Autism spectrum disorder in children (hereinafter called "childhood autism") is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition; however, ancient Chinese medical texts did not provide detailed accounts of it. The concept of "the sovereign fire illuminates, while the ministerial fire occupies its position" was first introduced in the Plain Questions: The Great Treatise on the Origin of Heavenly Influences chapter. Subsequent medical practitioners have elaborated on this idea, identifying the sovereign fire as the master of the spirit and governing life activities, while the ministerial fire is the assisting minister that supports the functions of the zang-fu organs. When these two are in harmony, they complement each other, collectively sustaining the body′s normal physiological functions. In the context of this theory, the pathogenesis of childhood autism is attributed to the imbalance between the sovereign and ministerial fires. The root cause lies in the mutual antagonism of these two fires, resulting in the dysfunction of the spirit. Central to childhood autism onset is the dimming of the sovereign fire and a deficiency in the spirit, while the displacement of the ministerial fire and the impaired function of the five viscera contribute significantly to the progression of the condition. Effective treatment for childhood autism involves restoring these imbalances: dispelling yin-related obstructions to illuminate the sovereign fire, nourishing the spleen and kidney to nourish the ministerial fire, and regulating the liver and lung to harmonize the sovereign and ministerial fires. The ultimate goal is to integrate body and spirit, harmonize the sovereign and ministerial fires, and restore the interconnectedness between spirit and the function of the five zang viscera. This article, based on the "the sovereign fire illuminates, while the ministerial fire occupies its position" theory, provides a novel perspective and insights for understanding and treating childhood autism through the holistic principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Emphasizing the integration of body and spirit offers new insights and approaches for the clinical management of childhood autism in traditional Chinese medicine.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, and its pathogenesis is largely modulated by abnormal angiogenesis. Previous research has indicated that AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), an important demethylase affecting N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification, plays a role in regulating angiogenesis in cardiovascular and eye diseases. Our present study found that ALKBH5 was upregulated and co-localized with cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) in the skin of IMQ group compared with control group. ALKBH5-deficient mice decreased IMQ-induced psoriatic dermatitis and exhibited histological improvements, including decreased epidermal thickness, hyperkeratosis, numbers of dermal capillary vessels and inflammatory cell infiltration. ALKBH5-KO mice alleviated angiogenesis in psoriatic lesions by downregulating the protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Additionally, the expression of ALKBH5 was significantly upregulated in IL-17A-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which further promoted the expression of angiogenesis-related cytokines and endothelial cell proliferation. Cell proliferation and angiogenesis were suppressed in ALKBH5 knockdown group, whereas ALKBH5 overexpression promoted these processes. The regulation of angiogenesis in HUVECs by ALKBH5 was facilitated through the AKT-mTOR pathway. Collectively, ALKBH5 plays a pivotal role in psoriatic dermatitis and angiogenesis, which may offer a new potential targets for treating psoriasis.
Animals ; Psoriasis/chemically induced* ; Mice ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; AlkB Homolog 5, RNA Demethylase/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Mice, Knockout ; Disease Models, Animal ; Signal Transduction ; Male ; Skin/blood supply* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Angiogenesis

The culture of suspended Vero cells is facing difficulties such as low cell viability and long doubling time. To investigate the main reasons for the slow growth and low viability of suspended Vero cells, this study conducted transcriptomic analysis of suspended Vero cells (Vero-XF) and adherent Vero cells (Vero-AD) to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) affecting the growth of suspended cells. In addition, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was supplemented to the culture system to improve the growth of Vero-XF. The results showed that compared with the Vero-AD group, the Vero-XF group had 7 376 significant DEGs. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in the autophagy and mitophagy pathways. Eleven DEGs were selected and verified by quantitative real-time PCR, which showed up-regulated expression of ATG9B, WIPI2, LAMP2, OPTN, Rab7a, and DEPTOR and down-regulated expression of ATG4D, being consistent with the results of transcriptomic analysis. In addition, the Vero-XF group showed significantly up-regulated expression of ATG101, ATG2A, and STX17 and insignificant change in the expression of NBR1, compared with the Vero-AD group. The protein levels of LC3 and P62 in Vero-XF and Vero-AD were determined by Western blotting, which showed up-regulated expression of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ and down-regulated expression of P62 in Vero-XF, indicating a higher level of autophagy. Finally, the exogenous supplementation of EGF at 10, 20, and 30 μg/L in the culture system reduced the autophagy level of Vero-XF by 22.35%, 48.15%, and 71.29%, increased the specific growth rate by 15.48%, 33.33%, and 57.14%, and decreased the apoptosis rate by 2.84%, 15.46%, and 16.23%, respectively. The results of this study preliminarily reveal that the activation of autophagy is one of the reasons for the slow growth of Vero-XF, which provides reference for the subsequent culture of suspended Vero cells.
Animals ; Vero Cells ; Autophagy/genetics* ; Chlorocebus aethiops ; Epidermal Growth Factor/pharmacology* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcriptome ; Cell Survival

