ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the mechanism by which Erchentang improves body weight in obese mice by regulating the AMP‑activated protein kinase （AMPK）/peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ coactivator‑1α （PGC‑1α） signaling pathway and inducing browning of inguinal white adipose tissue （iWAT）. MethodsObese mouse models were established by feeding a high‑fat diet. After successful modeling， mice were randomly divided into a model group and low‑， medium‑， and high‑dose Erchentang groups （7.5， 15， 30 g·kg^-1）， with six mice in each group. Another six normal mice were set as the normal group. Mice in the treatment groups were administered with corresponding doses of the drug by gavage， while those in the normal and model groups were administered with an equal volume of pure water by gavage for four consecutive weeks. Obesity was evaluated by body weight and Lee's index. The levels of low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL‑C） and high‑density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL‑C） in serum were detected by biochemical assays. The leptin content in serum was measured by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of the liver and iWAT. Immunofluorescence staining was applied to detect the protein expression levels of glucose transporter 4 （GLUT4） in the liver and iWAT. Molecular docking was performed to simulate the binding affinity between the key components of Erchentang （nobiletin， diosmetin， naringenin） and the key pathway proteins AMPK and PGC‑1α. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of uncoupling protein‑1 （UCP‑1）， AMPK， phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase （p‑AMPK）， and PGC‑1α in iWAT. ResultsCompared with those in the normal group， the mice in the model group showed significantly increased body weight and Lee's index， elevated levels of HDL‑C， LDL‑C， and leptin in serum， enlarged adipocytes in iWAT， down‑regulated protein expression levels of GLUT4 in iWAT and liver， and decreased protein expression levels of UCP‑1 and PGC‑1α in iWAT（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the expression level of p-AMPK / AMPK protein was up-regulated， but the difference was not statistically significant. Compared with those in the model group， the mice in the Erchentang groups with different doses exhibited significantly reduced body weight and Lee's index， decreased levels of HDL‑C， LDL‑C， and leptin in serum， smaller adipocytes in iWAT， up‑regulated GLUT4 protein expression levels in iWAT and liver， and increased protein expression levels of UCP‑1， p‑AMPK/AMPK， and PGC‑1α in iWAT （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Molecular docking results show that nobiletin， diosmetin， and naringenin have strong binding energies with both AMPK and PGC‑1α. ConclusionErchentang may improve body weight in obese mice by regulating the AMPK/PGC‑1α signaling pathway and inducing iWAT browning.

OBJECTIVE To develop a mobile intelligent pharmacy management assistant system （abbreviated as “assistant system”）， thus providing convenient support for the daily operational management of pharmacies. METHODS The system was developed using the WeChat developer tools with WXML， WXSS， and JavaScript based on the platform as a service （PaaS）. Test users were recruited， and in five different scenarios， namely pharmaceutical knowledge inquiry， drug damage registration， medication error data analysis， drug expiration date registration， and duty handover， the task execution time was recorded for both the new （assistant system） and old （paper-based records and fixed computer records） modes. Additionally， users’ opinions on the advantages of the new mode were collected. RESULTS The assistant system comprised six modules: shift handover， pharmaceutical knowledge database， medication error registration， drug expiry management， drug damage registration， and medication consultation records. Among 10 test users， in all scenarios except for the shift handover record， the task execution time under the new mode was shorter than that under the old mode （P＜0.05）. Most test pharmacists highlighted that the primary advantages of the new mode lie in its iterative flexibility， and ease of use among other benefits. CONCLUSIONS The assistant system based on PaaS cloud model WeChat mini program developed in this study can significantly improve the daily management efficiency of the pharmacy and optimize the task execution experience for pharmacists.

