ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Hezhongxiaopi granules （HZXPG） on methylnitronitrosoguanidine （MNNG）-mediated gastric mucosal cell apoptosis and the regulatory effects on the Nicalin （Ncln）-C/EBP homologous protein （CHOP） axis and endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS）. MethodsThe cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay was employed to examine the inhibitory effect of MNNG on the proliferation of GES-1 cells， and the optimal effective dose of MNNG was selected. Human gastric mucosal GES-1 cells were allocated into the control， model （MNNG， 1.562 5 mmol·L^-1）， and low/high-dose HZXPG （5% and 10% HZXPG-containing serum） groups. Phalloidin staining was employed to detect MNNG-induced morphological changes in human gastric mucosal cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL） assay was adopted to assess cell apoptosis. Annexin Ⅴ/propidium iodide （Annexin Ⅴ/PI） flow cytometry was utilized to measure the alterations in the apoptotic cycle of human gastric mucosal cells. Western blot was performed to determine the expression levels of proteins related to apoptosis， ERS， and the Ncln/CHOP axis. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group exhibited a reduction in the surface area of GES-1 cells， endoplasmic reticulum （ER） dilation， increased early and late apoptosis rates of gastric mucosal cells， upregulated protein levels of truncated Bid （tBid）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， cleaved-cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase （Caspase）-3， and cleaved-Caspase-8， and downregulated protein level of B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） （P<0.01）. In addition， the expression levels of binding immunoglobulin protein （BiP）， Ncln， and CHOP were upregulated （P<0.01）， with enhanced Ncln expression in the ER and elevated CHOP expression in the nucleus. Compared with the model group， the high-dose HZXPG group showed a significant increase in the surface area of gastric mucosal cells. Both dose groups exhibited inhibited ER dilation and reduced early and late apoptosis rates of gastric mucosal cells （P<0.01）. Low-dose HZXPG decreased the expression of tBid and Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01） and promoted Bcl-2 expression （P<0.01）. High-dose HZXPG reduced the expression levels of tBid， Bax， cleaved-Caspase-3， and cleaved-Caspase-8 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and increased the Bcl-2 expression level （P<0.05）. Furthermore， high-dose HZXPG downregulated the expression levels of BiP， Ncln， and CHOP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while decreasing the nuclear translocation of CHOP. ConclusionHZXPG alleviates MNNG-induced ERR-mediated apoptosis of gastric mucosal cells by inhibiting the Ncln-CHOP axis， thereby relieving gastric mucosal cell damage caused by precancerous gastric lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate effect of Kuanxiong Aerosol (KXA) on perioperative coronary microcirculation in patients with unstable angina (UA) suffering from elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: From February 2021 to July 2023, UA inpatients who underwent PCI alone in the left anterior descending (LAD) branch were included. Random numbers were generated to divide patients into the trial group and the control group at a ratio of 1:1. The index of coronary microcirculation resistance (IMR) was measured before PCI, and the trial group was given two sprays of KXA, while the control group was not given. IMR was measured again after PCI, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) were detected before and 24 h after surgery, and major cardiovascular adverse events (MACEs) were recorded for 30 days. The data statistics and analysis personnel were blinded. RESULTS: Totally 859 patients were screened, and 62 of them were involved into this study. Finally, 1 patient in the trial group failed to complete the post-PCI IMR and was excluded, 30 patients were included for data analysis, while 31 patients in the control group were enrolled in data analysis. There was no significant difference in baseline data (age, gender, risk factors, previous history, biochemical index, and drug therapy, etc.) between the two groups. In addition, differences in IMR, cTnI and CK-MB were not statistically significant between the two groups before surgery. After PCI, the IMR level of the trial group was significantly lower than that of the control group (19.56 ± 14.37 vs. 27.15 ± 15.03, P=0.048). Besides, the incidence of perioperative myocardial injury (PMI) was lower in the trial group, but the difference was not statistically significant (6.67% vs. 16.13%, P=0.425). No MACEs were reported in either group. CONCLUSIONS KXA has the potential of improving coronary microvascular dysfunction. This study provides reference for the application of KXA in UA patients undergoing elective PCI. (Registration No. ChiCTR2300069831).
