OBJECTIVE To compare the anti-hepatitis mechanisms of Abrus pulchellus subsp. cantoniensis （Hance） Verdc. （AC） and Abrus pulchellus subsp. mollis（Hance） Verdc. （AM）. METHODS SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， AC- treated group， and AM-treated group， with each group consisting of 10 rats. The rats’ orbital venous blood was collected at 5， 15， 30 minutes， and 1， 1.5， 2， 4， 6， 8， 12 hours after gavage administration of 24 g/kg of the corresponding drug （calculated by crude drug） or water， respectively. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology was utilized to identify the prototype components present in the serum. The network pharmacology method was adopted to predict the anti-hepatitis active components， key targets， and signaling pathways of AC and AM. Additionally， molecular docking technology was utilized to verify the binding activity of the core active components with key targets. RESULTS A total of 35 prototype components migrating to the blood of AC and AM were identified in the serum of administered rats， among which 24 were common components. The active components in AC， such as acetylanguidine， physcion， soyasaponin A3 and soyasaponin Ⅰ， as well as those in AM， including vicenin 3， acetylanguidine，soyasaponin Ⅰ and schaftoside， all acted on key targets such as steroid receptor coactivator， phosphatidylinositol-4，5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and protein kinase B1（Akt1）. These components modulated pathways in cancer， EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance， and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K） -Akt pathway， thereby exerting anti-hepatitis effects. Furthermore， the binding energies between these active components and their key targets were all less than －5 kJ/mol. CONCLUSIONS There are differences in the active components of AC and AM against hepatitis， but their mechanisms of action are similar. Both may exert their anti-hepatitis effects through pathways in cancer， EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance， and the PI3K-Akt pathway.

Stem-leaf saponins from Panax notoginseng (SLSP) comprise numerous PPD-type saponins with diverse pharmacological properties; however, their role in Parkinson's disease (PD), characterized by microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of SLSP on suppressing microglia-driven neuroinflammation in experimental PD models, including the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPTP)-induced mouse model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglia. Our findings revealed that SLSP mitigated behavioral impairments and excessive microglial activation in models of PD, including MPTP-treated mice. Additionally, SLSP inhibited the upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and attenuated the phosphorylation of PI3K, protein kinase B (AKT), nuclear factor-κB (NFκB), and inhibitor of NFκB protein α (IκBα) both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, SLSP suppressed the production of inflammatory markers such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Notably, the P2Y2R agonist partially reversed the inhibitory effects of SLSP in LPS-treated BV-2 cells. These results suggest that SLSP inhibit microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in experimental PD models, likely through the P2Y2R/PI3K/AKT/NFκB signaling pathway. These novel findings indicate that SLSP may offer therapeutic potential for PD by attenuating microglia-mediated neuroinflammation.
Animals ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; Microglia/immunology* ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/immunology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Male ; Parkinson Disease/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Disease Models, Animal ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/drug therapy* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE To analyze the distortion product otoacoustic emissions(DPOAE) characteristics in patients with Ménière disease(MD) and vestibular migraine(VM),and explore the diagnostic value of DPOAE in MD and VM. METHODS There were 35 unilateral MD patients[age (41.86±10.77)years;21 males,14 females]and 32 VM patients[age (39.97±8.99)years;7 males,25 females]who were diagnosed at Beijing Tongren Hospital were included. Pure-tone audiometry thresholds and DPOAE response amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratios(SNR) were analyzed. Further analysis was conducted on DPOAE results in patients with normal average hearing thresholds in both groups. RESULTS 1. DPOAE results of all included patients indicated that DPOAE response amplitudes and SNR in the MD group were lower than those in the VM group within the 0.7-8 kHz range(P<0.05);2. Comparative analysis of the two groups with normal average hearing thresholds revealed a lower DPOAE SNR at 1 kHz in the MD group compared to the VM group(Z=-2.495,P=0.013). CONCLUSION The MD group exhibited lower DPOAE response amplitudes and smaller SNR;a comparison of the two groups with normal mean hearing thresholds also showed a reduced SNR at 1 kHz in the MD group. These findings suggest that DPOAE assessment can be a valuable tool in evaluating cochlear function and aiding in the early differential diagnosis of MD and VM.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of different interventions in post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients with kinesiophobia using network Meta-analysis.Methods:Computerized search of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experiment related to kinesiophobia interventions for post-PCI patients in WanFang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine, VIP database, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase was conducted with a time frame of searching from the establishment of the library to August 3, 2023. Literature screening, data extraction and literature quality evaluation were carried out independently by two researchers. Network Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 software.Results:A total of 13 literatures were included, including 9 randomized controlled trials and 4 quasi-experiments.Network Meta-analysis showed that cognitive behavioral therapy ( SMD = -4.08, 95% CI -6.49 --1.67), cognitive behavioral therapy combined with cardiac rehabilitation ( SMD = - 3.02, 95% CI -5.43 -- 0.61), dual heart medical intervention ( SMD = - 2.48, 95% , - 4.87 - - 0.09) can reduce the level of exercise fear in patients after PCI, and the difference were statistically significant compared with routine nursing (all P< 0.05). Ranked probability plots showed that the effects of the nine interventions in reducing kinesiophobia in post-PCI patients were cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy combined with cardiac rehabilitation, adaptive leadership theory-based intervention, dual heart medical intervention, COX health behavior interaction model, health education based on the behavioral change wheel, graded exposure therapy, mindfulness intervention, and high-intensity interval training in descending order of effectiveness. Conclusions:Cognitive behavioral therapy was the most effective intervention for kinesiophobia in post-PCI patients, but more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to further verify this conclusion.

Objective:To understand the current state of ethical competence levels of nurses and analyse the factors that influence them, in order to inform the development of targeted training programmes.Methods:This study adopted a cross-sectional survey method and used convenience sampling to select 825 clinical nurses from Tianjin Chest Hospital as the survey objects from July to August, 2023, and a questionnaire survey was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire, the Ethical Competence Scale, Ethical Competence Support Scale, and Ethical Safety Scale.Results:A total of 818 valid questionnaires were retracted. Among the 818 nurses, 48 were males and 770 were females, the age was (33.19 ± 7.40) years. The total score of nurses ′ Ethical Competence, Ethical Competence Support and Ethical Safety were (118.08 ± 19.96), (215.07 ± 32.02), (48.93 ± 7.55) points, all of which were at a high level. The total score of nurses ′ ethical competence were positively correlated with ethical competence support and ethical safety ( r=0.856, 0.830, both P<0.01); multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the department, the level of ethical competence support, and the level of ethical safety were the influencing factors of the level of ethical competence ( t=5.19, 12.35, 3.88, all P<0.01). Conclusions:Nurses ′ ethical competence, ethical competence support, and ethical safety were at a high level, and the department, the level of ethical competence support, and the level of ethical safety were the factors influencing the level of ethical competence. Nursing managers can provide more ethical education and address ethical issues in multiprofessional discussions, strengthen organizational and personal support for nurses ′ ethical competence, improve nurses ′ ethical safety, and help them implement good ethical care.

Atherosclerosis （AS） is a chronic inflammatory pathological process in which lipid and/or fibrous substances are deposited in the intima of arteries， and it is one of the pathological bases of many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS） is a protective mechanism of cell adaptation. Moderate ERS can reduce abnormal protein aggregation and increase the degradation of misfolded proteins to repair and stabilize the internal environment， while excessive ERS can cause unfolded protein reaction， activate inflammation， oxidative stress， apoptosis， autophagy， and other downstream pathways， and lead to cell damage， or even apoptosis. A large number of studies have shown that ERS mediates a variety of pathological processes related to AS， affects endothelial cells， smooth muscle cells， macrophages， endothelial progenitor cells， and other cell components closely related to its occurrence and development， influences the progress of AS by regulating cell function， and promotes the formation of AS plaque， the transformation of stable plaque to unstable plaque， and the rupture of unstable plaque. Regulation of ERS may be a key target for the prevention and treatment of AS， and it is a research hotspot at present. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） believes that the origin of AS is the imbalance of Yin and Yang， the disharmony of Zangfu organs， and the abnormal operation of Qi， blood， and body fluid， which leads to the accumulation of phlegm， blood stasis， and other pathological products in the pulse channels， making the blood flow blocked or misfunction and causing the disease， which belongs to the syndrome of deficiency in origin and excess in superficiality. As the pathogenesis of AS is complex， and the symptoms are diverse， TCM has significant advantages in treating AS because of its multiple targets， multiple pathways， stable efficacy， strong individualization， and high safety. This paper systematically elaborated on the role of ERS in the occurrence and development of AS and summarized the mechanism research on the regulation and control of ERS by Chinese herbal monomer， Chinese herbal extract， Chinese herbal compound， and proprietary medicine， so as to provide a theoretical basis for clinical research and drug development in the prevention and treatment of AS.