Background::Understanding willingness to undergo pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and the factors associated with poor uptake of PFTs is crucial for improving early detection and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to understand willingness to undergo PFTs among high-risk populations and identify any barriers that may contribute to low uptake of PFTs.Methods::We collected data from participants in the "Happy Breathing Program" in China. Participants who did not follow physicians’ recommendations to undergo PFTs were invited to complete a survey regarding their willingness to undergo PFTs and their reasons for not undergoing PFTs. We estimated the proportion of participants who were willing to undergo PFTs and examined the various reasons for participants to not undergo PFTs. We conducted univariable and multivariable logistic regressions to analyze the impact of individual-level factors on willingness to undergo PFTs.Results::A total of 8475 participants who had completed the survey on willingness to undergo PFTs were included in this study. Out of these participants, 7660 (90.4%) were willing to undergo PFTs. Among those who were willing to undergo PFTs but actually did not, the main reasons for not doing so were geographical inaccessibility ( n = 3304, 43.1%) and a lack of trust in primary healthcare institutions ( n = 2809, 36.7%). Among the 815 participants who were unwilling to undergo PFTs, over half ( n = 447, 54.8%) believed that they did not have health problems and would only consider PFTs when they felt unwell. In the multivariable regression, individuals who were ≤54 years old, residing in rural townships, with a secondary educational level, with medical reimbursement, still working, with occupational exposure to dust, and aware of the abbreviation "COPD" were more willing to undergo PFTs. Conclusions::Willingness to undergo PFTs was high among high-risk populations. Policymakers may consider implementing strategies such as providing financial incentives, promoting education, and establishing community-based programs to enhance the utilization of PFTs.

Objective:Evaluate the safety and efficacy of aortic endovascular remodeling device (AERD) in the treatment of residual aortic dissection on Stanford type B aortic dissection patients after endovascular repair.Methods:Adopting a prospective cohort study design, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total number of 60 patients with Stanford B-type aortic dissection after TEVAR surgery from January 2022 to December 2023 were included. Collecting CTA imaging data of patients before and after endovascular treatment with AERD and using computer 3D reconstruction fluid dynamics to evaluate distal aortic remodeling.Results:The incidence of major adverse events and mortality rate associated with aortic dissection within 30 days were 0 after endovascular treatment with AERD. In the short term, AERD was safe for the treatment of residual aortic dissection on Stanford type B aortic dissection patients after endovascular repair. Endovascular treatment with AERD significantly increased the volume of the true lumen of the aorta in the dissection segment, with an increase of 88.44%. At the same time, endovascular treatment with AERD significantly reduced the volume of the false lumen of the aorta in the dissection segment, with a decrease of 61.04%. Endovascular treatment with AERD has no significant effect on the longest true lumen diameter of distal aorta of stent and upper margin aorta of superior mesenteric artery. Comparing to the longest diameter of the true lumen of the aorta, the change in the shortest diameter of the true lumen of the aorta is more significant, with the shortest diameter of true lumen of distal aortic of the stent increasing by 32.29%, the shortest diameter of true lumen of the narrowest part of the aorta increasing by 204.15%, the shortest diameter of true lumen of the upper margin aorta of superior mesenteric artery increasing by 80.76%, the shortest diameter of true lumen of the lower edge aorta of the renal artery increasing by 115.26%, the shortest diameter of the opening of the left iliac artery increasing by 152.01%, and the shortest diameter of opening of the right iliac artery increasing by144.21%.Conclusion:AERD is safe and effective in the treatment of residual aortic dissection on Stanford type B aortic dissection patients after endovascular repair. Endovascular treatment with AERD promotes true lumen dilation and false lumen reduction in the early postoperative stage and promotes benign remodeling of the distal aorta after TEVAR surgery.

