ObjectiveBased on the theory of "spleen governing transportation and transformation"， this study investigates the efficacy of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma processed with Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AMR-AFI） in improving slow-transit constipation（STC）， as well as the synergistic regulatory mechanism involving the microbiota-metabolism axis， thereby elucidating the scientific basis of its processing theory. MethodsAnimals were randomly divided into the control group， model group， positive drug（mosapride） group（3 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of AMR-AFI（3.9， 7.8， 15.6 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the remaining five groups were induced with STC using loperamide hydrochloride. Following modeling， interventions were administered. All groups received continuous administration for 15 d， during which fecal samples， colon tissue， and serum were collected. Constipation improvement was assessed by measuring fecal moisture content and small intestinal propulsion rate， histological morphology of colonic tissue was observed via hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the levels of interleukin（IL）-6， tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， and IL-2 in serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Furthermore， the microbial community structure in mouse feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing， while transcriptomic sequencing was employed to screen differentially expressed genes in colonic tissue， followed by gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses. Finally， Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore the association between differential microbiota and differential genes. ResultsCompared with the control group， the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content in the model group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）， while serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2 were significantly elevated（P<0.01）. HE staining showed damage and shedding of colonic mucosal epithelial cells， along with a reduction in goblet cells in the model group. In comparison with the model group， all treatment groups improved the pathological state of the colonic mucosa to varying degrees and reduced serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2（P<0.01）. Among these， the high-dose group of AMR-AFI significantly increased the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content of rats（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further transcriptomic analysis revealed that a total of 104 differentially expressed genes were identified from comparisons between the model group and the control group， as well as between the model group and the high-dose group of AMR-AFI. These genes were mainly enriched in pathways closely related to STC pathogenesis， such as arachidonic acid metabolism and aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption. 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that AMR-AFI reversed the structural imbalance of the gut microbiota in model mice， increased species richness， downregulated the relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria such as Parasutterella， and enriched beneficial and butyrate-producing bacteria， including Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group， Ruminococcaceae， and Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis further showed that the beneficial bacteria enriched in the AMR-AFI group were negatively correlated with genes involved in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and positively correlated with genes in the aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption pathway. In contrast， pro-inflammatory bacteria in the model group exhibited the opposite correlation trends. ConclusionAMR-AFI can effectively exert synergistic therapeutic effects on STC by regulating intestinal microbiota， arachidonic acid-mediated inflammatory metabolism， and aldosterone-regulated water-salt balance pathways.

ObjectiveBased on the theory of "spleen governing transportation and transformation"， this study investigates the efficacy of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma processed with Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AMR-AFI） in improving slow-transit constipation（STC）， as well as the synergistic regulatory mechanism involving the microbiota-metabolism axis， thereby elucidating the scientific basis of its processing theory. MethodsAnimals were randomly divided into the control group， model group， positive drug（mosapride） group（3 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of AMR-AFI（3.9， 7.8， 15.6 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the remaining five groups were induced with STC using loperamide hydrochloride. Following modeling， interventions were administered. All groups received continuous administration for 15 d， during which fecal samples， colon tissue， and serum were collected. Constipation improvement was assessed by measuring fecal moisture content and small intestinal propulsion rate， histological morphology of colonic tissue was observed via hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the levels of interleukin（IL）-6， tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， and IL-2 in serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Furthermore， the microbial community structure in mouse feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing， while transcriptomic sequencing was employed to screen differentially expressed genes in colonic tissue， followed by gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses. Finally， Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore the association between differential microbiota and differential genes. ResultsCompared with the control group， the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content in the model group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）， while serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2 were significantly elevated（P<0.01）. HE staining showed damage and shedding of colonic mucosal epithelial cells， along with a reduction in goblet cells in the model group. In comparison with the model group， all treatment groups improved the pathological state of the colonic mucosa to varying degrees and reduced serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2（P<0.01）. Among these， the high-dose group of AMR-AFI significantly increased the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content of rats（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further transcriptomic analysis revealed that a total of 104 differentially expressed genes were identified from comparisons between the model group and the control group， as well as between the model group and the high-dose group of AMR-AFI. These genes were mainly enriched in pathways closely related to STC pathogenesis， such as arachidonic acid metabolism and aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption. 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that AMR-AFI reversed the structural imbalance of the gut microbiota in model mice， increased species richness， downregulated the relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria such as Parasutterella， and enriched beneficial and butyrate-producing bacteria， including Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group， Ruminococcaceae， and Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis further showed that the beneficial bacteria enriched in the AMR-AFI group were negatively correlated with genes involved in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and positively correlated with genes in the aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption pathway. In contrast， pro-inflammatory bacteria in the model group exhibited the opposite correlation trends. ConclusionAMR-AFI can effectively exert synergistic therapeutic effects on STC by regulating intestinal microbiota， arachidonic acid-mediated inflammatory metabolism， and aldosterone-regulated water-salt balance pathways.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the antitumor activity of Periplaneta americana extract（PAE） against human-derived lung adenocarcinoma organoids（LUAD-PDOs） and to elucidate its potential mechanism based on transcriptomics. MethodsFresh tumor and adjacent normal tissues from patients with LUAD were collected to construct LUAD-PDOs and normal lung organoid（Nor-PDOs） models using 3D organoid culture technology. The effective intervention concentration of PAE was determined using the cell counting kit-8（CCK-8） assay. Experimental groups included the model group（LUAD-PDOs）， normal group， model administration group（LUAD-PDOs+PAE）， and normal administration group（Nor-PDOs+PAE）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological structures of PDOs， immunohistochemistry（IHC） was performed to detect the expressions of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and lung adenocarcinoma differentiation markers cytokeratin-7（CK-7） and Napsin A， TUNEL staining was applied to detect cell apoptosis. RNA sequencing（RNA-Seq） was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes（DEGs）， followed by Gene Ontology（GO）， Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）， and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis（GSEA）， alongside protein-protein interaction（PPI） network analysis to screen core mechanisms. Finally， key targets were validated by integrating external database analysis with immunofluorescence（IF）. ResultsNor-PDOs and LUAD-PDOs that highly recapitulated the pathological characteristics of the primary tissues were successfully established. The CCK-8 assay determined that the effective intervention concentration of PAE was 16 g·L^-1. Morphological observation showed that Nor-PDOs exhibited lumen-forming structures， whereas LUAD-PDOs displayed dense， solid structures. CCK-8 and TUNEL assays revealed that， compared with the model group， PAE intervention inhibited the proliferation of LUAD-PDOs and promoted apoptosis in LUAD cells， while showing no significant effect on the viability of Nor-PDOs. Transcriptomic analysis identified 719 DEGs that were significantly reversed after PAE intervention（347 up-regulated and 372 down-regulated）（P<0.05）. GO enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs in the model administration group were significantly enriched in biological processes related to cell cycle regulation compared to the model group. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that PAE affected pathways related to proliferation and metabolism， including pathways in cancer and the p53 signaling pathway. GSEA further confirmed that PAE significantly enhanced the activity of the p53 signaling pathway（P<0.05）. PPI network analysis indicated that breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein（BRCA1） and checkpoint kinase 1（CHEK1） were the core down-regulated targets in the p53 pathway. IF verified the high expression of BRCA1 and CHEK1 in LUAD-PDOs and their significant downregulation after PAE intervention（P<0.05）. Furthermore， survival analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas（TCGA） database indicated that low expression of BRCA1 and CHEK1 was significantly associated with prolonged overall survival in patients with LUAD（P<0.05）. ConclusionPAE effectively inhibits proliferation of LUAD-PDOs and promotes their apoptosis， its anti-tumor mechanism is potentially associated with the activation of the p53 signaling pathway， with BRCA1 and CHEK1 genes likely serving as key downstream targets for the effects of PAE.