ObjectiveTo explore the dose-effect relationship and safety of high， medium， and low doses of raw Astragali Radix in the modified Huangqi Chifengtang （MHCD） for treating proteinuria in immunoglobulin A （IgA） nephropathy， and to provide scientific evidence for the clinical use of high-dose Astragali Radix in the treatment of proteinuria in IgA nephropathy. MethodsA total of 120 patients with IgA nephropathy， diagnosed with Qi deficiency and blood stasis combined with wind pathogen and heat toxicity， were randomly divided into a control group and three treatment groups. The control group received telmisartan combined with a Chinese medicine placebo， while the treatment groups were given telmisartan combined with MHCD containing different doses of raw Astragali Radix （60， 30， 15 g）. Each group contained 30 patients， and the treatment period was 12 weeks. Changes in 24-hour urinary protein （24 hUTP）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， effective rate， and renal function were observed before and after treatment. Safety was assessed by monitoring liver function and blood routine. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， 24 hUTP significantly decreased in the high， medium， and low-dose groups， as well as the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores in the high， medium， and low-dose groups also significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Comparisons between groups showed that the 24 hUTP in the high-dose group was significantly lower than in the medium， low-dose， and control groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the 24 hUTP in the medium-dose group was significantly lower than in the control group （P<0.05）. The TCM syndrome scores in the high and medium-dose groups were significantly lower than in the low-dose and control groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The total effective rates for proteinuria in the high， medium， low-dose， and control groups were 92.59% （25/27）， 85.19% （23/27）， 60.71% （17/28）， and 57.14% （16/28）， respectively. The effective rates in the high and medium-dose groups were significantly higher than in the low-dose and control groups （χ²=13.185， P<0.05， P<0.01）. The effective rates for TCM syndrome scores in the high， medium， low-dose， and control groups were 88.89% （24/27）， 81.48% （22/27）， 71.43% （20/28）， and 46.43% （13/28）， respectively. The efficacy of TCM syndrome scores in the high and medium-dose groups was significantly higher than in the control group （χ²=14.053， P<0.01）. Compared with pre-treatment values， there was no statistically significant difference in eGFR and serum creatinine in the high and medium-dose groups. However， eGFR significantly decreased in the low-dose and control groups after treatment （P<0.05）， and serum creatinine levels increased significantly in the control group （P<0.05）. No statistically significant differences were observed in urea nitrogen， uric acid， albumin， total cholesterol， triglycerides， liver function， and blood routine before and after treatment in any group. ConclusionThere is a dose-effect relationship in the treatment of IgA nephropathy with high， medium， and low doses of raw Astragali Radix in MHCD. The high-dose group exhibited the best therapeutic effect and good safety profile.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association and translational mechanism between the hepatotoxicity of Xianling Gubao （XLGB） and its treatment of osteoporosis based on a zebrafish model. MethodsZebrafish were randomly selected four days after fertilization （4 dpf） and exposed to different concentrations of XLGB （0.7，0.35 mg·L^-1） for 96 h. At the endpoint of the exposure， the mortality rates of zebrafish in the treatment groups of different concentrations were counted， and the "dose-toxicity" curves were plotted. The 10% sublethal concentration （LC₁₀） was calculated. The liver area， acridine orange staining， and pathological tissue sections of transgenic zebrafish ［CZ16 （gz15Tg.Tg （fabp 10a： ds Red； ela31： EGFP）］ were used as indicators to confirm the hepatic damage caused by the sublethal concentration of XLGB. By using the prednisolone （PNSL）-induced osteoporosis model of zebrafish， the anti-osteoporosis activity of XLGB was evaluated by using the area of skull stained by alizarin red and the cumulative optical density value as indicators. Then， the toxicity difference of XLGB on the liver of zebrafish in healthy and osteoporotic states was compared， and the mechanism of the translational action of the toxicity of XLGB was predicted based on network pharmacology and real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）. ResultsThe LC₁₀ of XLGB on zebrafish （8 dpf） was 0.7 mg·L^-1. Compared with the blank group， the sublethal concentration （LC₁₀=0.7 mg·L^-1， 1/2 LC₁₀=0.35 mg·L^-1） of XLGB induced an increase in the number of apoptosis of hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner， and the tissue arrangement of the liver was disordered and loose. The vacuoles were obvious， and the fluorescence area of the liver was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the mineralized area and cumulative