The chemical constituents from the n-butanol fraction of ethanol extract of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were isolated and purified using chromatographic process including MCI Gel CHP-20, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC method, and one alkyne and two phenylpropanoid derivants were obtained. Their structures were identified as (5R,E)-tetradecane-12-ene-8,10-diyne-1,5,14-triol (1), (E)-8-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl n-butyl cinnamate (2), and (7S,8S)-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzene)-7-butyl-8,9-diol (3) by modern spectroscopy methods (1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, IR and MS). 1-3 are all new compounds. Compounds 1-3 were screened for their anti-renal fibrosis activities in vitro, and none of them showed obvious effect.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction on atherosclerosis(AS) injury in ApoE~(-/-) mice by regulating the ferroptosis pathway. Seventy-five ApoE~(-/-) mice were randomly divided into model group, low-, medium-, and high-dose of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction groups, and evolocumab group(n=15), and 15 C57BL/6J mice were selected as the blank group. Mice in the blank group were fed with a normal diet, and those in the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet to induce AS. From the 9th week, mice in Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction groups were administrated with Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction at corresponding doses by gavage, and those in the blank group and the model group were given an equal volume of distilled water. Mice in the evolocumab group were treated with evolocumab 18.2 mg·kg~(-1 )by subcutaneous injection every 2 weeks. After 8 weeks of continuous intervention, oil red O staining and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining were employed to observe the lipid deposition and plaque formation in the aortic root. Masson staining was used to evaluate the collagen content in the aortic root. The serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were determined by biochemical kits. The levels of Fe~(2+), superoxide dismutase(SOD), malondialdehyde(MDA), and glutathione(GSH) in the aorta were measured by colorimetry. The protein and mRNA levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2), glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11), and acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4(ACSL4) in the aorta were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR, respectively. The expression of Nrf2, GPX4, and SLC7A11 was localized by immunofluorescence. The results showed that low-, medium-, and high-dose Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction reduced the plaque formation of aortic root and increased the collagen content in AS mice. At the same time, Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction improved the lipid metabolism by lowering the levels of TC, LDL-C, and TG and elevating the level of HDL-C in the serum. Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction enhanced the antioxidant capacity by elevating the levels of GSH and SOD and lowering the level of MDA in the aorta and inhibiting the accumulation of Fe~(2+) in the aorta. In addition, Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of Nrf2, GPX4, and SLC7A11, while down-regulating the protein and mRNA levels of ACSL4. In summary, Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction can effectively alleviate AS lesions in ApoE~(-/-) mice by activating the Nrf2/GPX4 pathway, reducing lipid peroxidation, and inhibiting ferroptosis.
Animals ; Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Apolipoproteins E/metabolism* ; Male ; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Humans ; Mice, Knockout

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Aim To explore how Danzhi Jiangtang cap-sules(DJC)safeguard the mitochondrial activity of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)by controlling the LncRNA TUG1/β-catenin signaling pathway to de-crease vascular calcification(VC).Methods Vascu-lar smooth muscle cell calcification models were in-duced with β-glycerin and diabetic vascular calcifica-tion rat models were induced with vitamin D3+high-fat diet.Von Kossa staining was applied to detect cal-cification of cells and vascular tissue.Colorimetric method of phthalein complex was used to determine calcium content.P-nitrobenzene phosphate colorimetry was employed to assess alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity.RT-qPCR was used to analyze the expression of VSMCs'osteoblast transformation related genes bone morphogenetic protein2(BMP2),smooth muscle actin alpha(α-SMA),taurine up-regulated1,LncRNA Tug1(Lnc-RNA TUG1),and β-catenin.Western blotting was utilized to detect the protein expression of BMP2,α-SMA and β-catenin.The mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 fluorescence probe.Mitochondrial structure was observed by trans-mission electron microscope.Results DJC reduced LncRNA TUG1 expression,down-regulated β-catenin expression,decreased ALP activity and calcium depo-sition,protected mitochondrial function,restored mem-brane potential,and decreased osteoblastic transforma-tion of VSMCs induced by glycerin phosphate.Impor-tantly,DJC attenuated diabetic lower limb VC by down-regulating the expression of LncRNA TUG1,β-catenin,and elevating the expression of α-SMA.Con-clusions DJC capsules significantly improved VSMCs by protecting mitochondrial function by LncRNA TUG1/β-catenin signaling to reduce VSMCs'osteo-blast transformation.

