Objective:To investigate the effects of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin combination therapy on lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice.Methods:A total of 40 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into eight groups:normal control group(A),high-fat control group(B),curcumin group(C),berberine group(D),puerarin group(E),low-dose combination group of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin(F),high-dose combination group of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin(G),and positive control group(H),with 5 mice in each group.The normal control group was fed a standard diet,while the other groups were given a high-fat diet.After establishing the hyperlipidemic model,the mice were administered with physiological saline,curcumin(200 mg/kg),berberine(200 mg/kg),puerarin(300 mg/kg),low-dose combination of curcumin(50 mg/kg),berberine(50 mg/kg),and puerarin(100 mg/kg),high-dose combination of curcumin(200 mg/kg),berberine(200 mg/kg),and puerarin(300 mg/kg),or simvastatin(6 mg/kg)via gavage for three weeks.After treatment,serum was collected from the mice for biochemical analysis of lipid levels and liver function.Liver tissues were subjected to HE staining,Western blot analysis and real-time quantitative PCR.Results:Curcumin,berberine,and puerarin,whether administered individually or in combination,can reduce the body weight of hyperlipidemic mice(P＜0.01).Treatment with curcumin,berberine,and puerarin individually significantly reduced lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice(P＜0.05)and alleviated liver damage caused by hyperlipidemia(P＜0.05).Furthermore,the high-dose combination of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin exhibited a more pronounced effect on improving lipid levels(P＜0.01)and provided greater protective effects on the liver compared to the positive control group(P＜0.05).Additionally,curcumin,berberine,and puerarin administered individually can each promote the expression of the LDLR gene in high-fat diet mice(increased by 90％,85％,and 98％,respectively)and reduce the expression of the ACC gene(decreased by 42％,45％,and 43％,respectively).The combination of all three compounds enhances the expression of the LDLR gene in high-fat diet mice(increased by 90％with low-dose combination and 169％with high-dose combination)and reduces the expression of the ACC gene(decreased by 38％with low-dose combination and 42％with high-dose combination).Conclusion:The combination of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin significantly improves lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice and mitigates liver damage associated with hyperlipidemia.

Objective:To investigate the effects of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin combination therapy on lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice.Methods:A total of 40 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into eight groups:normal control group(A),high-fat control group(B),curcumin group(C),berberine group(D),puerarin group(E),low-dose combination group of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin(F),high-dose combination group of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin(G),and positive control group(H),with 5 mice in each group.The normal control group was fed a standard diet,while the other groups were given a high-fat diet.After establishing the hyperlipidemic model,the mice were administered with physiological saline,curcumin(200 mg/kg),berberine(200 mg/kg),puerarin(300 mg/kg),low-dose combination of curcumin(50 mg/kg),berberine(50 mg/kg),and puerarin(100 mg/kg),high-dose combination of curcumin(200 mg/kg),berberine(200 mg/kg),and puerarin(300 mg/kg),or simvastatin(6 mg/kg)via gavage for three weeks.After treatment,serum was collected from the mice for biochemical analysis of lipid levels and liver function.Liver tissues were subjected to HE staining,Western blot analysis and real-time quantitative PCR.Results:Curcumin,berberine,and puerarin,whether administered individually or in combination,can reduce the body weight of hyperlipidemic mice(P＜0.01).Treatment with curcumin,berberine,and puerarin individually significantly reduced lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice(P＜0.05)and alleviated liver damage caused by hyperlipidemia(P＜0.05).Furthermore,the high-dose combination of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin exhibited a more pronounced effect on improving lipid levels(P＜0.01)and provided greater protective effects on the liver compared to the positive control group(P＜0.05).Additionally,curcumin,berberine,and puerarin administered individually can each promote the expression of the LDLR gene in high-fat diet mice(increased by 90％,85％,and 98％,respectively)and reduce the expression of the ACC gene(decreased by 42％,45％,and 43％,respectively).The combination of all three compounds enhances the expression of the LDLR gene in high-fat diet mice(increased by 90％with low-dose combination and 169％with high-dose combination)and reduces the expression of the ACC gene(decreased by 38％with low-dose combination and 42％with high-dose combination).Conclusion:The combination of curcumin,berberine,and puerarin significantly improves lipid levels in hyperlipidemic mice and mitigates liver damage associated with hyperlipidemia.