Background Arsenic exposure is a common and important environmental and occupational hazardous factor in China, and arsenic-induced insulin resistance (IR) has attracted widespread attention as a negative health outcome to the population. Objective To explore part of the mechanism of hepatic IR induced by arsenic exposure based on the peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors γ (PPARγ)/ glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) pathway, and to investigate potential effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on hepatic IR induced by arsenic exposure and associated mechanism of action. Methods The target of drug action was predicted by network pharmacology and verified by in vivo and in vitro experiments. In vivo experiments: 48 SPF C57BL/6J male mice were divided into 4 groups, including control group, 50 mg·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ model group (NaAsO₂), 50 mg·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂+10 mg·kg⁻¹ GBE intervene group (NaAsO₂+GBE), and 10 mg·kg⁻¹ GBE group (GBE), 12 mice in each group. The animals were given free access to purified water containing 50 mg·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂, or given intraperitoneal injection of normal saline containing 10 mg·kg⁻¹ GBE once per week. After 6 months of exposure, blood glucose detection, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were performed. Serum and liver tissues were collected after the mice were neutralized, liver histopathological sections were obtained, serum insulin levels, liver tissue glycogen content, glucose content were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the expression of PPARγ and GLUT4 proteins was detected by Western blot (WB). In vitro experiments: HepG2 cells were divided into 4 groups, including control group, 8 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ group (NaAsO₂), 8 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ + 200 mg·L⁻¹ GBE intervene group (NaAsO₂+GBE), and 200 mg·L⁻¹ GBE group (GBE). The levels of glycogen and glucose were detected by ELISA, and the expression of PPARγ and GLUT4 proteins was detected by WB. Results A strong binding effect between GBE and PPARγ was revealed by network pharmacology. In in vivo experiments, the NaAsO₂ group exhibited an elevated blood glucose compared to the control group, and the NaAsO₂+GBE group showed a decreased blood glucose compared to the NaAsO₂ group (P<0.01). The histopathological sections indicated severe liver structural damage in the arsenic exposure groups (NaAsO₂ group and NaAsO₂+GBE group), with varying staining intensity, partial liver cell necrosis, and diffuse red blood cell appearance. Both results of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed a decrease in glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake in the NaAsO₂ groups compared to the control groups, which was alleviated in the NaAsO₂+GBE group (P<0.01). The results of WB revealed inhibited PPARγ expression and reduced GLUT4 levels on the cell membrane, and all these changes were alleviated in the NaAsO₂+GBE group (P<0.01). Conclusion This study findings suggest that GBE antagonizes arsenic exposure-induced hepatic IR by regulating the PPARγ/GLUT4 pathway, indicating that GBE has a protective effect on arsenic exposure-induced hepatic IR, and PPARγ may be a potential therapeutic target for arsenic exposure-induced hepatic IR.

Objective To explore the effect of physical exercise on semen quality in order to provide basic data and theoretical basis for the improvement of male reproductive health.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1 059 males who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center of Shandong Maternal and Child Health Hospital for medical treatment and physical examination during July 2022 and April 2023.Their demographic data and physical exercise data were surveyed with questionnaires.Total sperm count,sperm concentration,total sperm motility,forward movement and normal sperm morphology were analyzed with computer aided analysis.Logistic regression model and multiple linear regression model were applied to analyze the effects of physical exercise on semen quality.Results After adjustment for confounding factors such as age,body mass index,alcohol consumption and smoking,logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of abnormal semen quality was increased in patients with moderate and heavy exercise intensity(OR=2.103,OR=2.229).Compared with the participants with physical exercise ≤10 min per session,those with＞20 min per session had a lower risk of abnormal semen quality(OR=0.357,0.256,0.289 for exercise time for＞20～30,＞30～60,＞60 min,respectively).There was no statistical significance between physical exercise frequency and semen quality(P＞0.05).The participants having exercise well were at a lower risk for abnormal semen quality(OR=0.711).Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the frequency of physical exercise was an influencing factor of sperm concentration(β=7.474,95％CI:4.800～10.149,P＜0.05);the time of physical exercise per session was an influencing factor for total sperm count(β=20.632,95％CI:7.634～33.629);the intensity of physical exercise(β=-1.461,95％CI:-2.392～-0.530)and time of physical exercise per session(β=2.608,95％CI:1.404～3.812,P＜0.05)were influencing factors for percentage of forward motility sperm(P＜0.05);and physical exercise intensity(β=-1.934,95％CI:-3.238～-0.630),time of physical exercise per session(β=4.211,95％CI:2.525～5.897)and frequency of physical exercise(β=-2.008,95％CI:-3.480～-0.536)were influencing factors of total sperm motility(P＜0.05).Conclusion Physical exercise may affect semen quality,greater intensity of physical exercise may be a risk factor for abnormal semen quality,and longer physical exercise time may be related to improving semen quality.Therefore,proper physical exercise can help improve semen quality.