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Male ; Microcirculation/drug effects* ; Female ; Angina, Unstable/physiopathology* ; Pilot Projects ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Aerosols ; Troponin I/blood* ; Coronary Circulation/drug effects* ; Elective Surgical Procedures

This study explores the effect of total secondary ginsenosides(TSG) on apoptosis and energy metabolism in H9c2 cells under hypoxia and its potential mechanisms. H9c2 cell viability was observed and the apoptosis rate was calculated to determine suitable intervention concentrations of TSG, antimycin A complex(AMA), and coenzyme Q10(CoQ10), along with the duration of hypoxia. H9c2 cells at the logarithmic phase were divided into a normal group, a model group, a TSG group, an AMA group, a TSG+AMA group, and a CoQ10 group. All groups, except the normal group, were treated with their respective intervention drugs and cultured under hypoxic conditions. Adenosine triphosphate(ATP) content and creatine kinase(CK) activity were measured using an ATP chemiluminescence assay kit and a CK colorimetric assay kit. Flow cytometry was used to assess apoptosis rates, and Western blot evaluated the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins, including B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease(caspase)-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9, as well as mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α(PGC-1α), estrogen-related receptor-α(ERRα), nuclear respiratory factor(NRF)-1, NRF-2, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α(PPARα), and Na~+-K~+-ATPase. RT-PCR was employed to analyze the mRNA expression of mitochondrial biogenesis factors, including PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, NRF-2, PPARα, mitochondrial transcription factor A(TFAM), mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase 1(COX1), and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1(ND1), ND2. The selected intervention concentrations were 7.5 μg·mL~(-1) for TSG, 10 μmol·L~(-1) for AMA, and 1×10~(-4) mol·L~(-1) for CoQ10, with a hypoxia duration of 6 h. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed decreased ATP content and CK activity, increased apoptosis rates, decreased Bcl-2 expression, and increased Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 expression in H9c2 cells. Additionally, the protein and mRNA expression levels of mitochondrial biogenesis-related factors(PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, NRF-2, PPARα), mRNA expression of TFAM, COX1, and ND1, ND2, and protein expression of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in mitochondrial DNA, were also reduced. In the TSG and CoQ10 groups, ATP content and CK activity increased, and apoptosis rates decreased compared with those in the model group. The TSG group showed decreased protein expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9, increased protein and mRNA expression of mitochondrial biogenesis factors PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, and PPARα, and increased NRF-2 protein expression and TFAM mRNA expression in mitochondrial DNA. Conversely, in the AMA group, ATP content and CK activity decreased, the apoptosis rate increased, Bcl-2 expression decreased, and Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 expression increased, alongside reductions in PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, NRF-2, PPARα protein and mRNA expression, as well as TFAM, COX1, ND1, ND2 mRNA expression and Na~+-K~+-ATPase protein expression. Compared with the TSG group, the TSG+AMA group exhibited decreased ATP content and CK activity, increased apoptosis rates, decreased Bcl-2 expression, and increased Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 expression, along with decreased PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, NRF-2, and PPARα protein and mRNA expression and TFAM, COX1, and ND1, ND2 mRNA expression. Compared with the AMA group, the TSG+AMA group showed increased CK activity, decreased apoptosis rate, increased Bcl-2 expression, and decreased Bax, caspase-8, and caspase-9 expression. Additionally, the protein and mRNA expression of PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, PPARα, mRNA expression of TFAM, COX1, ND1, ND2, and Na~+-K~+-ATPase protein expression increased. In conclusion, TSG enhance ATP content and CK activity and inhibit apoptosis in H9c2 cells under hypoxia, and the mechanisms may be related to the regulation of PGC-1α, ERRα, NRF-1, NRF-2, PPARα, and TFAM expression, thus promoting mitochondrial biogenesis.
Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Energy Metabolism/drug effects* ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Animals ; Rats ; Cell Line ; Cell Hypoxia/drug effects* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism* ; Humans ; Cell Survival/drug effects*

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infectious respiratory disease that has been prevalent since December 2019. Chinese medicine (CM) has demonstrated its unique advantages in the fight against COVID-19 in the areas of disease prevention, improvement of clinical symptoms, and control of disease progression. This review summarized the relevant material components of CM in the treatment of COVID-19 by searching the relevant literature and reports on CM in the treatment of COVID-19 and combining with the physiological and pathological characteristics of the novel coronavirus. On the basis of sorting out experimental methods in vivo and in vitro, the mechanism of herb action was further clarified in terms of inhibiting virus invasion and replication and improving related complications. The aim of the article is to explore the strengths and characteristics of CM in the treatment of COVID-19, and to provide a basis for the research and scientific, standardized treatment of COVID-19 with CM.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; SARS-CoV-2/drug effects* ; COVID-19/therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Antiviral Agents/pharmacology* ; Animals

Objective To analyze the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among relevant healthcare workers(HCWs)in designated tuberculosis medical institutions(MIs)in Yantai City,and explore its influencing factors.Methods The cluster random sampling method was adopted to select two county-and district-level desig-nated tuberculosis MIs.All HCWs underwent questionnaire survey and creation tuberculin skin test(C-TST)at the same time,and the influencing factors for LTBI were analyzed.Results A total of 215 HCWs from designated tu-berculosis MIs were included for analysis,37 were diagnosed with LTBI,with an infection rate of 17.21％(95％CI:12.42％-22.93％).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that clinicians(OR=3.19,95％CI:1.05-9.69),laboratory technician(OR=5.90,95％CI:1.21-28.77),working years≥10 years(OR=3.31,95％CI:1.39-7.90),and tuberculosis history of family members(OR=6.49,95％CI:1.01-41.46)were independent risk factors for LTBI.Conclusion The infection risk of clinicians and laboratory technicians who directly contact with tuberculosis patients or Mycobacterium tuberculosis is higher than that of other HCWs,and is related to the length of working years.It is suggested that healthcare-associated infection control measures should be streng-thened,and tuberculosis active screening should be carried out regularly for HCWs in key departments.

Objective To analyze the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among relevant healthcare workers(HCWs)in designated tuberculosis medical institutions(MIs)in Yantai City,and explore its influencing factors.Methods The cluster random sampling method was adopted to select two county-and district-level desig-nated tuberculosis MIs.All HCWs underwent questionnaire survey and creation tuberculin skin test(C-TST)at the same time,and the influencing factors for LTBI were analyzed.Results A total of 215 HCWs from designated tu-berculosis MIs were included for analysis,37 were diagnosed with LTBI,with an infection rate of 17.21％(95％CI:12.42％-22.93％).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that clinicians(OR=3.19,95％CI:1.05-9.69),laboratory technician(OR=5.90,95％CI:1.21-28.77),working years≥10 years(OR=3.31,95％CI:1.39-7.90),and tuberculosis history of family members(OR=6.49,95％CI:1.01-41.46)were independent risk factors for LTBI.Conclusion The infection risk of clinicians and laboratory technicians who directly contact with tuberculosis patients or Mycobacterium tuberculosis is higher than that of other HCWs,and is related to the length of working years.It is suggested that healthcare-associated infection control measures should be streng-thened,and tuberculosis active screening should be carried out regularly for HCWs in key departments.

