The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To obtain measurements of fetal four-chamber view and left and right ventricular shapes using two-dimensional speckle tracking,and to explore the clinical quantification of cardiac shape remodeling in small for gestational age(SGA)fetuses.Methods In this study,we prospectively collected data on singleton pregnancies from 28 to 39 weeks that were established in the archives of Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital,Fudan University from May 2020 to Jul 2021.Fetuses eligible for inclusion criteria were randomly matched according to the ratio of estimated fetal weight(EFW)≥10th percentile(P10)∶EFWP90 in the apical segments of the left ventricle was greater in normal UAPI fetuses than that in low-risk fetuses(24.2%vs.14.3%,P=0.005);the SI of left ventricle in UAPI-normal SGA fetuses was greater in segments S1 to S22 than that of right ventricle with statistically significant difference(all P<0.05),while no significant difference was found between the SI of left and right ventricles in segments S23 and S24.Conclusion About one-fourth of SGA fetuses with normal UAPI have abnormally increased apical segments of the left ventricular SI,suggesting that cardiac remodeling with a predominantly"elongated"apical segments of the left ventricle precedes Doppler anomalies.

Forensic medicine has been designated as a first-level discipline,presenting new opportunities and challenges for the development of forensic medicine.Since the 1980s,the establishment of foren-sic medicine discipline and the cultivation of high-level forensic talents have become hot topics in the development of forensic medicine in China.Since the 13th Five-Year Plan,the forensic team of Shanxi Medical University has been aiming at the forefront,proposing the development goals of"Five First-class"and the discipline development path"Six Major Achievements".It has selected benchmark disci-plines,identified gaps in disciplinary development,unified thoughts,formulated completion timelines,concentrated superior resources,assigned tasks to individuals,and created an"Organized Fill-in-the-Blank Format"forensic medicine discipline construction model with the characteristics of the new era.The construction model of forensic medicine has achieved good results in the goals,discipline frame-work,scientific research,talent cultivation,discipline team and platform construction,forming a rela-tively complete discipline construction and management system,and accumulating valuable experience for the construction of first-level discipline and high-level talent cultivation of forensic medicine.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

Objective To obtain measurements of fetal four-chamber view and left and right ventricular shapes using two-dimensional speckle tracking,and to explore the clinical quantification of cardiac shape remodeling in small for gestational age(SGA)fetuses.Methods In this study,we prospectively collected data on singleton pregnancies from 28 to 39 weeks that were established in the archives of Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital,Fudan University from May 2020 to Jul 2021.Fetuses eligible for inclusion criteria were randomly matched according to the ratio of estimated fetal weight(EFW)≥10th percentile(P10)∶EFWP90 in the apical segments of the left ventricle was greater in normal UAPI fetuses than that in low-risk fetuses(24.2%vs.14.3%,P=0.005);the SI of left ventricle in UAPI-normal SGA fetuses was greater in segments S1 to S22 than that of right ventricle with statistically significant difference(all P<0.05),while no significant difference was found between the SI of left and right ventricles in segments S23 and S24.Conclusion About one-fourth of SGA fetuses with normal UAPI have abnormally increased apical segments of the left ventricular SI,suggesting that cardiac remodeling with a predominantly"elongated"apical segments of the left ventricle precedes Doppler anomalies.

Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of prone positioning in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS)using invasive respiratory support.Methods A prospective study was conducted from June 2020 to September 2023 at Suining County People's Hospital,involving 77 preterm infants with gestational ages less than 35 weeks requiring invasive respiratory support for NRDS.The infants were randomly divided into a supine group(37 infants)and a prone group(40 infants).Infants in the prone group were ventilated in the prone position for 6 hours followed by 2 hours in the supine position,continuing in this cycle until weaning from the ventilator.The effectiveness and safety of the two approaches were compared.Results At 6 hours after enrollment,the prone group showed lower arterial blood carbon dioxide levels,inspired oxygen concentration,oxygenation index,rates of tracheal intubation bacterial colonization,and Neonatal Pain,Agitation and Sedation Scale scores compared to the supine group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of pH,arterial oxygen pressure,positive end-expiratory pressure,duration of mechanical ventilation,accidental extubation,ventilator-associated pneumonia,air leak syndrome,skin pressure sores,feeding intolerance,and grades II-IV intraventricular hemorrhage(P>0.05).Conclusions Compared to supine positioning,prone ventilation effectively improves oxygenation,increases comfort,and reduces tracheal intubation bacterial colonization in neonates requiring mechanical ventilation for NRDS,without significantly increasing adverse reactions.