optical density value of zebrafish skull in the PNSL model group were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and those in the 0.7，0.35 mg·L^-1 XLGB treatment group were significantly increased compared with the model group （P<0.01）. Most importantly， 0.7 mg·L^-1 XLGB had no significant effect on the liver of zebrafish in the osteoporosis disease model compared with the blank group. The results of network pharmacology and real-time PCR experiments showed that the toxic transformation of XLGB might be related to the differences in the expression levels of key targets， such as tumor protein 53 （TP53）， cysteine aspartic acid specific protease-3（Caspase-3）， interleukin（IL）-6， and alkaline phosphatase（ALP） in different organismal states. ConclusionUnder certain conditions， XLGB has hepatotoxicity in normal zebrafish， but under osteoporotic conditions， XLGB not only exerts significant anti-osteoporosis activity but also alleviates hepatotoxicity significantly， which provides a reference for the safe clinical use of XLGB and real evidence for the theories of traditional Chinese medicine of attacking poison with poison and of treating disease with corresponding drugs without damage to the body.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Siegesbeckiae Herba water decoction （SWD） at different doses on atherosclerosis （AS） in a mouse model induced by a high-fat diet and analyze its potential mechanism of action. MethodsThirty-six male ApoE^-/- mice were randomly divided into six groups： blank control group， model group， low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose SWD groups， and positive control group. Firstly， the AS mouse model was created by feeding mice a high-fat diet. After successful modeling， the low-， medium-， and high-dose SWD groups were intragastrically administered with SWD at 0.65， 1.3， 2.6 g·kg^-1， respectively. The positive control group was intragastrically administered with 30 mg·kg^-1 of atorvastatin calcium aqueous solution， while the blank and model groups received an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution via oral gavage， all administered for 12 weeks. During the administration period， the general condition of the mice was observed and recorded daily. Before sampling， color Doppler ultrasound was performed to observe the pathological changes in atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic wall of mice. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in aortic tissue in mice， and oil red O staining was used to detect the atherosclerotic plaque area in the aorta. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the serum lipid indices and the levels of interleukins （IL-1β， IL-4， IL-6， and IL-10） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in mice. Protein expression levels of IKKα， IKKβ， and NF-κB p65 in mouse aortic tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the model group showed a significant increase in body weight. The results of color Doppler ultrasound showed enhanced vascular wall echo， suggesting the presence of atherosclerotic plaques. HE staining showed foam cell aggregation， fibrous connective tissue proliferation， and vascular intima injury in the aortic tissue. Oil red O staining showed a significant increase in the plaque area in the aortic tissue （P<0.01）. ELISA results indicated significantly elevated levels of IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein （LDL） in mouse serum （P<0.01）， as well as significantly decreased levels of IL-4， IL-10， and high-density lipoprotein （HDL） （P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that the expression of IKKα， IKKβ， and NF-κB p65 in mouse aortic tissue increased significantly （P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， mice in the middle- and high-dose SWD groups showed significant weight loss. In the high-dose group， the aortic vascular wall echoes were weakened， and the atherosclerotic plaques were reduced. The aortic lesions of mice in the medium- and high-dose SWD groups were significantly alleviated. The plaque area percentage showed an inverse correlation with the administered dose in all groups treated with SWD （P<0.05）. In the medium-dose SWD group， serum levels of IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， TC， TG， and LDL were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while those of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly increased （P<0.01）. In the high-dose SWD group， levels of IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， TC， TG， and LDL were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while IL-4， IL-10， and HDL were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The IKKα and IKKβ expression was significantly decreased in the low-dose SWD group （P<0.05）， and IKKα， IKKβ， and NF-κB p65 were significantly decreased in the medium- and high-dose SWD groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSWD may exert therapeutic effects on AS by regulating the expression of related inflammatory factors through the NF-κB signaling pathway， thereby reducing inflammation， plaque area， and lipid content in the body.

