Objective To optimize the extraction process of Xuetong capsules and establish its quality control method. Methods The extraction process was optimized by orthogonal experiment using ethanol reflux method to investigate the effects of different factors on diphenylstilbene, aloin and extraction yield. The content of 5 anthraquinone compounds in Xuetong capsule was determined by HPLC. Results The optimal extraction process was to add 10 times ethanol, with an ethanol concentration of 70%, and extract 3 times, each time for 1 h; 5 components had a good linear relationship with peak area within a certain concentration range, r>0.999 7; The range of sample recovery rate was 93.66%-96.85%, RSD range of 1.48%-1.66%. The content determination results of the 5 components in three batches of Xuetong capsules were （0.632-0.641）, （0.660-0.681）, （1.968-1.991）, （2.547-2.580）, and （1.076-1.101） mg/g. Conclusion The method was accurate, reproducible, and highly feasible, which could be references for producing and improving the quality control standards of Xuetong capsules.

Isosteviol is a tetracyclic diterpenoid compound obtained by hydrolysis of natural stevia glycoside under acidic conditions. It has many pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Due to its low water solubility, low activity and low bioavailability, isosteviol has poor performance. In order to overcome these shortcomings, scholars have obtained a large number of isosteviol derivatives with novel structures and excellent activity. In this paper, we review the recent progress in the research on the structure modification, biological activity, structure-activity relationship and microbial transformation of isosteviol, in order to provide a reference for the development of new drugs of isosteviol and its derivatives.

BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

ObjectiveBased on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the brain activity characteristics of gross motor tasks in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and motor dysfunctions (MDs) to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanism of MDs in children with ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 children with ASD accompanied by MDs were recruited into the ASD group and 40 children with typically developing (TD) into the TD group. The fNIRS device was used to collect the information of blood oxygen changes in the cortical motor-related brain regions during single-handed bag throwing and tiptoe walking, and the differences in brain activation and functional connectivity between the two groups of children were analyzed from the perspective of brain activation and functional connectivity. ResultsCompared to the TD group, in the object manipulative motor task (one-handed bag throwing), the ASD group showed significantly reduced activation in both left sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and right secondary visual cortex (V2) (P<0.05), whereas the right pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC&SMA) had significantly higher activation (P<0.01) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, there was a significant decrease in the strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and V2. In the body stability motor task (tiptoe walking), the ASD group had significantly higher activation in motor-related brain regions such as the DLPFC, SMC, and PMC&SMA (P<0.05) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, the ASD group had lower strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with PMC&SMA and V2. ConclusionChildren with ASD exhibit abnormal brain functional activity characteristics specific to different gross motor tasks in object manipulative and body stability, reflecting insufficient or excessive compensatory activation of local brain regions and impaired cross-regions integration, which may be a potential reason for the poorer gross motor performance of children with ASD, and meanwhile provides data support for further unraveling the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of MDs in the context of ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer （TNBC）. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in PubMed， Embase， Cochrane Library， CNKI， and Wanfang Data to collect randomized controlled trials （RCT） on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy （experimental group） versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy （control group） in the treatment of TNBC. After literature screening， data extraction and literature quality evaluation， meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0. RESULTS A total of 5 RCT involving 1 498 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that the pathological complete response rate （pCR） [RR＝1.34， 95%CI （1.09， 1.63）， P＝0.03]， pCR in patients with positive programmed death-1 （PD-1） and its ligand （PD-L1） [RR＝1.33， 95%CI （1.16， 1.51）， P＝0.01]， pCR in patients with positive lymph nodes [RR＝ 1.56， 95%CI （1.27， 1.93）， P＝0.01]， the incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events （AEs） [RR＝1.07， 95%CI （1.01， 1.14）， P＝ 0.04]， the incidence of serious AEs [RR＝1.57， 95%CI （1.31， 1.87）， P＝0.03]， and the incidence of treatment discontinuation due to AEs [RR＝1.45， 95%CI （1.19， 1.76）， P＝0.01] were significantly higher in the experimental group than control group. There were no statistically significant difference in pCR in patients with negative PD-1/PD-L1[RR＝ E-mail：biejun23@126.com 1.26， 95%CI （0.98， 1.62）， P＝0.08] and pCR in patients with negative lymph nodes [RR＝1.14， 95%CI （0.97， 1.33）， P＝0.17] between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy demonstrates significant efficacy in early-stage TNBC patients， with more pronounced benefits observed in those who are PD-1/PD-L1 positive and lymph node- positive. However， the incidence of AEs is relatively high.

Objective To investigate the short- and long-term prognoses and the risk factors affecting “textbook outcome” (TO) after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods The clinical and follow-up data of patients diagnosed with PDAC and treated with LPD from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The prognosis was compared between TO and non-TO groups, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors for TO. Results A total of 284 patients were enrolled in this study, including 185 cases in the TO group and 99 cases in the non-TO group. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of the TO and non-TO groups with PDAC were 87.3% vs. 85.9%, 52.5% vs. 38.4%, and 18.0% vs. 4.5%, respectively (P=0.020); the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 74.1% vs. 65.7%, 27.1% vs. 21.0%, and 10.0% vs. 0%, respectively (P=0.042). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that operation time >360 min (OR=0.561, 95%CI: 0.321-0.979, P=0.042), intraoperative blood loss >400 ml (OR=0.392, 95%CI: 0.175-0.879, P=0.023), hard or tough texture of pancreas (OR=2.240, 95%CI: 1.247-4.022, P=0.007), and main pancreatic duct diameter >3 mm (OR=1.931, 95%CI: 1.126-3.312, P=0.017) were independent prognostic factors for TO. Conclusion After the learning curve, more than 60% of patients with PDAC can achieve TO after LPD. The chances of achieving TO are significantly reduced when the operation time >360 min, the intraoperative blood loss >400 ml, the texture of pancreas was soft, and the diameter of the main pancreatic duct >3 mm.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of different acupuncture methods in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) at different stages. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with AS were treated with acupuncture at ashi points (tendon focus), triple acupuncture method was used in the acute phase, accompanied needling method was used in the remission phase, once a day, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. The Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) score, Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) score and TCM symptom grade quantitative standard score before and after treatment were observed, and the efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the BASDAI score, BASFI score and TCM symptom grade quantitative standard score were reduced compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), the effective rate was 96.9% (31/32). CONCLUSION Different acupuncture methods in the treatment of AS at different stages could improve signs and symptoms, such as pain, activity limitation and morning stiffness.
Humans ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/physiopathology* ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome

Based on the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED) from the meridian-zangfu relationship and the "brain-heart-kidney-essence chamber" axis, it proposes that dysfunction of the "brain-heart-kidney-essence chamber" axis is closely related to the occurrence of ED. Among these, brain-heart disharmony is the key pathogenic factor, kidney deficiency and essence depletion constitute an important basis, and essence chamber stasis is a critical mechanism. The treatment approach emphasizes harmonizing the brain and heart, regulating the mind, tonifying the kidney and replenishing qi, unblocking qi and blood to harmonize the essence chamber. The primary acupoints include Baihui (GV20)-Neiguan (PC6)-Shenmen (HT7), Taixi (KI3)-Guanyuan (CV4)-Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Zhongji (CV3)-Dahe (KI12)-Gongsun (SP4), with additional acupoints selected based on syndrome differentiation. This approach aims to restore the clarity of the brain and heart, replenish kidney qi, and unblock the essence chamber, thereby facilitating the restoration of normal functions of the brain, heart, kidney, and essence chamber, and alleviating ED symptoms and improving overall clinical efficacy.
Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Erectile Dysfunction/physiopathology* ; Kidney/physiopathology* ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Heart/physiopathology*