ObjectiveTo investigate the chemical constituents of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Paeoniae Radix Rubra（CRPRR） that cross the blood-brain barrier in rats with ischemic stroke， their brain-protective effects， and their impact on inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） and pharmacodynamic experiments. MethodsA focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model was established in rats via the middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion （MCAO/R） method using intraluminal suture. Neurological function was evaluated using behavioral scoring. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to identify the chemical constituents of CRPRR that crossed the blood-brain barrier and entered the cerebrospinal fluid in MCAO/R model rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups： sham operation group， model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose CRPRR groups （1.35， 2.7， 5.4 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and an edaravone group （5 mg·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. The sham and model groups received normal saline， while the treatment groups received the respective doses of CRPRR once daily by gavage for three consecutive weeks. The brain-protective effects of CRPRR were assessed using the Longa five-point scoring method， open field test， Morris water maze， 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and transmission electron microscopy. ResultsNine chemical constituents were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid containing CRPRR， namely paeoniflorin， senkyunolide F， senkyunolide G， paeonimetabolin Ⅰ， paeoniflorin derivative， senkyunolide H， benzoylpaeoniflorin， senkyunolide A， and ligustilide. Animal experiment results showed that compared with the sham operation group， the model group exhibited disordered neuronal arrangement， severe vacuolation， nuclear pyknosis， and evident mitochondrial swelling. Chromatin aggregation and peripheralization were also observed. Neurological scores and the number of crossings in the central region were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while platform crossings were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and clear infarct areas were present （P<0.01）. Serum levels and protein expression of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all dose groups of CRPRR showed marked improvement in neuronal morphology which was close to the normal level， with mitochondrial swelling alleviated and chromatin distribution more uniform. The medium- and high-dose groups significantly reduced neurological scores （P<0.01）， while the low-， medium-， and high-dose groups significantly reduced the number of central crossings （P<0.01） and infarct volume （P<0.01）， and decreased TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） compared with the model group. Furthermore， the medium- and high-dose groups significantly reduced TNF-α protein expression （P<0.05，P<0.01）， and the high-dose group significantly reduced IL-1β and IL-18 protein expression （P<0.01）. ConclusionThis study confirmed that CRPRR improves neurological function and alleviates brain tissue damage in MCAO/R rats. Its mechanism may be associated with the downregulation of inflammatory factors TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18， as well as the presence of nine active chemical constituents in cerebrospinal fluid， namely paeoniflorin， senkyunolide F， senkyunolide G， paeonimetabolin Ⅰ， paeoniflorin derivative， senkyunolide H， benzoylpaeoniflorin， senkyunolide A， and ligustilide， which are closely related to their brain-protective effects.

ObjectiveTo investigate the chemical constituents of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Paeoniae Radix Rubra（CRPRR） that cross the blood-brain barrier in rats with ischemic stroke， their brain-protective effects， and their impact on inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） and pharmacodynamic experiments. MethodsA focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model was established in rats via the middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion （MCAO/R） method using intraluminal suture. Neurological function was evaluated using behavioral scoring. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to identify the chemical constituents of CRPRR that crossed the blood-brain barrier and entered the cerebrospinal fluid in MCAO/R model rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups： sham operation group， model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose CRPRR groups （1.35， 2.7， 5.4 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and an edaravone group （5 mg·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. The sham and model groups received normal saline， while the treatment groups received the respective doses of CRPRR once daily by gavage for three consecutive weeks. The brain-protective effects of CRPRR were assessed using the Longa five-point scoring method， open field test， Morris water maze， 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and transmission electron microscopy. ResultsNine chemical constituents were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid containing CRPRR， namely paeoniflorin， senkyunolide F， senkyunolide G， paeonimetabolin Ⅰ， paeoniflorin derivative， senkyunolide H， benzoylpaeoniflorin， senkyunolide A， and ligustilide. Animal experiment results showed that compared with the sham operation group， the model group exhibited disordered neuronal arrangement， severe vacuolation， nuclear pyknosis， and evident mitochondrial swelling. Chromatin aggregation and peripheralization were also observed. Neurological scores and the number of crossings in the central region were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while platform crossings were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and clear infarct areas were present （P<0.01）. Serum levels and protein expression of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all dose groups of CRPRR showed marked improvement in neuronal morphology which was close to the normal level， with mitochondrial swelling alleviated and chromatin distribution more uniform. The medium- and high-dose groups significantly reduced neurological scores （P<0.01）， while the low-， medium-， and high-dose groups significantly reduced the number of central crossings （P<0.01） and infarct volume （P<0.01）， and decreased TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） compared with the model group. Furthermore， the medium- and high-dose groups significantly reduced TNF-α protein expression （P<0.05，P<0.01）， and the high-dose group significantly reduced IL-1β and IL-18 protein expression （P<0.01）. ConclusionThis study confirmed that CRPRR improves neurological function and alleviates brain tissue damage in MCAO/R rats. Its mechanism may be associated with the downregulation of inflammatory factors TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18， as well as the presence of nine active chemical constituents in cerebrospinal fluid， namely paeoniflorin， senkyunolide F， senkyunolide G， paeonimetabolin Ⅰ， paeoniflorin derivative， senkyunolide H， benzoylpaeoniflorin， senkyunolide A， and ligustilide， which are closely related to their brain-protective effects.

