Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM₁, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes.

This study aims to explore the effects and action mechanisms of the active ingredients in Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD), namely tetramethylpyrazine(TMP) and hydroxy-safflor yellow A(HSYA), on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reglucose-reoxygenation(OGD/R)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of microglia(MG). Network pharmacology was used to screen the effective monomer ingredients of BYHWD and determine the safe concentration range for each component. Inflammation and oxidative stress models were established to further screen the best ingredient combination and optimal concentration ratio with the most effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. OGD/R BV2 cell models were constructed, and BV2 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were divided into a normal group, a model group, an HSYA group, a TMP group, and an HSYA + TMP group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6). Oxidative stress markers, including superoxide dismutase(SOD), nitric oxide(NO), and malondialdehyde(MDA), were also measured. Western blot was used to analyze the protein expression of both inflammation-related pathway [Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)] and oxidative stress-related pathway [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)]. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the expression of proteins such as inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and arginase-1(Arg-1). The most effective ingredients for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in BYHWD were TMP and HSYA. Compared to the normal group, the model group showed significantly increased levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, along with significantly higher protein expression of NF-κB, TLR4, Nrf2, and HO-1 and significantly lower SOD levels. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Compared to the model group, both the HSYA group and the TMP group showed significantly reduced levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, lower expression of NF-κB and TLR4 proteins, higher levels of SOD, and significantly increased protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was significantly reduced, while the expression of the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 was significantly increased. The results of the HSYA group and the TMP group had statistically significant differences from those of the model group. Compared to the HSYA group and the TMP group, the HSYA + TMP group showed further significant reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA levels, along with significant reductions in NF-κB and TLR4 protein expression, an increase in SOD levels, and elevated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was reduced, while the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 expression increased significantly in the HSYA + TMP group compared to the TMP or HSYA group. The differences in the results were statistically significant between the HSYA + TMP group and the TMP or HSYA group. The findings indicated that the combined use of HSYA and TMP, the active ingredients of BYHWD, can effectively inhibit OGD/R-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of MG, showing superior effects compared to the individual use of either component.
Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Inflammation/genetics* ; Oxygen/metabolism* ; Pyrazines/pharmacology* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; NF-kappa B/immunology* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/immunology* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Humans

Objective: To explore the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution and depressive symptom among school aged children and adolescents, so as to provide evidences for informing constitution based regulation and prevention of depressive symptom. Methods: From June to December 2024, a total of 4 729 students aged 6-14 were recruited by cluster random sampling from 10 primary schools in Baoding (Hebei Province), Heze and Liaocheng (Shandong Province). General information, TCM constitution and depressive symptom were collected. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to analyze related factors and threshold effects of depressive symptom. Binary Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between depressive symptom and TCM constitution, with subgroup analyses conducted. Results: The detection rate of depressive symptom among the included children and adolescents was 25.82%. RCS analyses indicated non linear associations between depressive symptom and age (inflection point at 10 years old), bedtime (inflection point at 22:00), and wake up time (inflection point at 6:30 ) (all P non linearity <0.01). Linear associations were observed with body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration (all P non linearity > 0.05 ). After adjusting for covariates such as age, BMI and sleep status, binary Logistic regression analyses showed that Yin deficient constitution ( OR =1.26, 95% CI =1.09-1.45) and Phlegm-dampness constitution ( OR =1.42, 95% CI =1.11-1.82) were significantly associated with depressive symptom among children and adolescents (all P <0.05). Conclusions Depressive symptom among school aged children and adolescents is primarily associated with Yin deficiency and Phlegm dampness constitutions in TCM constitution. Active attention should be paid to susceptible TCM constitution among children and adolescents. Targeted health guidance and interventions should be implemented to improve TCM constitution health status for preventing the occurrence of depressive symptom.

