ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of modified Sini San in ameliorating intestinal mucosal barrier by observing its effects on short chain fatty acids （SCFAs） and high mobility group protein B1 （HMGB1）/receptor of advanced glycation end products （RAGE） signaling pathways in chronic stress rats. MethodsThe 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into control group，model group，low-dose modified Sini San group （7.34 g·kg^-1·d^-1），high-dose modified Sini San group （14.68 g·kg^-1·d^-1），and Fructo-oligosaccharides group （3.15 g·kg^-1·d^-1），with 10 rats in each group. Except for the control group，all other groups were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress/social isolation to create a chronic stress model for 6 weeks. After 4 weeks of modeling，each treatment group was given corresponding drugs by gavage for 2 weeks while modeling. The control group and model group were given the same volume of physiological saline. The effects of Modified Sini San on behaviors，body weight，Bristol score in feces and fecal moisture content in chronic stress rats were observed. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the cecum. The content of SCFAs in the cecal contents of rats were detected by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expression of HMGB1/RAGE pathway related proteins in cecal tissue. The levels of ZO-1，Occludin，and Claudin-1 in the cecal tissue were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the model group，the sucrose preference rate，total distance traveled and the number of grid crossings in the open field test of rats in the low-dose modified Sini San group were obviously increased （P<0.05， P<0.01），and the immobility time in the open field test and the immobility time in the forced swimming test of rats in the low-dose and high-dose modified Sini San groups were obviously reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Meanwhile，the Bristol score and fecal moisture content of rats in the low and high dose groups of modified Sini San were obviously increased （P<0.05）. The low-dose group of modified Sini San had intact mucosal layer structure in the cecal tissue and reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. The content of SCFAs in the cecal contents increased，with a obviously increase in the content of acetic acid，propionic acid，butyric acid，and isovaleric acid （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the expression levels of HMGB1，RAGE，Toll-like receptor 2（TLR2），Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4），tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α），and nuclear factor kappa-B p65（NF-κB p65） proteins in cecal tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01） in low-dose group of modified Sini San. Meanwhile，the contents of ZO-1，Occludin，and Claudin-1 in the cecal tissue were obviously increased （P<0.01） in low-dose group of modified Sini San. ConclusionModified Sini San can improve the function of intestinal mucosal barrier in chronic stress rats by increasing the content of SCFAs in the intestine and inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE pathway.

BACKGROUND:Dysfunction of macrophage efferocytosis can induce local and systemic inflammatory damage and is associated with a variety of obesity-related metabolic diseases.Moreover,compounds targeting efferocytosis have shown good therapeutic effects. OBJECTIVE:By reviewing the effects of obesity on macrophage efferocytosis,to analyze the key mechanism by which obesity inhibits efferocytosis,to summarize the research progress in compounds targeting efferocytosis to treat obesity-related metabolic diseases,so as to provide new ideas for fully understanding efferocytosis and its relationship with metabolic diseases,aiming to provide new strategies for disease prevention and treatment. METHODS:The English search terms were"efferocytosis,metabolism,obesity,obese,atherosclerosis,non-alcoholic steatohepatitis,neurodegeneration,tumor,osteoarthritis,diabetes,compound,medicine,treatment,"which were used for literature retrieval in PubMed and Web of Science.The Chinese search term was"efferocytosis,"which was used for literature retrieval in CNKI,VIP and WanFang datebases.Ninety-nine papers were finally included in the review analysis after a rigorous screening process. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the process of efferocytosis,the"Find me"and"Eat me"processes involving a large number of apoptotic cell derived factors are mainly regulated by apoptotic cells.The efferocytosis factor involved in cytoskeletal remodeling and digestion are mainly derived from macrophages,which are crucial for efferocytosis activity.These results suggest that the"Find me"and"Eat me"factors mainly reflect the condition of apoptosis,and it is more scientific to select the expression of factors involved in cytoskeletal remodeling and digestion when evaluating the efferocytosis activity of macrophages.Obesity inhibits efferocytosis,and shows an inhibitory effect on most digestive factors,but has a stress-induced activation effect on most"Find me,""Eat me"and cytoskeletal recombination factors,which further indicates the decisive effect of digestive stage on efferocytosis and suggests that it is not reliable for some studies to evaluate the efferocytosis based on the increased expression of"Find me"and"Eat me"factors.Targeting cytokines in the digestive phase may be more effective when discussing future intervention strategies targeting macrophages efferocytosis.The efferocytosis activators of macrophages are effective in the treatment of various metabolic diseases,but the efferocytosis inhibitors in tumor tissue show good anticancer effects,suggesting that the role of efferocytosis should be rationally evaluated according to the characteristics of tissue inflammation.Efferocytosis is a relatively new concept proposed in 2003,with a short research history and complex efferocytosis factors.Current studies on obesity and efferocytosis only involve a tip of the iceberg and most of them are at a superficial level and a large number of scientific experiments are needed to further validate the mechanisms.

