ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Jingui Shenqiwan （JSW） and Liuwei Dihuangwan （LDW） on the reproductive ability and brain function of normal mice and compare the actions of the two medications. MethodsSeven groups of female and male mice were divided at a ratio of 2∶1. Except for the control group， the other six groups were as follows： a group of both males and females receiving JSW （3.0 g·kg^-1）， a group of both males and females receiving LDW （4.5 g·kg^-1）， a group of males receiving water and females receiving JSW， a group of males receiving water while females receiving LDW， a group of females receiving water while males receiving JSW， and a group of females receiving water while males receiving LDW. Each group was administered the drug for 14 days and then caged together at a 2∶1 （female∶male） ratio to detect the number of pregnant mice and calculate the pregnancy rate. Pregnant mice continued receiving the drug until they naturally gave birth， which was followed by the observation of newborn mice， calculation of their average number， and the measurement of the offspring's preference for sugar water and neonatal recognition index. At the end of the experiment， the weights of the thymus and spleen were measured to calculate the organ coefficients， and mRNA or protein expression was analyzed in the brain and testes or ovaries. A 1% sucrose solution was used to examine the euphoria of their brain reward systems， while novel object recognition test （NOR） was applied to assess their memory capabilities. mRNA expression was detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） assay， and protein expression was analyzed with Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， oral administration of JSW to both male and female mice for 14 days significantly increased the pregnancy rate of female mice on day 2 after being caged together （P<0.05）， while LDW showed a trend but no statistical significance. Additionally， compared with the control group， JSW could upregulate the gene expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone （GnRH） in the thalamus， as well as reproductive stem cell factor （SCF） and tyrosine kinase receptor （c-Kit） in the testes and reproductive stem cell marker mouse vasa homologue （MVH） in the ovaries， upregulate the expression of proteins influencing neuronal functional activity， such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， in hippocampal neurons （P<0.05）， and enhance sucrose preference in male mice （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， JSW significantly increased sucrose preference and novel object recognition index in offspring mice （P<0.05）， which was related to the upregulation of hippocampal dopamine D1 receptor （D1R） and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor （Nmdar） gene expression. Compared with the control group， both JSW and LDW could upregulate the protein expression of glucocorticoid receptor （GR）， BDNF， and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） in the hippocampus of offspring mice （P<0.05）. ConclusionJSW significantly enhances the reproductive ability of normal mice， which is not only related to the release of gonadotropin but also associated with its regulation of brain function. Additionally， JSW has a certain regulatory effect on the brain function of the offspring mice.

In Treatise on Blood Syndromes （《血证论》）， TANG Rongchuan proposed the theory of "yin-yang， water-fire， qi-blood"， interpreting the pathogenesis and treatment of insomnia from the perspectives of the mutual generation between water and fire as well as between blood and fire. He considered the "disharmony of blood and fire" in the heart and liver as an important mechanism underlying insomnia. Blood deficiency failing to restrain fire and heart fire harassing the spirit may lead to insomnia， which should be treated by clearing fire and nourishing blood， with Huanglian Ejiao Decoction （黄连阿胶汤）. Yin deficiency with qi stagnation and water retention transforming into phlegm， followed by phlegm disturbing the heart spirit， may cause insomnia， which should be treated by nourishing yin， promoting urination， and regulating qi， using Zhuling Decoction （猪苓汤）. Failure of blood to nourish the liver and the presence of fire in liver channel may result in insomnia， which should be treated by nourishing blood and clearing fire， with Suanzaoren Decoction （酸枣仁汤）. Hyperactivity of ministerial fire and phlegm obstructing qi movement， thereby disturbing the liver spirit， should be treated by regulating qi and resolving phlegm， with Wendan Decoction （温胆汤）. Floating yang failing to be restrained and the ethereal soul failing to return to the liver should be treated by restraining yang and guiding it back to the liver， with modifications of Erjia Longgu Decoction （二加龙骨汤）.

