OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Huoxue Shufeng Granules (HXSFG) for alleviating central sensitization in a mouse model of chronic migraine (CM). METHODS: We analyzed the main chemical components of HXSFG through literature review and explored their pharmacological mechanisms by bioinformatics analyses. In a male C57BL/6J mouse model of CM established by intraperitoneal injections of nitroglycerin (10 mg/kg) every other day (5 injections), the effects of gavage with low, and high doses of HXSFG or intraperitoneal injections of topiramate for ameliorating central sensitization were evaluated using Von Frey test and a hot plate apparatus; the changes in expressions of inflammatory factors, the proteins in the TLR4/NF‑κB signaling pathway, and activation of c-Fos and CGRP were detected using RT-qPCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Network pharmacology analysis suggested that the main active components in HXSFG for alleviating CM included formononetin, paeoniflorin, quercetin, and tanshinone. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis identified 492 GO entries, comprising 366 biological processes, 46 cellular components, and 80 molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the Toll-like receptor and NF‑κB signaling pathways were crucial in mediating the therapeutic effects of HXSFG on CM. In the mouse models of CM, both topiramate and HXSFG treatments alleviated the symptoms of central sensitization, evidenced by improved mechanical and thermal pain thresholds in the mice. HXSFG significantly reduced the expression of c-Fos and CGRP, improved inflammatory markers, and downregulated the expressions of TLR4, p-NF‑κB, IL-1β, and TNF‑α proteins in the mouse models. CONCLUSIONS HXSFG effectively alleviates central sensitization in CM mice by modulating the inflammatory pathways and inhibiting the TLR4/ NF-κB signaling pathway, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic option for CM.
Animals ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Migraine Disorders/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Inflammation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the mechanisms of Modified Chaihu Guizhi Decoction (MCGD) for ameliorating anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in a mouse model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). METHODS: The main chemical constituents of MCGD were identified through literature review, and network pharmacology analysis was performed to predict the potential pharmacological mechanisms of MCGD. For in vivo validation, male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, CUMS model group, fluoxetine (FLX) treatment group, and low- and high-dose MCGD treatment groups (n=15), and in all but the control group, CUMS models were established by daily exposure to two randomized stressors for 28 consecutive days. Starting from 3 days prior to modeling, MCGD and fluoxetine treatments were administered daily via gavage and intraperitoneal injection, respectively. Depression- and anxiety-like behaviors of the mice were assessed using sucrose preference test, forced swim test, open field test and elevated plus maze test. The changes in mRNA expressions of the clock genes and inflammatory markers and expressions of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling proteins were detected using RT-qPCR and Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining was used to detect microglia activation in the mice. RESULTS: The key active compounds in MCGD identified by network pharmacology analysis included quercetin, acacetin, formononetin, nobiletin, and baicalein. GO analysis identified 607 enriched pathways, and KEGG pathway enrichment revealed significant involvement of the JAK2/STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways. In the mouse models of CUMS, treatment with both fluoxetine and MCGD significantly alleviated anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. MCGD treatment significantly reduced Iba1 expression, improved the inflammatory markers, reversed the decrease in clock gene circadian rhythm amplitude, and obviously downregulated the expressions of JAK2, p-STAT3, p-NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 proteins. CONCLUSIONS MCGD effectively alleviates anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in CUMS mice by modulating the inflammatory pathways and inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Animals ; Janus Kinase 2/metabolism* ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Depression/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Anxiety/drug therapy* ; Stress, Psychological ; Disease Models, Animal

The enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection is a major factor restricting the development of animal husbandry. However, the abuse of antibiotics will lead to the antibiotic residues and emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The existing vaccines face challenges in stimulating intestinal immunity, demonstrating limited prevention effects. Therefore, it is indispensable to develop a new vaccine that is safe and suitable as a feed additive to activate intestinal immunity. This study constructed yeast-cell microcapsules (YCM) carrying the DNA vaccine against ETEC by genetic engineering. Furthermore, animal experiments were carried out to explore the regulatory effects of feeding YCM on the intestinal immune system and intestinal microbiota. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was selected as the oral delivery vehicle (microcapsules) of the DNA vaccine. The codon-optimized nucleic acid sequence of K88, the main antigen of mammal-derived ETEC, was synthesized, and the yeast shuttle vector containing the corresponding DNA vaccine expression cassette was constructed by DNA recombination. The recombinant strain of YCM was prepared by transforming JMY1. Additionally, the characteristics of the YCM strain and its feasibility as an oral vaccine were comprehensively evaluated by the fluorescence reporter assay, gastrointestinal fluid tolerance assay, intestinal epithelial cell adhesion assay, intestinal retention assessment, antiserum detection, and intestinal microbiota detection. The experimental results showed that the DNA vaccine expression cassette was expressed in mammals, and the recombinant strain of YCM could tolerate up to 8 hours of gastrointestinal fluid digestion and had good adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells. The results of mouse feeding experiments indicated that the recombinant strain of YCM could stay in the intestinal tract for at least two weeks, and the DNA vaccine expression cassette carried by YCM entered the intestinal immune system and triggered an immune response to induce the production of specific antibodies. Moreover, feeding YCM recombinant bacteria also improved the abundance of gut microbiota in mice, demonstrating a positive effect in regulating intestinal flora. In summary, we prepared the recombinant strain of YCM carrying the DNA vaccine against ETEC and comprehensively evaluated its characteristics and feasibility as an oral vaccine. Feeding the recombinant YCM could induce specific immune responses and regulate intestinal microbiota. The findings provide a reference for the immunoprevention of ETEC-related animal diseases.
Animals ; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism* ; Vaccines, DNA/genetics* ; Mice ; Escherichia coli Infections/immunology* ; Escherichia coli Vaccines/genetics* ; Capsules ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Female

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of maximum tumor diameter and the peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) before radiotherapy for the occurrence of esophageal fistula after radiotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) .Methods:A total of 98 patients with ESCC who underwent radiotherapy in Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences from February 2017 to February 2021 were selected, and the patients were divided into esophageal fistula group (13 cases) and no esophageal fistula group (85 cases) according to whether esophageal fistula occurred during the follow-up process. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) , NLR, and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of esophageal fistula, and the predictive value of each indicator was evaluated by using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in age, smoking history, diabetes mellitus history, gender, concurrent chemotherapy and alcohol history between the esophageal fistula group and the no esophageal fistula group (all P>0.05) , while there were statistically significant differences in PNI ( t=2.24, P=0.041) , NLR ( t=3.75, P=0.001) , SIRI ( t=2.68, P=0.015) . Univariate analysis showed that tumor length ( OR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.01-1.35, P=0.043) , maximum tumor diameter ( OR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.11-2.39, P=0.012) , PNI ( OR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.71-0.98, P=0.023) , NLR ( OR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.20-3.12, P=0.007) and SIRI ( OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.03-3.24, P=0.041) were related to esophageal fistula. Multivariate analysis showed that maximum tumor diameter ( OR=2.17, 95% CI: 1.02-4.94, P=0.033) and NLR ( OR=2.40, 95% CI: 1.89-6.59, P=0.018) were independent influencing factors for the development of esophageal fistula in patients with ESCC after radiotherapy. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of maximum tumor diameter before radiotherapy combined with NLR for predicting esophageal fistula in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.74-0.90) , which was greater than that of maximum tumor diameter before radiotherapy (0.71, 95% CI: 0.63-0.81, Z=1.80, P=0.039) and NLR (0.74, 95% CI: 0.67-0.85, Z=1.64, P=0.046) alone. Conclusions:The maximum tumor diameter before radiotherapy and NLR are closely related to the occurrence of esophageal fistula in ESCC after radiotherapy, and these factors are expected to serve as key predictors of the occurrence of esophageal fistula.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation between gene polymorphisms and adverse drug reaction （ADR） and demands of opioids， aiming to guide personalized opioid analgesic therapy. METHODS The existing evidence-based medical data were adopted to identify gene loci related to the efficacy and ADR of opioid analgesics and select highly relevant single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） for a clinical case-control study. The study cohort was divided into two evaluation groups： ADR assessment and drug demand assessment. The ADR assessment group included 254 cancer pain patients and was subdivided into the trial subgroup （with ADR） and the control subgroup （without ADR） based on the presence or absence of ADR following opioid usage； the two subgroups included 126 and 128 patients， respectively. The drug demand assessment group included a total of 120 cancer pain patients， who were divided into trial subgroup （equivalent to a daily dose of oral morphine ≥100 mg） and control subgroup （equivalent to a daily dose of oral morphine ＜100 mg） based on the different daily doses of opioid analgesics， with 60 patients in each subgroup. Polymorphism detection of SNP loci in these patients was performed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. SPSS 21.0 software and SNPStats genetic models were employed to compare genetic testing results between subgroups and conduct correlation analyses， aiming to evaluate the association of the selected SNP loci with opioid ADR and drug demand inclinical real-world cases. RESULTS The strongly correlated SNP loci identified were CYP2D6*10（rs1065852，C＞T）， CYP3A5*3（rs776746，A＞G），ABCB1（rs1045642，C＞T）and OPRM1（rs1799971，A＞G）. Genetic testing results indicated that the allele frequency distributions of these SNP loci conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Correlation analysis revealed that in the ADR assessment group， compared with control subgroup， the proportion of patients in trial subgroup with the AA genotype of OPRM1 （rs1799971， A＞G） was significantly higher （P＜0.05）； in the drug demand assessment group， compared with control subgroup， the proportion of patients in trial subgroup with the CC+CT genotype of ABCB1 （rs1045642， C＞T） was significantly higher （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The AA genotype of OPRM1 （rs1799971， A＞G） is associated with the occurrence of ADR following oxycodone use. Patients with the CC+ CT genotype of ABCB1（ rs1045642， C＞T） require higher doses of opioid analgesics.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common clinical autoimmune disease characterized by persistent synovitis and pannus formation. In late stage， irreversible destruction and deformation of bone and joint may occur. In this paper， the authors believe that kidney deficiency and essence deficiency is the core mechanism of rheumatoid arthritis bone destruction， and its disease evolution law is summarized as "marrow reduction， flesh flaccid， collaterals blocked". On the basis of modern medical understanding of bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis， it is considered that the mechanism in Chinese medicine of "marrow reduction， flesh flaccid， collaterals blocked" ultimately leads to bone destruction， is similar to that in the western medicine of abnormal differentiation of osteoclasts， high expression of nuclear factor-κB receptor activator of ligand， and abnormal expression of inflammatory factors. This point of view may provide a more comprehensive and scientific understanding of the key pathogenic mechanism of bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective:To compare the differences in inhaled medication prescriptions among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who visited the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD 2023) one year after its release and the previous year, and to analyze the impact of GOLD 2023 on physician inhaled medication prescriptions.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study, with data sourced from the RealDTC study. The study subjects were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who visited the respiratory and critical care departments of 13 hospitals in southern China from November 14, 2021 to November 15, 2023. According to the time of patient visits, they are divided into the following two groups: the group 1 year before the release of GOLD 2023 (November 14, 2021 to November 14, 2022), and the group 1 year after the release of GOLD 2023 (November 15, 2022 to November 15, 2023). We collected demographic characteristics, lung function, symptom scores, history of acute exacerbation in the past year, and inhaled medication prescriptions from patients. According to the symptom score of COPD patients in GOLD 2023 and their history of acute exacerbation in the past year, they were divided into three groups: A, B, and E. The treatment status of inhaled drugs in groups A, B, and E before and after the release of GOLD 2023 was compared.Results:There were statistically significant differences in COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scores, and the number of acute exacerbations in the past year between patients with COPD before and after the release of GOLD 2023 (all P<0.05). Compared with the group one year before the release of GOLD 2023, the proportion of patients in the group one year after the release of GOLD 2023 using long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)+ long-acting β2-receptor agonists (LABA) was lower, while the proportion of patients using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in the proportion of patients in group A using LAMA between the year before and after the release of GOLD 2023. Compared to the year before the release of GOLD 2023, the proportion of patients in group A who prescribed ICS+ LABA was lower, while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05); The proportion of patients in group B who prescribed LAMA and ICS+ LABA was lower (all P<0.05), while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05); The proportion of patients in group E who prescribed LAMA and ICS+ LABA was lower (all P<0.05), while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05). Conclusions:After the release of GOLD 2023, the prescription of ICS+ LAMA in groups A, B, and E decreased, and the prescriptions of LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA increased compared to before; However, in the real world, the compliance of physicians with GOLD 2023 is still not ideal.

