Charcoal-processed traditional Chinese herbal medicine has various therapeutic effects， including astringing， hemostasis， anti-diarrhea， clearing heat， tonifying， and warming the interior. This paper summarizes the clinical application features， compatible experiences， dosages， and precautions for over 20 types of charcoal-processed herbal medicine in the treatment of gynecological bleeding disorders caused by dysfunctions such as dysfunctional uterine bleeding， endometriosis， uterine incision pseudocavity， and vaginal bleeding resulting from threatened miscarriage. The charcoal-processed herbal medicine include Huangqin （Scutellaria Baicalensis） Charcoal， Dahuang （Rheum Palmatum） Charcoal， Cebai （Platycladus Orientalis） Charcoal， Diyu （Sanguisorba Officinalis） Charcoal， Daji （Cirsium Setosum） Charcoal， Xiaoji （Cirsium Japonicum） Charcoal， Shengdi （Rehmannia Glutinosa） Charcoal， Aiye （Artemisia Argyi） Charcoal， Paojiang （Zingiber Officinale） Charcoal， Xuduan （Dipsacus Asper） Charcoal， Duzhong （Eucommia Ulmoides） Charcoal， Qiancao （Rubia Cordifolia） Charcoal， Puhuang （Typha Angustifolia） Charcoal， Shanzha （Crataegus Pinnatifida） Charcoal， Jingjie （Schizonepeta Tenuifolia） Charcoal， Xueyu （Carthamus Tinctorius） Charcoal， Zonglyu （Areca Catechu） Charcoal， Wumei （Prunus Mume） Charcoal， Shudahuang （Rheum Officinale） Charcoal， Lianfang （Nymphaea Alba） Charcoal， Mianmaguanzhong （Clematis Armandii） Charcoal， and Oujie （Nelumbo Nucifera） Charcoal.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

The rich club, as a community of highly interconnected nodes, serves as the topological center of the network. However, the similarities and differences in how the rich club supports functional integration and segregation in the brain across different species remain unknown. In this study, we first detected and validated the rich club in the structural networks of mouse, monkey, and human brains using neuronal tracing or diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data. Further, we assessed the role of rich clubs in functional integration, segregation, and balance using quantitative metrics. Our results indicate that the presence of a rich club facilitates whole-brain functional integration in all three species, with the functional networks of higher species exhibiting greater integration. These findings are expected to help to understand the relationship between brain structure and function from the perspective of brain evolution.
Animals ; Humans ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice ; Male ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Macaca ; Female ; Neural Pathways/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Biological Evolution ; Adult ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Brain Mapping ; Species Specificity ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To evaluate the effect of acupuncture of Zhukeyuanluo principle and Buzhong Yiqi Decoction on obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Methods:Randomized controlled trial. A total of 104 patients with OSAHS in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2022 who met the inclusion criteria were divided into 2 groups according to random number table method, with 52 patients in each group. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) group was treated with Buzhong Yiqi Decoction on the basis of conventional western medicine treatment, and the acupuncture and medicine group was treated with the combination of primary and primary collaterals and acupoints. Both groups were treated continuously for 2 months. Epworth Lethargy Scale and Stanford Self-Rated Lethargy Scale (SSS) were used to assess the degree of lethargy. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 were detected by ELISA. The hemoglobin, RBC and mean RBC volume levels were detected by automatic blood cell analyzer. apnea hypopnea index (AHI), apnea index (AI), hypopnea index (HI) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2) were monitored by polysomnographic sleep monitor to evaluate the clinical effect. Results:The total effective rate was 94.2% (49/52) in the acupuncture group and 82.7% (43/52) in the TCM group, and there was significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=6.73, P=0.035). After treatment, the Epworth Lethargy Scale and SSS scores in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-8.19 and -5.48, respectively, P<0.01); AHI [(15.64±2.81) times/h vs. (19.82±3.05) times/h, t=-7.27], HI [(5.53±1.28) times/h vs. (7.37±1.34) times/h, t=-7.16], AI [(8.13±1.95) times/h vs. (10.98±2.26) times/h, t=-6.89] in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( P<0.01), SaO 2 [(92.77±2.91) % vs. (89.53±2.44) %, t=6.15] in the acupuncture and medicine group was significantly higher than that of the TCM group ( P<0.01). The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in serum in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-2.62, -3.14 and -6.58, P<0.01). The levels of hemoglobin, RBC and mean red blood cell volume were in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the TCM group ( t=-2.11, -2.92, -2.48, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:The acupuncture of Zhukeyuanluo principle combined with Buzhong Yiqi Decoction can reduce the serum inflammatory cytokines level in OSAHS patients, increase SaO 2, reduce AHI, HI, AI and lethargy degree, and improve clinical effects.