This paper comprehensively discusses on the potential neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of tobacco dependence， focusing on three important aspects， including acupuncture's regulation of tobacco dependence behavior， effects of acupuncture on withdrawal syndrome， and the role of acupuncture in preventing relapse. It is found that acupuncture can inhibit drug-seeking behavior by regulating the reward pathway and related neurons， such as dopamine， thus modulating tobacco dependence behavior. It also alleviates withdrawal symptoms by improving the oral environment of smokers and reducing negative emotions after quitting. Furthermore， acupuncture can prevent relapse by decreasing brain network activity related to smoking cravings and improving cognitive brain functions like addiction memory. Currently， research on the specific neurobiological mechanism of acupuncture in treating tobacco dependence and the involved neural circuits is limited. Future research directions are proposed， including the evaluation of clinical effects， exploration of specific therapeutic mechanisms， investigation of brain pathology， and strengthening the exploration of brain functions. Additionally， combining modern technologies to clarify the neural circuits involved in acupuncture intervention will provide a basis for acupuncture treatment of tobacco addiction.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and potential mechanism of astilbin （AST） on renal injury in chronic renal failure （CRF） rats based on the Jagged-1/Notch-1 signaling pathway. METHODS CRF model was constructed by 5/6 nephrotomy. The successfully modeled rats were randomly separated into Model group， AST low-dose group （AST-L group）， AST high-dose group （AST-H group）， high-dose of AST+Notch pathway activator （Jagged-1/FC chimerin， referred to as “JFC”） group （AST-H+ JFC group）， and control group （CK group） for open surgery without resection was set up， with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the AST-L group and AST-H group were given 40 and 80 mg/kg AST， respectively； the rats in the AST-H+JFC group were simultaneously given 80 mg/kg AST and 0.5 mg/kg JFC， and the rats in the CK group and Model group were given an equal volume of normal saline， once a day， for 4 weeks. After the last administration， the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and the level of 24 h urinary protein （UP） in urine， as well as the serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and IL-10 in each group were detected. The morphology and fibrosis of renal tissue were observed. The content of adenosine triphosphate （ATP） and the activities of sodium-potassium ATPase and calcium-magnesium ATPase in mitochondria of renal tissue were detected. The protein expressions of transforming growth factor- β （TGF- β）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， cleaved-caspase-3， Jagged-1 and Notch-1 in renal tissue were also observed. RESULTS Compared with CK group， the renal tissue of rats in the Model group was obviously damaged， renal tissue fibrosis was severe； the serum BUN and SCr levels， urine UP level， serum 4 LDH， TNF-α and IL-6 levels， as well as the protein expressions of TGF-β， HIF-1α， α-SMA， cleaved-caspase-3， Jagged-1 and Notch-1 in renal tissue were significantly increased， while the serum IL-10 level， ATP content and activities of sodium-potassium ATPase and calcium-magnesium ATPase in mitochondria of renal tissue were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with