This study aims to investigate the effects of renin inhibitor aliskiren on kidney injury in human angiotensinogen-renin (AGT-REN) double transgenic hypertensive (dTH) mice and explore its possible mechanism. The dTH mice were divided into hypertension group (HT group) and aliskiren intervention group (HT+Aliskiren group), while wild-type C57BL/6 mice were served as the control group (WT group). Blood pressure data of mice in HT+Aliskiren group were collected after 28 d of subcutaneous penetration of aliskiren (20 mg/kg), and the damage of renal tissue structure and collagen deposition were observed by HE, Masson and PAS staining. The ultrastructure of kidney was observed by transmission electron microscope. Coomassie bright blue staining and biochemical analyzer were used to detect renal function injury. The expression of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) was determined by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. The contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney were determined by chemiluminescence method. The content of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunit p47^phox, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) and NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) were detected by Western blot analysis. The results showed that compared with WT group, the blood pressure of mice in HT group was significantly increased. The renal tissue structure in HT group showed glomerular sclerosis, severe interstitial tubular injury, and increased collagen deposition. In addition, 24 h urinary protein, serum creatinine and urea levels increased. Serum and renal tissue levels of angiotensin II (Ang II) were increased, serum angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] expression was decreased, and renal Ang-(1-7) expression was elevated. The expressions of ACE, Ang II type 1 receptor (AT₁R) and MasR in renal tissue were increased, while the expression of ACE2 was decreased. MDA content increased, SOD content decreased, and the expressions of p47^phox, iNOS, 3-NT, NOX2 and NOX4 were increased. However, aliskiren reduced blood pressure in dTH mice, improved renal structure and renal function, reduced Ang II and Ang-(1-7) levels in serum and renal tissue, reduced the expression of ACE and AT₁R in renal tissue, increased the expression of ACE2 and MasR in renal tissue, and decreased the above levels of oxidative stress indexes in dTH mice. These results suggest that aliskiren may play a protective role in hypertensive renal injury by regulating the balance between ACE-Ang II-AT₁R and ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-MasR axes and inhibiting oxidative stress.
Animals ; Fumarates/therapeutic use* ; Mice ; Renin/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Amides/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Hypertension/physiopathology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Kidney/pathology* ; Angiotensinogen/genetics* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; NADPH Oxidases/metabolism* ; Male ; Antihypertensive Agents/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism* ; NADPH Oxidase 4