Objective    To analyze the effects of cardiovascular surgery on Williams syndrome (WS). Methods    The clinical data of 68 WS patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 48 males and 20 females with a median age of 2.8 years ranging from 3 months to 33 years. Except one patient undergoing the coarctation repair, the rest 67 patients underwent surgical interventions to correct supravalvular aortic stenosis (SAVS) and pulmonary artery stenosis with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, concommitant with 3 patients of relief of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, 2 patients of relief of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, 2 patients of mitral valvuloplasty, 3 patients of ventricular septal defect repair and 1 patient of arterial catheter ligation. Results    Two (2.9%) patients died of sudden cardiac arrest on the next day after surgery. One (1.5%) patient died of cardiac insufficiency due to severe aortic arch stenosis 3 years after surgery. The effect of SAVS was satisfactory. Two (2.9%) patients progressed to moderate aortic valvular regurgitation during postoperative follow-up. A total of 5 (7.4%) patients were re-intervened after operation for arch stenosis or pulmonary stenosis. Conclusion    WS patients should be diagnosed early, followed up and  assessed for cardiovascular system diseases, and timely surgical treatment has a good clinical effect.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of Xingzhi Yinao (XZYN) particles combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cognitive impairment and motor dysfunction in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP). Methods Sixty-seven patients with DEACMP were admitted to the Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2011 to December 2015, and they were randomly divided into a control group (given conventional treatment such as inhalation of oxygen, cytidine diphosphate cholin and vitamin B, 19 cases), a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment group (given conventional treatment + hyperbaric oxygen therapy once a day, 24 cases) and a XZYN particles treatment (XZYN group, given conventional treatment, hyperbaric oxygen and XZYN particles, 24 cases), the therapeutic course being 2 months in the three groups. Before and after treatment for 1 and 2 months, the cognitive function and motor function of the patients were evaluated by the use of activity of daily living (ADL) scale, Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale; the severity of cerebral white matter injury was assessed by age related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale; and the electromyographic evoked potential was used to detect the amplitude and latency of P300 to assess the severity of cognition impairment and prognosis. Results With the prolongation of therapeutic time, after treatment, the neurological function scores of ADL, MoCA, MMSE and amplitude of P300 were increased, while ARWMC was decreased and the latency of P300 was shortened gradually in the three groups, and the changes of above indexes after treatment for 2 months in XZYN group were more significant than those in either HBO group or control group[ADL score: 70.2±8.3 vs. 60.5±8.1, 23.0±6.1, MoCA score: 26.1±3.1 vs. 22.2±2.7, 18.2±3.6, MMSE score:25.9±4.1 vs. 22.4±3.5, 18.1±4.5, ARWMC score: 7.0±2.1 vs. 8.7±2.2, 15.2±3.3, latency of P300 (ms):332.9±20.4 vs. 352.5±23.6, 381.7±30.3, amplitude of P300 (μV): 6.5±1.6 vs. 5.6±1.3, 4.1±1.5, all P < 0.05]. Conclusion The hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with XZYN particles for treatment of patients with DEACMP can significantly improve their cognitive and motor functions and ameliorate the severity of cerebral white matter injury.

Objective: To investigate low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on the expression of L-type calcium ion channels(cav1. 2) and Na +-Ca2 + exchangers(NCX1) during dentin-pulp complex injury and repair in rats. Methods: Cavity preparation was made on the upper right first molar of 40 male adult SD rats,20 of them and the upper left first molar of the other 20 were randomly chosen for LIPUS irradiation(frequency: 1. 5 MHz,200 μs pulses,pulse repetition frequency: 1 KHz,ISATA 30 mW/cm2,20 min /d),so the animals were randomly allocated into 4 groups(n = 10): Control group,LIPUS group,cavity preparation group and cavity preparation + LIPUS group. At 1,3,7,14 d post-irradiation the rats were sacrificed respectively for HE stain and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Reparative dentin formation was observed at 14 days after cavity preparation and LIPUS irradiation,the expression of Cav1. 2(L-type) and NCX1 in this group were increased significantly at day 1 and day 3. Compared with the control group, the expression of Cav1. 2 in LIPUS group increased at day 1 post-irradiation. Conclusion: LIPUS may enhance tertiary dentin formation and up-regulate the expression of Cav1. 2 and NCX1 at the early period of dentin injury.

