Background/Aims: Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) is one of the most essential metabolites in cell metabolism but its function and concentration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain elusive and controversial. Methods: A comprehensive analysis of acetyl-CoA levels and acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) expression across a range of samples, including patient specimens from both hepatitis B virus (HBV) positive and HBV negative HCC individuals, HBV-transgenic mouse HCC models, and multiple cell lines. Furthermore, to evaluate the functional significance of ACSS2 in HBV-related HCC, we implemented both genetic and pharmacological inhibition strategies targeting ACSS2. Molecular mechanism and mitophagy assessment were revealed by cleavage under target and tagmentation sequencing, RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analyses, transmission electron microscopy and JC-1 staining. Results: Our study revealed a distinct metabolic signature of HBV-related HCC, marked by elevated acetyl-CoA, which was driven by ACSS2. ACSS2 was upregulated by the carbohydrate response element-binding protein in HBV-related HCC. Furthermore, ACSS2 improved tumor cell proliferation, an effect that was dependent on its enzymatic activity. Mechanistically, ACSS2-induced acetyl-CoA accumulation activated voltage-dependent anion channels 1 transcription through increased H3K27ac occupancy, which subsequently promoted mitophagy and HBV-related HCC tumorigenesis. Notably, targeting ACSS2 by depletion or inhibition with a catalytic inhibitor significantly suppressed tumor growth. Conclusions These findings not only illustrate the interplay between metabolic reprogramming, epigenetic modification, and tumorigenesis in the context of HBV infection, but also highlight ACSS2 as a novel metabolic vulnerability in HBV-related HCC. Therefore, targeting ACSS2 could be a novel strategy against HBV-related HCC.

Objective:To explore the value of quantitative parameters of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) combined with dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) .Methods:A total of 97 patients with LABC admitted to the hospital from Mar. 2020 to Mar. 2023 were studied and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy to evaluate the therapeutic effect, and DWI and DCE-MRI scans were performed before and after treatment. The difference of DWI and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters before treatment in patients with different therapeutic effects was compared, and the correlation between the difference of DWI and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters and therapeutic effect was analyzed. The predictive value of quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI before treatment was analyzed. The quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI in patients with different pathological reactions were compared before treatment, and the quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI were compared before and after treatment.Results:The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of patients with effective chemotherapy before treatment was higher, but transport constant (Ktrans) , extracellular space volume percentage (Ve) and rate constant (Kep) were lower ( t=5.0, 3.27, 3.55, 3.89, P < 0.05) ; Spearman correlation analysis showed that ADC was positively correlated with chemotherapy efficacy before treatment (r=0.66; P < 0.05) , while Kep, Ve, Ktrans were negatively correlated with it (r=-0.58, -0.47, -0.60; P < 0.05) ; ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of ADC, Kep, Ve and Ktrans in predicting chemotherapy efficacy before treatment were 0.771, 0.797, 0.664 and 0.715, respectively, while the combined AUC value of each indicator was 0.832; Compared with patients with non-significant pathological response, ADC before treatment was higher in patients with significant pathological response, Kep, Ve and Ktrans were lower ( t=4.46, 3.32, 3.60, 3.95, P < 0.05) ; Compared with before treatment, ADC value increased after treatment, while Kep, Ve and Ktrans decreased ( t=8.77, 6.22, 9.34, 10.26, P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI can reflect the changes in the condition of patients with locally advanced neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the combination of the two can help to improve the predictive value of chemotherapy efficacy in patients.