Bacillus mycoides JA20-1 was screened and identified as a biocontrol bacterium with a high capacity for producing volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in the laboratory. This strain had significant inhibitory effects on various postharvest disease pathogens in crops, such as Botrytis cinerea, as well as soil-borne disease pathogens in ginseng, such as Sclerotinia ginseng. In order to accelerate its industrialization process, in this study, single-factor experiments and response surface optimization methods were used. The fermentation medium and fermentation conditions in the shake flask of strain JA20-1 were systematically optimized by using cell production volume as the response variable. Meanwhile, the biocontrol effect of JA20-1 on B. cinerea of ginseng during the storage period was evaluated by using the method of fumigation in a dry dish in vitro. The results indicated that the optimal fermentation medium formulation for strain JA20-1 was as follows: 1% yeast paste, 1% soluble starch, 0.25% K_2HPO_4·3H_2O, and 0.2% NaCl. The optimal fermentation conditions in the shake flask were vaccination size of 3%, culture volume of 50 mL in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask, pH of 6.2, fermentation temperature of 34 ℃, shaking speed of 180 r·min~(-1), and incubation time of 18 hours. The bacteria count in the fermentation broth under these conditions reached 2.17 × 10~8 CFU·mL~(-1), which was 6.58 times higher than before. The average control efficacy of the fermentation broth on Botrytis cinerea of ginseng under in vitro fumigation reached 61.70% and 84.04% respectively, when 20 mL and 30 mL per dish were used. The research provided theoretical support and technical foundation for the development and utilization of Bacillus mycoides JA20-1 and the biocontrol of soil-borne diseases in ginseng and postharvest diseases in crops.
Botrytis/drug effects* ; Fermentation ; Panax/microbiology* ; Plant Diseases/prevention & control* ; Volatile Organic Compounds/metabolism* ; Bacillus/physiology* ; Pest Control, Biological/methods* ; Biological Control Agents/metabolism* ; Culture Media/chemistry*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the pillar for the development of motherland medicine, and animal medicine has a long history of application in China, characterized by wide resources, strong activity, definite efficacy, and great benefits. It has significant potential and important status in the consumption market of raw materials of TCM. In the context of global climate change, farming system alterations, and low renewability, the depletion of wild medicinal animal resources has accelerated. Accordingly, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild resources of animal medicinal materials has become a problem that garners increasing attention and urgently needs to be solved. This paper summarizes the current situation of domestic and foreign medicinal animal breeding and research progress in industrial application in recent years and points out the issues related to standardized breeding, germplasm selection and breeding, and quality evaluation standards for medicinal animals. Furthermore, this paper discusses standardized breeding, quality standards, resource protection and utilization, and the search for alternative resources for rare and endangered medicinal animals. It proposes that researchers should systematically carry out in-depth basic research on animal medicine, improve the breeding scale and level of medicinal animals, employ modern technology to enhance the quality standards of medicinal materials, and strengthen the research and development of alternative resources. This approach aims to effectively address the relationship between protection and utilization and make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of medicinal animal resources and the animal-based Chinese medicinal material industry.
Animals ; Breeding ; China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Conservation of Natural Resources

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of oblique lateral interbody fusion(OLIF) channel technique combined with pedicle screw internal fixation in the treatment of single-segment lumbar intervertebral space/vertebral body infection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 23 patients who underwent surgical treatment for lumbar infection from January 2021 to December 2022. The patients were divided into the OLIF channel group and the traditional open surgery group according to the surgical methods. There were 16 cases in the OLIF channel group, including 9 males and 7 females, with an average age of (68.5±12.1) years old;there were 7 cases in the traditional open surgery group, including 4 males and 3 females, with an average age of (75.0±3.2) years old. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, incision length, visual analogue scale(VAS), activities of daily living (ADL) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), C-reactive protein(CRP) before and 1 week and 3 months after the operation, and the intervertebral fusion status on the last follow-up CT were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the open surgery group, the OLIF channel group had shorter operation time (209.87±31.5) min vs. (246.0±42.7) min, less intraoperative blood loss (225.625±91.1) ml vs. (364.2±74.8) ml, and shorter incision length (6.1±1.2) vs. (14.0±1.4) cm, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). Before and 1 week and 3 months after the operation, the lumbar VAS in the OLIF group were (6.3±0.6), (2.8±0.7), (1.1±0.5), and those in the traditional open surgery group were (6.4±0.6), (3.4±0.5), (1.2±0.3);the ADL scores in the OLIF group were (45.0±4.5), (60.3±4.3), (94.1±4.2), and those in the open group were (46.4±5.6), (60.7±4.5), (92.9±4.9); the ODI scores in the OLIF group were (86.3±2.9)%, (69.5±4.1)%, (23.0±3.2)%, and those in the open group were (87.3±3.8)%, (69.8±4.2)%, (23.8±3.6)%, all of which showed significant improvement(P<0.05). Three months after the operation, CRP, PCT, and ESR were significantly lower than those before the operation, and CRP and PCT returned to normal, while ESR was still slightly elevated in some patients. The last follow-up CT showed that continuous trabecular bone formation was observed between the upper and lower endplates of the surgical segments in all patients, and the fusion time was (8.7±4.5) months. CONCLUSION The OLIF channel technique combined with posterior internal fixation is a minimally invasive and effective treatment method, which can effectively control infection, relieve pain, and improve the quality of life of patients. Compared with traditional open surgery, it has the advantages of minimally invasive, shorter operation time, and less intraoperative blood loss.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Spinal Fusion/methods* ; Lumbar Vertebrae/microbiology* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged, 80 and over ; Pedicle Screws ; Infections/surgery*

