Objective: To evaluate the effect of bioactive peptides combined with probiotics on serum uric acid (SUA) in patients with hyperuricemia (HUA), so as to provide the evidence for prevention and treatment of HUA. Methods: The patients with HUA aged 18 to 65 years were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. The patients in the intervention group received bioactive peptides combined with probiotics for 28 days at a dose of 3 g/d, while the patients in the control group received an equal dose of placebos. Demographic information, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood lipid were collected through questionnaire surveys, physical examination and laboratory tests. SUA levels were detected before and after 14 days and 28 days of interventions. The differences of SUA levels between the two groups were compared using generalized estimation equation. Results: Totally 108 patients with HUA were recruited, including 54 patients in the intervention group and 53 patients in the control group (1 dropout). Before interventions, there were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, course of HUA, exercise duration, frequency of alcohol consumption, frequency of meat broth consumption, BMI, prevalence of hypertension and prevalence of dyslipidemia between the two groups (all P>0.05). After 14 days of interventions, the SUA levels of the patients in the intervention group decreased by 3.00 μmol/L, while those in the control group increased by 7.00 μmol/L. After 28 days of interventions, the SUA levels of the patients in the intervention group and the control group decreased by 26.00 μmol/L and 16.00 μmol/L, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant interaction between the intervention time and group (both P>0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that after 28 days of interventions, the decrease in SUA levels in the patients aged 55 years and older and without hypertension in the intervention group was greater than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusions Bioactive peptides combined with probiotics showed no significant difference in reducing SUA levels in patients with HUA compared to the control group. The effect was more significant for patients aged 55 years and older and without hypertension.

Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an important therapeutic target for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. Based on the previously identified potent XO inhibitor 1, seventeen oxadiazoles and their ring-opening analogues were designed and synthesized via the bioisostere replacement strategy. Among them, compounds 2l, 2n, and 3b showed obvious XO inhibitory activity at the concentration of 10 μmol·L^-1, and compound 3b exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 1.45 μmol·L^-1.

Objective To understand the influencing factors of chronic dyslipidemia in T2DM patients who signed a contract for diabetes point system management in Qingpu District, and to provide a basis for comprehensive intervention and prevention and control of dyslipidemia in T2DM patients and to optimize the management strategy of Qingpu District diabetes point system. Methods Among the T2DM patients who signed the diabetes point system from 2017 to 2023, patients with chronic dyslipidemia and normal blood lipids were selected and included in the case group and the control group, respectively. A case-control study was conducted with 1:1 matching by age and gender to analyze the factors influencing dyslipidemia. Results Multifactorial paired logistic regression analysis showed that overweight/obesity and central obesity and smoking in T2DM patients increased the risk of dyslipidemia by 1.93, 2.27, and 2.16 times, respectively. Long-term use of lipid-lowering drugs, duration of diabetes for 5 years or more, regular physical exercise, knowledge of blood lipid status, and married status could reduce the risk of dyslipidemia in T2DM patients (OR values were 0.547, 0.452, 0.685, 0.386 and 0.354, respectively). Current complications (history of stroke, coronary heart disease, and renal insufficiency) were also associated with dyslipidemia (OR=1.802, 95% CI:1.125-2.888). Conclusion The management of diabetes point system in Qingpu District should strengthen the feedback and interpretation of blood lipid monitoring results, improve patients’ health awareness of blood lipid management, and actively take comprehensive management of lifestyle intervention and drug treatment to effectively control blood lipid and reduce the occurrence of related complications.