A mounting body of research suggests that circRNAs significantly contribute to the develop-ment of myocardial fibrosis.The microarray results of human circular RNA expression profile indicated that circHERC4_041 expression increased in the myocardium of patients with heart failure,RT-qPCR a-nalysis confirmed that the myocardial expression level of circHERC4_041 in individuals with heart failure were considerably elevated compared to that in healthy organ donors.Fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)confirmed that circHERC4_041 was abundant in the cytoplasm of human cardiomyocyte AC16.Overexpression of circHERC4_041 in mouse myocardial fibroblasts(mCFs)mediated by adenovirus in-hibited the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in mCFs.Experiments involving cell proliferation,wound healing,and Transwell assays demonstrated that overexpression of circHERC4_041 suppressed the growth and mobility of mCFs(P＜0.001).Sequence analysis results suggested that circHERC4_041 con-tains potential ribosome entry sequence(IRES)and open reading frame(ORF).Western blot confirmed that circHERC4_041 could translate the 516 amino acid HERC4-516aa protein,which was mainly located in the cytoplasm of the cell.Cell functional experiments confirmed that circHERC4_041 inhibited the fi-brotic phenotype of mCFs by specifically translating HERC4-516aa(P＜0.05).The specific interaction between HERC4-516aa and transglutaminase 2(TGM2)was confirmed by IP-MS screening and Co-IP i-dentification.Further results found that the degradation of TGM2 was promoted through proteasome path-way.The overexpression of TGM2 in mCFs facilitated by adenoviral vectors could counteract the suppres-sive effects of HERC4-516aa on the fibrotic phenotype of mCFs.Therefore,this study confirmed that the HERC4-516aa protein translated by circHERC4_041 can specifically bind to TGM2 to inhibit the fibrotic phenotype of myocardial fibroblasts.

Objective:To explore the value of quantitative parameters of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) combined with dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) .Methods:A total of 97 patients with LABC admitted to the hospital from Mar. 2020 to Mar. 2023 were studied and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy to evaluate the therapeutic effect, and DWI and DCE-MRI scans were performed before and after treatment. The difference of DWI and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters before treatment in patients with different therapeutic effects was compared, and the correlation between the difference of DWI and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters and therapeutic effect was analyzed. The predictive value of quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI before treatment was analyzed. The quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI in patients with different pathological reactions were compared before treatment, and the quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI were compared before and after treatment.Results:The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of patients with effective chemotherapy before treatment was higher, but transport constant (Ktrans) , extracellular space volume percentage (Ve) and rate constant (Kep) were lower ( t=5.0, 3.27, 3.55, 3.89, P < 0.05) ; Spearman correlation analysis showed that ADC was positively correlated with chemotherapy efficacy before treatment (r=0.66; P < 0.05) , while Kep, Ve, Ktrans were negatively correlated with it (r=-0.58, -0.47, -0.60; P < 0.05) ; ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of ADC, Kep, Ve and Ktrans in predicting chemotherapy efficacy before treatment were 0.771, 0.797, 0.664 and 0.715, respectively, while the combined AUC value of each indicator was 0.832; Compared with patients with non-significant pathological response, ADC before treatment was higher in patients with significant pathological response, Kep, Ve and Ktrans were lower ( t=4.46, 3.32, 3.60, 3.95, P < 0.05) ; Compared with before treatment, ADC value increased after treatment, while Kep, Ve and Ktrans decreased ( t=8.77, 6.22, 9.34, 10.26, P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Quantitative parameters of DWI and DCE-MRI can reflect the changes in the condition of patients with locally advanced neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the combination of the two can help to improve the predictive value of chemotherapy efficacy in patients.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula on airway inflammation in mice with acute asthma and explore its possible mechanism.METHODS A total of 36 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group,dexamethasone group,low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups of Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula,with 6 mice in each group.Except for the normal group,the other groups were given ovalbumin to establish the acute asthma attack mouse model.The normal group and the model group were given distilled water by gavage,and the Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula groups were given Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula by gavage at the corresponding dose,once a day,for 5 consecutive days.Whole Body Plethysmography was used to measure the changes of enhanced respiratory interval(Pehn)of bronchial contraction parameters in mice.HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of lung tissue in mice.ELISA method was adopted to detect the expression levels of interleukin 1β(IL-1β),interleukin 18(IL-18)and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)in lung tissue homogenate of mice.Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect the expression level of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-associated protein 3(NLRP3)in lung tissue of mice.Western blot method was employed to detect the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome activation-associated protein κ gene binding nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB),NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-associated protein 3(NLRP3),NIMA-associated kinase 7(NEK7),Caspase 1(Cleaved-Caspase 1)and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC)in lung tissue of mice.RESULTS Compared with the normal group,the Penh level of mice in the model group was increased(P<0.001),and the pathological results of lung tissue showed that the number of inflammatory cells around the airway increased,the inflammatory score increased(P<0.001),the expression of IL-1β,IL-18,and TNF-α in lung tissue homogenate increased(P<0.001),and the expression of NF-κB,NLRP3,NEK7,Cleaved-Caspase 1,and ASC proteins in lung tissue increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001).Compared with the model group,the Penh level of mice in the Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula groups and the dexamethasone group was reduced(P<0.05,P<0.001),the number of inflammatory cells in lung tissue decreased,and the inflammatory score decreased(P<0.001);the expression of IL-1β,IL-18,and TNF-α in lung tissue homogenate decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001);the expression of NF-κB,NLRP3,NEK7,Cleaved-Caspase 1,and ASC pro-teins in lung tissue decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001).CONCLUSION Jiangqi Pingxiao Formula can improve lung function and airway inflammation in asthma model mice,and its mechanism may be related to regulating NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β secretion.

