ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of gingerol， an active component of ginger， on Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） infection， and to preliminarily explore its mechanism related to extracellular vesicles （EVs）. MethodsS.aureus infection models were established in human umbilical vein endothelial cell （HUVECs）， Vero E6 cells， and C57BL/6 mice. Experimental groups included control， infection， and gingerol-treated groups. Bacterial load and VE-cadherin protein expression were detected using immunofluorescence and Western blot. EVs were isolated by size exclusion chromatography and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. miRNA sequencing was performed on EVs. ResultsGingerol treatment significantly reduced the bacterial load in both in vitro and in vivo infection models and upregulated VE-cadherin expression. miRNA sequencing of EVs revealed that S. aureus infection upregulated the expression of hsa-miR-320c， while gingerol treatment reversed this abnormal expression. Bioinformatic analysis further predicted that the target genes of hsa-miR-320c were significantly enriched in cell junction-related pathways. ConclusionGingerol exhibits clear antibacterial and host-protective effects， by regulating hsa-miR-320c in EVs to maintain endothelial barrier integrity.

Objective The aim of the study is to analyze the incidence patterns and epidemiological characteristics of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in the Minhang and Jinshan districts of Shanghai, and provide evidence-based information for optimizing prevention and control measures. Methods We collected information from epidemic reports and epidemiological investigation forms for cases of parasitic and vector-borne diseases from 2005 to 2024 in Shanghai's Minhang and Jinshan districts. Descriptive epidemiological method were adopted to conduct a comparative analysis of incidence trends, epidemic characteristics, and infection sources. Results A total of 229 cases in 7 categories were reported between 2005 and 2024, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.36/100 000. The average annual incidence rate in Minhang District was significantly higher than that in Jinshan District. The most prevalent diseases were malaria and dengue fever, followed by Japanese encephalitis. Monthly case reports were available, predominantly from June to October, with a peak in July-August. A statistically significant difference was observed between the two districts in case distribution during June-October (P＜0.001), whereas no significant difference was found for July-August (P=0.331). The majority of cases were young men (111/229,48.47%), aged 20-39 years. Migrant workers/farmers constituted the largest occupational group (55/229, 24.02%). Registered residents of other provinces and cities (147/229,64.19%), and the main source of infection was overseas importation (112/229,48.91%). There were no statistically significant differences in gender and household-registration composition between the two districts (P＞0.05). Significant differences existed in age, occupation, and source of infection (P＜0.05). The imported diseases were malaria and dengue fever, with Africa and Southeast Asia being the primary source locations. Malaria was the predominant disease imported from other provinces and cities, with cases having been imported from abroad since 2012. Local infections were mainly Japanese encephalitis, followed by malaria (with the last local case reported in 2010). Cases between 2005 and 2009 were predominantly imported from other provinces and cities. The proportion of cases imported from abroad increased sharply after 2010, particularly in Minhang District. Local infections sometimes arise in Jinshan District, with Japanese encephalitis serving as the primary type. Conclusions Incidence rates of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in Minhang and Jinshan districts have generally remained low. To further reduce this disease burden, it will be necessary to strengthen joint measures for prevention and control, eliminate the environmental risk factors of vector organisms, enhance monitoring and precise control of the environment and inbound personnel to prevent the occurrence and transmission of parasitic and vector-borne diseases.

N-acetyl-p-aminophenol （APAP） is an antipyretic analgesic commonly used in clinical practice， and APAP overdose can cause severe liver injury and even death. In recent years， the incidence rate of APAP-induced liver injury （AILI） tends to increase， and it has become the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide. Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process that removes unwanted cytosolic proteins and organelles through lysosomal degradation to achieve the metabolic needs of cells themselves and the renewal of organelles. A large number of studies have shown that autophagy plays a key role in the pathophysiology of AILI， involving the mechanisms such as APAP protein conjugates， oxidative stress， JNK activation， mitochondrial dysfunction， inflammatory response and apoptosis. This article elaborates on the biological mechanism of autophagy in AILI， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of AILI and the development of autophagy regulators.

