BACKGROUND:Liuwei Dihuang Wan takes"three tonifying and three reducing effects"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys,while Zuogui Wan takes"seeking yin in yang"as its compatibility feature to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys by promoting yang.Both of them belong to the same method of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys,and have better curative effects at the symptomatic and cellular molecular levels. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Liuwei Dihuang Wan and Zuogui Wan in bone metabolism,and to explore their mechanism of action in the osteoprotegerin(OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL)osteoblastic pathway. METHODS:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into model,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,Zuogui Wan,and sham operation group,with eight rats in each group.Osteoporosis models were prepared using removal of both ovaries in the first three groups.Starting at 30 days postoperatively,rats in the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group were gavaged with Liuwei Dihuang Wan 1.125 g/kg/d;rats in the Zuoqui Wan group were gavaged with Zuogui Wan 2.25 g/kg/d;and rats in the sham operation group and the model group were gavaged with saline 10 mL/kg/d.After 12 weeks of gavage,the rat tibia was taken to measure bone mineral density.The serum levels of estrogen,bone alkaline phosphatase,and cAMP/cGMP were measured using ELISA,and the expression of OPG/RANKL in the femur was detected using western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham operation group,the model group showed a decrease in bone mineral density and levels of estrogen and bone alkaline phosphatase(P＜0.05)and an increase in cAMP/cGMP level(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group and the Zuogui Wan group significantly increased bone mineral density(P＜0.05)and bone alkaline phosphatase levels(P＜0.05);the Zuogui Wan group significantly decreased cAMP/cGMP levels(P＜0.05)and upregulated OPG expression(P＜0.05);the Liuwei Dihuang Wan group upregulated OPG expression and downregulated RANKL expression(P＜0.05);and both groups were unable to significantly increase estrogen levels(P＞0.05).To conclude,Zuogui Wan,which seeks yin from yang,can effectively increase the expression of OPG but cannot downregulate the expression of RANKL.However,Liuwei Dihuang Wan,which has three tonifying and three reducing effects,can bidirectionally regulate the expression of OPG and RANKL.This result suggests that Liuwei Dihuang Wan can significantly inhibit osteoclastic function compared with Zuogui Wan,and further research is needed to verify this conclusion.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases up to August 7, 2024. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and quality assessment. The quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the risk of bias and applicability of included prediction model studies were assessed by the prediction model risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST). Results A total of 10 studies were included, among which 5 studies only identified specific exhaled VOCs in CF patients, and another 5 developed 7 CF risk prediction models based on the identification of VOCs in CF. The included studies reported a total of 75 exhaled VOCs, most of which belonged to the categories of acylcarnitines, aldehydes, acids, and esters. Most models (n=6, 85.7%) only included exhaled VOCs as predictive factors, and only one model included factors other than VOCs, including forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75) and modified Medical Research Council scale for the assessment of dyspnea (mMRC). The accuracy of the models ranged from 77% to 100%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged from 0.771 to 0.988. None of the included studies provided information on the calibration of the models. The results of the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) showed that the overall bias risk of all predictive model studies was high, and the overall applicability was unclear. Conclusion The exhaled VOCs reported in the included studies showed significant heterogeneity, and more research is needed to explore specific compounds for CF. In addition, risk prediction models based on exhaled VOCs have certain value in the diagnosis of CF, but the overall bias risk is relatively high and needs further optimization from aspects such as model construction and validation.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and syndrome elements in lymphoma, as well as the correlation between TCM syndromes and Western clinical indicators, in order to analyze associations between TCM syndromes and these indicators. Methods: From January 2023 to May 2024, 216 patients with lymphoma who met the inclusion criteria in the Department of Hematology, Third People′s Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled. Four diagnostic methods were applied to perform TCM syndrome differentiation and extract syndrome elements. The correlations between various syndromes and blood test indicators of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin A (IgA), white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PLT), neutrophil (NEUT), immunohistochemical markers of B-cell lymphoma-6 (BCL6), B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2), proto-oncogene MYC, and Ki67 protein expression, Ann Arbor staging, international prognostic index (IPI) score, bone marrow infiltration, concurrent infections during chemotherapy, and post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression rate were analyzed. Results: Five TCM syndromes, ranked by frequency, were syndromes of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation(41.67%), qi depression with phlegm obstruction(30.56%), cold-phlegm congelation and stagnation(12.96%), phlegm-blood stasis toxin(12.04%), and lingering pathogen due to deficient vital qi(2.77%). Yin deficiency(50.93%) and phlegm(45.37%) were the more prevalent syndrome elements. The TCM syndromes were correlated with β2-MG, PLT, MYC, BCL2/MYC, Ki67 protein expression, and bone marrow infiltration (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in Ann Arbor staging or IPI score across the syndromes. Compared to the syndrome of cold-phlegm congelation and stagnation, the syndrome of qi depression with phlegm obstruction exhibited higher levels of NEUT, MYC, BCL2/MYC, and Ki67 protein expression, as well as a higher rate of post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression (P<0.05); the syndrome of phlegm-blood stasis toxin showed higher MYC and BCL2/MYC protein expression and a higher rate of post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression rate (P<0.05); the syndrome of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation demonstrated higher MYC and BCL2/MYC protein expression and bone marrow infiltration rates, whereas PLT level was lower (P<0.05); the syndrome of lingering pathogen due to deficient vital qi had higher MYC, BCL2/MYC, and Ki67 protein expression levels, as well as a higher rate of post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression rate (P<0.05). Compared to the syndrome of qi depression with phlegm obstruction, the syndrome of phlegm-blood stasis toxin exhibited lower Ki67 protein expression (P<0.05); the syndrome of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation had higher β2-MG level, bone marrow infiltration rate, and rate of concurrent infections during chemotherapy, whereas PLT and NEUT levels and the rate of post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression rate were lower (P<0.05). Compared to the syndrome of phlegm-blood stasis toxin, the syndrome of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation had higher β2-MG level, whereas NEUT and the rate of post-chemotherapy bone marrow suppression were lower(P<0.05); the syndrome of lingering pathogen due to deficient vital qi exhibited a higher Ki67 protein expression (P<0.05). Compared to the syndrome of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation, the syndrome of lingering pathogen due to deficient vital qi also showed a higher Ki67 protein expression(P<0.05). Conclusion The syndrome of yin deficiency with phlegm accumulation is relatively common in lymphoma. There is a correlation between TCM syndromes and Western medicine clinical indicators. The presence of heat signs in the syndromes may indicate active disease and poor prognosis, while the presence of strong pathogenic factors and weak vital qi in the syndromes may indicate a severer chemotherapy-related bone marrow suppression.

