Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a significant risk factor for gallstone formation, but mechanisms underlying MASH-related gallstone formation remain unclear. Golgi membrane protein 1 (GOLM1) participates in hepatic cholesterol metabolism and is upregulated in MASH. Here, we aimed to explore the role of GOLM1 in MASH-related gallstone formation. Methods: The UK Biobank cohort was used for etiological analysis. GOLM1 knockout (GOLM1-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Livers were excised for histology and immunohistochemistry analysis. Gallbladders were collected to calculate incidence of cholesterol gallstones (CGSs). Biles were collected for biliary lipid analysis. HepG2 cells were used to explore underlying mechanisms. Human liver samples were used for clinical validation. Results: MASH patients had a greater risk of cholelithiasis. All HFD-fed mice developed MASH, and the incidence of gallstones was 16.7% and 75.0% in GOLM1-/- and WT mice, respectively. GOLM1-/- decreased biliary cholesterol concentration and output. In vivo and in vitro assays confirmed that GOLM1 facilitated cholesterol efflux through upregulating ATP binding cassette transporter subfamily G member 5 (ABCG5). Mechanistically, GOLM1 translocated into nucleus to promote osteopontin (OPN) transcription, thus stimulating ABCG5-mediated cholesterol efflux. Moreover, GOLM1 was upregulated by interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, we confirmed that IL-1β, GOLM1, OPN, and ABCG5 were enhanced in livers of MASH patients with CGSs. Conclusions In MASH livers, upregulation of GOLM1 by IL-1β increases ABCG5-mediated cholesterol efflux in an OPN-dependent manner, promoting CGS formation. GOLM1 has the potential to be a molecular hub interconnecting MASH and CGSs.

In this paper, near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) was employed to analyze 129 batches of commercial products of Reduning Injection. The batch reporting rate was estimated according to the report of Reduning Injection in the direct adverse drug reaction(ADR) reporting system of the drug marketing authorization holder of the Center for Drug Reevaluation of the National Medical Products Administration(National Center for ADR Monitoring) from August 2021 to August 2022. According to the batch reporting rate, the samples of Reduning Injection were classified into those with potential risks and those being safe. No processing, random oversampling(ROS), random undersampling(RUS), and synthetic minority over-sampling technique(SMOTE) were then employed to balance the unbalanced data. After the samples were classified according to appropriate sampling methods, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS), successive projections algorithm(SPA), uninformative variables elimination(UVE), and genetic algorithm(GA) were respectively adopted to screen the features of spectral data. Then, support vector machine(SVM), logistic regression(LR), k-nearest neighbors(KNN), naive bayes(NB), random forest(RF), and artificial neural network(ANN) were adopted to establish the risk prediction models. The effects of the four feature extraction methods on the accuracy of the models were compared. The optimal method was selected, and bayesian optimization was performned to optimize the model parameters to improve the accuracy and robustness of model prediction. To explore the correlations between potential risks of clinical use and quality test data, TreeNet was employed to identify potential quality parameters affecting the clinical safety of Reduning Injection. The results showed that the models established with the SVM, LR, KNN, NB, RF, and ANN algorithms had the F1 scores of 0.85, 0.85, 0.86, 0.80, 0.88, and 0.85 and the accuracy of 88%, 88%, 88%, 85%, 91%, and 88%, respectively, and the prediction time was less than 5 s. The results indicated that the established models were accurate and efficient. Therefore, near infrared spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms can quickly predict the potential risks of clinical use of Reduning Injection in batches. Three key quality parameters that may affect clinical safety were identified by TreeNet, which provided a scientific basis for improving the safety standards of Reduning Injection.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Machine Learning ; Algorithms ; Humans ; Quality Control

In order to clarify the effects of drought stress training on the quality and drought resistance of Codonopsis pilosula, this study used PEG to simulate drought stress and employed potting with water control for the drought stress training of C. pilosula plants. The polysaccharide content, secondary metabolites, antioxidant system, and photosynthetic pigment system of C. pilosula after drought stress training were analyzed. The results showed that the content of fructans in the root of C. pilosula increased after two rounds of drought stress treatment, and it was significantly higher than that of the control group. The accumulation of fructans in the root of C. pilosula showed an upward trend during the rehydration treatment. The content of lobetyolin and tangshenoside Ⅰ increased after drought stress treatment compared with that of the control group. The rehydration treatment caused first increasing and then decreasing in the content of lobetyolin, while it had no significant effect on the tangshenoside Ⅰcontent. The content of photosynthetic pigments decreased after drought stress treatment, and it gradually increased during the first round of rehydration and the second round of rehydration. Moreover, the increase was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. The content of the peroxidation product malondialdehyde(MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), and catalase(CAT) increased after drought stress treatment compared with those of the control group, and they showed a tendency of decreasing during rehydration. Moreover, the decrease was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. When the plants of C. pilosula after drought stress training were again subjected to severe drought stress, the wilting rate decreased significantly, and the biomass increases significantly. This study showed that the drought stress training could promote the accumulation of polysaccharides and secondary metabolites in the root of C. pilosula. When encountering drought stress again, C. pilosula plants could quickly regulate the antioxidant system and delay the decomposition of chlorophyll to respond to drought stress. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the ecological cultivation of C. pilosula in arid and semi-arid areas.
Codonopsis/growth & development* ; Droughts ; Polysaccharides/metabolism* ; Stress, Physiological ; Water/metabolism* ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Photosynthesis ; Drought Resistance

This paper aimed to explore the effects of Duzhong Decoction(DZD)-containing serum on the proliferation and osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells through L-type voltage-gated calcium channels(L-VGCCs). L-VGCCs inhibitors, nifedipine and verapamil, were used to block L-VGCCs in osteoblasts. MC3T3-E1 cells were divided into a control group, a low-dose DZD-containing serum(L-DZD) group, a medium-dose DZD-containing serum(M-DZD) group, a high-dose DZD-containing serum(H-DZD) group, a nifedipine group, a H-DZD + nifedipine group, verapamil group, and a H-DZD + verapamil group. The CCK-8 method was used for cell proliferation analysis, alkaline phosphatase(ALP) assay kits for intracellular ALP activity measurement, Western blot for protein expression level in cells, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technology for intracellular mRNA expression level determination, fluorescence spectrophotometer for free Ca~(2+) concentration determination in osteoblasts, and alizarin red staining(ARS) for mineralized nodule formation in osteoblasts. The experimental results show that compared to the control group, DZD groups can promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, ALP activity, and mineralized nodule formation, increase intracellular Ca~(2+) concentrations, and upregulate the protein expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2), collagen Ⅰ(COL1), α2 subunit protein of L-VGCCs(L-VGCCα2), and the mRNA expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2), and BMP2. After blocking L-VGCCs with nifedipine and verapamil, the intervention effects of DZD-containing serum were inhibited to varying degrees. Both nifedipine and verapamil could inhibit ALP activity, reduce mineralized nodule areas, and downregulate the expression of bone formation-related proteins. Moreover, the effects of DZD-containing serum on increasing MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, osteoblast differentiation, and Ca~(2+) concentrations, upregulating the mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin(OPG) and protein expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-Akt) and phosphorylated forkhead box protein O1(p-FOXO1), and upregulating phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN) expression were reversed by nifedipine. The results indicate that DZD-containing serum can increase the Ca~(2+) concentration in MC3T3-E1 cells to promote bone formation, which may be mediated by L-VGCCs and the PTEN/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway, providing a new perspective on the mechanism of DZD in treating osteoporosis.