Objective:To understand the current situation of fear of dementia among the elderly in Changsha and its related factors in order to provide empirical evidence for lowering the level of dementia fear among the elderly and formulating effective strategies.Methods:From July to September 2022, 300 elderly people living in communities in Changsha were surveyed using a random sampling method.Data were collected via a questionnaire for general information, the Fear of Dementia Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and multiple linear regression was used to analyze related factors for fear of dementia in the elderly.Results:For elderly people in Changsha, the fear of dementia score was 46.00(33.25, 59.00), the social support score was 40.00(34.00, 44.75), and the generalized anxiety disorder score was 3.00(2.00, 4.00).According to analysis by Spearman's correlation, the level of fear of dementia among the elderly in Changsha was positively correlated to the level of generalized anxiety( r=0.232, P<0.01)and negatively correlated to the level of social support( r=-0.226, P<0.01).Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that level of education( β=-2.385, t=-3.201, P=0.002), family history of dementia( β=10.801, t=4.151, P<0.001), frequency of physical examination( β=-2.601, t=-3.497, P=0.001), and social support( β=-0.347, t=-3.093, P=0.002)were related factors for fear of dementia in the elderly in Changsha. Conclusions:Fear of dementia among the elderly in Changsha is at a moderate level, and there is no widespread generalized anxiety.Family history of dementia, education level, frequency of physical examination, and level of social support are relevant factors for fear of dementia.To lessen the level of fear of dementia, specific intervention methods should be formulated according to the relevant factors.

Objective:To screen ferroptosis genes related to prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma(MPM),explore the relationship between ferroptosis and tumor immune microenvironment and provide a new perspective for targeting and immunotherapy of MPM patients.Methods:The differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in MPM tumor group and normal group were analyzed in GEO database;intersection of DEGs and ferroptosis genes to obtain differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes(DE-FRGs).GO,KEGG function enrichment and protein protein interaction(PPI)were used to identify the signal pathways mainly involved by DE-FRGs.The prognosis related ferroptosis genes were identified by univariate COX analysis.LASSO regression analysis was used to screen the best DE-FRGs for establishing the risk prediction model,and a risk prognosis model based on the best DE-FRGs was estab-lished by multivariate cox analysis to verify the prediction effect of the model.Finally,CIBERSORT and other algorithms were used to analyze tumor immune cell infiltration and evaluate immune microenvironment.Results:Twenty-four prognosis related DE-FRGs were screened,which were mainly concentrated in ferroptosis,transcriptional regulation and response to inorganic substances.A MPM risk prediction model based on five ferroptosis-related genes(ALDH3A2,CAV1,HRAS,CDCA3 and RRM2)was established and vali-dated.In the model,the proportion of CD8+T cells and macrophages in high-risk group were higher,while the proportion of B lympho-cytes was lower.In addition,PD-1,CTLA-4 and their ligands at immune checkpoint had higher expression status in high-risk group.Conclusion:The MPM risk prediction model based on five ferroptosis-related genes is established,and the immune status in the model is clarified.It provides a certain research basis for targeting and immunotherapy of MPM.The predictive ability of this model in MPM needs to be further verified in clinical practice to better predict disease stratification and treatment management.

Hypoxia is the common characteristic of almost all solid tumors,which prevents therapeutic drugs from reaching the tumors.Therefore,the development of new targeted agents for the accurate diagnosis of hypoxia tumors is widely concerned.As carbonic anhydrase Ⅸ(CA Ⅸ)is abundantly distributed on the hypoxia tumor cells,it is considered as a potential tumor biomarker.4-(2-Aminoethyl)benzenesulfo-namide(ABS)as a CA Ⅸ inhibitor has inherent inhibitory activity and good targeting effect.In this study,Ag2S quantum dots(QDs)were used as the carrier to prepare a novel diagnostic and therapeutic bio-probe(Ag2S@polyethylene glycol(PEG)-ABS)through ligand exchange and amide condensation reaction.Ag2S@PEG-ABS can selectively target tumors by surface-modified ABS and achieve accurate tumor im-aging by the near infrared-Ⅱ(NIR-Ⅱ)fluorescence characteristics of Ag2S QDs.PEG modification of Ag2S QDs greatly improves its water solubility and stability,and therefore achieves high photothermal sta-bility and high photothermal conversion efficiency(PCE)of 45.17％.Under laser irradiation,Ag2S@PEG-ABS has powerful photothermal and inherent antitumor combinations on colon cancer cells(CT-26)in vitro.It also has been proved that Ag2S@PEG-ABS can realize the effective treatment of hypoxia tumors in vivo and show good biocompatibility.Therefore,it is a new efficient integrated platform for the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxia tumors.