Drug-induced liver injury(DILI)is a common adverse drug reaction in clinical practice,which can lead to acute liver failure and even death in severe cases.In recent years,with the continuous introduction of new drugs and the expansion of their usage,the incidence and mortality rates of DILI have shown an upward trend,posing significant challenges to public health and clinical treatment.Macrophages,as a crucial component of the innate immune system,exhibit high plasticity and heterogeneity.They can polarize into pro-inflammatory M1 type or anti-inflammatory M2 type in response to microenvironmental signals.Research has demonstrated that macrophage polarization plays a central regulatory role in the occurrence and progression of DILI by influencing various processes such as inflammatory responses,cell apoptosis,and tissue repair.This review focuses on elucidating the regulatory mechanisms and roles of macrophage polarization in DILI,providing a theoretical framework for developing precise immunotherapeutic strategies.

In this experiment, self-assembled nanoparticles(SANs) were prepared by the pH-driven method, and Her-HCP SAN was constructed by using herpetrione(Her) and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides(HCPs). The average particle size and polydispersity index(PDI) were used as evaluation indexes for process optimization, and the quality of the final formulation was evaluated in terms of particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, and microstructure. The proposed Her-HCP SAN showed a spheroid structure and uniform morphology, with an average particle size of(244.58±16.84) nm, a PDI of 0.147 1±0.014 8, and a Zeta potential of(-38.52±2.11) mV. Her-HCP SAN significantly increased the saturation solubility of Her by 2.69 times, with a cumulative release of 90.18% within eight hours. The results of in vivo unidirectional intestinal perfusion reveal that Her active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) is most effectively absorbed in the jejunum, where both K_a and P_(app) are significantly higher compared to the ileum(P<0.001). However, the addition of HCP leads to a significant reduction in the P_(app) of Her in the jejunum(P<0.05). Furthermore, the formation of the Her-HCP SAN results in a notably lower P_(app) in the jejunum compared to Her API alone(P<0.001), while both K_a and P_(app) in the ileum are significantly increased(P<0.001, P<0.05). The absorption of Her-HCP SAN at different concentrations in the ileum shows no significant differences, and the pH has no significant effect on the absorption of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum. The addition of the transporter protein inhibitors(indomethacin and rifampicin) significantly increases the absorption parameters K_a and P_(app) of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum(P<0.05,P<0.01), whereas the addition of verapamil has no significant effect on the intestinal absorption parameters of Her-HCP SAN, suggesting that Her may be a substrate for multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 and breast cancer resistance proteins but not a substrate of P-glycoprotein.
Nanoparticles/metabolism* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacokinetics* ; Intestinal Absorption/drug effects* ; Animals ; Rats ; Particle Size ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Drug Carriers/chemistry* ; Drug Compounding ; Cucurbitaceae/chemistry*

