OBJECTIVE: Astragali Radix (AR, Huangqi in Chinese) has been utilized generally as a bulk drug for the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in China. The efficacy of wild-simulated AR (WAR) and transplanted AR (TAR) commercially available is unclear. This study aimed to further clarify the therapeutic action of WAR and TAR to treat CAG rats based on endogenous-xenobiotics metabolism. METHODS: Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) based metabolomics had been used to analyze the cecal contents metabolic features and metabolic process differences of two ARs in the treatment of CAG. RESULTS: Apparent pharmacodynamic indicator examination revealed that the WAR group had a more substantial curative effect. Metabolomics studies revealed that seven endogenous metabolites were significant differences in two ARs. Furthermore, following treatment, 77 and 65 xenobiotics metabolites were identified in the WAR and TAR groups, respectively. Finally, the most critical riboflavin metabolic route in the formation of CAG was chosen for molecular docking with the relevant exogenous components, and WAR scored higher than TAR. CONCLUSION In this work, we analyzed the efficacy differences of AR from diverse cultivation forms by combining metabolomics and medicinal chemistry technologies, and it gave a fresh perspective for TCM efficacy evaluation and quality control research.

Objective To explore the evaluation value of serum follistatin like protein 1(FSTL1)and glu-cose regulatory protein 78(GRP78)on disease severity and readmission in elderly patients with chronic ob-structive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods A total of 100 elderly COPD patients(COPD group)treated in this hospital from March 2020 to May 2023 were selected as COPD group,and were divided into grade Ⅰ(35 cases),grade Ⅱ(46 cases)and grade Ⅲ(19 cases)according to the severity of the disease.Another 100 elderly volunteers who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum FSTL1 and GRP78 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Spearman and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the correlation between serum FSTL1 and GRP78 lev-els and general data.The evaluation value of serum FSTL1 and GRP78 levels in COPD patients on disease se-verity and readmission was analyzed by receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve.Results Compared with the control group,serum levels of FSTL1 and GRP78 in COPD group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Serum levels of FSTL1 and GRP78 in COPD patients increased with the severity of the disease(P＜0.05).Compared with non-readmission group,the serum levels of FSTL1 and GRP78 in readmission group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum FSTL1 and GRP78 levels were positively correlated with smoking history,hypertension history and disease severity(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum FSTL1 and GRP78 levels were negatively correlated with arte-rial oxygen pressure(PaO2),the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second to forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC),and the percentage of forced expiratory volume in the first second to expected value(FEV1％pred),with significance(P＜0.05),while it was positively correlated with the partial pressure of carbon diox-ide(PaCO2),with significance(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that serum FSTL1,GRP78 and their combined assessment of disease severity and readmitted area under the curve(AUC)were higher in COPD pa-tients,and the combination was significantly better than the single assessment(P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum levels of FSTL1 and GRP78 are significantly increased in COPD patients,which are correlated with the severi-ty of the disease and have a high value in evaluating the severity of the disease and readmission.

Compared to the general population, there is a higher prevalence of epilepsy in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Epilepsy serves as an indicator of CP severity and has a significant impact on the early survival and future quality of life of children with CP. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the shared mechanisms underlying CP and epilepsy. This study aims to summarize the comorbidity of CP and epilepsy from genetic factors, risk factors, and pathophysiological mechanisms, in order to provide a reference for further research.

"Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century—A Vision and Strategy"proposed by the National Research Council of US has brought innovative directives and objectives for toxicity evaluation and risk assessment,pushing forward the next generation of toxicity testing and risk assessment.In this initiative,the concept of adverse outcome pathways(AOPs)has emerged as a prominent methodology,capturing the attention of toxicologists and researchers due to its promising applications in recent years.The quantitative AOP(qAOP)is an extension of the adverse outcome pathway,which is built upon the foundational qualitative adverse outcome pathway model and leverages mathematical frame-works to depict dose-response and/or response-response relationships.This article reviews the princi-ples and advancement surrounding qAOP,introduceds two prevalent methodologies for constructing qAOP,Bayesian network models and regression models,and demonstrates diverse applications of qAOP.Actual cases are used to underscore the transformative role of qAOP in contemporary toxicology and risk assessment practices.