In Treatise on Blood Syndromes （《血证论》）， TANG Rongchuan proposed the theory of "yin-yang， water-fire， qi-blood"， interpreting the pathogenesis and treatment of insomnia from the perspectives of the mutual generation between water and fire as well as between blood and fire. He considered the "disharmony of blood and fire" in the heart and liver as an important mechanism underlying insomnia. Blood deficiency failing to restrain fire and heart fire harassing the spirit may lead to insomnia， which should be treated by clearing fire and nourishing blood， with Huanglian Ejiao Decoction （黄连阿胶汤）. Yin deficiency with qi stagnation and water retention transforming into phlegm， followed by phlegm disturbing the heart spirit， may cause insomnia， which should be treated by nourishing yin， promoting urination， and regulating qi， using Zhuling Decoction （猪苓汤）. Failure of blood to nourish the liver and the presence of fire in liver channel may result in insomnia， which should be treated by nourishing blood and clearing fire， with Suanzaoren Decoction （酸枣仁汤）. Hyperactivity of ministerial fire and phlegm obstructing qi movement， thereby disturbing the liver spirit， should be treated by regulating qi and resolving phlegm， with Wendan Decoction （温胆汤）. Floating yang failing to be restrained and the ethereal soul failing to return to the liver should be treated by restraining yang and guiding it back to the liver， with modifications of Erjia Longgu Decoction （二加龙骨汤）.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of proximal gastrectomy (PG) versus total gastrectomy (TG) for the treatment of Siewert type Ⅱ/Ⅲ adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG). Methods PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched for literature comparing the efficacy and safety of PG and TG for the treatment of Siewert type Ⅱ/Ⅲ AEG. The search period was from database inception to March 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. Results A total of 23 articles were included, including 16 retrospective cohort studies, 5 prospective cohort studies, and 2 randomized controlled trials. The total sample size was 2 826 patients, with 1 389 patients undergoing PG and 1 437 patients undergoing TG. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with TG, PG had less intraoperative blood loss [MD=−19.85, 95%CI (−37.20, −2.51), P=0.02] and shorter postoperative hospital stay [MD=−1.23, 95%CI (−2.38, −0.08), P=0.04]. TG had a greater number of lymph nodes dissected [MD=−6.20, 95%CI (−7.68, −4.71), P<0.001] and a lower incidence of reflux esophagitis [MD=3.02, 95%CI (1.24, 7.34), P=0.01]. There were no statistically significant differences between the two surgical approaches in terms of operative time, postoperative survival rate (1-year, 3-year, 5-year), and postoperative overall complications (P>0.05). Conclusion PG has advantages in terms of intraoperative blood loss and postoperative hospital stay, while TG has advantages in terms of the number of lymph nodes dissected and the incidence of reflux esophagitis. There is no significant difference in long-term survival between the two surgical approaches.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of valve surgeries for infective endocarditis and the affecting factors, and compare the early- and long-term postoperative outcomes of different surgery approaches. Methods The patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve replacement/valvuloplasty in our hospital from 2010 to 2022 were retrospectively collected. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results A total of 343 patients were enrolled, including 197 patients with mechanical valve replacement, 62 patients with bioprosthetic valve replacement, and 84 patients with valvuloplasty. There were 238 males and 105 females with an average age of (44.2±14.8) years. Single-valve endocarditis was present in 200 (58.3%) patients, and multivalve involvement was present in 143 (41.7%) patients. Sixty (17.5%) patients had suffered thrombosis before surgery, including cerebral embolisms in 32 patients. The mean follow-up time was (60.6±43.8) months. Early mortality within one month after the surgery occurred in 17 (5.0%) patients, while later mortality occurred in 19 (5.5%) patients. Eight (2.3%) patients underwent postoperative dialysis, 13 (3.8%) patients suffered postoperative stroke, 6 patients underwent reoperation, and 3 patients suffered recurrence of infective endocarditis. Smoking (P=0.002), preoperative embolisms (P=0.001), duration of surgery (P=0.001), and postoperative dialysis (P=0.001) were risk factors for early mortality, and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥60% (P=0.022) was protective factor for early mortality. New York Heart Association classification Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P=0.010) and ≥3 valve procedures (P=0.028) were risk factors for late mortality. The rate of composite endpoint events was significantly lower in the valvuloplasty group than that in the valve replacement group. Conclusion For patients with infective endocarditis, smoking and preoperative embolisms are associated with high postoperative mortality, multiple-valve surgery is associated with a poorer prognosis, and valvuloplasty has advantages over valve replacement and should be attempted in the surgical management of patients with infective endocarditis.

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation equipment is a kind of characteristic therapeutic devices developed on the basis of the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory and modern science and technology, which is widely used in clinical practice. Significant breakthroughs have been made in the development of related devices such as transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) devices, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices, and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) devices in recent years. Although the market for these devices is vast, there are still limitations that need to be optimized in terms of electrode materials and power supply methods, bulky instrument size, cumbersome wiring, restricted applications, and inadequate intelligent functionality. In the future, it is still necessary to further build upon the theoretical foundation of TCM acupuncture, integrate a variety of modern scientific technologies to advance the intelligence and modernization of acupuncture equipment, and thereby improving its capabilities to support clinical practice and research.
Humans ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with common pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation and fibrosis, in both the heart and the kidney. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive these processes are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study focused on the molecular mechanism of heart and kidney injury in CKD. METHODS: We generated an microRNA (miR)-26a knockout (KO) mouse model to investigate the role of miR-26a in angiotensin (Ang)-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. We performed Ang-II modeling in wild type (WT) mice and miR-26a KO mice, with six mice in each group. In addition, Ang-II-treated AC16 cells and HK2 cells were used as in vitro models of cardiac and renal injury in the context of CKD. Histological staining, immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blotting were applied to study the regulation of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Immunofluorescence reporter assays were used to detect downstream genes of miR-26a, and immunoprecipitation was employed to identify the interacting protein of LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domain 1 (LIMS1). We also used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to supplement LIMS1 and explored the specific regulatory mechanism of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Dunnett's multiple comparison and t -test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Compared with the control mice, miR-26a expression was significantly downregulated in both the kidney and the heart after Ang-II infusion. Our study identified LIMS1 as a novel target gene of miR-26a in both heart and kidney tissues. Downregulation of miR-26a activated the LIMS1/integrin-linked kinase (ILK) signaling pathway in the heart and kidney, which represents a common molecular mechanism underlying inflammation and fibrosis in heart and kidney tissues during CKD. Furthermore, knockout of miR-26a worsened inflammation and fibrosis in the heart and kidney by inhibiting the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway; on the contrary, supplementation with exogenous miR-26a reversed all these changes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that miR-26a could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiorenal injury in CKD. This is attributed to its ability to regulate the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway, which represents a common molecular mechanism in both heart and kidney tissues.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Angiotensin II/toxicity* ; Mice ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/chemically induced* ; Mice, Knockout ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; LIM Domain Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cell Line ; Humans

