This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

Objective To propose a human life signal separation and reconstruction method based on optimized variational mode decomposition(VMD)to improve the accuracy and timeliness of the life detection radar in extracting and separating human life signals such as heartbeat and respiration.Methods Firstly,the particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of VMD,and the human life signal was decomposed into a series of intrinsic mode functions(IMFs);secondly,the alignment entropy of each IMF was calculated,the noise was removed based on the alignment entropy threshold,and the remaining components were reconstructed to form human life signals;finally,the method proposed was compared with infinite impulse response(IIR)filtering,VMD and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive nosie(CEEMDAN)to verify its performance.Results Under different noise levels the proposed method outperformed IIR filtering,VMD and CEEMDAN in evaluation metrics of signal-to-noise ratio and root-mean-square error,and behaved better than CEEMDAN in terms of computational time-consumption.Conclusion The proposed method realizes rapid separation and reconstruction of vital signals such as heartbeat and respiration while effectively filtering out the noise,which has broad application prospects in the fields of non-contact vital signs detection of bum/scald patients,infectious disease patients and newborns and the search and rescue of buried casualties after a disaster.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):9-15]

Objective To investigate the effect of nobiletin on platelet-activating factor(PAF)metabolism in diabetic rats with renal injury.Methods Totally 72 rats were randomly divided into control group(n=10)and modeling group(n=62).The modeling group rats were induced to develop a diabetic rat model with renal injury and then further divided into the model group,aspirin group(20 mg/kg),and nobiletin low(50 mg/kg),medium(100 mg/kg),and high-dose(200 mg/kg)groups,each with 10 rats.After continuous oral administration for 6 weeks,rat body weight,kidney weight,and kidney index were measured.Histopathological assessments were conducted by using HE,periodic acid-Schiff staining(PAS),Masson staining,and transmission electron microscopy.Blood glucose levels,renal function,inflammatory factors,PAF and its regulatory factors were detected.Expression levels of PAF metabolism-related proteins,PAF-acetylhydrolase(PAFAH),PAF receptor(PAFR),and cholinephosphotransferase 1(CHPT1)in kidney tissues were assessed using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results Following nobiletin intervention,rat body weight increased while kidney weight and kidney index decreased.Improvement in renal tissue pathology was observed,with reduced interstitial fibrosis and thinner basement membrane.Fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin decreased,while fasting insulin showed no significant improvement.Urea nitrogen,blood creatinine,cystatin C,and 24-hour urinary protein excretion were reduced.Levels of interleukin(IL)-1α,IL-6,IL-8,and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)were lowered.PAF and its regulatory factors decreased.PAFR and CHPT1 expression decreased,while PAFAH increased.Conclusion Nobiletin can alleviate renal injury in diabetic rats with renal injury,improve kidney function,regulate blood glucose,and mitigate inflammatory response.Its mechanism may be associated with the modulation of platelet-activating factor metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to reveal the insomnia burden and relevant influencing factors among informal caregivers (ICs) of hospitalized patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on ICs of hospitalized patients with lung cancer was conducted from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021. ICs' burden was assessed using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Linear and logistic regression models were used to identify the influencing factors. RESULTS: Among 289 ICs of hospitalized patients with lung cancer, 83 (28.72%), 53 (18.34%), and 14 (4.84%) ICs experienced mild, moderate, and severe insomnia, respectively. The scores concerning self-esteem, lack of family support, financial problems, disturbed schedule, and health problems were 4.32 ± 0.53, 2.24 ± 0.79, 2.84 ± 1.14, 3.63 ± 0.77, and 2.44 ± 0.95, respectively. ICs with higher Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADLS) scores were associated with a lower risk of insomnia, with an odd ratio ( OR) and 95% confidence interval ( CI) of 0.940 (0.898-0.983). Among the ICs, female gender ( OR = 2.597), alcohol consumption ( OR = 3.745), underlying medical conditions ( OR = 11.765), long-term caregiving experience ( OR = 37.037), and higher monthly expenses ( OR = 5.714) were associated with a high risk of insomnia. CONCLUSION Of the hospitalized patients with lung cancer, 51.9% experienced insomnia. Patients' ADL, ICs gender, alcohol consumption, underlying medical conditions, caregiving duration, and monthly expenses were influencing factors. Therefore, prompt screening and early intervention for ICs of patients with lung cancer is necessary.
Humans ; Female ; Caregivers ; Activities of Daily Living ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology* ; Lung Neoplasms/epidemiology*

Objective To investigate the effect of chronic restraint stress on the expression of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)and related enzymes in the hippocampus of mice. Methods Twenty C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into control group and chronic restraint stress (CRS) group, the model group was given for 3 weeks chronic restraint stress to establish a mouse anxiety model. Open field test and elevated plus maze test were used to detect anxiety-like behavior; Immunohistochemistry and m6A RNA methylation assay were used to detect the expression changes of mouse hippocampal m6A; Western blotting and Real-time PCR were used to analyze hippocampal m6A related enzymes expression. Results 1.The behavioral results showed that, compared with the control group, the CRS group showed significantly reduced time spent in the center of the open field(P<0.01), the CRS group showed significantly reduced exploration time in the open arm of elevated plus maze (P<0.0001); 2. Immunohistochemical results showed that, compared with the control group, the hippocampal m6A content in the CRS group reduced significantly (P < 0.001); The results of the m6A RNA methylation assay showed that, compared with the control group, the CRS group showed significantly reduced amount of hippocampal m6A(P<0.05); 3. Real-time PCR results showed that the expression of hippocampal demethylase anaplastic lymphoma kinase B(AlkB) homolog 5(ALKBH5) (P<0.001) and fat mass and obestity associated protein(FTO) (P< 0.05) in the CRS group significantly up-regulated, the expression of methylase Wilms' tumour 1-associating protein (WTAP) (P<0.05) was significantly down-regulated compared with the control group; The expression of m6A methylation binding protein YTH domaincontaining family protein 3 (YTHDF3) (P < 0.05) and YTH domaincontaining protein 2 (YTHDC2) (P < 0.01) was significantly up-regulated. Western blotting result showed that, compared with the control group, the mouse hippocampal demethylase ALKBH5 (P < 0.05) and FTO (P < 0.05) expression in the CRS group significantly up-regulated, the expression of WTAP (P<0.01) was significantly down-regulated; m6A methylation binding protein YTHDF3 (P<0.01) and YTHDC2 (P<0.05) were significantly up-regulated. Conclusion In the anxiety model induced by chronic restraint stress, the expression of m6A in the hippocampus of mice is down-regulated. The mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of the m6A demethylase ALKBH5 and FTO or the down-regulation of the methylase WTAP.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Cesarean Section ; Risk Factors ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/etiology*