Objective:To identify whether splenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism has any impact on development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) among patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatitis.Methods:Patients who underwent splenectomy for hypersplenism secondary to liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension between January 2008 and December 2012 were included from seven hospitals in China, whereas patients receiving medication treatments for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension (non-splenectomy) at the same time period among the seven hospitals were included as control groups. In the splenectomy group, all the patients received open or laparoscopic splenectomy with or without pericardial devascularization. In contrast, patients in the control group were treated conservatively for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension with medicines (non-splenectomy) with no invasive treatments, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, splenectomy or liver transplantation before HCC development. All the patients were routinely screened for HCC development with abdominal ultrasound, liver function and alpha-fetoprotein every 3 to 6 months. To minimize the selection bias, propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the baseline data of patients among splenectomy versus non-splenectomy groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and cumulative incidence of HCC development, and the Log-rank test was used to compare the survival or disease rates between the two groups. Univariate and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the potential risk factors associated with development of HCC.Results:A total of 871 patients with liver cirrhosis and hypertension were included synchronously from 7 tertiary hospitals. Among them, 407 patients had a history of splenectomy for hypersplenism (splenectomy group), whereas 464 patients who received medical treatment but not splenectomy (non-splenectomy group). After PSM,233 pairs of patients were matched in adjusted cohorts. The cumulative incidence of HCC diagnosis at 1,3,5 and 7 years were 1%,6%,7% and 15% in the splenectomy group, which was significantly lower than 1%,6%,15% and 23% in the non-splenectomy group ( HR=0.53,95% CI:0.31 to 0.91, P=0.028). On multivariable analysis, splenectomy was independently associated with decreased risk of HCC development ( HR=0.55, 95%CI:0.32 to 0.95, P=0.031). The cumulative survival rates of all the patients at 1,3,5,and 7 years were 100%,97%,91%,86% in the splenectomy group,which was similar with that of 100%,97%,92%,84% in the non-splenectomy group ( P=0.899). In total,49 patients (12.0%) among splenectomy group and 75 patients (16.2%) in non-splenectomy group developed HCC during the study period, respectively. Compared to patients in non-splenectomy group, patients who developed HCC after splenectomy were unlikely to receive curative resection for HCC (12.2% vs. 33.3%,χ2=7.029, P=0.008). Conclusion:Splenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism may decrease the risk of HCC development among patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