Objective: To explore the effect of different obesity indicators in predicting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) risk among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide the evidence for the early identification of CVD risk among T2DM patients. Methods: The patients with T2DM under community management in Qingpu District, Shanghai Municipality were selected as the study subjects in January 2025. Basic information such as gender, age, and blood glucose control status were collected through the Shanghai Chronic Disease Information Management System, while history of CVD were obtained from residents' electronic health records and the Shanghai Disease Control Information Platform. Obesity was assessed using body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), BMI combined with WC, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and triglyceride (TG) combined with WC indicators. The association between obesity and CVD was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models. The predictive effect of each obesity indicators for CVD was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: A total of 4 367 patients with T2DM were included, including 2 121 males (48.57%) and 2 246 females (51.43%). The average age was (68.71±8.05) years. The prevalence of CVD was 44.49%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, education level, history of hypertension, duration of T2DM, use of glucose-lowering medications, renal function, and blood glucose control status, obese T2DM patients had a 389.4% increased risk of CVD compared to those with normal BMI; centrally obese T2DM patients had a 100.4% increased risk compared to those with normal WC; T2DM patients with isolated general obesity and compound obesity had 161.0% and 241.1% increased risks of CVD, respectively, compared to those with normal BMI and WC; centrally obese T2DM patients had a 100.4% increased risk compared to those with normal WHtR; T2DM patients with normal TG-high WC and high TG-high WC phenotypes had 83.1% and 68.8% increased risks of CVD, respectively, compared to those with normal TG and normal WC (all P<0.05). BMI had the highest AUC, at 0.714, with sensitivity and specificity of 0.675 and 0.642, respectively. This was followed by BMI combined with WC, which had an AUC of 0.707, with sensitivity and specificity of 0.635 and 0.679, respectively. Conclusions Obesity defined by BMI, WC, BMI combined with WC, WHtR, and TG combined with WC increases the risk of CVD among patients with T2DM. BMI and BMI combined with WC have better predictive effect in predicting CVD risk among patients with T2DM, and can be used as the primary obesity indicators for CVD risk screening.

As a high-quality moxibustion material, Artemisia stolonifera has high economic value and research prospects. However, due to difficulties in seed germination, its wild germplasm resources are sparsely distributed in China. This study used young stem segments grown in the current year to investigate the effects of explant sterilization, different combinations and concentrations of plant growth regulators on the proliferation and rooting of adventitious shoots, with the aim of constructing an in vitro rapid propagation technology system for A. stolonifera. The results showed that the lowest contamination rate of 25.83% was achieved when sterilizing the stem segments by rinsing with running water for 30 min, soaking in 75% ethanol for 30 s, followed by a 5 min treatment with 0.1% HgCl_2, 10 min with 8% NaClO, and 10 min with 0.6% phytosaniline. There was no browning of the stem segments, and surface sterilization of the A. stolonifera stem segments was successfully achieved. In the induction culture phase, when the concentration of kinetin(KT) was 0.05 mg·L~(-1) and 6-benzylaminopurine(6-BA) was 0.05 mg·L~(-1), the adventitious shoot proliferation coefficient was 2.02, effectively promoting the proliferation and growth of A. stolonifera. In the rooting culture phase, 0.1 mg·L~(-1) 1-naphthaleneacetic acid(NAA) effectively induced A. stolonifera test-tube seedlings to root within a short period, achieving a rooting rate of 100%. The addition of a small amount of activated charcoal also promoted rooting and strengthened seedling growth. The survival rate of A. stolonifera seedlings transplanted into a substrate consisting of 90% nutrient soil and 10% perlite was 100%. This study established an efficient in vitro rapid propagation system for A. stolonifera, overcoming difficulties with seed germination, shortening the breeding cycle, and reducing production and planting costs. It provides technical support for the introduction, domestication, seedling propagation, germplasm conservation, and industrial development of A. stolonifera.
Artemisia/drug effects* ; Tissue Culture Techniques/methods* ; Plant Growth Regulators/pharmacology* ; Plant Stems/drug effects* ; Plant Shoots/drug effects*