Aim To investigate the protective effect of tetramethylpyrazine ( TMP ) on cerebral ischemia/reper¬fusion ( I/R) injury in diabetes mellitus ( DM ) rats based on full-length transcriptome sequencing tech¬nique and the underlying mechanism. Methods The rat model of DM was induced by intraperitoneal injec- tion of streptozotocin (STZ,50 mg • kg" ) . The global cerebral I/R model of rats was established by double vessel occlusion (2-VO) for 10 min and reperfusion for 16 h. TMP (40 mg • kg ) was injected intraperitone-ally every day. Brain water content detection, HE stai¬ning, Nissl staining and TUNEL staining were used to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of TMP on cerebral I/R injury in DM rats. The differentially expressed genes were screened by full-length transcriptome se¬quencing. The possible candidate genes and metabolic pathways of TMP for cerebral ischemia protection in DM rats were screened by functional annotation and metabolic pathway enrichment analysis, and verified by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Results TMP treatment could reduce the degree of brain edema, increase the number of Nissl bodies and neurons, and significantly reduce cell necrosis and apoptosis after cerebral I/R in DM rats. GO enrichment analysis showed that the dif¬ferentially expressed genes after TMP treatment were mainly enriched in biological functions such as inflam¬matory response, transcription factor complex, growth factor activity and so on. KEGG pathway analysis showed that it was mainly concentrated in apoptosis, Toll-like receptor and other signaling pathways. Among them TMP down-regulated genes included TLR2, MyD88, IL-lp, Caspase-3, etc. The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot confirmed that TMP could down-regulate TLR2, MyD88, NF-KB, IL-10, IL-6 and Caspase-3 , and up-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of Bcl-2. Conclusions TMP may amelio¬rate neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting inflammatory re¬sponse, which improves cerebral I/R injury in DM rats, and the pathway may be TLR2/MyD88/NF-KB signaling pathway.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA with the more than 200 nucleotides. Several lncRNAs have been identified as the potential targets for cancer therapy. LncRNA00067110 is one of the differentially expressed genes in the transcriptome profiles of melanoma B16-F10 cells compared to normal mice melanocytes. To investigate whether lncRNA00067110 regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and melanogenesis of B16-F10 cells, the calcium-binding tyrosine phosphorylation regulated protein (Cabyr) target gene was predicted by LncTar and verified by dual luciferase activities. The regulating function of lncRNA00067110 was investigated by the analysis of transcriptome profiles and to detect the proliferation, apoptosis and melanin production of B16-F10 cells transfected by the overexpression plasmids of lncRNA00067110. The results showed that the relationship of lncRNA00067110 targeting Cabyr, the mRNA and protein levels of proliferation (MEK/ERK/MNK/CREB) and melanogenesis-related genes (TYR family and CREB) were significantly down-regulated, while the mRNA and protein levels of apoptosis-related genes (AKT and Bcl-2) were up-regulated in B16-F10 cells with lncRNA00067110 overexpression. The transcriptome profile of B16-F10 cells with lncRNA00067110 overexpression showed that 17 genes were differentially expressed, among which Cabyr was up-regulated. Furthermore, the effect of lncRNA00067110 on the phenotypes of cell proliferation and apoptosis were verified. The results suggested that lncRNA00067110 might be a novel target for the treatment of melanoma by targeting Cabyr, which regulate the expression of related genes to inhibit the proliferation and melanogenesis, as well as to induce the apoptosis of B16-F10 cells.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy and safety of domestic generic levetiracetam in replacement of brand-name levetiracetam in the treatment of children with epilepsy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 154 children with epilepsy who received domestic generic levetiracetam in the inpatient or outpatient service of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from May 2019 to December 2020. Domestic generic levetiracetam and brand-name levetiracetam were compared in terms of efficacy and safety. RESULTS: For these 154 children, the epilepsy control rate was 77.3% (119/154) at baseline. At 6 months after switching to domestic generic levetiracetam, the epilepsy control rate reached 83.8% (129/154), which showed a significant increase (P<0.05). There was no significant change in the frequency of seizures from baseline to 6 months after switching (P>0.05). The incidence of refractory epilepsy in children with no response after switching treatment was significantly higher than that in children with response (P<0.05). Before switching, only 1 child (0.6%) experienced somnolence, while after switching, 3 children (1.9%) experienced mild adverse drug reactions, including dizziness, somnolence, irritability, and bad temper. CONCLUSIONS Switching from brand-name to generic levetiracetam is safe and effective and holds promise for clinical application, but more prospective randomized controlled trials are required in future.
Child ; Epilepsy/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Levetiracetam ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures