The zebrafish model has attracted much attention due to its strong reproductive ability, short research cycle, and ease of maintenance. It has always been an important vertebrate model system, often used to carry out human disease research. Its motor behavior features have the advantages of being simpler, more intuitive, and quantifiable. In recent years, it has received widespread attention in the study of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for the treatment of sleep disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, fatigue, epilepsy, and other diseases. This paper reviews the characteristics of zebrafish motor behavior and its applications in the pharmacodynamic verification and mechanism research of TCM extracts, active ingredients, and TCM compounds, as well as in active ingredient screening and safety evaluation. The paper also analyzes its advantages and disadvantages, with the aim of improving the breadth and depth of zebrafish and its motor behavior applications in the field of TCM research.
Zebrafish/physiology* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods* ; Animals ; Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathology* ; Epilepsy/physiopathology* ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/physiopathology* ; Fatigue/physiopathology* ; Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Motor Activity/physiology*

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

Objective To explore the toxicity of Polygonum multiflorum alcohol extract on 3D hepatospheres.Methods Variations in culture conditions and cell ratios were implemented,followed by the assessment of cell sphere diameter,density,and roundness,aiming to explore the optimal culture conditions.The 3D hepatocyte spheres were divided into control group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups.The experimental-L,-M,-H groups were treated with 0.25,1.00 and 2.50 mg·mL-1 Polygounm multiforum alcohol extract,and the control group was given the same amount of culture medium.The cell viability of the cell spheroids was tested by CellTiter-Glo reagent,the expression level of liver function related genes was detected by fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qRCR).The toxicity of cell spheres was detected by double fluorescent staining of living and dead cells.Results The ideal culture condition of cell sphere was 500 cells per micropore,and the cell ratio was HepG2-Huvec-LX-2=8∶1∶1.It displayed the values of 0.91±0.07 for circularity,0.91±0.02 for firmness,1.12±0.14 for aspect ratio,and(170.97±14.79)μm for diameter.On the 3rd,7th,10th and 14th days,the expression levels of albumin(ALB)mRNA were 1.00±0.02,0.96±0.02,0.54±0.07,0.52±0.07,and the expression levels of cytochrome P450 1A2(CYP1A2)mRNA were 1.00±0.10,2.15±0.16,2.45±0.33,1.30±0.03,respectively.The expression levels of multidrug resistance protein 2(MPR2)in the control group and the experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 1.00±0.31,1.38±0.24,1.48±0.06 and 1.90±0.08,respectively;spheroid viability were(98.19±0.49)％,(88.53±0.90)％,(71.60±2.91)％and(56.65±5.41)％.There were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the experimental-L,-M,-H groups and the control group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The established hepatocyte sphere co-culture model showed varying degrees of expression of phase Ⅰ/Ⅱ drug metabolism enzymes,transporters,and liver cell specific marker molecule albumin and can be used to evaluate the toxicity of multiflorum multiflorum,which provides further reference for the clinical application of multiflorum multiflorum.

GNPS-based mass spectrum-molecular networks is an effective strategy for rapidly identifying known natural products and discovering novel structures. The chemical diversity of azaphilones from the fermentation extracts of Talaromyces sp. HK1-18 was studied by molecular network technique. Three linear tricyclic azaphilones, sequoiamonacins A-C (2a, 2b, 1), were isolated by silica gel column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography from the extracts of the fungal strain of HK1-18, and their structures were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Guided by the mass spectra of sequoiamonacins A-C (2a, 2b, 1), the cluster of sequoiamonacinoid analogues was discovered from the full molecular networking of HK1-18. By analyzing the MS/MS fragments of each parent ion in this cluster, 7 azaphilones (3-9) included 6 new ones (4-9) were predicted successfully. Then the MS/MS cracking regularity of this type of azaphilones was revealed. Compound 1 showed anti-inflammatory activity, which can inhibit the production of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse macrophage RAW264.7, with an inhibitory rate of 29% at the concentration of 12.5 μg·mL^-1.

Objective To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of exosomal miR-224-5p in colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods The miR-224-5p expression in CRC patient tissues and cell-derived exosomes was measured by laser capture microdissection and qRT-PCR, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the target gene of miR-224-5p. The protein expressions of p53 and unc-51 like kinase 2 (ULK2) in CRC cells were detected by western blot. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle and apoptosis. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK8 and EdU assay.Results The miR-224-5p expression was upregulated in CRC tissues and increased progressively with the rise of CRC stage. CRC cells secreted extracellular miR-224-5p mainly in an exosome-dependent manner, and then miR-224-5p could be transferred to surrounding tumor cells to regulate cell proliferation in the form of autocrine or paracrine. Moreover, ULK2 was characterized as a direct target of miR-224-5p and was downregulated in CRC tissues. Interestingly, ULK2 inhibited CRC cell proliferation in a p53-dependent manner. Furthermore, exosome-derived miR-224-5p partially reversed the proliferation regulation of ULK2 on CRC cells.Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that exosome-transmitted miR-224-5p promotes p53-dependent cell proliferation by targeting ULK2 in CRC, which may offer promising targets for CRC prevention and therapy.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and the related influencing factors of efficacy and prognosis of elderly patients with malignant mesothelioma(MM)in Chinese population.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 115 patients aged 65 years and above who were diagnosed with MM in Beijing Hospital, Peking University Cancer Hospital, and Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between November 2007 and July 2024, and the patients were grouped according to age(≥75 years in the older group and <75 years in the younger group), histological types and therapy regimens.Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-rank test were performed.Cox regression was used in prognostic analysis.Results:The positive expression rate of Calretinin in the Chinese elderly population with MM was consistent with previous reports, while the positive rates of Cytokeratin 5/6(CK5/6), WT-1, and D2-40 were much lower.The overall response ratio(ORR)for first-line treatment was 17.3%(9/52), and the disease control rate(DCR)was 92.3%(48/52).The ORR for second-line treatment was 7.7%(1/13)and the DCR was 76.9%(10/13).The ORR and DCR were higher in the first-line immunotherapy group than in the chemotherapy group, 50.0% vs.14.6%( P=0.134)and 100.0% vs.91.6%( P=1.000), respectively.The ORR in the second-line immunotherapy group was higher than that in the chemotherapy group, 25.0% vs.0, respectively, and the DCR were both 75.0% in two groups.The median progression free survival(mPFS)was 9.2 months and median overall survival(mOS)was 19.0 months for patients receiving first-line treatment, and the mPFS was 3.3 months and mOS was 11.0 months for second-line therapy.The first-line immunotherapy provided more shorter mPFS(1.6 months vs.9.2 months, P=0.081)and longer mOS(not reached vs.18.1 months, P=0.147)than the chemotherapy group.The younger group had prolonged mPFS(9.7 months vs.7.2 months, P=0.305)while shorter mOS(18.1 months vs.23.9 months, P=0.289)compared with the older group, and none of them reached statistical differences.Both mPFS and mOS were prolonged in the epithelioid subtype compared with the non-epithelioid subtypes, 10.4 months vs.1.6 months( P<0.001)and 20.3 months vs.4.6 months( P=0.803), respectively.Both mPFS(7.1 months vs.4.7 months, P=0.583)and mOS(18.3 months vs.6.3 months, P=0.134)were prolonged in the second-line chemotherapy group compared with the immunotherapy group.The Cox regression analysis showed that gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Performance Status(ECOG PS)and positive CK5/6 were both the independent predictors for the first-line PFS.Histological type was an independent prognostic factor for the first-line OS. Conclusions:MM in the Chinese elderly population exhibits unique clinicopathologic characteristics.The immunotherapy improves ORR, DCR and prolongs mOS in first-line use, and improves ORR in second-line.First-line treatment improves mPFS in the younger group compared with the older group.Multivariate Cox regression demonstrates that gender, ECOG PS and CK5/6 expression are both predictors of efficacy, and histological type is an independent prognostic factor for survival of the Chinese elderly population with MM.

Aim To study the protective effect of eplerenone on the contralateral kidney in pregnant rats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its mechanism. Methods Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, sham-operation pregnancy group, model group and eplerenone group. The rats in the model group and eplenone group had ligation unilateral ureter, and the rats in the eplenone group were treated with 100 mg • kg

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

Tuberculosis is a serious zoonotic disease causing approximately 10 million new cases worldwide every year.The emergence of various drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is currently an important challenge intuberculosispre-vention and control,and an urgent need exists to develop new anti-tuberculosis drugs to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis and shorten the treatment time.The discovery of drug targets is a bottleneck inthe development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs.At present,the widely reported drug targets for tuberculosis include primarily new targets related to the biosynthesis of Mycobac-terium tuberculosis components and immune metabolic pathways.In addition,host-directed therapiestargeting the host immune system have become a research hotspot in recent years.Adjuvant host-directed therapies can enhance the therapeutic effect of tuberculosis and shorten treatment times by affecting granuloma formation,autophagy,host immune metabolism and the intra-cellular killing mechanism,as well as regulating pulmonary inflammation.The discovery of these new targets provides new ide-as for the future development of safe and effective new anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Clinical efficacy is the basis for the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and the evaluation of clinical efficacy of TCM has always been the focus of attention. The technical and methodological difficulties in the evaluation process often restrict the generation of high-level evidence. Therefore, methodological research should be deepened and innovative practice should be carried out to study the application of scientific research methods in the evaluation of the advantages of TCM. After more than ten years of development, the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, on the basis of the initially classic placebo randomized controlled trials, has successively carried out a series of meaningful attempts and explorations in N-of-1 trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, real world studies, narrative medicine studies, systematic evaluation, and other aspects, laying the foundation for the transformation of TCM from "experience" to "evidence". This paper focused on the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, summarized the main connotation and development status of efficacy evaluation indicators, standards, and methods, and put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for the problems of indicator selection, standard formulation, and methodology optimization in the research process. It is clear that scientific and objective evaluation of the efficacy of TCM is an urgent problem to be solved at present.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Case-Control Studies ; Narrative Medicine