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of resistance combined with aerobic chrono-exercise on the common carotid artery elasticity and hemodynamics. 24 healthy young men (21.96±0.43 years old) underwent a single acute resistance combined with aerobic exercise intervention at eight time periods (6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 o'clock). The axial flow velocity and diameter waveforms of the common carotid artery were measured, and the hemodynamics were calculated using the classical hemodynamic theory before exercise, immediately after exercise, 10 min and 20 min after exercise. The results showed that during exercise recovery, systolic and mean pressures decreased more markedly after exercise at 8 o'clock (P < 0.05); At 20 min post-exercise, arterial stiffness index and pressure-strain elastic modulus after exercise at 6 o'clock were reduced compared with the resting state, but were significantly elevated after exercise at 20 o'clock (P < 0.05). Immediately after exercise, the pressure rise was higher after exercise at 6 o'clock and the mean wall shear stress was higher after exercise at 20 o'clock (P < 0.05). These results suggest that resistance combined with aerobic chrono-exercise produces different effects on common carotid artery hemodynamics in young men. A single acute session of resistance combined with aerobic exercise at 8 o'clock is more effective in lowering blood pressure. Exercise at 6 o'clock is beneficial to improve arterial elasticity but is not recommended for young male individuals with cardiovascular disease risks because of the excessive increase in blood pressure immediately after exercise. Exercise at 20 o'clock is more effective in improving wall shear stress but is accompanied by elevated arterial stiffness indices and pressure-strain elastic modulus. These results provide a scientific basis for healthy young men in choosing the time of exercise by exploring the common carotid artery elasticity and hemodynamic-related indices.
Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Exercise/physiology* ; Carotid Artery, Common/physiology* ; Hemodynamics/physiology* ; Vascular Stiffness/physiology* ; Elasticity ; Resistance Training ; Adult

The inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) need to be based on Chinese medicinal materials. The TCM seed industry is the source of TCM production, which is related to the stable supply and quality safety of TCM. This paper summarizes the basic situation of the TCM seed industry and introduces relevant policies and regulations to TCM seeds in the seed industry and the TCM field. At present, the Management Measures of TCM Seeds and Seedlings has not yet promulgated, and TCM seeds are classified as non-major crops in the category of crops for management. This paper also describes the current situation of TCM seed and seedling system construction, which is in the development stage, from six aspects, including the construction of TCM seed industry technical support system; the establishment of TCM seed standard; the construction of germplasm resource preservation system; TCM seed testing, variety registration, and variety protection; production and management of TCM seeds; TCM seed supervision. According to the development status of the TCM seed industry, four problems are put forward, including imperfect systems and standards relevant to TCM seeds, insufficient supervision and law enforcement regarding TCM seeds, insufficient policy measures and capital investment to promote the development of the industry, and the industry's falling into a low-level cycle.Accordingly, four suggestions are provided, including improving laws, regulations, and policies, perfecting standards and norms,strengthening supervision and law enforcement, and promoting support system construction, in order to boost the high-quality development of the TCM seed industry.
Seeds/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*

The chemical constituents were systematically separated from the roots of Berberis polyantha by various chromatographic methods, including silica gel column chromatography, HP20 column chromatography, polyamide column chromatography, reversed-phase C_(18) column chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic techniques(1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, MS, and CD). Four phenylpropanoids were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of B. polyantha, and they were identified as(2R)-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), methyl 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoate(2),(+)-syringaresinol(3), and syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4). Compound 1 was a new compound, and other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was evaluated based on the release of nitric oxide(NO) in the culture of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. At a concentration of 10 μmol·L~(-1), all the four compounds inhibited the LPS-induced release of NO in RAW264.7 cells, demonstrating potential anti-inflammatory properties.
Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Animals ; Mice ; Berberis/chemistry* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Molecular Structure ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*