Model group， the renal tissue damage and fibrosis in the AST groups were reduced， the serum BUN and SCr levels， urine UP level， serum LDH， TNF-α and IL-6 levels， and the protein expressions of TGF-β， HIF-1α， α-SMA， cleaved-caspase-3， Jagged-1 and Notch-1 were significantly decreased， while the serum IL-10 level， ATP content and the activities of sodium-potassium ATPase and calcium-magnesium ATPase in mitochondria were significantly increased； the changes in the aforementioned indicators in AST- H group were more significant than those in the AST-L group（P＜0.05）. JFC could significantly reverse the improvement effect of high dose of AST on renal injury in CRF rats （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS AST can reduce inflammation in CRF rats， alleviate renal tissue damage and fibrosis， and improve renal mitochondrial capacity metabolism， possibly by inhibiting the Jagged-1/Notch-1 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveStudies have shown that nuciferine has anti-cerebral ischemia effect， but the specific mechanism of action has not been elaborated. Based on the transcriptome results， the pharmacological mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia was analyzed from multiple dimensions including tissue， cell， pathological process， biological process and signaling pathway. MethodsThirty SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group， model group and nuciferine group（40 mg·kg^-1） according to weight. Except for the sham group， the model of middle cerebral artery occlusion（MCAO） was established by thread embolization method after 30 min of administration in the other two groups. Twenty-four hours after surgery， transcriptome sequencing was used to detect the gene expression profiles in the cortex penumbra of rat cerebral tissue， and gene ontology（GO） and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were performed for differentially expressed genes. The mechanismof nuciferine against cerebral ischemia was analyzed from 5 dimensions of tissue， cell， pathological process， biological process and signaling pathway by the transcriptome-based multi-scale network pharmacology platform（TMNP）. ResultsTranscriptome sequencing and gene quantitative analysis showed that 667 genes were significantly reversed by nuciferine. Further enrichment analysis of KEGG and GO suggested that the pathways of nuciferine involved regulating stress response， ion transport， cell proliferation and differentiation， and synaptic function. TMNP research found that at the tissue level， nuciferine could significantly improve the cerebral tissue injury caused by ischemia. At the cellular and pathological levels， nuciferine could play an anti-cerebral ischemia role by improving the state of various nerve cells， mobilizing immune cells， regulating inflammation. And at the level of biological processes and signaling pathways， nuciferine mainly acted on the processes such as vascular remodeling， inflammation-related signaling pathways， and synaptic signaling. ConclusionCombined with the results of transcriptome sequencing， gene quantitative analysis and TMNP， the mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia may be related to processes such as intervening in stress response and inflammation， affecting vascular remodeling and regulating synaptic function. These results can provide a basis and reference for further study of the pharmacological mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia.