Aim To investigate whether human umbili-cal cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)exposed to inflammatory conditions could release large amounts of exosomes to induce regulatory T cells(Treg).Meth-ods hUC-MSCs were isolated by enzyme digestion method.(In vitro)interferonγ(IFN-γ)was added in-to hUC-MSCs to mimic inflammatory microenviron-ments,then exosomes were extracted from the superna-tant of normal conditional medium or IFN-γpretreated hUC-MSCs.Both sources of exosomes,Nor-hUC-exo and IFN-γ-stimulated hUC-exo, were identified by Nanoparticle Trafficking Analysis (NTA )and Western blot for the exosome-enriched protein CD63 .Next,hu-man peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs ) stimulated with PHA were respectively co-cultured with hUC-MSCs,IFN-γ-pretreated-hUC-MSCs,hUC-MSCs exosomes or IFN-γ-stimulated-hUC-MSCs exosomes for 5 days to assess the exosomes-T cells communication. The proliferation rate of PBMCs and frequency of CD4 +/CD25 +/Foxp3 + Treg were measured by flow cytometry.Results The isolated cells from human um-bilical cord tissue,which were positive for CD73, CD44,CD29,CD90 and HLA-ABC,but were nega-tive for CD31 and CD34,were mesenchymal stem cells indeed.After IFN-γtreatment,hUC-MSCs secreted nu-merous exosomes(P<0.05 ).Morerover,there was a significantly higher level of CD63 ,but no difference in diameter between Nor-hUC-exo and IFN-γ-stimulated hUC-exo.IFN-γ-stimulated hUC-exo had a superior a-bility compared with Nor-hUC-exo to suppress the pro-liferation of PHA stimulated PBMCs due to their upreg-ulation of the percentage of Treg (1 1.53 ±0.88% vs 6.60 ±0.56%,P <0.01 ).Conclusion hUC-MSCs could promote the expression of Treg to modulate im-munosuppression through exosomes,especially for IFN-γ-licenced exosomes,which might carry much immu-notherapeutic potential.

Objective To investigate the effect of Xing-Zhi-Yi-Nao (XZYN) particles on the expressions of Nogo and OMgp proteins in brain of rats after acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.Methods A total of 120 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group,CO poisoning group and XZYN particles treatment group (40 rats in each group).The rats in CO poisoning group and treatment group of acute CO poisoning were established by using an animal chamber,and then received hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Meanwhile,rats in treatment group were further given additional XZYN particles twice a day by gavage.At 1 day,1 week,1 month and 2 months after CO poisoning,the neurobehavioral score of rats was evaluated by a Morris water maze test and a shuttle box test,and the expressions of neurite outgrowth inhibitor (Nogo) and oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) were investigated in rat brain tissue by immunohistochemistry staining and western blotting assay,respectively.Results Compared with those in normal control group((11.6±8.4)s,(41.8±4.4)%,(16.1±2.3)s,and (1.2±0.2)s),the escape latency in CO group was significantly prolonged ((14.1±6.1)s),and the T1/ T total was obviously decreased (23.6±2.4) %,the escape time ((26.3±3.8)s),the active escape latency ((2.3±0.3)s) were notably extended at 1 d (P<0.05).The cognitive dysfunction caused by CO poisoning was more obvious in the later stage of poisoning (from 1 week to 2 months,P<0.05).Compared with those in CO group,the escape latency was significantly shortened (from (3.5±0.6)s to (3.1±0.5)s),the T1/ T total was gradually increased (from (29.7±3.2)% to (36.7±3.2)%),the escape time (from (39.7±5.4)s to (18.1±2.0)s) and the active escape latency were obviously decreased (from (4.3±0.4)s to (2.1±0.2)s) in the later stage (>1 week) in Xing-Zhi-Yi-Nao treatment group (P<0.05).The expressions of Nogo and Omgp proteins in brain tissue in CO poisoning group were gradually increased as time went by.The increased expressions of Nogo and Omgp proteins were still observed at 1 month after CO poisoning.By contrast,XZYN particles could significantly improve cognitive function,reduce the expression of Nogo protein,and there was statistical difference compared with the poisoning group (P<0.05).However,the level of Omgp protein in XZYN treatment group was slightly lower than that in CO poisoning group,but there was no difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion The expression of Nogo and Omgp proteins may be associated with brain injury and demyelination in rats induced by CO poisoning.XZYN particles can down-regulate the expression of Nogo,and pave a way for the treatment of acute brain damage and delayed encephalopathy after CO poisoning.