Objective To establish an evaluation criterion for high-quality nursing services in comprehensive hospitals of Grade Three in Guangdong Province and provide references for promoting the evaluation of high quality nursing services and standardising high quality nursing services.Methods Based on literature review,brainstorming and references of relevant domestic systems,standards and policies,a pool of evaluation index items and a preliminary questionnaire were constructed.Delphi method was used for two rounds of expert consultations on evaluation indicators.Results The positive coefficients of the two rounds of expert consultations were of 80.00%and 91.67%,respectively,with the authority coefficients both at 0.93.The Kendall coordination coefficients for hospital part were 0.128 and 0.116 respectively,for ward part were 0.193 and 0.107 with statistical differences(both P＜0.001).The evaluation criteria for high-quality nursing services in general hospitals above the third level in Guangdong Province involved in nursing services of hospitals and wards.There were 8 primary indicators,22 secondary indicators and 65 tertiary indicators in the nursing services at hospital part,and 9 primary indicators,23 secondary indicators and 50 tertiary indicators in the nursing services at ward part.Conclusions The evaluation criteria for high-quality nursing services in comprehensive hospitals above the third level in Guangdong Province,established in this study,are scientifically valid and reliable.They allow improvement of management system for the high-quality nursing services as well as guide the healthy development of high-quality nursing services.

Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of miR-34a/SIRT1 in intensive care unit acquired weakness(ICU-AW).Methods(1)C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells were induced to differentiate into myotubes,and were divided into two groups:model group[ICU-AW group,treated with lipopolysaccharides(LPS)for 12 hours]and normal control group(treated with the same amount of sterile water for 12 hours).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of Muscle ring finger 1(MuRF-1),atrophy gene 1(Atrogin-1)and Sirtuin-1(SIRT1).RT-qPCR was used to assess the mRNA expression level of microRNA-34a(miR-34a),MuRF-1,Atrogin-1 and SIRT1,and light microscope was used to observe the growth and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal muscle cells in each group.(2)ICU-AW cells were further subdivided into control group(treated with siRNA transfection agent intervention),Scra siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and non-specific siRNA),miR-34a siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and specific siRNA intervention),vehicle group(treated with agonist solvent dimethyl sulfoxide)and SRT1720 group(treated with SIRT1 agonist SRT1720).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of SIRT1,Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in each group.RT-qPCR was used to detect the miR-34a and the mRNA expression level of SIRT1,Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in each group.(3)In addition,another group of ICU-AW cells were divided into control group(treated with siRNA transfection),miR-34a siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and specific siRNA intervention),miR-34a siRNA+vehicle group(treated with transfection agent,specific siRNA and Dimethyl sulfoxide intervention)and miR-34a siRNA+EX-527 group(treated with transfection agent,specific siRNA and SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1.RT-qPCR was used to assess the mRNA expression level of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1.Results Myotube differentiation was observed on the 4th day.Compared with control group,myotube atrophy was obvious in ICU-AW group.RT-qPCR and Western blotting results revealed that,compared with normal control group,in ICU-AW group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the expression level of miR-34a significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the mRNA and protein expression levels of SIRT1 significantly decreased(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR results showed that,compared with control group(treated with siRNA transfection agent intervention)and Scra siRNA group,the expression of miR-34a and mRNA expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA group significantly decreased(P＜0.05),while the mRNA expression of SIRT1 significantly increased(P＜0.05),meanwhile the protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 decreased significantly(P＜0.01),and the protein expression of SIRT1 significantly increased(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR results also showed that,compared with vehicle group,the mRNA expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in SRT1720 group decreased significantly(P＜0.05),while SIRT1 increased significantly(P＜0.05).Western blotting results demonstrated that,compared with control group and Scra siRNA group,the protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA group decreased significantly(P＜0.05),while SIRT1 increased significantly(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR and Western blotting results indicated that,compared with miR-34a siRNA+vehicle group,the mRNA and protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA+EX-527 group increased significantly(P＜0.05).Conclusion Overactivation of miR-34a in ICU-AW contributes to skeletal muscle atrophy by inhibiting the expression of SIRT1,which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ICU-AW.