis demonstrated that the signaling pathways associated with primary immuno‐deficiency, PPAR, and chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction were significantly enriched in the AI lesions. GSEA demonstrated that the PPAR signaling pathway was significantly weakened in the AI lesions. The mRNA expression levels of PPARA and PPARG were significantly lower in the AI patients (0.336 ± 0.120, 0.253 ± 0.078, respectively) than in the healthy group (1.000 ± 0.146, 1.000 ± 0.172, t = 3.50, 3.95, respectively, both P < 0.05), so were their protein levels. However, there was no significant difference in the PPARD mRNA expression level between the two groups ( t = 0.34, P = 0.750). The mRNA expression levels of nuclear hormone receptor 9-cis retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA), RXRG and fatty acid-binding protein 4 were significantly lower in the AI patients than in the healthy controls ( t = 2.96, 2.96, 4.62, respectively, all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:The PPAR signaling pathway was restrained and lipid metabolism was disordered in AI patients.

Aim To study the effects of different peri-ods of hypoxia on gastrointestinal stress in mice by sim-ulating hypoxia environment at high altitude in a low-pressure oxygen chamber.Methods The normal con-trol group and the model group for 1,3 and 5 days were set up according to different periods of hypobaric hypoxia.The intestinal propulsion rate,visceral sensi-tivity and pathological damage of gastrointestinal tract were detected after hypobaric hypoxia treatment.The contents of IL-1 β,IL-6 and TNF-α in gastrointestinal tract and the contents of gastrointestinal hormone,di-amine oxidase and D-lactic acid were detected by en-zyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The ex-pressions of tight-junction protein and tight junction in-jury pathway protein in intestinal tissues were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the intestinal propulsion rate of the model group was accelerated,and the intestinal sensitivity in-creased.The expression of intestinal mucosal injury markers increased.Gastrointestinal motility inhibiting hormone decreased and gastrointestinal motility promo-ting hormone increased.The expression of tight junc-tion proteins ZO-1,claudin-1,occludin and VASP of tight junction injury-related pathway decreased,while the expression of NF-κB,HIF-1α and VEGF in tight junction injury-related pathway increased.The expres-sions of IL-1 β,IL-6 and TNF-α in gastrointestinal tis-sue increased.The content of pepsin in gastric tissue increased.The injury of gastrointestinal tissue was less in the 1-day group,and more serious in the 3-day and 5-day groups.Conclusions Stress injury occurs in the gastrointestinal tract of mice at different time points in hypoxia and hypoxia environment,and the gastroin-testinal function injury is more serious after three days of exposure,which may be related to the activation of NF-κB/HIF-1α/VEGF/VASP pathway.

Objective:To explore the real work experience and needs of nursing assistants of elderly patients with disability and mental disorders, and provide reference for relevant institutions to develop a reasonable support system and promote their physical and mental health.Methods:From October to November 2022, purposive sampling was used to select nursing assistants of elderly patients with disability and mental disorders from the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University as the research subject. The phenomenological method was used to conduct in-depth interviews, recordings, and transcripts of 12 nursing assistants. The Colaizzi analysis program was used to analyze, organize, refine, and summarize.Results:A total of five themes were extracted, including multiple emotional experiences, lack of rest and relaxation, insufficient professional identity and external support, lack of care knowledge and skills, heavy workload and poor treatment.Conclusions:Accompanying management institutions and hospitals need to strengthen their attention to nursing assistants, reduce their physical and mental burden, attach importance to skill training, increase welfare benefits, enhance professional identity, and improve the quality of care.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

This paper aimed to explore the antidepressant effect of the essential oil from Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq.(EOST) on the treatment of depression and its mechanism by using a combination of network pharmacology and the mouse model of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced depression. The chemical components in EOST were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS), and 12 active components were selected as the study objects. The targets related to EOST were obtained by Traditional Chinese Medicines Systems Pharmacology(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction database. The targets related to depression were screened out through GeneCards, Therapeutic Target Database(TTD), and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM) database. The Venny 2.1 was applied to screen out the common targets of EOST and depression. The targets were imported into Cytoscape 3.7.2 to generate "drug-active component-diease-target" network diagram. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed using STRING 11.5 database and Cytoscape 3.7.2, and the core targets were screened out. DAVID 6.8 database was used for Gene Ontology(GO) func-tional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and subsequently the enrichment results were visualized through the bioinformatics platform. The mouse model of depression was induced by intraperitoneally injecting with LPS in mice. Before modeling, mice were administrated orally with EOST. The antidepressant effect of EOST was evalua-ted by tail suspension test(TST), forced swimming test(FST), and novelty suppressed feeding test(NSFT) after modeling. The content of interleukin(IL)-1β was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the protein expression levels of IL-1β and pro IL-1β in the hippocampus were determined by Western blot. There were 12 main components and 179 targets in EOAT, of which, 116 targets were related to depression, mainly involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) signaling pathway. Biological processes such as synaptic signal transduction, G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway, and chemical synaptic transmission were involved. Molecular functions such as neurotransmitter receptor activity, RNA polymerase Ⅱ transcription factor activity, and heme binding were involved. In mice experiments, the results showed that EOST at 100 mg·kg~(-1) and 50 mg·kg~(-1) significantly shortened the immobility time in TST and FST as well as the feeding latency in NSFT compared with the model group, decreased the levels of serum IL-1β and NO, and reduced the protein expression levels of IL-1β and pro IL-1β in the hippocampus. In conclusion, EOST shows a good antidepressant effect in a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway manner. The mechanism may be attributed to the fact that EOST can down-regulate the protein expression levels of IL-1β and pro IL-1β, decrease the release of inflammatory factors, and reduce neuroinflammation response.
Animals ; Mice ; Oils, Volatile ; Depression ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Network Pharmacology ; Databases, Genetic ; Calcium Signaling ; Disease Models, Animal