BACKGROUND: Based on the China-VHD database, this study sought to develop and validate a Valvular Heart Disease- specific Age-adjusted Comorbidity Index (VHD-ACI) for predicting mortality risk in patients with VHD. METHODS & RESULTS: The China-VHD study was a nationwide, multi-centre multi-centre cohort study enrolling 13,917 patients with moderate or severe VHD across 46 medical centres in China between April-June 2018. After excluding cases with missing key variables, 11,459 patients were retained for final analysis. The primary endpoint was 2-year all-cause mortality, with 941 deaths (10.0%) observed during follow-up. The VHD-ACI was derived after identifying 13 independent mortality predictors: cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary artery hypertension, low body weight, anaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, renal insufficiency, moderate/severe hepatic dysfunction, heart failure, cancer, NYHA functional class and age. The index exhibited good discrimination (AUC, 0.79) and calibration (Brier score, 0.062) in the total cohort, outperforming both EuroSCORE II and ACCI (P < 0.001 for comparison). Internal validation through 100 bootstrap iterations yielded a C statistic of 0.694 (95% CI: 0.665-0.723) for 2-year mortality prediction. VHD-ACI scores, as a continuous variable (VHD-ACI score: adjusted HR (95% CI): 1.263 (1.245-1.282), P < 0.001) or categorized using thresholds determined by the Yoden index (VHD-ACI ≥ 9 vs. < 9, adjusted HR (95% CI): 6.216 (5.378-7.184), P < 0.001), were independently associated with mortality. The prognostic performance remained consistent across all VHD subtypes (aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid valve disease, mixed aortic/mitral valve disease and multiple VHD), and clinical subgroups stratified by therapeutic strategy, LVEF status (preserved vs. reduced), disease severity and etiology. CONCLUSION The VHD-ACI is a simple 13-comorbidity algorithm for the prediction of mortality in VHD patients and providing a simple and rapid tool for risk stratification.

This experiment aims to study the taste-masking effects of different kinds of corrigent used individually and in combination on ibuprofen oral solution, in order to optimize the taste-masking formulation. Firstly, a wide range of corrigent and the mass fractions were extensively screened using electronic tongue technology. Subsequently, a combination of sensory evaluation, analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-fuzzy mathematics evaluation, and Box-Behnken experimental design were employed to comprehensively assess the taste-masking effects of different combinations of corrigent on ibuprofen oral solution, optimize the taste-masking formulation, and validate the results. The study received ethical approval from the Review Committee of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (ethical code: 2024BZYLL0102). The results showed that corrigent fractions and types were screened separately through single-factor experiments. Subsequently, a Box-Behnken response surface design combined with AHP and fuzzy mathematics evaluation was used to fit a functional model: Z = 688.310 11 - 3 023.722 22X₁ - 11.477 00X₂ + 62.721 67X₃ + 14.600 00X₁X₂ - 179.666 67X₁X₃ - 3.152 00X₂X₃ + 4 031.111 11X₁² + 0.525 28X₂² + 9.772 00X₃². This model is stable and reliable, determining the optimal taste-masking formulation to be 3.9 g·L^-1 of stevioside, 100 g L^-1 of xylitol, and 30 g L^-1 of methyl-β-cyclodextrin. The comprehensive score of the verification test is 88.14, with a relative RSD of 0.39%, indicating the feasibility of this model. This study achieved the improvement of the taste of ibuprofen oral solution through a combination of objective and subjective methods. Three types of corrigent were identified for enhancing drug taste, leading to the selection of the optimal taste-masking formulation for ibuprofen oral solution. This significantly enhanced the taste of the original formulation, improved patient compliance, and offered a new approach to mitigating the undesirable taste of formulations.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of silencing microtubule-affinity regulating kinase 4(MARK4)on the apoptosis,inflammatory cytokine release and intestinal barrier protein expression of FHC cells in a lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced ulcerative colitis(UC)model,and the underlying molecular mechanisms.Western blot analysis was used to measure the expression levels of MARK4 and apoptosis-related factors including Caspase-1,NLRP3,and GSDMD in colon tissues from both UC patients and healthy individuals,as well as in LPS-induced FHC cell inflammation model.FHC cells was transfected with shRNA to silence MARK4.In control(normal FHC cells),LPS(LPS-stimulated FHC cells),and MARK4-silenced+LPS(shRNA-and LPS-treated FHC cells)groups,the expression levels of Caspase-1,NLRP3,GSDMD,intestinal barrier proteins,and NF-κB pathway-related proteins were assessed by Western blotting.ELISA and RT-qPCR were used to measure the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α;flow cytometry was utilized to assess apoptosis.Data showed that both in UC patient colon tissues and the in vitro LPS-induced FHC cell UC inflammation model,there was a significant increase in the expression of MARK4 and apoptosis-related proteins including NLRP3,Caspase-1,and GSDMD.Silencing MARK4 inhibited the expression of these apoptosis-related proteins and downregulated the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in LPS-induced FHC cells.Silencing MARK4 also reduced apoptosis,increased the expression of intestinal barrier proteins ZO-1,Occludin,and upregulated Claudin2.Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)indicated a positive correlation between MARK4 and the NF-κB signaling pathway.Furthermore,silencing of MARK4 inhibited the expression levels of p-P65 and p-IKKα in the NF-κB pathway.In conclusion,MARK4 is significantly upregulated in UC tissues and cells.Silencing MARK4 inhibits the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway,thereby inhibiting the apoptosis and inflammatory factor expression of UC cells.Thus,MARK4 could be a potential therapeutic target for UC patients.

Objective To understand the characteristics and temporal trends of stroke incidence in the household population of Shanghai's Qingpu District and to provide a basis for the development of comprehensive prevention and control strategies. Methods The stroke case database for Qingpu District from 2017-2022 was obtained from the Shanghai Stroke and Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry and Reporting Information System. The average age of onset, incidence rate, standardised incidence rate, and constitutive ratio were calculated. Independent samples t-tests were used for comparisons between groups, 2-tests and 2-trend tests for comparisons of rates, and the Joinpoint regression model for calculating the annual percentage change (APC) to analyse the temporal trend of rates. Results Between 2017 and 2022, the average age of stroke onset in the household population of Shanghai's Qingpu District was 73.69±11.60 years. The average annual incidence rate was 556.62/100 000, with an average annual standardised incidence rate of 333.76/100000. There was an increasing trend in the incidence and standardised incidence of stroke in males (APC=7.06%, t=3.44, P=0.03, APC=5.32%, t=3.04, P=0.04). The incidence of stroke increases with age, with cases mainly concentrated in those aged 65 years and above, accounting for 79.47%. Ischemic stroke dominates the stroke typology, accounting for 91.08% of cases, while the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke shows an increasing trend (APC=4.64%, t=4.59, P=0.01). Conclusion The occurrence of stroke in the general population of Shanghai’s Qingpu District is concerning. The study indicates that males, individuals aged 65 years and above, and ischaemic stroke are significant factors that require attention for stroke prevention and control.

Objective To establish a mouse model of type Ⅰ tricho-hepato-enteric syndrome(THES)induced by Ttc37 deficiency.Methods Ttc37 flox strain was established by site-specifically inserted loxP sites into Ttc37 gene via CRISPR/CAS9 technology.Ubiquitously expressed CAG-Cre was introduced for all-tissue removal of Ttc37 in Ttc37flox/flox;CAG-Cre mice.The knock-out effect was confirmed by fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot.Phenotypic evaluations were conducted in 8-week-old mice including hematoxylin-eosin staining of skin,spleen,liver,bladder,and gastrointestinal tract(GI),serum enzyme activity assay of aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),measurement of serum hemoglobin level,and ELISA for IgG and IgM level upon antigen immunization.Results Similar to type Ⅰ THES patients,Ttc37flox/flox;CAG-Cre mice exhibited impaired development of hair shaft,epidermis,B cell and eyes,while liver,GI,bladder and serum hemoglobin level seemed normal under unstressed condition.Conclusion A novel mouse model of typeⅠ THES was constructed successfully,which was applicable for pathological study.