Objective To determine the levels of arsenic in food in Chongqing city,and to assess the levels of dietary arsenic exposure and the associated potential health risks in residents of Chongqing city.Methods By using the monitoring data on arsenic levels in food in Chongqing between 2018 and 2023 in combination with the local dietary survey data for Chongqing from the 2018 China Nutrition and Health Survey Program,and adopting the 2-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation,we made an estimate of the dietary arsenic exposure levels of Chongqing residents.The margin of exposure(MOE)method was applied to assess both non-carcinogenic risks(skin damage)and carcinogenic risks(lung cancer and urinary system cancers)associated with dietary intake of arsenic.Results Out of 4900 food samples,the detection rate of arsenic was 36.40％,with the average levels ranging from the median bound(MB)of 0.020 7 to the upper bound(UB)of 0.023 4 mg/kg.The highest average levels were found in rice and its products,with an MB of 0.0981 and a UB of 0.098 5 mg/kg.The daily average exposure to inorganic arsenic for residents of different ages,sexes,and places of residence was highest in individuals aged 3 to 6,with an MB of 1.046 μg/(kg·d)and a UB of 1.116 μg/(kg·d),and lowest among individuals aged 60 and older.Arsenic exposure was higher in males than that in females and higher in people living in rural areas compared to those in urban areas.In terms of non-carcinogenic risks,the MOE values for inorganic arsenic were always higher than 1 in various populations.As for carcinogenic risks,the MOE values were all less than 100 in various populations.Rice and its products were the main source of dietary arsenic exposure in Chongqing,accounting for 69.97％to 74.37％of the total exposure.Conclusion The non-carcinogenic risk caused by dietary arsenic exposure in Chongqing is relatively low,but there may be a certain level of carcinogenic risk.Continued attentions should be given to dietary arsenic exposure levels in young children.

The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells,dominated by lactobacilli.Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age,as well as cervical,fecal,and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women.Factors such as pregnancy history,delivery history,cesarean section,and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome,and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical micro-biome data.Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut.The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history.Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity,heavy flow,dysmenor-rhea,and contraceptives were also identified.Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause.Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome.Gut and salivary microbiomes,plasma vitamins,metals,amino acids,and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome.Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.

Objective:To study the effect of spleen and marrow strengthening method combined with CAG regimen on the quality of life(QOL) of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome.Methods:From June 2017 to October 2018, 50 elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency were randomly divided into treatment group and control group by random number table method, with 25 patients in each group.The patients in the control group were treated with CAG regimen(Ara-C+ Acla+ G-CSF), while the patients in the treatment group were treated with CAG regimen and leukemia prescription I, which was the empirical prescription for spleen and kidney Yang deficiency syndrome in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia.The patients were treated for two courses.The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and QOL scores of patients in two groups were compared and observed.Results:Before treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in the score of TCM syndromes between the two groups ( P>0.05). After treatment, the improvement of TCM syndromes in the treatment group had statistically significant difference compared with before treatment[before treatment (9.29±4.22)points, after treatment (5.04±3.83)points, t=3.656, P=0.001], but that in the control group had no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). The treatment group was better than the control group ( t=-2.081, P=0.044). The total effective rate of the treatment group was 58.33% (14/24), which was significantly higher than that of the control group[26.32% (5/19)], and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=5.831, P<0.05). Before treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in the total score of QOL between the two groups ( P>0.05). After treatment, the scores of QOL in both two groups were improved, the differences were statistically significant[the control group: (40.37±2.93)points vs.(38.21±2.76)points, t=2.337, P=0.025; the treatment group: (41.46±2.57)points vs.(36.54±2.34)points, t=6.929, P=0.000], and the QOL score of the treatment group was better than that of the control group ( t=-2.145, P=0.038). Conclusion:The improvement of TCM syndromes and QOL of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome treated by spleen and marrow strengthening method combined with CAG regimen is better than that treated by CAG chemotherapy alone.

Objective: To explore the effects of Yiqi Yangyin Liangxue method on platelets, interleukin-10(IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) of immune thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP) model mice, and to analyze its curative effect and possible mechanism. Methods: A total of 100 ITP model mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, single Chinese medicine group, single hormone group and Chinese medicine combined with hormone group.Drug intervention was started on the 8th day after the establishment of the model, and the drug was given for a total of 14 days.The blood of mice was collected and the levels of platelets, TGF-β and IL-10 in serum of mice in each group were detected. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in platelet count among all groups before modeling(F=0.556, P>0.05). Before administration, there was statistically significant difference between the model group and the blank group (t=28.207, P<0.01), there were no statistically significant differences between the model group and the traditional Chinese medicine group, hormone group, hormone+ traditional Chinese medicine group (t=-1.96, -0.464, -0.979, all P>0.05). After gastric administration, the platelet counts in the traditional Chinese medicine group[(710.45±124.52)×10⁹/L], hormone group[(768.10±127.42)×10⁹/L], hormone+ traditional Chinese medicine group[(908.05±89.66)×10⁹/L] were significantly higher than that in the model group[(413.55±38.84)×10⁹/L](t=-10.18, -11.90, -22.63, all P<0.01). After gastric administration, there was no statistically significant difference between the traditional Chinese medicine group and the hormone group(t=-1.447, P>0.05). After gastric administration, the platelet count of the hormone+ traditional Chinese medicine group was significantly higher than that of the hormone group and the traditional Chinese medicine group(t=-4.017, -5.759, all P<0.01). There was statistically significant difference in IL-10 level among groups after administration(F=32.20, P<0.01). IL-10 levels between the model group[(20.28±0.75)ng/L] and traditional Chinese medicine group[(21.41±1.40)ng/L], hormone group[(21.79±1.14)ng/L] and traditional Chinese medicine+ hormone group[(23.14±1.34)ng/L] had statistically significant differences (t=-3.18, -4.93, -8.33, all P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the traditional Chinese medicine group and hormone group(t=-0.927, P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the traditional Chinese medicine+ hormone group and traditional Chinese medicine group, hormone group (t=-3.97, -3.43, all P<0.01). There was statistically significant difference in TGF-beta level among all groups after administration(F=31.16, P<0.01). The TGF-β levels between the model group[(82.32±3.42)ng/L] and Chinese medicine group[(88.10±8.51)ng/L], hormone group[(90.03±4.50)ng/L] and Chinese medicine combined with hormone group[(94.41±2.53)ng/L] had statistically significant differences (t=-2.82, -6.10, -12.70, all P<0.01). There was no significant difference in TGF-β level between the Chinese medicine group and hormone group(t=-0.90, P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences in in TGF-beta level between the traditional Chinese medicine+ hormone group and Chinese medicine group, hormone group (t=-3.18, -3.79, all P<0.01). Conclusion Yiqi Yangyin Liangxue method can reduce platelet destruction by regulating the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β and inhibiting immunity, and it has good therapeutic effect on ITP.