Background: The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods: We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. Results: Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. Conclusions This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research.

Background: Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) due to variants of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-beta (HNF1β) (MODY5) has not been well studied in the Chinese population. This study aimed to estimate its prevalence and evaluate the application of a clinical screening method (Faguer score) in Chinese early-onset diabetes (EOD) patients. Methods: Among 679 EOD patients clinically diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (age at diagnosis ≤40 years), the exons of HNF1β were sequenced. Functional impact of rare variants was evaluated using a dual-luciferase reporter system. Faguer scores ≥8 prompted multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for large deletions. Pathogenicity of HNF1β variants was assessed following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. Results: Two rare HNF1β missense mutations (E105K and G454R) were identified by sequencing in five patients, showing functional impact in vitro. Another patient was found to have a whole-gene deletion by MLPA in 22 patients with the Faguer score above 8. Following ACMG guidelines, six patients carrying pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant were diagnosed with MODY5. The estimated prevalence of MODY5 in Chinese EOD patients was approximately 0.9% or higher. Conclusion MODY5 is not uncommon in China. The Faguer score is helpful in deciding whether to perform MLPA analysis on patients with negative sequencing results.

OBJECTIVE To study the efficacy of Tianjiang xueshuantong pills in the treatment of coronary heart disease. METHODS In accordance with the common pathogenesis of coronary heart disease， acute myocardial ischemia model， hyperlipidemia model， blood stasis model， and carotid artery thrombosis model were established using Wistar rats or SD rats as the experimental subjects. The effects of Tianjiang xueshuantong pills administered at high， medium， and low doses （0.6， 1.2 and 2.4 g/kg） on hemodynamic parameters and myocardial enzyme markers [lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， creatine kinase-MB （CK- MB）]， oxidative stress factors [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione （GSH）]， inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， monocyte chemotactic protein-1 （MCP-1）， intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）]， myocardial infarction percentage， serum lipid indexes [total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein （LDL）， high-density lipoprotein （HDL）]， platelet aggregation function 话：022-84845240。E-mail：jiangx@tjipr.com [maximum aggregation rate （MAR）]， and thrombus formation indexes [thrombosis time， thrombus mass， thrombus protein content， plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 （PAI-1）， and tissue-type plasminogen activator （t-PA）] were evaluated in the rat models. RESULTS In myocardial ischemia tests， Tianjiang xueshuantong pills significantly reduced the percentage of myocardial infarction and the levels of CK-MB， LDH， MDA， GSH， IL-6， TNF-α， IL- 1β， and MCP-1 in serum （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. In hyperlipidemia tests， high dose of Tianjiang xueshuantong pills significantly reduced the serum levels of TC， LDL and significantly increased the level of HDL in rats after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of administration. In blood stasis tests， different doses of Tianjiang xueshuantong pills significantly reduced MAR of rats （P＜0.01）. In artery thrombosis tests， high dose of Tianjiang xueshuantong pills significantly prolonged the time of thrombosis formation （P＜ 0.01）， significantly reduced the weight and protein content of thrombus and the level of PAI-1 in serum （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Tianjiang xueshuantong pills exert therapeutic effects on coronary heart disease through multi-dimensional synergistic actions， including anti-myocardial ischemia， lipid-lowering， and anti-thrombotic effects.

This paper summarizes Professor ZHAO Jiping's acupuncture diagnostic and therapeutic approach for tic disorders (TD). Focusing on the pathological characteristics of tic disorder (TD), this study analyzes TD's multilayered disease localization. Based on disease-based differentiation, it is proposed that the fundamental pathological location lie in the liver and brain, while the manifestation is in the sinew meridians. The core pathogenesis is characterized as "internal stirring of wind due to liver hyperactivity, upward disturbance of the mind in the brain, and external disharmony of the sinews", based on which the fundamental therapeutic principles are established as calming the liver and extinguishing wind, tranquilizing the mind and awakening the brain, and dredging and regulating the sinews. In clinical practice, attention is paid to meridian and acupoint examination, integrating the four diagnostic methods to assess the deficiency or excess of the liver, the state of the mind, and the condition of the sinews. Acupoint selection emphasizes three regulatory strategies: (1) liver regulation: Taichong (LR3), Hegu (LI4) are selected to soothe the liver and regulate qi; (2) brain regulation: Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), Yintang (GV24⁺), Fengchi (GB20) are selected to calm the mind and stabilize the spirit; (3) sinew regulation: Yanglingquan (GB34), Zusanli (ST36), Quchi (LI11) are selected to regulate qi and blood and relax the sinews. Manipulation techniques, as well as various acupuncture and moxibustion methods, are also emphasized. A differential treatment framework of "layered disease localization-corresponding pathogenesis-precise acupoint selection and technique" has been established to provide a clinical guide for the diagnosis and treatment of TD.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/history* ; Tic Disorders/diagnosis* ; Acupuncture Points ; Meridians ; Diagnosis, Differential ; China

Background: The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods: We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. Results: Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. Conclusions This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research.