Objective:To explore the clinical effects of free anterolateral thigh perforator flap (ALTPF) with modified cross-leg vessel bridging in reconstruction of infected wounds in the lower leg combined with major vessel defects.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted on 7 patients who admitted to the Department of Trauma Orthopaedics, the 521 Hospital of Norinco Group from January 2020 to December 2021 for treatment of large infected wounds in lower leg with soft tissue defect by reconstructive surgery of flap transfer. The patients were 5 males and 2 females, aged 23-50 years old with an average age of 37 years old. The causes of injury were: 5 patients were of car accidents, 1 of machinery compression and 1 of heavy object crush. The wounds were reconstructed after debridement and infection control with sensitive antibiotics, where the soft tissue defects were found at 11.0 cm×15.0 cm to 20.0 cm×32.0 cm in size. All patients underwent vascular angiography or CDU examinations and it was confirmed that the affected calf had only an anterior tibial artery as the vessel left for blood supply in 6 patients and a posterior tibial artery as the blood supply vessel in one patient. Therefore application of vascular end-to-side anastomosis in free flap reconstruction of limb defects was impossible due to the damaged artery could not be salvaged as a blood supply artery for the transferred flap. Therefore, a modified cross-leg vessel bridging to the freed ALTPF in the affected lower leg was applied. The donor site of the pedicle was covered with VSD while the pedicle of the flap was anastomosed. It was remained until the posterior tibial artery and the tubular flap were ready for replantation after disconnection of the pedicle. The sizes of flap were 13.0 cm×17.0 cm to 22.0 cm×32.0 cm (unilateral ALTPFs for 6 patients and bilateral ALTPFs for 1 patient). Two donor sites in low tension were direct closed, and the rest of 5 donor sites that had great tensions and could not be directly sutured were reconstructed by skin grafting. The survival and complications of flaps were observed in the scheduled postoperative follow-ups at outpatient visits, WeChat reviews and home visits, etc.Results:All 7 patients were successfully treated and had 12-24 months postoperative follow-up, with an average of 16 months. All flaps survived, with primary healing in 6 patients and 1 patient had partial flap necrosis with surface infection, which healed after dressing changes. The wound healing time was 14-36 days with an average of 17.9 days. The time for disconnection of the cross-leg vessel bridging pedicle was 3-4 weeks with the flap transfer, with an average of 3.6 weeks. The donor sites of ALTPFs and vessel pedicles all healed well. CDU confirmed the patency of the contralateral posterior tibial artery. Satisfactory functional recovery was achieved in the affected lower limb and there was a good function of the contralateral healthy lower leg.Conclusion:Application of the transfer of a free ALTPF with modified cross-leg vessel bridging in reconstruction of infected wounds with major vessel defects in the lower leg has shown excellent clinical outcomes. It is a practical and effective method in treatment of large infective defect in lower leg.

Objective To establish the finite element model of spinal canal reconstruction and internal fixation,analysis influence of spinal canal reconstruction and internal fixation on spinal stability,and verify the effectiveness and reliability of spinal canal reconstruction and internal fixation in spinal canal surgery.Methods A 30-year-old male healthy volunteer with a height of 172 cm and weight of 75 kg was selected and his lumbar CT data were collected to establish a finite element model of normal lumbar Lo3-L,and the results were compared with in vitro solid results and published finite element analysis results to verify the validity of the model.They were divided into normal group,laminectomy group and spinal canal reconstruction group according to different treatment methods.Under the same boundary fixation and physiological load conditions,six kinds of ac-tivities were performed,including forward bending,backward extension,left bending,right bending,left rotation and right rota-tion,and the changes of range of motion(ROM)of L3-L4,L4-L5 segments and overall maximum ROM of L3-L5 were analyzed under the six conditions.Results The ROM displacement range of each segment of the constructed L3-L5 finite element model was consistent with the in vitro solid results and previous literature data,which confirms the validity of the model.In L3-L4,ROM of spinal canal reconstruction group was slightly increased than that of normal group during posterior extension(＞5％dif-ference),and ROM of other conditions was similar to that of normal group(＜5％difference).ROM in laminectomy group was significantly increase than that in normal group and spinal canal reconstruction group under the condition of flexion,extension,left and right rotation.In L4-L5,ROM in spinal canal reconstruction group was similar to that in normal group(＜5％differ-ence),while ROM in laminectomy group was significantly higher than that in normal group and spinal canal reconstruction group(＞5％difference).In the overall maximum ROM of L3-L5,spinal canal reconstruction group was only slightly higher than normal group under the condition of posterior extension(＞5％difference),while laminectomy was significantly higher than normal group and spinal canal reconstruction group under the condition of anterior flexion,posterior extension,left and right rotation(＞5％difference).The changes of each segment ROM and overall ROM of L3-L5 showed laminectomy group＞spinal canal reconstruction group＞normal group.Conclusion Laminectomy could seriously affect biomechanical stability of the spine,but application of spinal canal reconstruction and internal fixation could effectively reduce ROM displacement of the responsi-ble segment of spine and maintain its biomechanical stability.