This study investigated the effects of total flavonoids of Dracocephalum moldavica(TFDM) on apoptosis in rat H9c2 cells induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS) established by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation(OGD/R) injury and tunicamycin(TM), and explored the potential mechanisms. After successful modeling, the following groups were set in this experiment: control group, model(OGD/R or TM) group, and TFDM low-, medium-, and high-dose groups(12.5, 25, and 50 μg·mL~(-1)). The OGD/R injury model was constructed in vitro. Cell proliferation was assessed using the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) method. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme(CKMB) in the cell supernatant were detected. Western blot was used to assess the expression of ERS-related proteins, including glucose regulatory protein 78(GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP), activating transcription factor 6(ATF6), and apoptotic proteins B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax). Apoptosis was detected using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) method. In the TM-induced ERS model, Western blot was used to measure the expression of ERS pathway-related proteins GRP78, CHOP, inositol-requiring enzyme 1(IRE1), X-box binding protein 1(XBP1), protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK), eukaryotic initiation factor 2α(eIF2α), ATF6, p-ATF6, and apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bax, cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-12(caspase-12), and cleaved caspase-12. Gene expression of GRP78, CHOP, PERK, and ATF6 was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). Apoptosis was again detected using the TUNEL method. The results showed that in the OGD/R model, compared with the control group, the levels of LDH and CKMB in the cell supernatant were significantly increased in the OGD/R group. Compared with the OGD/R group, the levels of LDH and CKMB in the TFDM group were significantly reduced. Western blot results revealed that compared with the control group, the expression of ERS-related proteins and Bax in the OGD/R group was significantly increased, while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased. Compared with the OGD/R group, the expression of ERS-related proteins and Bax in the TFDM groups was significantly reduced, and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly increased. TUNEL assay showed that apoptosis was significantly decreased after TFDM treatment. In the TM-induced ERS experiment, compared with the control group, the expression of ERS-related genes, ERS-related proteins, and apoptotic proteins in the TM group was significantly increased, while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased. Compared with the TM group, the expression of ERS-related genes, ERS-related proteins, and apoptotic proteins in the TFDM group was significantly reduced, and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly increased. These results suggest that ERS exists in the OGD/R-injured H9c2 cell model, and TFDM can effectively inhibit ERS-induced apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the downregulation of ERS pathway-related proteins and apoptotic proteins.
Animals ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Rats ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Lamiaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Oxygen/metabolism* ; Reperfusion Injury/physiopathology* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology*

This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

The traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) industry is a crucial part of China's pharmaceutical sector and plays a strategic role in ensuring public health and promoting economic and social development. In response to the practical demand for high-quality development of the TCM industry, this paper focused on the bottlenecks encountered during the digital and intelligent transformation of TCM production systems. Specifically, it explored technical strategies and methodologies for constructing the best TCM production mode. An innovative artificial intelligence(AI)-centered technical architecture for TCM production was proposed, focusing on key aspects of production management including process modeling, state evaluation, and decision optimization. Furthermore, a series of critical technologies were developed to realize the best TCM production mode. Finally, a novel AI-driven TCM production mode characterized by a closed-loop system of "measurement-modeling-decision-execution" was presented through engineering case studies. This study is expected to provide a technological pathway for developing new quality productive forces within the TCM industry.
Artificial Intelligence ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Humans

The alternative pathway (AP) of the complement system is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of several diseases including paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), C3 glomerular disease (C3G) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Complement factor B (CFB) is a trypsin-like serine protein that circulates in the human bloodstream in a latent form. As a key node of the alternative pathway, it is an important target for the treatment of diseases mediated by the complement system. With the successful launch of iptacopan, the CFB small molecule inhibitors has become a current research hotspot, a number of domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies are actively developing CFB small molecule inhibitors. In this paper, the research progress of CFB small molecule inhibitors in recent years is systematically summarized, the representative compounds and their activities are introduced according to structural types and design ideas, so as to provide reference and ideas for the subsequent research on CFB small molecule inhibitors.

As the simplest label-free single-molecule analytical technique in solution,nanopore technology has been widely used in rapid sequencing of protein and nucleic acid,and single-molecule sensing.However,the main challenge is to get this technology out of the lab and achieve automation,miniaturization as well as rapid analysis at high throughput.In this work,a new microfluidic tubing protein nanopore analysis system was designed and constructed by combining microfluidic and nanopore nanofluidic analysis techniques.An arcuate lipid bilayer was formed in the microfluidic device through lipid monolayer at the oil/water interface by developed aperture processing technology at 10 μm level.The arcuate lipid bilayer with the life span of more than 98 h had high biomimetic fluidity and biological activity by which protein channel could be produced and sealed at 18 GΩ level without leakage.When applied+40 mV potential,relative standard deviation of single proteinα-hemolysin mutant(α-HL(M113F/K147N))channel current was less than 0.16 pA(n=3)in 10 mmol/L Tris-HCl(pH 7.4)buffer containing 1 mol/L NaCl.Single-molecule detection for aptamer and its host-guest interactions with biotin in protein channel demonstrated that this microfluidic tube protein nanopore sensor could well work with high sensitivity without the need of anti-vibration table and shielding cage.