Asarum forbesii is a perennial herb born in a shaded and humid environment, which is warm in nature. With the efficacy of warming lung, resolving fluid retention, and relieving coughs, it can be used to treat the syndrome of cold fluid accumulating in lung. To investigate the effects of different shading conditions on the composition and efficacy of A. forbesii, this study planted A. forbesii under 20% natural light(NL20), 40% natural light(NL40), 60% natural light(NL60), and 80% natural light(NL80) and utilized ultra performance liquid chromatography(UPLC) and micro broth 2-fold dilution method to detect the volatile chemical compounds and the minimum inhibitory concentration. At the same time, the study investigated the effects of A. forbesii grown under different shading conditions on the signs, pathological changes of lung tissues, serum cytokine levels, activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes Ⅰ-Ⅴ in lung tissues, and relative expression of related genes of mice with syndrome of cold fluid accumulating in lung. The results indicated that with the increase of shading, the content of kakuol, methyl eugenol, and asarinin in A. forbesii and the antibacterial effect showed a tendency of increasing first and then decreasing, and the NL40 group was significantly better than the other groups. Under the conditions of NL20 and NL40, A. forbesii significantly alleviated the pathological damage to lung tissues, restored the homeostasis of the lung, and enhanced the energy metabolism level of mice with syndrome of cold fluid accumulating in lung. In addition, A. forbesii planted under the two conditions reduced the content of interleukin-8(IL-8), interleukin-13(IL-13), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and mucin 5AC(MUC5AC), increased the levels of interleukin-10(IL-10) and aquaporin 1(AQP1), lowered the expression of MMP9, VEGF, TGF-β, and MAPK3. In conclusion, the therapeutic effect of A. forbesii on the syndrome of cold fluid accumulating in lung was positively correlated with the degree of shading, and the chemical composition and efficacy of warming lung and resolving fluid retention were optimal under the conditions of NL20-NL40. This study can provide reference for the pharmacological research and cultivation of A. forbesii.
Animals ; Mice ; Lung/pathology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Light ; Cytokines/genetics* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficacy of high-dose etoposide (VP-16) combined with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) as salvage mobilization for peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. METHODS: From April 2021 to May 2023, eight NDMM patients who had failed to yield sufficient PBSC during initial mobilization with high-dose cyclophosphamide (CTX) combined with rhG-CSF underwent salvage mobilization with 1.2 g/m2 etoposide combined with rhG-CSF 10 μg/(kg·d). The effects and adverse reactions of initial mobilization and salvage mobilization were analyzed. RESULTS: For salvage mobilization and initial mobilization, the numbers of PBSC collections were 16 and 18, respectively. The mean value of total collected CD34⁺ cells were (11.90±5.75)×10⁶/kg and (1.67±0.75)×10⁶/kg (P =0.0010) in salvage mobilization group and initial mobilization group, respectively. The proportion of patients with a total collection of CD34⁺ cell count≥2×10⁶/kg were 100% and 37.5% (P =0.0625), and the proportion of patients with a total collection of CD34⁺ cell count≥5×10⁶/kg were 87.5% and 0% (P =0.0156) in salvage mobilization group and initial mobilization group, respectively. For five patients who underwent high-dose CTX initial mobilization but had a total CD34⁺ cell count < 2×10⁶/kg, successful collection was achieved through salvage mobilization with high-dose VP-16. Salvage mobilization with high-dose VP-16 was scheduled 2-3 weeks after failure of CTX mobilization. Adverse reactions of high-dose VP-16 mobilization did not increase compared to the initial mobilization with high-dose CTX. CONCLUSION As a salvage mobilization regimen, VP-16 1.2 g/m² combined with rhG-CSF is safe and highly effective in NDMM patients who failed to initial mobilization with high-dose CTX combined with rhG-CSF.
Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Etoposide/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization/methods* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Salvage Therapy ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cells ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

In-depth study of the components of polymyxins is the key to controlling the quality of this class of antibiotics. Similarities and variations of components present significant analytical challenges. A two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometr (LC-MS) method was established for screening and comprehensive profiling of compositions of the antibiotic colistimethate sodium (CMS). A high concentration of phosphate buffer mobile phase was used in the first-dimensional LC system to get the components well separated. For efficient and high-accuracy screening of CMS, a targeted method based on a self-constructed high resolution (HR) mass spectrum database of CMS components was established. The database was built based on the commercial MassHunter Personal Compound Database and Library (PCDL) software and its accuracy of the compound matching result was verified with six known components before being applied to genuine sample screening. On this basis, the unknown peaks in the CMS chromatograms were deduced and assigned. The molecular formula, group composition, and origins of a total of 99 compounds, of which the combined area percentage accounted for more than 95% of CMS components, were deduced by this 2D-LC-MS method combined with the MassHunter PCDL. This profiling method was highly efficient and could distinguish hundreds of components within 3 h, providing reliable results for quality control of this kind of complex drugs.