OBJECTIVE: To accurately measure human energy metabolism with high temporal resolution, a respiratory gas analysis system was designed using a breath-by-breath approach. METHODS: Firstly, indirect calorimetry was employed in respiratory gas analysis to measure the respiratory flow and concentration signals in real-time. Secondly, oxygen consumption QO2 and carbon dioxide production QCO2 were calculated through respiratory characteristic alignment and respiratory signal segmentation. Finally, metabolic indexes were calculated according to the Weir formula. Furthermore, a controlled trial was formulated for validation comparisons with the MGC ULTIMA SYSTEM PFX CARDIO2. RESULTS: The results indicate that the data points of metabolic indexes measured by this system all fall within the confidence interval when compared with those of the MGC. CONCLUSION The system has high consistency with the MGC measurement results. Thus, the system can accurately measure metabolism in real-time and provide data support for clinical nutrition assessment and therapy.
Humans ; Energy Metabolism ; Breath Tests/instrumentation* ; Calorimetry, Indirect/instrumentation* ; Equipment Design

Palmitoylation, an essential covalent attachment of a fatty acid (usually C16 palmitate) to cysteine residues within proteins, is crucial for regulating protein functionality and enzymatic activities. This lipid modification facilitates the anchoring of proteins to cellular membranes, dictating their subcellular distribution and influencing protein transport dynamics and intracellular positioning. Additionally, it plays a role in regulating protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Palmitoylation is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular diseases by modulating substrates and prompting additional post-translational modifications, as well as by interacting with other molecular alterations. Moreover, an intervention strategy focusing on palmitoylation processes is anticipated to offer novel therapeutic avenues for cardiovascular pathologies and address extant challenges in clinical settings. This review consolidates current research on the role and importance of palmitoylation in cardiovascular diseases by exploring its regulatory functions, the catalyzing enzymes, and the involved substrates. It highlights recent discoveries connecting palmitoylation-targeted therapies to cardiovascular health and examines potential approaches and future challenges in cardiovascular treatment.

Although in the treatment of extracranial vascular malformations the absolute ethanol used as an embolization agent has several advantages(such as low cost,reliable efficacy,no impact on subsequent treatments,etc.)and has already achieved significant progress in clinical practice,it is still regarded as a highly-selective liquid embolization agent in the sclerotherapy or embolization treatment of brain arteriovenous malformation(bAVM).At present,the indications of sclerotherapy and embolization therapy by using absolute ethanol include small AVM(＜3 cm)located at brain cortex or at non-eloguent area,and relatively low-flow AVM,in such case,the absolute ethanol acts as an effective supplement to other liquid embolization agents.Further studies are needed so as to improve the radiographic visualization and viscosity of absolute ethanol,to make the injection process more controlled,and to alleviate the edema caused by neurotoxicity and inflammation.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma （DLBCL） is a highly heterogeneous disease. Although standard first-line regimens can cure ＞50% of patients， approximately one-third of them develop relapsed/refractory DLBCL （r/r DLBCL）. Consequently， immunotherapy targeting molecular abnormalities has become pivotal for managing r/r DLBCL. The results of this review show that with advances in understanding DLBCL pathogenesis and the tumor immune microenvironment， antibody-based therapies have evolved rapidly， progressing from monoclonal antibodies （e.g.， rituximab， tafasitamab） to bispecific antibodies（e.g.， odronextamab，glofitamab， epcoritamab） and antibody-drug conjugate （e.g.， polatuzumab vedotin， loncastuximab tesirine）. These engineered agents enhance immune cytotoxicity and tumor-specific targeting， providing novel therapeutic options for r/r DLBCL patients.

Therapeutic resistance in cancer is responsible for numerous cancer deaths in clinical practice. While target mutations are well recognized as the basis of genetic resistance to targeted therapy, nontarget mutation resistance (or nongenetic resistance) remains poorly characterized. Despite its complex and unintegrated mechanisms in the literature, nongenetic resistance is considered from our perspective to be a collective response of innate or acquired resistant subpopulations in heterogeneous tumors to therapy. These subpopulations, e.g., cancer stem-like cells, cancer cells with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and drug-tolerant persisters, are protected by their resistance traits at cellular and molecular levels. This review summarizes recent advances in the research on resistant populations and their resistance traits. NOTCH signaling, as a central regulator of nongenetic resistance, is discussed with a special focus on its canonical maintenance of resistant cancer cells and noncanonical regulation of their resistance traits. This novel view of canonical and noncanonical NOTCH signaling pathways is translated into our proposal of reshaping therapeutic strategies targeting NOTCH signaling in resistant cancer cells. We hope that this review will lead researchers to study the canonical and noncanonical arms of NOTCH signaling as an integrated resistant mechanism, thus promoting the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.
Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Receptors, Notch/metabolism* ; Disease Resistance/physiology* ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Humans ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/physiology* ; Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods*

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of cerebral-placental-uterine ratio(CPUR)in predicting late-on-set fetal growth restriction(FGR).Methods:From May 2020 to May 2021,1255 women with singleton pregnancy who underwent prenatal examinations at the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital were selected for fetal growth and Doppler measurements at 35-37 +6 weeks of gestation.Pregnant women with birth weight of newbo-rns＜the 10th percentile were the FGR group.The pulsatility index(PI)of uterine artery(UtA),umbilical artery(UA)and fetal middle cerebral artery(MCA)were analyzed separately and in combination.ROC curve was used to analyze the cerebral-placental-uterine ratio(CPUR),cerebral-placental ratio(CPR),cerebral-uterine ratio(C-UtA)for predicting late-onset FGR;and to evaluate the sensitivity,positive and negative predictive value and of CPUR in the prediction of late-onset FGR.Results:The area under the curve(AUC)of CPUR,CPR,C-UtA and mean UtA-PI for FGR grope were 0.88,0.86,0.84 and 0.72.Under certain cut-off values and 87% specificity,the specificity of CPUR,CPR,C-UtA and mean UtA-Pifor predicting FGR group was 43.2%,46.6%,39.8% and 23.9%,respectively.The positive predictive values of CPUR,CPR,C-UtA and mean UtA-PI,UA-PI for predicting FGR group were 90.5%,71.9%,83.3%,63.6%and 5.2%,respectively.Conclusions:CPUR is more effective in predicting late onset FGR than CPR,C-UtA and mean UtA-PI.It can effectively increase the detection rate of fetal growth restrictionand reduce the FGR risk.

Objective:To explore the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of acne inversa (AI) .Methods:Skin tissue samples were obtained from 8 AI patients and 4 healthy controls from Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College from 2013 to 2019, and high-throughput sequencing was performed for tissue-specific mRNA expression profiling. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were carried out. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to verify the results of high-throughput sequencing.Results:Analysis of the specific expression profiles showed that 2 738 differentially expressed genes were screened out in the AI patients compared with the healthy controls, of which 1 328 genes were significantly up-regulated and 1 410 genes were significantly down-regulated. GO analysis demonstrated that the positive regulation of interferon γ secretion, T cell receptor complex and C-X-C chemokine receptor activity were significantly enriched in the AI lesions. KEGG analysis demonstrated that the signaling pathways associated with primary immuno‐deficiency, PPAR, and chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction were significantly enriched in the AI lesions. GSEA demonstrated that the PPAR signaling pathway was significantly weakened in the AI lesions. The mRNA expression levels of PPARA and PPARG were significantly lower in the AI patients (0.336 ± 0.120, 0.253 ± 0.078, respectively) than in the healthy group (1.000 ± 0.146, 1.000 ± 0.172, t = 3.50, 3.95, respectively, both P < 0.05), so were their protein levels. However, there was no significant difference in the PPARD mRNA expression level between the two groups ( t = 0.34, P = 0.750). The mRNA expression levels of nuclear hormone receptor 9-cis retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA), RXRG and fatty acid-binding protein 4 were significantly lower in the AI patients than in the healthy controls ( t = 2.96, 2.96, 4.62, respectively, all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:The PPAR signaling pathway was restrained and lipid metabolism was disordered in AI patients.