Objective To understand the status of HIV infection among unpaid blood donors in Hangzhou,and to provide data support for reducing the risk of HIV transmission through blood transfusion,and formulating effective blood donor recruitment and AIDS prevention and control strategies in Hangzhou.Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and nucleic acid testing(NAT)were used to detect HIV-I/Ⅱ antibody/antigen and HIV RNA from 902 847 unpaid blood donors in Hangzhou from January 2016 to December 2020.Anti-HIV antibody/antigen or HIV RNA reactive samples were sent to Hangzhou Center for Disease Control(CDC)for further confirmation by Western bloting and NAT.Results A total of 103 HIV positive cases were detected in Hangzhou area from January 2016 to December 2020,with a positive detection rate of 0.01%,101 cases were positive for ELISA and NAT screening,2 cases were negative for ELISA screening and positive for NAT.Among the 103 infected patients,males(91.26%,94/103),18-35 years old(69.90%,72/103),and first-time blood donors(68.93%,71/103)were the majority.The positive rate of HIV among blood donors decreased year by year from 2016 to 2020(χ2=7.181,P=0.007),but there was no significant difference in HIV positive rate between male and female blood donors(χ2=10.336,P=0.350;χ2=0.653,P=0.957).There was no significant difference in HIV positive rate among blood donors of different age groups(χ2=6.378,P=0.173;χ2=2.318,P=0.678;χ2=5.284,P=0.259;χ2=9.183,P=0.057).Conclusion In recent 5 years,HIV infection has been at a low epidemic level among unpaid blood donors in Hangzhou,but there is still an infection risk.It is necessary to strengthen the recruitment of blood donors from low-risk groups,adopt advanced detection technology and select appropriate detection strategies to ensure blood safety.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects about 9.3% of the population globally. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of DM, owing to its promotion of oxidative stress, β-cell dysfunction, and insulin resistance. HHcy can result from low status of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) nutrients (e.g., folate, choline, betaine, vitamin B6, B12), which work together to degrade homocysteine by methylation. The etiology of HHcy may also involve genetic variation encoding key enzymes in OCM. This review aimed to provide an overview of the existing literature assessing the link between OCM nutrients status, related genetic factors, and incident DM. We also discussed possible mechanisms underlying the role of OCM in DM development and provided recommendations for future research and practice. Even though the available evidence remains inconsistent, some studies support the potential beneficial effects of intakes or blood levels of OCM nutrients on DM development. Moreover, certain variants in OCM-related genes may influence metabolic handling of methyl-donors and presumably incidental DM. Future studies are warranted to establish the causal inference between OCM and DM and examine the interaction of OCM nutrients and genetic factors with DM development, which will inform the personalized recommendations for OCM nutrients intakes on DM prevention.

The prevalence of osteoporosis， osteoarthritis， gouty arthritis， rheumatoid arthritis， and intervertebral disc degeneration is increasing year by year with the growing number of elderly people， and the common clinical manifestations of these diseases include severe pain in different areas， which seriously affects the daily life of the patients. Therefore， how to relieve the pain and reduce the prevalence of bone and joint diseases and improve the quality of life of the patients is a hot spot in the medical field. Studies have confirmed that NOD-like receptor family， pyrin domain-containing protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes， as pattern recognition receptors， are involved in the inflammation， chondrocyte proliferation， osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation， intervertebral disc cell inflammation and scorching， extracellular matrix degradation and apoptosis， mitochondrial dysfunction， endoplasmic reticulum stress， and reactive oxygen species damage， demonstrating close link with the development of bone and joint diseases. Chinese medicine has a long history and demonstrates remarkable therapeutic effects in the treatment of bone and joint diseases. It can mitigate the pathological changes of bone and joint diseases by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasomes to alleviate the pain， playing a role in preventing and treating these diseases. Therefore， this paper briefly describes the relationship between NLRP3 inflammasomes and the development of bone and joint diseases by reviewing the latest research progress at home and abroad. We summarize the latest studies about the active components， extracts， and compound prescriptions of Chinese medicines in the treatment of bone and joint diseases via regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes. This review is expected to offer new insights into the in-depth research on the pathogenesis and drug treatment of bone and joint diseases and provide a basis for the clinical application of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of such diseases.