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of 2-dodecyl-6-methoxy-2，5-diene-1，4-cyclohexanedione （DMDD）， an active component from Averrhoa carambola root， on myocardial injury in diabetic mice based on the nuclear receptor coactivator 4/ferritin heavy chain 1/autophagy-related protein 8 （NCOA4/FTH1/ATG8） axis. METHODS The successfully modeled diabetic mice were randomly divided into model group and DMDD low-， medium-， and high-dose （12.5， 25， 50 mg/kg） groups， while an additional non-modeled control group was established， with 6 mice in each group. Each group received the corresponding drug solution or an equal volume of normal saline intragastically once daily for 21 consecutive days. After the administration， the levels of fasting blood glucose （FBG）， serum lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB （CK-MB） were measured. Myocardial pathological changes， degree of fibrosis， and myocardial cell ultrastructure were observed. Myocardial cell death index and NCOA4 protein positive index were detected. The protein expression levels of NCOA4， FTH1， ATG8， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） in cardiac tissue were measured. RESULTS Compared with model group， each DMDD group showed significant alleviation of cardiac pathological injury and varying degrees of improvement in the myocardial cell ultrastructure. The FBG and serum LDH and CK-MB levels， the myocardial cell death index and NCOA4 protein positive index，the protein expression levels of NCOA4， FTH1， and ATG8 in cardiac tissue were significantly decreased （ P ＜0.001）， while the protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 were significantly increased （ P ＜0.001）. CONCLUSIONS DMDD can reduce blood glucose levels， alleviate myocardial histopathological injury， and inhibit cell death in diabetic mice. The mechanism is associated with inhibiting excessive activation of the NCOA4/FTH1/ATG8 axis and reducing ferritinophagy.

Objective To explore the impact of wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring on heart-focused anxiety in patients with tachyarrhythmias. Methods A cross-sectional study design was conducted. 305 patients with tachyarrhythmias who attended the department of cardiology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University in Shanghai from July 2025 to December 2025 were enrolled as the research subjects, and clinical data of patients were collected. Univariate analysis and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the impact of wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring on patients’ heart-focused anxiety. Results The mean score of heart-focused anxiety in the 305 patients with tachyarrhythmias was 33.16±9.70. Among them, 104(34.10%) patients used wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring. The results of univariate analysis and multiple stepwise regression showed that the use of wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring was an influencing factor for heart-focused anxiety (P＜0.05), and the patients who used wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring had a significantly lower level of heart-focused anxiety (P＜0.05). Conclusions The use of wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring is associated with a lower level of heart-focused anxiety in patients with tachyarrhythmias. Medical staff can guide patients to rationally use wearable devices in assisting disease monitoring on the basis of evaluating their needs and device operation capabilities.

ObjectiveTo explore the function and related molecular mechanisms of magnoflorine against colon cancer via network pharmacology， molecular docking， and in vitro cell experiments. MethodsIn this study， the canonical SMILES of magnoflorine was obtained from the PubChem database， and the potential targets of magnoflorine were predicted by the Swiss Target Prediction database， while the disease targets of colon cancer were obtained from the DisGeNET， GeneCards and OMIM databases. The intersecting targets between magnoflorine's predicted targets and colon cancer disease targets were taken， and a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed and analyzed. The DAVID online database was employed to conduct Gene Ontology （GO） and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses on core targets. The top five key targets screened were docked with magnoflorine using AutoDock software. Finally， cellular experiments including CCK-8 assays， EdU experiments， cell scratch assays， and Transwell assays were conducted to validate the results from network pharmacology and molecular docking. Results44 key targets of magnoflorine in resisting colon cancer were acquired. The molecular docking results showed that magnoflorine had a strong binding activity with the core target signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） in the top five of the PPI network. Cellular experiments confirmed that magnoflorine could inhibit the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells by suppressing the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. ConclusionMagnoflorine may inhibit the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells by regulating the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.