Objective:To identify whether splenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism has any impact on development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) among patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatitis.Methods:Patients who underwent splenectomy for hypersplenism secondary to liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension between January 2008 and December 2012 were included from seven hospitals in China, whereas patients receiving medication treatments for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension (non-splenectomy) at the same time period among the seven hospitals were included as control groups. In the splenectomy group, all the patients received open or laparoscopic splenectomy with or without pericardial devascularization. In contrast, patients in the control group were treated conservatively for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension with medicines (non-splenectomy) with no invasive treatments, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, splenectomy or liver transplantation before HCC development. All the patients were routinely screened for HCC development with abdominal ultrasound, liver function and alpha-fetoprotein every 3 to 6 months. To minimize the selection bias, propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the baseline data of patients among splenectomy versus non-splenectomy groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and cumulative incidence of HCC development, and the Log-rank test was used to compare the survival or disease rates between the two groups. Univariate and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the potential risk factors associated with development of HCC.Results:A total of 871 patients with liver cirrhosis and hypertension were included synchronously from 7 tertiary hospitals. Among them, 407 patients had a history of splenectomy for hypersplenism (splenectomy group), whereas 464 patients who received medical treatment but not splenectomy (non-splenectomy group). After PSM,233 pairs of patients were matched in adjusted cohorts. The cumulative incidence of HCC diagnosis at 1,3,5 and 7 years were 1%,6%,7% and 15% in the splenectomy group, which was significantly lower than 1%,6%,15% and 23% in the non-splenectomy group ( HR=0.53,95% CI:0.31 to 0.91, P=0.028). On multivariable analysis, splenectomy was independently associated with decreased risk of HCC development ( HR=0.55, 95%CI:0.32 to 0.95, P=0.031). The cumulative survival rates of all the patients at 1,3,5,and 7 years were 100%,97%,91%,86% in the splenectomy group,which was similar with that of 100%,97%,92%,84% in the non-splenectomy group ( P=0.899). In total,49 patients (12.0%) among splenectomy group and 75 patients (16.2%) in non-splenectomy group developed HCC during the study period, respectively. Compared to patients in non-splenectomy group, patients who developed HCC after splenectomy were unlikely to receive curative resection for HCC (12.2% vs. 33.3%,χ2=7.029, P=0.008). Conclusion:Splenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism may decrease the risk of HCC development among patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

BACKGROUND:There are many postmenopausal women taking hormone, which leads to much loss of bone mass, further inducing fragility fractures. The studies on the hormone exposure combined with ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic model are still immature, and the related molecular mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To establish the rat osteoporotic model induced by ovariectomy combined with glucocorticoid exposure and to explore the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: Thirty 3-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank control, sham and model groups (n=10 per group). The rats in the blank control group received no intervention; rats in the sham group were clipped off a little of coeliac adipose tissue; the model rats received bilateral ovariectomy and 4-week administration of glucocorticoid. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 4 weeks after modeling, compared with blank control and sham groups, the model group showed significantly lower bone mineral density of the femur, number of bone trabeculae and bone volume/total volume, and significantly wider bone trabecular spacing. Additionally, the model group revealed the damaged bone trabecular structure and thiner cortical bone. The expression level of Runx2 was downregulated whereas both collagen type 1α1 and peroxisome proliferators activated receptor γ mRNA were upregulated in the model group. These findings suggest that ovariectomized rats exposed to glucocorticoid rapidly develop femur osteoporosis, maybe by downregulating the expression of Runx2, as well as upregualting collagen type 1α1 and peroxisome proliferators activatedreceptor γ mRNA.

BACKGROUND: It is a hotspot that calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate as the main ingredients are combined with one or more other materials to improve or increase the performance of bone tissue engineering scaffolds. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the research advance of these two kinds of scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. METHODS: The articles related to the bone tissue engineering published during January 2000 to June 2015 were retrieved from CNKI and PubMed databases by computer. The key words were “bone tissue engineering, scaffold, calcium phosphate, calcium sulphate, vascularization” in Chinese and English, respectively. ESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate are characterized as having good biocompatibility, biodegradability, osteoconductivity and complete bone substitutability. However, single use of calcium phosphate or calcium sulfate scaffold has certain disadvantages, both of which are difficult to ful y meet the requirements of the bone defect repair. Improvement can be acquired in the mechanical strength, injectability and biodegradability, as wel as drug-loading and pro-angiogenesis of the scaffold in combination with other materials. In the basal and clinical research, we should explore and develop ideal scaffolds in on the basis of therapeutic aim. However, most of the scaffold studies are stil at the extracorporeal and animal experiment stage, and the comparative studies on composite scaffolds and optimal proportion of those composite scaffolds stil need to be further investigated.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the etiology of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Beijing during 2013, and study the clinical characteristics of HFMD caused by the main serotypes of enterovirus in the study.