Case 1: A 19-day-old male infant presented with poor feeding and decreased activity for 2 weeks, worsening with poor responsiveness for 3 days. At 5 days old, he developed poor feeding and poor responsiveness, was hospitalized, and was found to have elevated blood ammonia and thrombocytopenia. Whole-genome genetic analysis revealed a pathogenic homozygous mutation in the PCCA gene, NM-000282.4: c.1834-1835del (p.Arg612AspfsTer44), leading to a diagnosis of propionic acidemia. Case 2: A 4-day-old male infant presented with poor responsiveness and feeding difficulties since birth, with elevated blood ammonia for 1 day. He showed weak sucking and deteriorating responsiveness, with blood ammonia >200 µmol/L. Genetic testing identified two heterozygous mutations in the MMUT gene: NM_000255.4: c.1677-1G>A and NM_000255.4: ex.5del, confirming methylmalonic acidemia. Case 3: A 20-day-old male infant presented with poor feeding for 15 days and skin petechiae for 8 days. He developed feeding difficulties at 5 days old and lower limb petechiae at 12 days old, with blood ammonia measured at 551.6 µmol/L. Genetic analysis found two heterozygous mutations in the PCCA gene: NM_000282.4: c.1118T>A (p.Met373Lys) and NM_000282.4: ex.16-18del, confirming propionic acidemia. In the first two cases, continuous hemodiafiltration was performed for 30 hours and 20 hours, respectively, before administering carglumic acid. In the third case, carglumic acid was administered orally without continuous hemodiafiltration, resulting in a decrease in blood ammonia from 551.6 µmol/L to 72.0 µmol/L within 6 hours, with a reduction rate of approximately 20-25 µmol/(kg·h), similar to the first two cases. Carglumic acid was effective in all three cases, suggesting it may help optimize future treatment protocols for organic acidemia.
Humans ; Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Propionic Acidemia/drug therapy* ; Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors/genetics* ; Mutation ; Methylmalonyl-CoA Decarboxylase/genetics* ; Citrates/administration & dosage* ; Carbon-Carbon Ligases/genetics* ; Glutamates

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influencing factors of pathological positive surgical margins (PSM) after radical resection of prostate cancer. METHODS: The clinical data of 407 patients who underwent radical resection of prostate cancer in our hospital from 2011 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. And the patients were divided into two groups according to postoperative pathological results. Single factor analysis was used to evaluate the differences in postoperative Gleason score, preoperative total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), preoperative serum free prostate-specific antigen to preoperative tPSA ratio (fPSA/ tPSA), clinical stage, postoperative pathological stage, operation method, age, body mass index (BMI), diameter and volume of prostate tumor. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factor of PSM. RESULTS: Among 407 patients with prostate cancer, 179 cases (43.98%) were positive. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in postoperative Gleason score, preoperative tPSA, clinical stage and postoperative pathological stage between the two groups (P<0.05). And Gleason score, preoperative tPSA and pathologic stage were independent risk factors for PSM. CONCLUSION There are relationships between PSM and postoperative Gleason score, tPSA, clinical T stage, postoperative pathologic pT stage. Among them, postoperative Gleason score (Gleason=7 points, Gleason≥8 points), preoperative total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA > 20 μg/L), and postoperative pathologic pT stage (pT3a, pT3b) were independent risk factors for positive pathological margins of prostate cancer.
Margins of Excision ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Prostatectomy/statistics & numerical data* ; Prostate/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Grading/statistics & numerical data* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Neoplasm Staging/statistics & numerical data* ; Postoperative Period ; Risk Factors ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of the Focused Solution Model Nursing intervention on quality of life, negative emotions of the patients with prostate cancer. Methods： A total of 82 prostate cancer patients who were diagnosed and treated at the General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command between September 2022 and September 2024 were included and randomly divided into study group and control group by the method of random number table, with 41 patients in each group. The patients in the study group were treated with Focused Solution Model Nursing intervention. And the routine care was used in the control group The quality of life and negative emotions were compared between the two groups by using the scales of World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF), HAMA and HAMD. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the patients in the study group exhibited significantly higher scores in the physiological, psychological, environmental, and social relationship domains of the WHOQOL-BREF scale (P<0.05). The scores of HAMA and HAMD in study group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). Additionally, all subscales of the Social Impact Scale including social exclusion, internalized shame, social isolation and economic discrimination were significantly lower than those of the study group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Focused Solution Model Nursing intervention can effectively improve the quality of life and negative emotions of the prostate cancer patients in the clinical treatment.
Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Prostatic Neoplasms/nursing* ; Emotions ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged

Three 2,3-diketoquinoxaline alkaloids were isolated from Heterosmilax yunnanensis Gagnep. Their structures were determined through 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, UV, and IR as 1-[5′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl] ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (1), 1-[2′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl]ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (2), and 1-ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (3). Compounds 1 and 2 are novel compounds, and 3 was isolated from H. yunnanensis for the first time. The hepatoprotective activity of these three compounds was evaluated, with compound 3 showing promising hepatoprotective activity.