AIM:To clarify the expression characteristics and regulatory role of the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1(MALAT1)in oxidative stress and apoptosis of H2O2-induced human lens epithelial cell line HLE-B3.METHODS: HLE-B3 cells were divided into Control group and H2O2 group(cultured with 200 μmol/L H2O2 for 24 h). Levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and cell apoptosis rates were detected by flow cytometry. Activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT)were measured using kits, MALAT1 expression was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR, and its cellular localization was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. After selecting the Si-MALAT1 sequence with the highest silencing efficiency, the groups were established as Control, H2O2, H2O2+Si-NC, and H2O2+Si-MALAT1. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect the apoptosis marker TUNEL and Nrf2 nuclear translocation. RESULTS:Compared with the Control group, the H2O2group exhibited significantly elevated ROS levels, markedly decreased SOD and CAT activities(both P<0.001), and a significantly increased apoptosis rate(P<0.01). MALAT1 expression was upregulated(P<0.01)and localized in the nucleus. After silencing MALAT1, H2O2-induced cell apoptosis was significantly inhibited(P<0.01).CONCLUSION: H2O2-induced oxidative stress can increase the expression of MALAT1, and silencing MALAT1 reduces oxidative stress damage and apoptosis, providing a potential target for preventing and treating cataracts.

ObjectiveTo design a "roly-poly" style interactive home-based hand function training device based on the principle of self-stabilization and recovery in light of the characteristics of post-stroke hand dysfunction and the current scarcity of home-based hand function training devices; and explore the feasibility and clinical value of this device in hand function rehabilitation training for stroke patients. MethodsThis study adopted a phased research design consisting of two stages: device development and clinical validation. At the first stage, focusing on the principle of the tumbler's automatic return to center, combined with the clinical needs of hand function rehabilitation training for stroke patients, the development of a home-based interactive hand function training device was completed, and the application and authorization of a utility model patent were obtained. At the second stage, 30 stroke patients with post-stroke hand dysfunction hospitalized at Beijing Bo'ai Hospital from May to October, 2025 were randomly divided into control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 15). Both groups received conventional rehabilitation therapy, the control group added routine hand function training every evening, and the experimental group added hand function training using the device developed in this study every evening, for four weeks. The grip strength, lateral pinch strength, finger pad pinch strength, three-finger pinch strength and wrist joint range of motion (dorsal-flexion, palm-flexion, radial deviation and ulnar deviation) were measured before and after intervention. The upper limb and hand motor function was assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), and the modified Barthel Index (MBI) was used to evaluate activities of daily living (ADL). ResultsA self-stabilizing hemispherical hand functional rehabilitation device was developed and granted a utility model patent. After intervention, the grip strength, lateral pinch strength, finger pad pinch strength, three-finger pinch strength, wrist joint range of motion, and FMA and MBI scores significantly improved in both groups (|t| > 5.683, P < 0.05); except for the score of MBI (P > 0.05), all the other indicators were better in the experimental group than in the control group (t > 2.633, P < 0.05). ConclusionThe self-stabilizing, closed-loop home-based functional hand interaction training device designed in this study effectively improves hand grip, pinching function and wrist joint range of motion of stroke patients, significantly enhancing upper limb and hand motor function, and demonstrates feasibility for home-based hand rehabilitation training. However, the device does not provide notable additional improvements in patients' ADL, necessitating further optimization to enhance its clinical application value.