Objective:To observe and assess the clinical value of electrophysiology of ocular surface in the diagnosis and treatment of blepharospasm in Meige syndrome (MS).Methods:A single-center, cross-sectional study. A total of 413 patients diagnosed with MS and undergoing surgical treatment at the Henan Provincial Meige Syndrome Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Henan Provincial Third People′s Hospital from May 2022 to December 2023 were included as the MS group. A total of 110 age- and gender-matched spouses of patients and community volunteers were selected as the control group. The bioelectricity detection program of the electrooculogram was used; the frequency bandwidth was set at 0.3 to 300.0 Hz. Surface electrodes were employed to record the surface electrophysiological manifestations of the corrugator supercilii muscle and the lower orbicularis oculi muscle, as well as the conditions and temporal characteristics of spasm waves. Based on the amplitude and waveform of the electrophysiology of ocular surface signals, it can be classified into 0-4 grades. The blepharospasm was divided into conditionally induced type, spastic type, reverse spastic type, and oro-ocular elicited type. All patients were treated with neural circuit occlusion, and the postoperative follow-up time was 4.1 (0.5-19.0) months. The distribution of different grades of electrophysiology of ocular surface in the MS and control group at baseline were observed, as well as within the MS group at the last follow-up visit. Additionally, the blepharospasm grades in the MS group were also assessed. The comparison of the distribution of the number of eyes with different grades of electrophysiology of ocular surface between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results:At baseline, in the MS group, the number of cases with corrugator supercilii muscle amplitudes and morphologies graded from 0 to 4 were as follows: 15 (3.60%, 15/413) for grade 0, 95 (23.00%, 95/413) for grade 1, 142 (34.38%, 142/413) for grade 2, 127 (30.75%, 127/413) for grade 3, and 34 (8.24%, 34/413) for grade 4. In the control group, the corresponding numbers of individuals were 82 (74.54%, 82/110) for grade 0, 24 (21.82%, 24/110) for grade 1, 4 (3.64%, 4/110) for grade 2, 0 (0.00%, 0/110) for grade 3, and 0 (0.00%, 0/110) for grade 4. For the orbicularis oculi muscle, there were 35 cases (8.47%) in grade 0, 124 cases (30.03%) in grade 1, 150 cases (36.32%) in grade 2, 90 cases (21.79%) in grade 3, and 14 cases (3.39%) in grade 4 in the MS group. In the control group, there were 86 cases (78.18%) in grade 0, 24 cases (21.82%) in grade 1, and 0 cases in grades 2, 3, and 4. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of the number of eyes with different electrophysiology of ocular surface grading of the corrugator supercilii muscle and the orbicularis oculi muscle between the MS and control group ( Z=-14.51, -13.86; P<0.001). Meanwhile, there were statistically significant differences in the distribution of the number of eyes with different electrophysiology of ocular surface grading of the corrugator supercilii muscle and the orbicularis oculi muscle between preoperation and at the last follow-up in the MS group ( Z=-16.52, -17.36; P<0.001). In the MS group, there were 61 (14.77%, 61/413), 306 (74.09%, 306/413), 27 (6.54%, 27/413) and 19 (4.60%, 19/413) cases of blepharospasm conditionally induced type, spasm type, reverse spasm type and oro-ocular elicited type, respectively. Conclusion:The electrophysiology of the ocular surface can objectively reflect the activity of periocular neuromuscular.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of flight fatigue being detected via photoplethysmography (PPG) and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO 2) in order to address the challenges posed by flight fatigue during prolonged or multiple consecutive flights. Methods:A total of 16 healthy male volunteers were enrolled. A wireless cerebral oximetry monitor headband was employed to collect PPG and rScO 2 data from the forehead while a multi-lead physiological data acquisition system was used concurrently to record three-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). After 18 h of sleep deprivation, each volunteer performed a flight-simulating task, which was divided into 4 stages: the baseline period (T1), relaxation period (T2), early fatigue period (T3) and severe fatigue period (T4). Five-minute data was collected from each stage for analysis using AcqKnowledge 6.0. Heart rate (HR) and 3 HR variability (HRV) metrics, namely standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and low frequency to high frequency power ratio (LF/HF), were computed independently from both ECG and PPG traces. The mean rScO 2 value for each stage was used to represent the cerebral oxygen saturation during that stage. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to assess the consistency of the measurements, and the differences in HR and HRV indicators of the volunteers in the 4 stages of the experiment were analyzed. Results:The HR measured by ECG and PPG was highly consistent across the 4 stages among the 14 volunteers ( ICC=0.951, 0.963, 0.962, 0.963, P=0.013, 0.011, 0.021, 0.015), so were SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF values ( ICC=0.935-0.983, all P<0.05). HR values calculated with either method showed significant differences across the 4 stages in the 14 volunteers ( F=21.63, 20.52, P=0.007, 0.008). HR gradually declined from T1 to T4, and was significantly lower at T4 than at T1 ( P=0.011, 0.009). There were significant differences in SDNN ( F=22.31, 24.26, P=0.006, 0.003), RMSSD ( F=22.30, 22.26, P=0.006, 0.006), and LF/HF ( F=20.37, 25.13, P=0.009, 0.002) across the 4 stages among the 14 volunteers. SDNN and RMSSD kept increasing as fatigue was intensified, while LF/HF decreased correspondingly. Statistically significant differences were found in SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF values between T4 and T1 (all P<0.01). rScO 2 measured during the flight-simulating trial also differed significantly across the 4 stages ( F=21.39, P=0.007). rScO? at both T3 and T4 was significantly lower than at T1 ( P=0.009, 0.007). Conclusions:PPG can replace ECG for monitoring HR and HRV indicators under flight fatigue. Furthermore, the combination of PPG with rScO 2 monitoring allows for earlier detection of flight fatigue. This study is expected to offer a user-friendly and non-invasive approach to management of pilot fatigue.

The 97th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association was held from March 12 to March 14,2025,in Nagoya,Japan.The conference was chaired by Professor Kazuhiro Uyama from Fujita Medical University and attracted nearly 2 000 scholars from around the world,including Japan,China,the republic of Korea,the United States,and Europe.With the theme of"Digital Innovation in Gastric Tumors,"the conference focused on the application of artificial intelligence,robotic surgery,and other innovations in the treatment of gastric cancer.It explored how high-precision and highly reproducible robotic surgical techniques are transforming traditional approaches to gastric cancer surgery,along with topics such as digital innovation,future medical policies,and strategies that herald a new era in healthcare.The meeting featured one main venue and 60 sub-venues with different themes,ultimately accepting 1 003 submissions.A total of 158 oral presentations covering 80 topics and 203 poster presentations were delivered.Among them,approximately 145 lectures were related to robotic surgery for gastric cancer,and when including poster presentations,nearly 255 topics were associated with gastric cancer robotic surgery.Additionally,the 7th edition of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines was released during the meeting.Our team had the honor of participating in this prestigious event.Drawing from our experience at both this conference and the 17th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Robotic Surgery held in Utsunomiya,Japan,from March 7 to March 8,2025,we provide a detailed report on the latest advancements in robotic surgery for gastric cancer,hoping to offer valuable insights and references for fellow surgeons both in China and abroad.

Radical gastrectomy is the most important treatment for gastric cancer. In recent years, robot-assisted surgical systems have demonstrated significant potential in gastric cancer treatment, thanks to their minimally invasiveness, precise, and fast recovery features. As clinical research continues to deepen, a growing body of evidence has confirmed that robot-assisted gastrectomy offers distinct advantages, such as improved efficiency in lymph node dissection and a reduced incidence of postoperative complications. But at the same time, robotic surgery still has some shortcomings such as high cost, long operation time and lack of force feedback. With the emergence of high-level evidence-based medical evidence and the application of domestic robot system, robot radical gastrectomy will be further promoted and applied. Robotic surgery has broad application prospects, and further advances in techniques are expected in future in the direction of single-port, intelligent, automation and multi-technology integration .