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Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

The nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) is one of the morphologically and functionally defined centers that engage in the autonomic regulation of cardiovascular activity. Phenotypically-characterized NTS neurons have been implicated in the differential regulation of blood pressure (BP). Here, we investigated whether phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)-expressing NTS (NTS^PNMT) neurons contribute to the control of BP. We demonstrate that photostimulation of NTS^PNMT neurons has variable effects on BP. A depressor response was produced during optogenetic stimulation of NTS^PNMT neurons projecting to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, lateral parabrachial nucleus, and caudal ventrolateral medulla. Conversely, photostimulation of NTS^PNMT neurons projecting to the rostral ventrolateral medulla produced a robust pressor response and bradycardia. In addition, genetic ablation of both NTS^PNMT neurons and those projecting to the rostral ventrolateral medulla impaired the arterial baroreflex. Overall, we revealed the neuronal phenotype- and circuit-specific mechanisms underlying the contribution of NTS^PNMT neurons to the regulation of BP.
Solitary Nucleus/metabolism* ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/metabolism*

In the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by dysregulated lipid metabolism in hepatocytes, the quest for safe and effective therapeutics targeting lipid metabolism has gained paramount importance. Sanhuang Xiexin Tang (SXT) and Baihu Tang (BHT) have emerged as prominent candidates for treating metabolic disorders. SXT combined with BHT plus Cangzhu (SBC) has been used clinically for Weihuochisheng obese patients. This retrospective analysis focused on assessing the anti-obesity effects of SBC in Weihuochisheng obese patients. We observed significant reductions in body weight and hepatic lipid content among obese patients following SBC treatment. To gain further insights, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of SBC in HFD-fed mice. The results demonstrated that SBC treatment mitigated body weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice. Pharmacological network analysis suggested that SBC may affect lipid metabolism, mitochondria, inflammation, and apoptosis-a hypothesis supported by the hepatic transcriptomic analysis in HFD-fed mice treated with SBC. Notably, SBC treatment was associated with enhanced hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis and the inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/NF-κB pathways. In conclusion, SBC treatment alleviates NAFLD in both obese patients and mouse models by improving lipid metabolism, potentially through enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. These effects, in turn, ameliorate inflammation in hepatocytes.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Retrospective Studies ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Obesity/metabolism* ; Liver ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Body Weight ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipids ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects*

Traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are the main battlefield for the inheritance,innovation,and develop-ment of traditional Chinese medicine.Human resource is the primary resource for the development of traditional Chinese medi-cine.The inheritance,innovation,and development of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals cannotwithout the cultivation and creation of high-quality teams.A traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Guangzhou has developed the"Three Projects and One Plan"human resource cultivation plan based on the idea of multi-level training that improve the overall quality of the workforce and focus on potential person.It has constructed a traditional Chinese medicine human resource cultivation system that covers the entire cycle of person.The hospital has carried out in new mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine human resource cultivation,and various measures have been implemented and achieved some success.And then,it will consider the next step of human re-source cultivation.

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes have a certain genetic background. It is of great significance to study the essence of syndromes, and through genetic polymorphism research, the objectification of TCM syndromes can be realized. There are multiple relationships between genetic polymorphisms and TCM syndromes:including the relationship between internal factors and external manifestations, the relationship between macrocosmic view and microcosmic view, and the relationship between objectivity and subjectivity. This article reviews the current research progress on the correlation between genetic polymorphism and TCM syndromes in order to provide some ideas for the objectification of syndromes.

The major immunogenic protein capsid (Cap) of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is critical to induce neutralizing antibodies and protective immune response against PCV2 infection. This study was conducted to investigate the immune response of recombinant adenovirus expressing PCV2b Cap and C-terminal domain of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis invasin (Cap-InvC) fusion protein in pigs. The recombinant adenovirus rAd-Cap-InvC, rAd-Cap and rAd were generated and used to immunize pigs. The phosphate-buffered saline was used as negative control. The specific antibodies levels in rAd-Cap-InvC and ZJ/C-strain vaccine groups were higher than that of rAd-Cap group (p < 0.05), and the neutralization antibody titer in rAd-Cap-InvC group was significantly higher than those of other groups during 21–42 days post-immunization (DPI). Moreover, lymphocyte proliferative level, interferon-γ and interleukin-13 levels in rAd-Cap-InvC group were increased compared to rAd-Cap group (p < 0.05). After virulent challenge, viruses were not detected from the blood samples in rAd-Cap-InvC and ZJ/C-strain vaccine groups after 49 DPI. And the respiratory symptom, rectal temperature, lung lesion and lymph node lesion were minimal and similar in the ZJ/C-strain and rAd-Cap-InVC groups. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that rAd-Cap-InvC was more efficiently to stimulate the production of antibody and protect pigs from PCV2 infection. We inferred that InvC is a good candidate gene for further development and application of PCV2 genetic engineering vaccine.
Adenoviridae ; Adenovirus Vaccines ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Capsid ; Capsid Proteins ; Circovirus ; Genetic Engineering ; Immunization ; Interleukin-13 ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Swine ; Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Objective To investigate the effects of VCAM-1 on migration and invasion of glioma cell lines . Methods The techniques of lentivirus pSGU6/GFP/Neo-based VCAM-1 shRNA and EF1 a-GFP/puro-based VCAM-1 expression vector, the scratch wound healing migration and transwell invasion assays , and the Western blot and cell staining were applied to observe the effects of VCAM-1 expression levels on migration and invasion of glioma cell line cells.There are four groups in T98G cells including control, vector, scramble and shRNA-VCAM-1 groups and three groups in U251 cells covering control, vector and VCAM-1 overexpressed groups ( n=6 per group) .Results The stabled glioma cell lines of T98 G cells with down-regulated VCAM-1 and U251 cells with VCAM-1 overexpression were established by using lentivirus-based VCAM-1 shRNA and expression vector.The ability of scratch wound healing (migration activity) decreased significantly (P<0.01) in T98G cells with lower VCAM-1 expression levels, while the migration activity was obviously improved in U251 cells with overexpressed VCAM-1 ( P <0.05 ) .Similarly, the invasion ability was significantly inhibited ( P <0.05) in T98G cells with silenced VCAM-1, as well as VCAM-1 overexpression could enhance the invasion ability of U251 cells ( P<0.01 ) .Conclusions VCAM-1 improves the migration activity and invasion ability of human glioma cell line cells.