METHODClinical data and 128 stool samples were collected from 128 hospitalized children with HFMD in Beijing Ditan Hospital during 2013. One step RT-PCR method was used for enterovirus genotyping to investigate the etiology of HFMD. Clinical characteristics of HFMD caused by the main serotypes of enterovirus were analyzed. And VP1 segments of the main virus were amplified to construct phylogenetic tree for the phylogenetic analysis.

RESULTA total of 128 hospitalized children with HFMD were included. HFMD was more likely developed in children under 2 years of age (81.6%, 102/125); 11 different enteroviruses were genotyped, with a total enterovirus positive rate of 76.6% (98/128); the positive rate of coxsackievirus A6 (CA6), 43.0% ( 55/128), was the highest, followed by enterovirus 71 (EV71), accounting for 14.8% (19/128). HFMD caused by CA6 was atypical, the rashes of which involved the perioral, trunk, limbs, face and neck (47%, 26/55), besides the common parts. Of the 55 cases caused by CA6, 6 children had clinical manifestations of nervous system involvement, one of whom even displayed type 2 respiratory failure. Mental status change more likely to occur in EV71-infected children than in CA6-infected ones (42% (8/19) vs. 11% (6/55) (χ(2)=7.041, P=0.008)); 13 children displayed onychomadesis, including 12 CA6 cases (23%, 12/53) and 1 CA10 cases (17%, 1/6), in the convalescence of hand, foot and mouth disease, and the correlation between onychomadesis and CA6 infection was significant (χ(2)=9.297, P=0.002). Phylogenetic analysis of 33 CA6 VP1 showed that the CA6 isolates of this study were highly similar to that of Taiwan and the nucleotide similarity was 95.91%-98.89%.

CONCLUSIONCA6 was the major pathogen of hospitalized children with hand, foot and mouth disease in Beijing during 2013, followed by EV71. The rashes caused by CA6 involved a wide range of skin sites and patients with CA6 infection displayed manifestations of neurological involvement or pulmonary edema similar to EV71 infection. Mental status change more likely occurred in EV71-infected children when neurological system was involved..

Child, Hospitalized ; Child, Preschool ; Enterovirus ; classification ; Enterovirus Infections ; diagnosis ; virology ; Exanthema ; pathology ; Genotype ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; diagnosis ; virology ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infant ; Phylogeny ; Pulmonary Edema ; pathology ; Skin ; pathology ; Taiwan

Objective To compare the disinfection efficacy of different disinfectants on dental unit waterlines (DUWLs). Methods 18 sets of DUWLs were randomly divided into 4 groups,and disinfected or treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 )disinfectant,sodium hypochlorite (NaClO)disinfectant,hydrogen peroxide silver ion disinfectant(Sanosil),and distilled water (DW)respectively.Water specimens from triple syringes and high-speed handpieces were taken,bacterial count before and after disinfection were compared.Results Before disinfection,no significant differences in bacterial counts were found among four groups (all P >0.05),bacterial counts of DUWLs of all groups severely exceeded the standard(all>3 000 CFU/mL).After disinfection,except DW group,bacterial counts of DUWLs of the other groups declined dramat-ically (all <100 CFU/mL),bacterial count after disinfection were all obviously lower than before disinfection (all P <0.001 ).One week after disinfection,bacterial counts among three disinfectant groups in different time periods were statisti-cally different (triple syringes:Day1—Day5,all P <0.05;high-speed handpieces:Day2,Day3 and Day5,all P <0.05). Day3 after disinfection of triple syringes by H2 O2 and NaClO,Day4 after disinfection of high-speed handpieces by H2 O2 and NaClO,and Day5 of triple syringes and high-speed handpieces by Sanosil all exceeded the standard of Center for Disease Control and Prevention of America.One week after disinfection,bacterial counts of three disinfection groups all exceeded or approximated to that before disinfection.Conclusion Three types of disinfectants can all effectively reduce bacterial load in DUWLs.Compared with other disinfectants,Sanosil has advantage of inhibiting bacterial growth after disinfection.