Acupoint is the initial response site of acupuncture stimulus and also the source link of the effect onset of acupuncture. Acupuncture is a mechanical physical stimulus. How is the mechanical force of acupuncture transduced into neuroelectrical and biochemical signals at acupoint? How does the physiochemical information of acupoint launch acupuncture effect? All of these remain the common and crucial questions in the study of acupuncture effect mechanism. Physical changes are induced in the local tissue of acupoint by needling techniques, such as the deformation and displacement of muscle fibers, which may act on the nerve ending receptors and produce electroneurographic signals. Besides, these changes may activate the mechanosensitive ion channels of the cytomembrane in acupoint site. Through cellular signal transduction, the physical signals may be transformed into chemical ones to trigger the physiochemical coupling response of acupoint microenvironment. Eventually, acupuncture effect is generated via nerves and body fluids. "The mechanical force of acupuncture", through "the physiochemical transduction", promotes the body's perception and transmits acupuncture signals. It suggests that acupoint is the "transducer" in the physiochemical information coupling response of acupuncture.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of glutamate scavenger oxaloacetate (OA) combined with CGS21680, an adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) agonist, on acute traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to moderate-level TBI by controlled cortical impact, and then were treated with OA, CGS21680, or OA combined with CGS21680 at acute stage of TBI. At 24 h post TBI, neurological severity score, brain water content, glutamate concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, mRNA level and activity of glutamate oxaloacetate aminotransferase (GOT), and ATP level of brain tissue were detected. The results showed that neurological deficit, brain water content, glutamate concentration in CSF, and the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and TNF-α production were exacerbated in CGS21680 treated mice. Administrating OA suppressed the rise of both glutamate concentration in CSF and brain water content, and elevated the ATP level of cerebral tissue. More interestingly, neurological deficit, brain edema, glutamate concentration, IL-1β and TNF-α levels were ameliorated significantly in mice treated with OA combined with CGS21680. The combined treatment exhibited better therapeutic effects than single OA treatment. We also observed that GOT activity was enhanced in single CGS21680 treatment group, and both the GOT mRNA level and GOT activity were up-regulated in early-stage combined treatment group. These results suggest that A2AR can improve the efficiency of GOT and potentiate the ability of OA to metabolize glutamate. This may be the mechanism that A2AR activation in combination group augmented the neuroprotective effect of OA rather than aggravated the brain damages. Taken together, the present study provides a new insight for the clinical treatment of TBI with A2AR agonists and OA.
Adenosine A2 Receptor Agonists/therapeutic use* ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Brain Injuries/metabolism* ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/metabolism* ; Glutamic Acid ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use* ; Oxaloacetic Acid/therapeutic use* ; RNA, Messenger ; Receptor, Adenosine A2A/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Water