ObjectiveTo study the effect and mechanism of Curculiginis Rhizoma in ameliorating kidney-Yang deficiency in castrated rats. MethodThe targets of Curculiginis Rhizoma and male reproductive diseases due to kidney-Yang deficiency were screened from relevant databases by network pharmacology， and key targets were screened out according to topological eigenvalues. After that， gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analyses were performed to obtain the pathways of Curculiginis Rhizoma in treating kidney-Yang deficiency. The rat model of kidney-Yang deficiency was established by castration. The rats were assigned into model， testosterone propinate （2 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， high-dose （0.14， 0.28， 0.56 g·kg^-1， respectively） Curculiginis Rhizoma groups. Another 8 healthy male rats with first incising and then suturing were used as the sham group. The rats were administrated with corresponding agents by gavage once a day for 6 consecutive weeks. During the experiment， the general conditions of rats in each group were observed， and their body mass was recorded. At the end of the experiment， the indexes of accessory sex organs were calculated， and the pathological changes of the seminal vesicle glands and prostate glands were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The serum levels of luteinizing hormone （LH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， testosterone （T）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results of the network pharmacological prediction were verified by animal experiments， and the expression levels of related genes and proteins were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot， respectively. ResultThe biological functions enriched mainly involved four overexpression modules including regulation of cell responses to various stimuli， metabolic responses， regulation of intracellular signal transduction， and regulation of reproduction. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway was a significantly enriched pathway for the core target and also a pathway with the highest enrichment factor in the biological process of regulating cell responses to stimuli. The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the model group， low-dose Curculiginis Rhizoma group increased the body weight gain （P<0.05）. In addition， high-dose Curculiginis Rhizoma group increased the seminal vesicle gland index and epididymis index （P<0.05）. The administration with Curculiginis Rhizoma ameliorate epithelial cell hyperplasia of the seminal vesicle glands， did not attenuate the vacuolar degeneration， mitigated the enlarged vesicular lumen of the prostate gland， changing of epithelial cells of the glands from flattened to cubic and columnar shapes， and cellular disarrangement， and reduced the mesenchymal stroma thickness. Compared with the model group， all the intervention measures elevated the levels of FSH， LH， T， and IL-6 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of PI3K and the mRNA levels of Akt in the epididymis tissue （P<0.05）. ConclusionCurculiginis Rhizoma can alleviate the T level reduction and accessory sex organ atrophy in castrated rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Irinotecan (CPT11) chemotherapy-induced diarrhea affects a substantial cancer population due to β-glucuronidase (Gus) converting 10-O-glucuronyl-7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38G) to toxic 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38). Existing interventions primarily address inflammation and Gus enzyme inhibition, neglecting epithelial repair and Gus-expressing bacteria. Herein, we discovered that dehydrodiisoeugenol (DDIE), isolated from nutmeg, alleviates CPT11-induced intestinal mucositis alongside a synergistic antitumor effect with CPT11 by improving weight loss, colon shortening, epithelial barrier dysfunction, goblet cells and intestinal stem cells (ISCs) loss, and wound-healing. The anti-mucositis effect of DDIE is gut microbiota-dependent. Analysis of microbiome profiling data from clinical patients and CPT11-induced mucositis mice reveals a strong correlation between CPT11 chemotoxicity and Gus-expressing bacteria, particularly Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). DDIE counters CPT11-induced augmentation of E. faecalis, leading to decreased intestinal Gus and SN38 levels. The Partial Least Squares Path Model (PLS-PM) algorithm initially links E. faecalis to dysregulated epithelial renovation. This is further validated in a 3D intestinal organoid model, in which both SN38 and E. faecalis hinder the formation and differentiation of organoids. Interestingly, colonization of E. faecalis exacerbates CPT11-induced mucositis and disturbs epithelial differentiation. Our study unveils a microbiota-driven, epithelial reconstruction-mediated action of DDIE against mucositis, proposing the 'Gus bacteria-host-irinotecan axis' as a promising target for mitigating CPT11 chemotoxicity.