Aim To explore the improvement effect of Bazi Bushen capsule on thymic degeneration in SAMP6 mice and the possible mechanism.Methods Twenty 12 week old male SAMP6 mice were randomly divided into the model group(SAMP6)and the Bazi Busheng capsule treatment group(SAMP6+BZBS).Ten SAMR1 mice were assigned to a homologous control group(SAMR1).The SAMP6+BZBS group was oral-ly administered Bazi Bushen capsule suspension(2.8 g·kg-1)daily,while the other two groups were orally administered an equal amount of distilled water.After nine weeks of administration,the morphology of the thymus in each group was observed and the thymus in-dex was calculated;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes of thymus tissue;SA-β-gal stai-ning was used to detect thymic aging;flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of thymic CD3+T cells in each group;Western blot was used to detect the levels of p16,Bax,Bcl-2,and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in thymus;immunofluorescence was applied to detect the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells in each group;ELISA was employed to detect IL-7 lev-els in thymus.Results Compared with the SAMP6 group,the thymic index of the SAMP6+BZBS group significantly increased(P＜0.05);the disordered thy-mic structure was significantly improved;the positive proportion of SA-β-gal staining significantly decreased(P＜0.01);the proportion of CD3+T cells apparently increased(P＜0.05);the level of p16 protein signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05);the level of Bcl-2 pro-tein significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the lev-el of cleaved caspase-3 protein markedly decreased(P＜0.05);the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells evidently increased;the level of IL-7 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Conclusions Bazi Bushen capsule can delay thymic degeneration,inhibit cell ap-optosis in thymus and promote thymic cell development in SAMP6 mice,which may be related to increasing the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells and promoting IL-7 secretion.

Objective To compare the effectiveness of TiRobot assisted F screw technique and inverted triangle parallel nail internal fixation in the treatment of unstable femoral neck fractures.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 72 patients with unstable femoral neck fractures who were treated with percutaneous cannulated screw fixation assisted with TiRobot Orthopaedic robot from December 2019 to April 2021.Among them,37 patients were treated with F screw internal fixa-tion,including 16 males and 21 females,aged47 to 64years old with an average of(53.87±5.28)years old;According to Pauwels classification,there were 1 case of type Ⅰ,19 cases of type Ⅱ,17 cases of type Ⅲ;8 cases of combined medical diseases;17 cases of falling,8 cases of traffic accident and 12 cases of falling from height;The time from injury to operation was 29 to 49 hours with average of(35.00±7.34)hours.Another 35 cases used internal fixation with an inverted triangle parallel nail,including 13 males and 22 females with an average age of 46 to 63 years old(52.36±5.05)years old;According to the Pauwels injury classifi-cation:there were 2 cases of type Ⅰ,21 cases of type Ⅱ,12 cases of type Ⅲ;6 cases of medical diseases,15 cases of falling in-jury,9 cases of traffic accident,11 cases of falling injury;The time from injury to operation was 30 to 45 hours with an average of(33.00±6.83)h.The intraoperative blood loss,operation time,intraoperative fluoroscopy times,follow-up time,fracture healing time,postoperative complications were observed and compared between the two groups.The hip joint function was e-valuated by Harris score at 6 months and 12 months after operation.Results There was no significant difference in operation time,intraoperative blood loss,intraoperative fluoroscopy times and other intraoperative data between two groups(P＞0.05).Both groups were followed up regularly,and the follow-up time was 12 to 16 months.The fracture healing time and Harris score of the F screw internal fixation group were better than those of the inverted triangle parallel nail internal fixation group(P＜0.05).There was 1 case of femoral neck shortening in the F screw internal fixation group,1 case of nonunion,1 case of nail withdrawal,and 1 case of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in the inverted triangle internal fixation group.The incidence of complications in the F screw internal fixation group was lower than that in the inverted triangle parallel nail internal fixation group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Percutaneous cannulated F screw technique using Tirobot navigation positioning system is a safe and effective treatment for patients with unstable femoral neck fractures.It can significantly shorten the fracture healing time,reduce the incidence of postoperative complications,significantly improve hip joint function,and improve the quality of life.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of foveal-sparing internal limiting membrane peeling(FSIP)or complete internal limiting membrane peeling(CMIP)for the treatment of myopic traction maculopathy(MTM)during vitrectomy.METHODS: CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from January 1th 2000 to July 1th 2022, and studies that compared FSIP and CMIP for MTM were collected. The change and recovery rate of best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), incidence of full-thickness macular hole(FTMH), change of central foveal thickness(CFT)and the rate of complete reattachment.RESULTS: A total of 484 eyes from 12 literatures were included, with 203 eyes in the FSIP group and 281 eyes in the CMIP group. The results of Meta-analysis showed that FSIP group were superior to the CMIP group in the mean change of BCVA(SMD=0.52, 95%CI: 0.20～0.85, P=0.002), the improvement rate of BCVA(RR=1.50, 95%CI: 1.22～1.85, P=0.0002)and the incidence of postoperative FTMH(RR=0.23, 95%CI: 0.10～0.54, P=0.0008). There was no statistical difference between the two surgical methods in terms of mean change in CFT(SMD=0.04, 95%CI: -0.19～0.26, P=0.75)and the rate of complete reattachment(RR=1.12, 95%CI: 0.94～1.32, P=0.20).CONCLUSION: FSIP have similar anatomical outcomes compared to CMIP, but FSIP resulted in better visual acuity and lower incidence of postoperative FTMH.