Animals ; Osteoblasts/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Calcium Channels, L-Type/genetics* ; Alkaline Phosphatase/genetics* ; Serum/chemistry* ; Cell Line ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/genetics*

The AP2/ERF transcription factor family is a class of transcription factors widely present in plants, playing a crucial role in regulating flowering, flower development, flower opening, and flower senescence. Based on transcriptome data from flower, leaf, and stem samples of two Lonicera macranthoides varieties, 117 L. macranthoides AP2/ERF family members were identified, including 14 AP2 subfamily members, 61 ERF subfamily members, 40 DREB subfamily members, and 2 RAV subfamily members. Bioinformatics and differential gene expression analyses were performed using NCBI, ExPASy, SOMPA, and other platforms, and the expression patterns of L. macranthoides AP2/ERF transcription factors were validated via qRT-PCR. The results indicated that the 117 LmAP2/ERF members exhibited both similarities and variations in protein physicochemical properties, AP2 domains, family evolution, and protein functions. Differential gene expression analysis revealed that AP2/ERF transcription factors were primarily differentially expressed in the flowers of the two L. macranthoides varieties, with the differentially expressed genes mainly belonging to the ERF and DREB subfamilies. Further analysis identified three AP2 subfamily genes and two ERF subfamily genes as potential regulators of flower development, two ERF subfamily genes involved in flower opening, and two ERF subfamily genes along with one DREB subfamily gene involved in flower senescence. Based on family evolution and expression analyses, it is speculated that AP2/ERF transcription factors can regulate flower development, opening, and senescence in L. macranthoides, with ERF subfamily genes potentially serving as key regulators of flowering duration. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for further research into the specific functions of the AP2/ERF transcription factor family in L. macranthoides and offer important theoretical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying floral phenotypic differences among its varieties.
Plant Proteins/chemistry* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Transcription Factors/chemistry* ; Lonicera/classification* ; Flowers/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Multigene Family

Microbial detection and control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are crucial for the quality control of TCM preparations. It is also a key area of research in the measurement technology and equipment development for TCM manufacturing. Guided by TCM manufacturing measurement methodologies, this study presented a design of a novel portable microbial detection device, using Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma decoction pieces as a demonstration. Immunomagnetic separation technology was employed for specific isolation and labeling of target microorganisms. Enzymatic signal amplification was utilized to convert weak biological signals into colorimetric signals, constructing an optical biosensor. A self-developed smartphone APP was further applied to analyze the colorimetric signals and quantify target concentrations. A portable and automated detection system based on Arduino microcontroller was developed to automatically perform target microbial separation/extraction, as well as mimetic enzyme labeling and catalytic reactions. The developed equipment specifically focuses on the rapid and quantitative microbial analysis of TCM active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates in TCM manufacturing, and final TCM products. Experimental results demonstrate that the equipment could detect Salmonella in samples within 2 h, with a detection limit as low as 5.1 × 10~3 CFU·mL~(-1). The equipment enables the rapid detection of microorganisms in TCM decoction pieces, providing a potential technical solution for on-site rapid screening of microbial contamination indicators in TCM. It has broad application prospects in measurement technology for TCM manufacturing and offers strong technical support for the modernization, industrialization, and intelligent development of TCM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Atractylodes/microbiology* ; Rhizome/microbiology* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Colorimetry/instrumentation* ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional rehabilitation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 101 patients who needed TKA due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involving both knees from January 2017 to December 2020, including 16 males and 85 females, aged from 41 to 65 years old with an average of (58.13±5.53) years old;body mass index (BMI) ranged from 16.88 to 33.33 kg·m^-2 with an average of (23.16±3.49) kg·m^-2;63 patients with grade 1, 29 patients with grade 2, and 9 patients with grade 3 according to classification of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). According to the latest follow-up results at 12 months after operation, 82 patients returned to work and 19 patients did not return to work. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of pain relief before operation and 12 months after operation, and work, osteoarthritis and joint replacement questionnaire (WORQ) was used to evaluate knee joint activity status of all patients before and after operation, and the working ability index was used to evaluate working ability of all patients before operation and 12 months after operation. For the 82 patients who returned to work, the labor time stopped before operation and within 12 months after operation was compared, and the changes in labor grades, types of work and labor hours of patients before and after operation were recorded. For the 19 patients who did not return to work, the specific reasons for their non-return to work was analyzed;the postoperative satisfaction of patients was evaluated by using Likert satisfaction scale. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. VAS was decreased from (6.49±0.59) before operation to (1.10±0.43) at 12 months after operation (P<0.05);for WORQ questionnaire survey, scores of walking, sitting posture, standing and stair climbing were increased from (1.07±0.35), (1.05±0.29), (1.06±0.34) and (1.14±0.42) before operation to (3.00±0.00), (2.87±0.33), (2.95±0.21) and (2.95±0.21) after operation, respectively, had statistically significant (P<0.05);the labor work index of all patients increased from 1.11±0.46 before operation to 2.99±0.10 at 12 months after operation, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Among the 82 patients who returned to work after operation, regarding the time of stopping labor, 81 patients stopped working within 3 months before operation, 1 patient stopped working for 4 to 6 months after operation, and the number of patients who stopped working was 81, 1, and 0 respectively. Forty patients returned to work within 3 months after operation, 4 to 6 months after operation for 29 patients, and 12 months after operation for 13 patients. 95.1% (78/82) of patients engaged in light labor before operation, and 85.4% (70/82) of patients engaged in moderate labor after operation. At 12 months after operation, the types of jobs and working hours available to all patients increased compared with those before operation. Among 19 patients who did not return to work after TKA, 7 patients had poor control of rheumatoid arthritis, 5 patients still felt pain, swelling and numbness on knee joint, 2 patients had retired, and 5 patients had other reasons. Eighty-six patients (85%) expressed great satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 8 patients (8%) expressed satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 6 patients (6%) expressed acceptance of postoperative working ability, and 1 patient (1%) expressed dissatisfaction with postoperative working ability. CONCLUSION TKA is an effective treatment option for patients with RA. After undergoing TKA, patients could significantly improve pain and functional activities of knee joint, and effectively enhance the quality of life and working ability. For patients whose rehabilitation labor capacity is not fully met, postoperative management and personalized rehabilitation treatment need to be strengthened to achieve the best rehabilitation effect.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/rehabilitation* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of lengthened proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) and InterTan in the treatment of subtrochanteric femur fractures in the elderly. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 65 elderly patients diagnosed with subtrochanteric femoral fractures who met the inclusion criteria between October 2016 and January 2022. The enrolled patients were categorized into two groups according to the type of internal fixation used: the lengthened proximal femoral nail antirotation(PFNA) group and the InterTan group. There were 32 patients in the PFNA group, comprising 20 males and 12 females, with ages ranging from 60 to 85 years old with an average of (69.3±6.7 ) years old. Among these patients, 15 patients resulted from traffic accidents and 17 patients were caused by falls. According to the Seinsheimer classification system, there were 11 patients as type Ⅱ, 14 patients as type Ⅲ, 6 patients as type Ⅳ, and 1 patient as type Ⅴ. The InterTan group comprised 33 patients, including 20 males and 13 females, aged from 60 to 85 years old with an average of (69.8±7.8 ) years old. Of these, 15 patients resulted from traffic accidents, while 18 patients were caused by falls. According to the Seinsheimer classification system, 10 patients as type Ⅱ, 15 patients as type Ⅲ, 7 patients as type Ⅳ, and 1 patient as type Ⅴ. The intraoperative blood loss, operative duration, and fracture healing time were recorded and compared between two groups. The quality of fracture reduction was assessed using Chang's criteria. Additionally, the Harris hip score was utilized to evaluate hip function in both groups at 3 months postoperatively and at the final follow-up. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for a period ranging from 10 to 20 months with an average of (14.6±4.5) months. No statistically significant differences were observed between two groups in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, quality of fracture reduction, or reduction methods (P>0.05). Three months after the surgery, the Harris hip score in the InterTan group was 80.0(78.0, 83.5) points, which was significantly higher than that in the PFNA group, which recorded a score of 77.5(75.0, 81.8) points. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). At the final follow-up, the Harris hip score in the InterTan group was 80.0(76.5, 87.0), while that in the PFNA group was 78.0(74.3, 82.8). No statistically significant difference was observed between two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION The use of lengthened PFNA and InterTan in the treatment of elderly subtrochanteric femur fractures can both achieve good treatment results, with the advantages of simple operation, firm fixation, and low failure rate of internal fixation. The lengthened InterTan can achieve better hip function than PFNA.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Nails ; Retrospective Studies ; Hip Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/instrumentation* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Femoral Fractures/surgery*