Three taraxerane nortriterpenoids were isolated from mastic by using various modern chromatographic separation techniques. They were identified as(5R,8R,9R,10S,11S,12R,13S,17R,18R)-28-norlupa-11,12-epoxy-14-taraxerene-3,16-dione(1),(5R,8R,9R,10S,11S,12R,13S,17S,18S)-17-hydroxy-28-norlupa-11,12-epoxy-14-taraxerene-3-one(2), and(5R,8R,9R,10R,11S,12R,13R,14S,17S,18S)-14,17-epoxy-28-norlupa-11,12-oxidotaraxerone(3) through the high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), infrared(IR), ultraviolet(UV), nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques as well as comparison with literature data. Compounds 1-3 were C-28 nortriterpenoids and isolated from mastic for the first time, and compounds 1-2 were new ones. In the model for RAW264.7 cell anti-inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS), compound 1 demonstrates an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide(NO) [IC_(50)=(13.38±0.68) μmol·L~(-1)], comparable to the activity of the positive control dexamethasone [IC_(50)=(14.59±1.49) μmol·L~(-1)]. Compounds 2 and 3 exhibit weaker inhibitory effects, with IC_(50) values of(24.17±2.56) and(22.25±2.84) μmol·L~(-1), respectively.
Animals ; Mice ; Triterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Mastic Resin/chemistry* ; Nitric Oxide ; Molecular Structure ; Macrophages/immunology* ; RAW 264.7 Cells

Objective:To explore the independent association between handgrip strength and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adult residents in Anhui Province using data from the China Adult Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance (2023).Methods:A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select residents aged ≥18 years for surveys, physical measurements, and laboratory tests. Relevant covariates were adjusted, and a multivariable logistic regression model was established to infer the association between handgrip strength and CKD, followed by subgroup analysis.Results:A total of 7 295 participants were included in the study, with age of (61.5±13.2) years, and 55.6% of the study participants were women. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that with each 1.0 kg increase in handgrip strength, the risk for CKD decreased by 1.3% ( OR=0.987, 95% CI: 0.978-0.997). Compared with those with low handgrip strength, the people with moderate hasdgrip strength ( OR=0.818, 95% CI: 0.694-0.964) and high handgrip strength ( OR=0.729, 95% CI: 0.598-0.989) had lower risk for CKD. In the subgroup analysis, the association between handgrip strength and risk for CKD remained unchanged regardless age, sex, smoking status, and alcohol consumption statuys, and the prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia (interaction P>0.05), except BMI and diabetes. Conclusion:The decline in handgrip strength is associated with an increased risk for CKD in adult residents in Anhui.

Objective:To explore the independent association between handgrip strength and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adult residents in Anhui Province using data from the China Adult Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance (2023).Methods:A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select residents aged ≥18 years for surveys, physical measurements, and laboratory tests. Relevant covariates were adjusted, and a multivariable logistic regression model was established to infer the association between handgrip strength and CKD, followed by subgroup analysis.Results:A total of 7 295 participants were included in the study, with age of (61.5±13.2) years, and 55.6% of the study participants were women. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that with each 1.0 kg increase in handgrip strength, the risk for CKD decreased by 1.3% ( OR=0.987, 95% CI: 0.978-0.997). Compared with those with low handgrip strength, the people with moderate hasdgrip strength ( OR=0.818, 95% CI: 0.694-0.964) and high handgrip strength ( OR=0.729, 95% CI: 0.598-0.989) had lower risk for CKD. In the subgroup analysis, the association between handgrip strength and risk for CKD remained unchanged regardless age, sex, smoking status, and alcohol consumption statuys, and the prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia (interaction P>0.05), except BMI and diabetes. Conclusion:The decline in handgrip strength is associated with an increased risk for CKD in adult residents in Anhui.