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*

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical efficacy between side-opening and front-opening bone cement injectors in percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP) for the management of thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures(OVCFs). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, comprising 62 patients with single-segment thoracolumbar OVCFs (T₁₁-L₂), who underwent bilateral PKP at our department during the period from June 2020 to October 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the specific bone cement injector employed during the surgical procedure: the side-opening group (n=29) and the front-opening group (n=33). Among them, the side-opening group consisted of 6 male and 23 female patients, with a mean age of (73.32±9.11) years. The front-opening group included 7 male and 26 female patients, with a mean age of (71.29±10.39) years. The variables encompassed essential patient characteristics were recorded, such as gender, age, bone mineral density (BMD), and fracture level (T₁₁-L₂), as well as procedural aspects, including operation duration, cement injection volume, cement distribution type (lobular or diffuse), occurrence of cement leakage, pre-and post-operative visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores, and vertebral compression ratio. RESULTS: All patients underwent successful surgery, with a mean follow-up duration of (15.37±3.03) months. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, BMD, fracture level, preoperative vertebral compression degree, and VAS scores between the side-opening group and the front-opening group (P>0.05). The operation time, the mean cement injection volumes, the distribution of bone cement within the vertebrae has no statistically significant difference between two groups(P>0.05). Both the side-opening and front-opening groups showed significant improvements in VAS scores at 3 days and 6 months after operation (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups at both 3 days and 6 months after the operation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Side-opening bone cement injectors in bilateral PKP surgery for single-segment thoracolumbar OVCF achieve similar clinical efficacy as front-opening injectors, without significant improvement in cement distribution and containment.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Kyphoplasty/instrumentation* ; Aged ; Bone Cements ; Fractures, Compression/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Thoracic Vertebrae/injuries* ; Lumbar Vertebrae/injuries* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over

Objective To explore the pharmacokinetic(PK)characteristics of desloratadine tablets and reference drugs in healthy subjects,and evaluate their bioequivalence and safety.Methods The random,open,two-period,cross-over pharmacokinetic study method was adopted,each subject received a single oral dose of desloratadine tablets test drug(T)or reference drug(R)for 5 mg.The concentrations of desloratadine and 3-hydroxy desloratadine in plasma were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS);and the PK parameters were calculated by WinNonlin 8.1 software to evaluate the bioequivalence.Results The main PK parameters of T and R of desloratadine were as follows:the fasting condition Cmax were respectively(3 809.82±1 016.54)and(3 642.36±777.07)pg·mL-1;AUC0-120h were respectively(5.75 ×104±5.03 ×104)and(5.51 × 104±4.00 × 104)pg·h·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were respectively(6.85× 104±1.03× 104)and(6.37 × 104±7.92 × 104)pg·h·mL-1.The fed condition Cmax were respectively(4 398.98±1 191.22)and(4 744.4±1 511.97)pg·mL-1;AUC0-120h were respectively(5.25 × 104±1.82 × 104)and(5.55 × 104±1.98 × 104)pg·h·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were respectively(5.37 × 104±1.86 × 104)and(5.68 × 104±2.04 × 104)pg·h·mL-1.The 90％confidence interval of Cmax,AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of desloratadine were all within 80.00％～125.00％.Conclusion There was no significant difference in the main PK parameters between T tablets and R under fasting or high-fat postprandial conditions,and desloratadine tablets were bioequivalent,safe and well tolerated.