This study explored the protective effect of astragaloside Ⅳ(AS-Ⅳ) on oxygen-glucose deprivation(OGD)-induced autophagic injury in PC12 cells and its underlying mechanism. An OGD-induced autophagic injury model in vitro was established in PC12 cells. The cells were divided into a normal group, an OGD group, low-, medium-, and high-dose AS-Ⅳ groups, and a positive drug dexmedetomidine(DEX) group. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe autophagosomes and autolysosomes, and the MDC staining method was used to assess the fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes. Western blot was conducted to determine the relative expression levels of functional proteins LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ, Beclin1, p-Akt/Akt, p-mTOR/mTOR, and HIF-1α. Compared with the normal group, the OGD group exhibited a significant decrease in cell viability(P<0.01), an increase in autophagosomes(P<0.01), enhanced fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes(P<0.01), up-regulated Beclin1, LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ, and HIF-1α(P<0.05 or P<0.01), and down-regulated p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the OGD group, the low-and medium-dose AS-Ⅳ groups and the DEX group showed a significant increase in cell viability(P<0.01), decreased autophagosomes(P<0.01), weakened fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes(P<0.01), down-regulated Beclin1, LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ, and HIF-1α(P<0.05 or P<0.01), and up-regulated p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR(P<0.01). AS-Ⅳ at low and medium doses exerted a protective effect against OGD-induced autophagic injury in PC12 cells by activating the Akt/mTOR pathway, subsequently influencing HIF-1α. The high-dose AS-Ⅳ group did not show a statistically significant difference compared with the OGD group. This study provides a certain target reference for the prevention and treatment of OGD-induced cellular autophagic injury by AS-Ⅳ and accumulates laboratory data for the secondary development of Astragali Radix and AS-Ⅳ.
Rats ; Animals ; PC12 Cells ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Glucose/therapeutic use* ; Oxygen/metabolism* ; Beclin-1/pharmacology* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Autophagy ; Apoptosis ; Reperfusion Injury/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the impact of smoke-free legislation on the incidence rate for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Shenzhen. METHODS: Data on ischemic ( n = 72,945) and hemorrhagic ( n = 18,659) stroke and AMI ( n = 17,431) incidence covering about 12 million people in Shenzhen from 2012 to 2016 were used. Immediate and gradual changes in incidence rates were analyzed using segmented Poisson regression. RESULTS: Following the smoke-free legislation, a 9% (95% CI: 3%-15%) immediate reduction was observed in AMI incidence, especially in men (8%, 95% CI: 1%-14%) and in those aged 65 years and older (17%, 95% CI: 9%-25%). The gradual annual benefits were observed only in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke incidence, with a 7% (95% CI: 2%-11%) and 6% (95% CI: 4%-8%) decrease per year, respectively. This health effect extended gradually to the 50-64 age group. In addition, neither the immediate nor gradual decrease in stroke and AMI incidence rates did not show statistical significance among the 35-49 age group ( P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Smoke-free legislation was enforced well in Shenzhen, which would generate good experiences for other cities to enact and enforce smoke-free laws. This study also provided more evidence of the health benefits of smoke-free laws on stroke and AMI.
Male ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Incidence ; Interrupted Time Series Analysis ; Stroke/etiology* ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution

Objective: To analyze the morbidity and mortality trends of thyroid cancer in China from 1990 to 2019, explore the causes of the trends, and predict morbidity and mortality in the future. Methods: The morbidity and mortality data of thyroid cancer in China from 1990 to 2019 were collected from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease database. The Joinpoint regression model was used to describe the change trends. Based on the morbidity and mortality data from 2012 to 2019, a grey model GM (1,1) was constructed to predict the trends in the next ten years. The model was tested by the posterior error method and residual test method. Results: In all populations, men and women, the AAPC values of the crude morbidity rates were 4.15% (95%CI: 3.86%-4.44%, P<0.001), 5.98% (95%CI: 5.65%-6.31%, P<0.001) and 3.23% (95%CI: 2.94%-3.53%, P<0.001) respectively, the AAPC values of age-standardized morbidity rates were 2.47% (95%CI: 2.12%-2.83%, P<0.001), 3.98% (95%CI: 3.68%-4.29%, P<0.001), 1.65% (95%CI: 1.38%-1.93%, P<0.001), the AAPC values of crude mortality rates were 2.09% (95%CI: 1.92%-2.25%, P<0.001), 3.68% (95%CI: 3.45%-3.90%, P<0.001), 0.60% (95%CI: 0.50%-0.71%, P<0.001). The age-standardized mortality rates in men showed a fluctuating trend of first decrease (1990-1994), then increase (1994-2012), and then decrease (2012-2019) (AAPC=1.35%, 95%CI: 1.16%-1.53%, P<0.001). The age-standardized mortality rate in women continuously decreased (AAPC=-1.70%, 95%CI: -1.82%- -1.58%, P<0.001). The GM (1,1) models can be used for medium and long-term predictions. The results of the residual test show that the average relative error values of all models are less than 10.00%, the prediction accuracy values are more than 80.00%, and the prediction effects are good. The results of the posterior error method show that all the prediction results are good except the qualified prediction of the age-standardized morbidity rate in men. In 2029, the crude morbidity rates would increase to 3.57/100 000, 2.78/100 000, and 4.40/100 000, respectively, and the age-standardized incidence rates would increase to 2.38/100 000, 1.89/100 000, and 2.88/100 000, respectively, the crude mortality rates would increase to 0.57/100 000, 0.62/100 000 and 0.53/100 000, and the age-standardized mortality rates would decrease to 0.33/100 000, 0.42/100 000 and 0.27/100 000 in all population, men and women in China. Conclusions: The overall, gender- specific age-standardized mortality rates showed downward trends in the last decade or so, and the prediction results showed that it might further decline. However, the crude morbidity rates, age-standardized and crude mortality rates have been on the rise, and the population aging is becoming increasingly serious in China, which requires close attention and targeted prevention and control measures.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; Morbidity ; Thyroid Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Aging ; China/epidemiology*

ObjectiveTo study the pathological process and changes of metabolites in myocardial tissue of heart failure induced by transverse aortic constriction （TAC） in rats. MethodRats were treated with TAC operation and divided into TAC-30 d group and TAC-60 d group， and sham operation group at the same period was set up as control. Echocardiography and pathological staining of myocardial tissue were performed on rats in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the expression of amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in serum. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to observe the changes of metabolites and related pathways in myocardial tissue， the mobile phase consisted of 25 mmol·L^-1 ammonium acetate and 25 mmol·L^-1 ammonia hydroxide in water （A） and acetonitrile （B） for gradient elution （0-0.5 min， 95%B； 0.5-7 min， 95%-65%B； 7-8 min， 65%-40%B； 8-9 min， 40%B； 9-9.1 min， 40%-95%B； 9.1-12 min， 95%B）， electrospray ionization was used under positive and negative ion detection modes， acquisition range was m/z 70-1 050. ResultCompared with the sham-30 d group， the left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole （LVIDs） in TAC-30 d group was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， fraction shortening （FS）， left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， left vebtricular end-systolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWs） were significantly increased （P<0.01）， there were cardiomyocyte arrangement disorder， edema， collagen fibre hyperplasia， the content of NT-probNP was significantly increased， while the content of ATP was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and 15 metabolites with abnormal expression were involved in pyrimidine metabolic pathway， pantothenic acid and coenzyme A biosynthesis pathway. Compared with the sham-60 d group， LVEF and FS in the TAC-60 d group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole （LVIDd）， LVIDs and LVPWd were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the edema of myocardial cells increased obviously， myocardium fibers degenerated， coagulation necrosis appeared， and a large amount of collagen fibers were deposited， the expression of NT-proBNP increased and the expression of ATP decreased （P<0.01）， there were 21 metabolites with abnormal expression， involving pyrimidine metabolic pathway， and starch and sucrose metabolic pathway. ConclusionAt 30 d after TAC， there are myocardial hypertrophy， lipid metabolism disorder， pyrimidine metabolism disorder and energy imbalance. At 60 d after TAC， there are heart failure， aggravation of lipid metabolism disorder， excessive activation of glucose metabolism， and continuous disorder of pyrimidine metabolism.

Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one of the main complications in patients with traumatic fractures, and for severe patients, the DVT can even affect arterial blood supply, resulting in insufficient limb blood supply. If the thrombus breaks off, pulmonary embolism may occur, with a high mortality. The treatment and rehabilitation strategies of thrombosis in patients with lower extremity fractures have its particularity. DVT in traumatic fractures patients has attracted extensive attention and been largely studied, and the measures for prevention and treatment of DVT are constantly developing. In recent years, a series of thrombosis prevention and treatment guidelines have been updated at home and abroad, but there are still many doubts about the prevention and treatment of DVT in patients with different traumatic fractures. Accordingly, on the basis of summarizing the latest evidence-based medical evidence at home and abroad and the clinical experience of the majority of experts, the authors summarize the clinical treatment and prevention protocols for DVT in patients with traumatic fractures, and make this consensus on the examination and assessment, treatment, prevention and preventive measures for DVT in patients with different fractures so as to provide a practicable approach suitable for China ′s national conditions and improve the prognosis and the life quality of patients.

This study aims to construct a dynamic two-dimensional characterization technique for the hygroscopicity of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and investigate the effect of material properties of powders on hygroscopicity. The dynamic hygroscopicity-time curves of the powders were measured at 25 ℃ and 75% humidity, and the semi-equilibrium hygroscopicity time (t_1/2) and equilibrium hygroscopicity (F^∞) were derived as two-dimensional evaluation indicators. Finally, the correlation between the material properties and the hygroscopic behavior was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares analysis (PLS). The results showed that the dynamic two-dimensional characterization system of hygroscopicity constructed with 1/t_1/2 = 0.1 h^-1 and F^∞ = 15% as the center can classify the hygroscopic behavior of traditional Chinese medicine extracts into four categories: fast hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, slow hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, fast hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity and slow hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity. The moisture absorption was negatively correlated with D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b and ρ_t; the moisture absorption rate was negatively correlated with D₁₀, D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b, ρ_t, and positively correlated with moisture content. The hygroscopicity dynamic two-dimensional characterization indicators of Chinese medicine extracts (CMEs) constructed in this study matched with the physical properties. The method of dynamic multi-dimensional characterization technology is feasible and scientific, and the idea has strong promotional value.

Ischemic stroke is one of the main causes of death and long-term disability worldwide, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and brings a heavy economic burden to families and society. Epidemiological studies have shown that stroke has become the second leading cause of death and major disabling disease in the world, with the characteristics of high morbidity, high recurrence, and high mortality. Epigenetic mechanism is the molecular process where gene expression and function in each cell are dynamically regulated and interconnected and a biological mechanism that changes genetic performance without changing the DNA sequence, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA. However, the research on epigenetics is currently focused on other diseases such as tumors. Recent studies have found that epigenetics has received extensive attention in the past few decades as a key factor involved in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke. The present study introduced the mediation of epigenetics in the induction of stroke, summarized the potential drug targets for these mechanisms in the treatment of stroke, and further explored the significance of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) against cerebral ischemia injury based on TCM classification of stroke.
DNA Methylation ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Humans ; Ischemic Stroke/genetics* ; Quality of Life ; RNA, Untranslated/metabolism* ; Stroke/genetics*

Animals ; Mice ; Motor Neurons/physiology* ; Spinal Cord