OBJECTIVE To investigate and analyze the protective effect of Huayu Jiedu Decoction(HYJD)on the inflammatory injury of cardiomyocytes induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide(LPS),and its molecular mecha-nism of inhibitory effect on inflammatory response.METHODS H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into:the blank control group(Control group),the model control group(LPS group),the drug treatment group(HYJD group)and the combined treatment group(LPS+HYJD group).H9c2 cells were treated with different concentrations of HYJD(2.5,5,10,20 and 40 mg/ml)for 24 h,and the activity of H9c2 cells was detected by MTT assay.Additionally,H9c2 cells were treated with LPS-induced myocardial inflammatory injury cell model after 24 h of HYJD intervention at each concentration gradients to detect the cell proliferation changes,as well as to detect the levels of apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and the levels of interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α in the culture supernatant of experimental groups,the changes in the protein ex-pression of NO production and the expression changes of iNOS and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway protein,and Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect mRNA expression of IL-7R,P38(MAPK)and CXCR2.RESULTS Compared with the Control group,low-concentration HYJD had no significant effect on H9c2 cell viability and did not induce cytotoxic effect,and HYJD increased the survival rate of H9c2 cells in the LPS-induced myocardial inflammatory injury model,and effectively reversed the inhibitory effect of the pro-liferative activity of H9c2 cells induced by LPS.Compared with the control group,the difference in apoptosis level of H9c2 cells in the HYJD monotherapy group was not statistically significant,while the levels of inflammatory apoptosis of H9c2 cells induced by LPS was elevated(P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,HYJD inhibited the levels of inflammatory apoptosis in H9c2 cells induced by LPS(P＜0.05),reduced the production of pro-in-flammatory cytokines such as IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α in the supernatant of the LPS-induced myocardial in-flammatory injury H9c2 cell culture,and upregulated the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.Additionally,com-pared with the Control group,the LPS group showed an increased level of NO release(P＜0.05),while the difference in NO release in the low-concentration(5 mg/ml)HYJD was not statistically significant.Compared with the LPS group,the NO release levels in each HYJD intervention group showed a concentration-dependent de-crease(all P＜0.05).Furthermore,compared with the control group,whereas the expression levels of iNOS and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway proteins in the LPS-induced H9c2 cells were both elevated(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION HYJD exhibits protective effects against LPS-induced septic myocardial injury and can exert an in-hibitory effect on inflammatory response,and the molecular mechanisms may be related to the inhibition of the ac-tivation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and the down-regulation of the expression of inflammatory genes,etc.,and it may have a good biological activity in the prevention and treatment of septic myocardial injury.

OBJECTIVE To investigate and analyze the protective effect of Huayu Jiedu Decoction(HYJD)on the inflammatory injury of cardiomyocytes induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide(LPS),and its molecular mecha-nism of inhibitory effect on inflammatory response.METHODS H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into:the blank control group(Control group),the model control group(LPS group),the drug treatment group(HYJD group)and the combined treatment group(LPS+HYJD group).H9c2 cells were treated with different concentrations of HYJD(2.5,5,10,20 and 40 mg/ml)for 24 h,and the activity of H9c2 cells was detected by MTT assay.Additionally,H9c2 cells were treated with LPS-induced myocardial inflammatory injury cell model after 24 h of HYJD intervention at each concentration gradients to detect the cell proliferation changes,as well as to detect the levels of apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and the levels of interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α in the culture supernatant of experimental groups,the changes in the protein ex-pression of NO production and the expression changes of iNOS and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway protein,and Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect mRNA expression of IL-7R,P38(MAPK)and CXCR2.RESULTS Compared with the Control group,low-concentration HYJD had no significant effect on H9c2 cell viability and did not induce cytotoxic effect,and HYJD increased the survival rate of H9c2 cells in the LPS-induced myocardial inflammatory injury model,and effectively reversed the inhibitory effect of the pro-liferative activity of H9c2 cells induced by LPS.Compared with the control group,the difference in apoptosis level of H9c2 cells in the HYJD monotherapy group was not statistically significant,while the levels of inflammatory apoptosis of H9c2 cells induced by LPS was elevated(P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,HYJD inhibited the levels of inflammatory apoptosis in H9c2 cells induced by LPS(P＜0.05),reduced the production of pro-in-flammatory cytokines such as IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α in the supernatant of the LPS-induced myocardial in-flammatory injury H9c2 cell culture,and upregulated the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.Additionally,com-pared with the Control group,the LPS group showed an increased level of NO release(P＜0.05),while the difference in NO release in the low-concentration(5 mg/ml)HYJD was not statistically significant.Compared with the LPS group,the NO release levels in each HYJD intervention group showed a concentration-dependent de-crease(all P＜0.05).Furthermore,compared with the control group,whereas the expression levels of iNOS and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway proteins in the LPS-induced H9c2 cells were both elevated(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION HYJD exhibits protective effects against LPS-induced septic myocardial injury and can exert an in-hibitory effect on inflammatory response,and the molecular mechanisms may be related to the inhibition of the ac-tivation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and the down-regulation of the expression of inflammatory genes,etc.,and it may have a good biological activity in the prevention and treatment of septic myocardial injury.

Eleven compounds were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate part of 80% ethanol extract of Ferula feruloides root by a combination of normal-phase silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 dextran gel column chromatography and semi-preparative liquid chromatography and then modern wave spectrometry methods (NMR, MS, UV, IR) were used to identify the structures of the compounds, which were identified as baigene D (1), baigene E (2), baigene F (3), β-kirialovin (4), α-kirialovin (5), falcarindiol (6), ammoresinol (7), dshamirone (8), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2S*,3R*-dimethyl-3-[4-methyl-5-(4-methy1-2-furyl)-3(E)-pentenyl]-furo[3,2-c]coumarin (9), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2S*,3R*-dimethyl-2-[4,8-dimethyl-3(E),7-nonadi-enyl]-furo[3,2-c]coumarin (10), and baigene C (11). Compounds 1-3 are new coumarin analogues, and compounds 4-6 are firstly isolated from F. feruloides. The anti-proliferative activity of compounds 5, 7-11 against human gastric cancer (MKN-45) cells was evaluated using MTT assay, which showed that compounds 7-11 exhibited strong inhibitory activity, and compound 5 exhibited weak inhibitory activity.