With the gradual aggravation of aging in China， the prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing year by year. Osteoporosis has become a major public health problem threatening the health of middle-aged and elderly people， especially middle-aged and elderly women. There are many predisposing factors and complex pathogenesis of osteoporosis. The interpretation of osteoporosis has been the focus of clinical research in recent years. How to prevent and treat osteoporosis more effectively has also become a major problem faced by researchers. In recent years， the balance and homeostasis of calcium and phosphorus regulated by intestinal absorption， renal excretion and bone have become one of the hot topics， and the balance and homeostasis of calcium and phosphorus in vivo are the key to normal bone homeostasis. At the same time， as a complex microbial community living in the gastrointestinal tract， intestinal flora can produce a variety of regulators affecting metabolism. It has been widely confirmed that it acts on the body indirectly or directly， in multiple ways and targets to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Therefore， further exploring the role and mechanism of intestine kidney bone axis in osteoporosis plays a far-reaching significance for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. In recent years， scholars have made a lot of exploration on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and found that TCM can intervene the expression of intestinal flora and play the effect of prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Based on the "intestine kidney bone axis"， this paper briefly discusses the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine of kidney and osteoporosis， intestine and osteoporosis， intestine kidney axis， the treatment of kidney from intestine， intestine and osteoporosis， and the application of TCM in regulating intestinal flora in osteoporosis， in order to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of gracilis musculocutaneous flap in repair of perineal soft defect with open pelvic fracture.Methods:From June 2009 to June 2019, 11 cases of open pelvic fracture associated with perineal injury were treated in the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic of 521 Hospital of Norinco Group. There were 4 males and 7 females aged 16-56 (33 in average) years old. Cause of injuries: 6 cases by traffic accident, 4 by falling from height, and 1 by crushing. All the patients had open pelvic fractures. According to Tile classification, 1 case was rated as type A, 7 as type B and 3 as type C. All the patients were accompanied with perineal injury and soft tissue defect. The wound sizes ranged from 5 cm×5 cm to 8 cm×12 cm. The defects were repaired with gracilis musculocutaneous flap. The size of gracilis myocutaneous flaps was 6 cm×5 cm to 9 cm×13 cm. All donor areas of the flap were sutured directly. After surgery, 11 patients treated with strengthened nutritional support, keep supine position to avoid abduction, and appropriately raise the lower limbs. Follow-ups were conducted regularly after surgery.Results:All patients entered 6 to 30 (22 in average) months of follow-up. All of 11 myocutaneous flaps survived, besides 1 had a few necrosis at the distal surface of the myocutaneous flap, and healed after change of dressing. All the incisions at donor site had stage I healing. The colour, texture and flexibility of the gracilis myocutaneous flap were good. There was a scar at the donor sites without causing obvious dysfunction. Over the follow-up period, there was no failure of flap in either the recipient and donor sites. The patients were satisfied with the appearance and function.Conclusion:Gracilis musculocutaneous flap is one of the ideal methods in repair of perineal soft tissue defect with open pelvic fracture.

Sophorae Flavescentis Radix,derived from the root of Sophora flavescens in the Leguminosae family,has been widely used in the medicine,agriculture,animal husbandry,and daily chemical industry. A pharmacophore model-based method for rapid discovery of tyrosinase inhibitors( TIs) from S. flavescens was established by molecular docking under Lipinski rules,and verified by enzyme assays. Briefly,the chemical constituent database of S. flavescens( CDSF) was established based on the previous papers. Theoptimal pharmacophore model( OPM) was constructed by DS 2019 on the basis of known active TIs. Eighty-three hits predominated by flavonoids having higher fitting scores with OPM than the positive control were screened out,and subjected to molecular docking based on the three-dimensional structure of tyrosinase crystal protein. The potential TIs such as kurarinone and nor-kurarinone were rapidly discovered from the compounds with higher docking scores than the positive control under the Lipinski rules. The results were verified by the in vitro enzyme assays. The inhibition activities of tyrosinase from non-medicinal parts of S. flavescens were also tested to explore the relationship between the inhibition activity and chemical compositions. This study is expected to provide data support for the comprehensive application and development of S. flavescens and also a new method for the rapid discovery of active substances or functional constituents in the complex systems.
Animals ; Flavonoids ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Plant Roots ; Sophora