Objective: To explore the value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in the risk stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Methods: HCM patients who underwent CMR examination in Fuwai Hospital between March 2012 and May 2013 were retrospectively enrolled. Baseline clinical and CMR data were collected and patient follow-up was performed using telephone contact and medical record. The primary composite endpoint was sudden cardiac death (SCD) or and equivalent event. The secondary composite endpoint was all-cause death and heart transplant. Patients were divided into SCD and non-SCD groups. Cox regression was used to explore risk factors of adverse events. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the performance and the optimal cut-off of late gadolinium enhancement percentage (LGE%) for the prediction of endpoints. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to compare survival differences between groups. Results: A total of 442 patients were enrolled. Mean age was (48.5±12.4) years and 143(32.4%) were female. At (7.6±2.5) years of follow-up, 30 (6.8%) patients met the primary endpoint including 23 SCD and 7 SCD equivalent events, and 36 (8.1%) patients met the secondary endpoint including 33 all-cause death and 3 heart transplant. In multivariate Cox regression, syncope(HR=4.531, 95%CI 2.033-10.099, P<0.001), LGE% (HR=1.075, 95%CI 1.032-1.120, P=0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HR=0.956, 95%CI 0.923-0.991, P=0.013) were independent risk factors for primary endpoint; Age (HR=1.032, 95%CI 1.001-1.064, P=0.046), atrial fibrillation (HR=2.977, 95%CI 1.446-6.131, P=0.003),LGE% (HR=1.075, 95%CI 1.035-1.116, P<0.001) and LVEF (HR=0.968, 95%CI 0.937-1.000, P=0.047) were independent risk factors for secondary endpoint. ROC curve showed the optimal LGE% cut-offs were 5.1% and 5.8% for the prediction of primary and secondary endpoint, respectively. Patients were further divided into LGE%=0, 0P<0.001) and the accumulated incidence of primary endpoint was 1.2% (2/161), 2.2% (2/89), 10.5% (16/152) and 25.0% (10/40), respectively. Conclusion: LGE is an independent risk factor for SCD events as well as all-cause death and heart transplant. LGE is of important value in the risk stratification in patients with HCM.
Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Contrast Media ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Gadolinium ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/diagnostic imaging* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Risk Assessment

This study investigated the mechanism of Zexie Decoction(ZXD) in promoting white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation based on the GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. A hyperlipidemia model was induced by a western diet(WD) in mice, and the mice were divided into a control group, a model group(WD), and low-, medium-, and high-dose ZXD groups. An adipogenesis model was induced in 3T3-L1 cells in vitro, and with forskolin(FSK) used as a positive control, low-, medium-, and high-dose ZXD groups were set up. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the WD group, ZXD promoted the expression of UCP1 in white and brown adipose tissues, and also upregulated UCP1, CPT1β, PPARα, and other genes in the cells. Western blot analysis showed a dose-dependent increase in the protein expression of PGC-1α, UCP1, and PPARα with ZXD treatment, indicating that ZXD could promote the white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining results showed that after ZXD treatment, white and brown adipocytes were significantly reduced in size, and the mRNA expression of ATGL, HSL, MGL, and PLIN1 was significantly upregulated as compared with the results in the WD group. Oil red O staining and biochemical assays indicated that ZXD improved lipid accumulation and promoted lipolysis. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining for p-CREB revealed that ZXD reversed the decreased expression of p-CREB caused by WD. In vitro intervention with ZXD increased the protein expression of CREB, p-CREB, and p-PKA substrate, and increased the mRNA level of CREB. ELISA detected an increase in intracellular cAMP concentration with ZXD treatment. Molecular docking analysis showed that multiple active components in Alismatis Rhizoma and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma could form stable hydrogen bond interactions with GLP-1R. In conclusion, ZXD promotes white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation both in vivo and in vitro, and its mechanism of action may be related to the GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway.
Mice ; Animals ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Adipose Tissue, White ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism*

To explore the digital manufacturing process of distal extension removable partial denture. From November 2021 to December 2022, 12 patients (7 males and 5 females) with free-ending situation were selected from the Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University. Three-dimensional model of the relationship between alveolar ridge and jaw position was obtained by intraoral scanning technique. After routine design, manufacturing and try-in of metal framework for removable partial denture, the metal framework was located in the mouth and scanned again to obtain the composite model of dentition, alveolar ridge and metal framework. The free-end modified model is obtained by merging the digital model of free-end alveolar ridge with the virtual model with the metal framework. The three-dimensional model of artificial dentition, and base plate was designed on the free-end modified model, and the resin model were made by digital milling technology. The removable partial denture was made by accurately positioning the artificial dentition and base plate, bonding metal framework with injection resin, grinding and polishing the artificial dentition and resin base. Compared with the design data after clinical trial, the results showed that there was an error of 0.4-1.0 mm and an error of 0.03-0.10 mm in the connection between the resin base of artificial dentition and the connecting rod of the in-place bolt and the connection between artificial dentition and resin base. After denturen delivery, only 2 patients needed grinding adjustment in follow-up visit due to tenderness, and the rest patients did not find any discomfort. The digital fabrication process of removable partial denture used in this study can basically solve the problems of digital fabrication of free-end modified model and assembly of artificial dentition with resin base and metal framework.