Objective To obtain the monitoring measurement range of quality indicators of red blood cells,plasma and derivatives and leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelets provided by blood stations in Hebei province,explore the distribution of monitoring values and the change of monitoring level,so as to further strengthen the homogenization construction of quality control laboratories in blood stations in Hebei.Methods In 2023,the sampling data of 12 blood stations in Hebei from 2015 to 2022 were collected,scatter plots were made and the range markers were set,and the"mean±SD"line was taken as the upper limit and lower limit of the measurement range.In 2024,the monitoring values in 2023 were added,and the changes of two measurement ranges were compared to analyze the stability and overall level.Results Comparison of the measurement range from 2015 to 2022 and the measurement range from 2015 to 2023 showed that the standard deviation of the content of deleukocyte suspension of red blood cells-hemoglobin,washed erythrocyte-hemoglobin,washed erythrocyte-su-pernatant protein,cryoprecipitate coagulation factor-FⅧ,fresh frozen plasma-FⅧ,leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelets-leukocyte residue and leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelet-red blood cell concentration decreased from 8.132 to 7.993,6.252 to 6.104,0.273 to 0.267,57.506 to 56.276,0.920 to 0.892,0.653 to 0.644 and 2.653 to 2.603,respectively.The narrowing of the standard deviation range of the above items led to more concentrated monitoring values and reduced disper-sion.Comparison of the measurement range from 2015 to 2022 and the measurement range from 2015 to 2023 showed that the mean value of leukocyte residue of the deleukocyte suspension of red blood cells,hemoglobin content of the wash eryth-rocyte,protein content of supernatant of the wash erythrocyte,hemolysis rate of the wash erythrocyte,FⅧ content of the cryoprecipitate coagulation factor,plasma protein content of the fresh frozen plasma,FⅧ content of the fresh frozen plasma,platelet content of the leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelets changed from 0.362 to 0.476,44.915 to 44.861,0.280 to 0.283,0.137 to 0.142,133.989 to 133.271,60.262 to 60.208,1.301 to 1.277 and 3.036 to 3.033,respectively,and was closer to the national standard line,which reflects an increase in the number of unqualified monitoring values or values close to the national standard line in 2023.The long-term qualified rate of coagulation items was low,and no improvement has been ob-served.The stability of biochemical items has been enhanced but overall deviation has occurred,with the average value close to the national standard line.The possibility of subsequent testing failure has increased.The counting items showed no obvi-ous common characteristics.Conclusion The use of"mean±SD"in the analysis can visually display the distribution of mo-nitoring values of different items in Hebei,forming an indicator measurement range covering the past nine years.It shows the characteristics of each item,and provides reference for subsequent quality control laboratory data analysis of each blood sta-tions to takes active measures to improve the monitoring level.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of acute respiratory infections in children under 12 years old in Pudong New Area， Shanghai from 2019 to 2023. MethodsAcute respiratory infection samples of children under 12 years old from three sentinel hospitals in Pudong New Area， Shanghai from 2019 to 2023 were collected， and 42 respiratory infection pathogens， including influenza virus， adenovirus， parainfluenza virus， respiratory syncytial virus， human enterovirus/rhinovirus， human pulmonary virus， human bokavirus， coronavirus （229E， HKU1， NL63 and OC43）， and novel coronavirus， were detected with microfluidic chips. The situation of acute respiratory infections among outpatient and inpatient children in this area was analyzed for the before the implementation of non pharmacological intervention measures （2019.12‒2020.1）， during the period of non pharmacological intervention measures （2020.2‒2022.12）， and after non pharmacological intervention measures （2023.1‒2023.6）. ResultsFrom 2019 to 2023， a total of 1 770 samples were collected， and 445 pathogens were detected， with a detection rate of 25.14% （445/1 770）. The main pathogens detected during the study period were influenza virus： 8.70% （154/1 770）， respiratory syncytial virus： 4.41% （78/1 770）， human enterovirus/rhinovirus： 2.66% （47/1 770）， human adenovirus： 2.49% （44/1 770）， and parainfluenza virus： 2.20% （39/1 770）. Before the implementation of non pharmacological intervention measures， outpatients were primarily infected with influenza， parainfluenza virus， and respiratory syncytial virus， with detection rates of 8.09%， 4.49%， and 4.04%， respectively； inpatients were mainly infected with influenza， respiratory syncytial virus， and parainfluenza virus， with detection rates of 4.49%， 3.82%， and 3.15%， respectively. During the period of non pharmacological intervention measures， influenza， rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus were the main viruses detected in the samples of outpatient children， with detection rates of 4.04%， 3.60%， and 2.47%， respectively； inpatient samples mainly detected respiratory syncytial virus， rhinovirus， and influenza virus， with detection rates of 3.60%， 2.02%， and 1.80%， respectively. After non pharmacological intervention measures， influenza， rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus were the main pathogens detected in the outpatients， with detection rates of 9.89%， 2.92% and 2.02%， respectively； influenza， respiratory syncytial virus， and rhinovirus were the main pathogens detected in inpatient children， with detection rates of 6.29%， 1.57%， and 1.35%， respectively. ConclusionThe prevalence of pathogens related to acute respiratory infections in children is influenced by non pharmacological preventive measures.