Objective To explore the feasibility and accuracy of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)in the prediction of testicular torsion(TT)in children with acute scrotal pain.Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed on 158 pediatric patients with ultrasound suspicion of TT who underwent surgical testicular examination during Jan.2017 and Jan.2024.The patients were divided into TT group and non-TT group.Clinical data and laboratory data at admission were analyzed.Sensitivity and specificity of NLR to TT were determined with the area under the curve(AUC)represented on the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Results There were with no statistically significant differences in clinical data between the two groups(P＞0.05).The NLR was significantly higher in the TT group than in the non-TT group[(4.82±2.37)vs.(2.85±0.75),P＜0.05].The optimal cut-off value of TT predicted by NLR was 2.07,the AUC was 0.809(95％CI:0.709-0.909),and the sensitivity and specificity were 97.9％and 93.3％,respectively,which were significantly higher than other factors.Conclusion For suspicious ultrasound diagnosis of pediatric acute scrotal pain cases,NLR can be used to predict the possibility of TT and may help to evaluate the urgent surgical treatment in these patients.

Although significant progress has been made in the development of novel targeted drugs for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia(AML)in recent years,chemotherapy still remains the mainstay of treatment and the overall survival is poor in most patients.Here,we demonstrated the antileukemia activity of a novel small molecular compound NL101,which is formed through the modification on bendamustine with a suberanilohydroxamic acid(SAHA)radical.NL101 suppresses the proliferation of myeloid malignancy cells and primary AML cells.It induces DNA damage and caspase 3-mediated apoptosis.A genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)library screen revealed that phosphatase and tensin homologous(PTEN)gene is critical for the regulation of cell survival upon NL101 treatment.The knockout or inhibition of PTEN significantly reduced NL101-induced apoptosis in AML and myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS)cells,accompanied by the activation of protein kinase B(AKT)signaling pathway.The inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)by rapamycin enhanced the sensitivity of AML cells to NL101-induced cell death.These findings uncover PTEN protein expression as a major determinant of chemosensitivity to NL101 and provide a novel strategy to treat AML with the combination of NL101 and rapamycin.

OBJECTIVE To study the moderation effect of water extract of Farfarae Flos on blood lipid and glucose regulation in obese mice. METHODS Chemical method was used to identify the components of the water extract of Farfarae Flos. The contents of total terpenes in the water extract of the Farfarae Flos were determined by UV-VIS spectrophotometry. The mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, orlistat group, and low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose groups of water extract of Farfarae Flos. The blank group was fed with ordinary diet, while the other groups were fed with high-fat and high-sugar diet to establish an obese animal model, and they were administration while molding for 45 d. At the end of the experiment, the contents of serum triglyceride(TG), cholesterol(CHO), high-density lipoprotein-C(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-C(LDL-C), glucose(GLU), and glycosylated serum protein(GSP) were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) and oil red O staining were used to observe the morphological changes and lipid droplet distribution of liver tissue in mice. RESULTS There were flavonoids and terpenoids in the water extract of the flower. Compared with the blank group, the levels of TG, CHO, LDL-C, GLU and GSP in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01), HDL-C was significantly decreased(P<0.05), and the area of lipid droplets in the liver was significantly increased(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, TG, LDL-C, CHO, GLU and GSP levels in the Farfarae Flos water extract groups were significantly decreased, HDL-C was increased, and lipid droplet accumulation were reduced. Compared with the model group, the blood lipid and blood glucose levels in the treatment groups were significantly decreased, among them, the high-dose group of the water extract of Farfarae Flos had the best effect. CONCLUSION The water extract of farfara can improve glucose and lipid metabolism in obese mice by reducing blood lipids, CHO, and improving the pathological morphology of liver tissue.

In order to guarantee the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the crystallization transformation of complex extracts of TCMs and the influence of solid form on their physicochemical properties were studied.The extract of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata was taken as a model.Crystallization transformation happened when lofting under different conditions, and the intrinsic dissolution tests were carried out.It was found that humidity was the key factor to induce crystallization of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata.The greater the wettability was, the more the crystallization was.The dissolution rate of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata with the most crystallization amount significantly decreased by 96.51% compared to the sample without crystallization.After further simulating the preparation process of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata, it was found that the wet granulation process with introduced water would also lead to crystallization and reduced dissolution rate.As for all crystallization samples, there was an inversely proportional relationship between the dissolution rates and the amount of crystallization.The risk of crystallization existed both in the storage and preparation process of TCM extracts.Crystallization would significantly affect the dissolution rate, and thus the quality of TCM products.In this study, the crystallization transformation of amorphous complex TCM extracts was discovered, and the effect of the crystallization transformation on its dissolution behavior was systematically studied, which provides a new research idea for assuring the quality of TCM products and promoting the improvement of TCM preparation level.