ObjectiveTo explore the antioxidant and anti-human cervical cancer HeLa cell effect and mechanisms of Andrographis paniculata polysaccharide （APP）. MethodCell function assays were conducted to assess the effects of APP （400， 450， 500 mg·L^-1） on the proliferation， migration， and invasion of HeLa cells using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay， scratch assay， and Transwell assay. Molecular mechanism experiments were conducted to detect the effects of APP on HeLa cell apoptosis and cell cycle-related mRNA and protein expression using flow cytometry， real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and Western blot analysis. The antioxidant activity of APP was tested using DPPH⁺， OH^-， and reducing power assays. ResultCompared with the blank group， APP （400， 450， 500 mg·L^-1） significantly inhibited the migration， proliferation， and invasion abilities of HeLa cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Flow cytometry with propidium iodide （PI） single staining was used to detect cell cycle. The results showed that compared with the blank group， the proportion of HeLa cells in the G₂/M phase increased after 48 hours of treatment with APP （400， 450， 500 mg·L^-1）， indicating that APP can arrest HeLa cells in the G₂/M phase. Flow cytometry with fluorescein isothiocyanate （Annexin V-FITC）/PI apoptosis kit was used to detect cell apoptosis. Compared with the blank group， the proportion of early and late apoptotic HeLa cells increased in a dose-dependent manner after 48 hours of APP （400， 450， 500 mg·L^-1） treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， indicating that APP promotes HeLa cell apoptosis. The results of Real-time PCR and Western blot assay showed that compared with the blank group， after 48 hours of APP （400， 450， 500 mg·L^-1） treatment resulted in decreased mRNA and protein expression of cell cycle-dependent kinase-1 （CDK-1）， Cyclin B₁， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and increased mRNA and protein expression of cysteine aspartate protease （Caspase）-3， Caspase-8， Caspase-9， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） （P<0.05， P<0.01）. These findings were consistent with the flow cytometry results and showed a dose-dependent effect. In vitro antioxidant tests demonstrated that different concentrations of APP （50-1 000 mg·L^-1） were able to scavenge DPPH⁺ and OH^- radicals， indicating certain antioxidant activity. ConclusionAPP possesses antioxidant activity and can inhibit the viability of HeLa cells while promoting their apoptosis.

AIM:To evaluate the effect of optical amplification on macular retinal thickness measurements in myopic eyes of children and adolescents using optical coherence tomography(OCT).METHODS:A total of 68 cases(126 eyes)of children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years old attending our optometric center from April 2023 to January 2024 were selected. They were divided into 44 cases(83 eyes)in the mild myopia group(-0.50 D0.05). In the moderate myopia group, the differences between the retinal thickness in each quadrant of the macula and the mean retinal thickness before and after correction were statistically significant(all P<0.001). Before correction, there was a significant difference in retinal thickness on the temporal side of the outer ring and above the outer ring of the macula in both groups(P=0.019, 0.035). However, retinal thickness in the other quadrants was not statistically different between the two groups(all P>0.05). There were significant differences between the two groups in the macular fovea, the nasal side of the inner ring, the temporal side of the inner ring, the upper inner ring, the lower inner ring, the nasal side of the outer ring, and the mean retinal thickness after correction(all P<0.05). Before correction for optical amplification, retinal thickness of the outer ring of the macula was positively correlated with SE(all P<0.05)and negatively correlated with AL(all P<0.05). By correction, a significant negative correlation was found between the macular fovea, the inner ring, and the mean retinal thickness with SE(all P<0.05). In addition, retinal thickness in all quadrants of the macula was positively correlated with AL(all P<0.001).CONCLUSION:The optical amplification affects the accuracy of retinal thickness measurements in the macular region of myopic eyes of children and adolescents, and the effect becomes more significant as the AL increases.