The basic pathological change of diabetic macroangiopathy is atherosclerosis （AS）， which is mainly associated with vascular endothelial cells （VECs） injury， oxidative stress， glucose and lipid metabolism disorders， hemorheological abnormalities， and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The injury and dysfunction of VECs are the initiating factors of diabetic macroangiopathy. Autophagy is a subcellular self-protection mechanism that regulates basic intracellular metabolism through lysosome-mediated degradation of proteins and damaged organelles to maintain homeostasis. Insufficient autophagy of VECs leads to enhanced inflammation， apoptosis， and oxidative stress of VECs， which promotes AS. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， diabetic macroangiopathy corresponds to the syndrome of internal deficiency and pathogen invasion， with Qi deficiency and stagnation as the key pathogenesis. Qi deficiency is the root cause， and Qi stagnation is the manifestation. The disease occurs with the initial cause of nutrient-defense disharmony and instability of vessels， the main cause of the deficiency of kidney Qi and the lack of source for generation and transformation， the internal cause of Qi and blood loss in the viscera and the stagnation of Qi， blood， and fluid， and the superficial cause of the stagnation of pathological products and the damage of vessels. Autophagy is a microscopic manifestation of Qi， which has the function of dispelling pathogens and maintaining homeostasis. Insufficient autophagy of VECs leads to Qi deficiency and stagnation， and the gradual deficiency and heavy stagnation of Qi lead to insufficient autophagy， which form a vicious cycle. Modern research has demonstrated that regulating the autophagy of VECs is the main way to prevent and treat AS， and TCM can exert the therapeutic effect in a multi-target and multi-pathway manner. Therefore， based on the theory of Qi deficiency and stagnation， the method of tonifying deficiency of and removing stagnation can be adopted to select prescriptions for regulating the autophagy of VECs and treating AS， which can slow down the procession of diabetic macroangiopathy.

Endothelial cells in the inner wall of blood vessels respond to physical and chemical signals of the body by regulating vascular homeostasis， vascular tension， cell adhesion， cell proliferation， coagulation resistance and inflammatory factors， to maintain the stability of blood vessels. Angiogenesis is the key condition for tumor evolution， and the pathological mode of tumor angiogenesis provides nutrients and oxygen for tumor growth and promotes its proliferation. In recent years， endothelial cells have participated in tumor vascular infiltration and driven angiogenesis， which is considered to be the point link in tumor metastasis. By regulating metabolic remodeling， vascular endothelial cells provide the materials and energy needed in the process of tumor angiogenesis， and their abnormal metabolic characteristics facilitate their adaption to the changes of tumor microenvironment， which is often regarded as an important basis for tumor angiogenesis. The ''Yin fire'' theory in traditional Chinese medicine， originating from Huangdi's Internal Classic （Huang Di Nei Jing）， originally meant Yin deficiency generates internal heat， and belonged to the category of fire of internal injury. After the deduction and changes by physicians over the ages， the pathogenesis of ''spleen and stomach Qi deficiency-Yin fire rising-Qi and fire disharmony'' was gradually formed. The pathogenesis of metabolic remodeling of endothelial cells manifests the pathological characterization of Yin fire in an objective way， which is consistent with the disease state of uncontrolled and hyperactive tumor neovascularization. Changes in spleen and stomach Qi deficiency as well as imbalance of Qi movement lead to the failure of water and food in distribution， and thus metabolic disorders occur. Long term retention turns in phlegm and blood stasis， which combat with blood vessels， and result in abnormal local environment （formation of tumor microenvironment）， adverse pulse channel （imbalance of endothelial cell metabolism）， and tumor neovascularization. Under the guidance of ''Yin fire'' syndrome elements and by focusing on the correlation between Qi and fire， prescriptions are made based on the treatment method of ''strengthening the body and regulating Qi'' to regulate the metabolic function of endothelial cells， thus achieving a relatively balanced state of the body and inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. As a result， this study， centering on the metabolic remodeling of endothelial cells and ''Yin fire'' theory， elucidated the academic ideas， with the purpose of providing some theoretical support for the intervention of tumor vascularization by Chinese medicine.