Objective To investigate the effect of Vitamin D (VitD) on intraperitoneal fat coefficient,monocyte/macrophage chemoattractant protein and macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue of infantile rats with obesity.Methods A total of 45 weanling female SD rats were randomly divided into control group (group N),obesity model group(group OB) and VitD intervention group(group VitD),and each group had 15 rats.The rats of group N were fed with basic diet,and the rats in group OB and group VitD were fed with high-fat diet.The rats of group VitD were administrated intragastrically with VitD 5 μg/(kg · d)(equivalent to 400 IU VitD for human infants) for 6 weeks,while the rats of group OB and group N were given plant oil [5 mL/(kg · d)] for 6 weeks instead.The body weight of rats were recorded once every week,and Lee's indexes were calculated.The fat mass in enterocoelia were wcighted after 6 weeks.The levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 α (MIP-1 α) in serum were detected by adopting enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The specimens of adipose tissue were observed and the number of adipocyte was counted through hematoxylin-eosin stain.The protein expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1 α and F4/80 in adipose tissue were determined by immunohistochemistry,and the mRNA expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1α and nuclear factor (NF)-κB in adipose tissue were determined by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR),then the correlation analysis with body weight,Lee's index and fat mass in enterocoelia were conducted.Results After 6 weeks with high-fat diet,the body weight,intraperitoneal fat coefficient,serum levels ofMCP-1 and MIP-1α in group OB[(244.1 ± 16.2) g,(3.25 ±0.63)％,(2 275.2 ±229.3) ng/L,(190.4 ± 61.9) ng/L] significantly increased compared with those of group N [(224.2 ± 10.9) g,(2.43 ± 0.47) ％,(1 522.1 ±577.1) ng/L,(63.6 ±31.6) ng/L] and group VitD[(214.0± 12.5) g,(2.04 ±0.64)％,(1 863.4 ± 477.0) ng/L,(120.3 ± 29.5) ng/L],and the differences were significant (all P ＜ 0.05).The adipose cells ranged orderly in group N and group VitD;the structure was disordered in group OB with various shapes and sizes of adipose cells and the excessively expanded adipose cells existed with many small newborn adipose cells.Immunohistochemistry showed that the protein expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1α and F4/80 in adipose tissue in group OB(130 944.5 ±10 706.1,174 354.8 ±65 267.8,51 701.9 ± 50 105.1) significantly increased compared with those of group N (47 394.5 ± 9 261.9,54 376.7 ± 36 436.9,23 370.3 ± 16 613.1),and the differences were significant (all P ＜ 0.01);the protein expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1α and F4/80 in adipose tissue in group VitD (102 967.2 ± 9 329.3,48 659.8 ± 43 553.8,25 604.9 ± 11 411.6) significantly decreased compared with those of group OB,and the differences were significant (all P ＜ 0.01).The qPCR showed that mRNA expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1 α and NF-κB in adipose tissue in group OB (2.78 ± O.90,7.10 ± 1.85,1.50 ± 0.16) significantly increased compared with those of group N (0.88 ± 0.18,0.99 ± 0.80,1.00 ± 0.28),and the differences were significant (all P ＜ 0.05);the mRNA expressions of MCP-1,MIP-1α and NF-κB in adipose tissue in group VitD(1.73 ±0.51,1.59 ± 1.09,0.72 ±0.30) significantly decreased compared with those of group OB,and the differences were significant (all P ＜0.05).There was no significant difference in Lee's indexes among the 3 groups (F =0.351,P =0.711).At the age of 9 months age,the mRNA expression levels of MCP-1,MIP-1α and NF-κB in adipose tissue of infantile rats were positively correlated with body weight and intra-peritoneal fat coefficient(r =0.738,0.517,0.762,0.693,0.519,0.557,all P ＜ 0.05),but there was no correlation with the Lee's index(r =0.322,0.317,-0.023,all P ＞0.05).Conclusions VitD supplement can suppress the obesity induced by high-fat-diet,and the possible mechanism is that VitD reduce the expression of monocyte/macrophage chemoattractant protein and macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue through regulating NF-κB signal pathway.