BACKGROUND:Traditional methods of urinary tract reconstruction are limited by donor scarcity,high complication rates,and suboptimal functional recovery.Tissue engineering strategies offer new directions in this field.Since the urinary tract is mainly composed of muscle tissue,the key is to find suitable seed cells and efficiently induce them to differentiate into smooth muscle cells.Comparative studies on the efficacy of different smooth muscle cell induction regimens are still lacking. OBJECTIVE:To isolate,culture,and identify human urine-derived stem cells,and to compare the effects of two different induction protocols. METHODS:Human urine-derived stem cells were isolated from urine samples of 11 healthy adult volunteers by multiple centrifugations.Surface markers were identified by flow cytometry.The multi-directional differentiation potential of human urine-derived stem cells was verified through osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation.Differentiation was induced by transforming growth factor-β1 or transforming growth factor-β1 combined with platelet derived growth factor for 14 days.Immunofluorescence staining and western blot assay were employed to compare the expression differences of smooth muscle-specific proteins(α-SMA and SM22). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Urine-derived stem cells were successfully isolated from the eight urine samples of healthy people.These cells exhibit a"rice grain"-like morphology and possess a robust proliferative capacity.(2)Urine-derived stem cells exhibited high expression of mesenchymal stem cell surface markers(CD73,CD90,and CD44)and extremely low expression of hematopoietic stem cell surface markers(CD34 and CD45).These cells did not express CD19,CD105,and HLA-DR.(3)After osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation,the formation of calcium nodules and lipid droplets was observed,with positive staining results from Alizarin Red S and Oil Red O staining.(4)After 14 days of smooth muscle induction culture,immunofluorescence staining revealed that the smooth muscle differentiation rate of urine-derived stem cells treated with a combination of transforming growth factor-β1 and platelet derived growth factor was significantly higher compared to those treated with transforming growth factor-β1 alone(P<0.005).(5)After 14 days of smooth muscle induction culture,western blot assay further demonstrated that the expression levels of α-SMA and SM22 in the transforming growth factor-β1/platelet derived growth factor group were significantly elevated compared to those in the transforming growth factor-β1 only group(P<0.005).These findings confirm that urine-derived stem cells can be non-invasively isolated using multiple rounds of centrifugation.Compared with transforming growth factor-β1 alone,the combination of transforming growth factor-β1 and platelet derived growth factor can improve the efficiency of inducing urine-derived stem cells to differentiate into smooth muscle cells.

Objective To investigate the organ protective role and the underlying mechanism of nafamostat mesylate(NM)in a renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(RIRI)model.Methods A total of 21 healthy male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups(n=7 in each group),including the sham operation group(Sham group),the RIRI group,and the NM intervention group(NM group).The RIRI and NM groups underwent ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI)modeling.The NM group was given an intraperitoneal injection of NM at 0.75 mg/kg before modeling.Venous blood and renal tissue samples were then collected from the rats 24 hours after modeling.The levels of serum creatinine,cystatin C,and serum inflammatory factors were determined using the serum samples.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and TUNEL stainings were performed on the renal tissues to evaluate the damage of the renal tissues.The localization and expression of HMGB1 were analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blotting,respectively.Single-cell RNA sequencing of the nuclei was performed to obtain the single-cell transcriptome of the kidneys from the rats in the RIRI and the NM groups and to acquire the RIRI cell profile.The cells were annotated according to the cell marker genes to explore the cell type composition in the disease model and the functional status of immune cells between the groups.Results 1)Compared with those of the Sham group,the levels of cystatin C,creatinine,and inflammatory factors in the RIRI and NM groups were significantly increased,and the expression levels in the NM group were lower than those in the RIRI group(P＜0.05).Compared with those of the RIRI group,the tubular injury score and apoptosis rate in the NM group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),but those of both the NM and RIRI groups were higher than those of the sham group.Compared with that in the RIRI group,the expression of HMGB1 in the NM group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),but the expression levels in both the RIRI and NM groups were higher than that in the sham group.Immunofluorescence showed that there was increased cytoplasmic expression of HMGB1 in both the NM and RIRI groups,with the increase being more prominent in the RIRI group.2)A total of 13 major cell populations were identified through the single-nucleus sequencing results.The proportion of tubular cells in the NM group was higher,with the HMGB1 gene being highly expressed in the damaged proximal convoluted tubular cells.The proportion of the polarized Macro3 cell subpopulation in the macrophages in the NM group was lower compared to that in the RIRI group.Conclusion NM may play a protective role in a rat model of RIRI,and its underlying mechanisms may be related to the regulation of the functional abnormalities of HMGB1-mediated macrophages.