Objective: To observe the effect of Yiqi Yangyin Liangxue method on peripheral blood platelet count and CD₄⁺ CD₂₅⁺ regulatory T cells(Treg) in mice model of immune thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP). Methods: A total of 100 mice were randomly divided into blank control group, model group, Chinese medicine group, hormone group, Chinese medicine+ hormone group, with 20 mice in each group.In addition to the blank control group, the other four groups were intraperitoneally injected with guinea pig anti-mouse platelet serum(APS) to establish the ITP model.The peripheral blood platelet counts of mice in each group were determined by animal blood analyzer before modeling, before and after gavage, and CD₄⁺ CD₂₅⁺ Treg cells in each group were detected by flow cytometry after gavage. Results: After intragastric administration, compared with the model group, the peripheral blood platelet count of mice in the other groups increased significantly[(413.55±38.84)×10⁹/L, (710.45±124.52)×10⁹/L, (768.10±127.42)×10⁹/L, (908.05±89.66)×10⁹/L, t=-10.18, -11.90, -22.63, all P<0.01], and the proportion of CD₄⁺ CD₂₅⁺ Treg cells in peripheral blood increased significantly[(1.649±0.286)%, (2.000±0.193)%, (2.286±0.271)%, (2.648±1.883)%, t=-4.54, -7.221, -13.031, all P<0.01]. All indicators of the Chinese medicine+ hormone group had statistically significant differences compared with those of the Chinese medicine group and the hormone group(t=-5.759, -4.107, -10.762, -4.902, all P<0.01). Conclusion Yiqi Yangyin Liangxue method may up-regulate the expression of CD₄⁺ CD₂₅⁺ Treg cells in peripheral blood of ITP mice, thereby reducing excessive platelet damage.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between serum levels of S100A8/S100A9 and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer patients.
 METHODS: A total of 82 patients with CRC and 14 healthy controls were enrolled for this study. The levels of S100A8 and S100A9 in serum were detected by ELISA assay. The association between S100A8/S100A9 and clinicopathological features was analyzed by student-t test and one-way ANOVA. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to analyze diagnostic efficiency of serum S100A8 and S100A9 for colon rectal cancer. Logistic regression model was also established to analyze the possible risk factors for elevation of S100A8/S100A9.
 RESULTS: The levels of S100A8 and S100A9 were (1 403.3±593.7) and (2 890.3±994.9) pg/mL in patients with colon cancer, and (712.8±265.3) and (1 492.7±564.6) pg/mL in controls, respectively, with significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). The similar results were found in rectal cancer patients, with a level of S100A8 and S100A9 at (1 417.7±666.5) and (3 026.7±887.6) pg/mL, respectively. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of S100A8 and S100A9 are better than traditional biomarkers. The levels of S100A9 in serum of CRC patients were correlated with clinical stages and distant metastasis. Serum levels of S100A9 in patients of stage III [(3 111.9±178.5) pg/mL] and stage IV [(3 831.4±278.5) pg/mL] were significantly (P<0.01) higher than that in stage I [(2 276.1±167.4) pg/mL], whereas there was significant change in S100A8 levels. Logistic regression showed the possible risk factors for the elevation of S100A9, including depth of invasion, lymphatic metastasis and degree of differentiation (P<0.05).
 CONCLUSION Serum level of S100A8 and S100A9 in CRC patients were significantly increased and serum level of S100A9 was positively correlated with the malignant features of CRC.
Calgranulin A ; Calgranulin B ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Risk Factors