ObjectiveTo observe the antidepressant effect of Chaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid on the rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） and explore the mechanism from the histomorphology of frontal cortex， expression of key molecules in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）/tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） signaling pathway， and changes in monoamine neurotransmitter levels. MethodsSixty adult male SD rats were randomized into six groups （n=10）： blank control， depression model， Chaihu Shugansan （3.3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， ferulic acid （50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， Chaihu Shugansan （3.3 g·kg^-1·d^-1） + ferulic acid （50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and fluoxetine （2.1 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）. Rats in other groups except the blank control group were subjected to a mild chronic unpredictable stress stimulus every day. Seven stimuli were used， including fasting with free access to water for 24 h， water deprivation with free access to food for 24 h， wetting the bedding with water in the cage， restraint for 3 h， tail clamping for 1 min， swimming in ice water at 4 ℃， and day and night reversal. Each stimulus was used 1 to 3 times， and the modeling lasted for a total of 21 days. At the same time of stimulation， rats in each medication group were treated with corresponding agents by gavage， while those in the blank control group and the depression model group received equal volumes of normal saline by gavage. The open field test， sucrose preference test， and forced swimming test were conducted before and after modeling. The rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 3% pentobarbital sodium， and the frontal cortex was isolated on ice. The mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB， and cyclic adenosine monophosphate-responsive element-binding protein （CREB） in the frontal cortex were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The levels of monoamine neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE） in the frontal cortex were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Light microscopy was employed to observe the histopathological changes in the frontal cortex. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the depression model group showed reduced body mass （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased number of crossings and rearings in the open field test and sucrose preference （P<0.01）， prolonged time of immobility in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， reduced neuronal cells， increased necrotic cells， and darkening cell staining in the frontal cortex， down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB， CREB， and lowered levels of 5-HT， NE， and DA in the frontal cortex （P<0.01）. Compared with the depression model group， each intervention group showed improved general state， increased body mass （P<0.05）， increased number of crossings （P<0.05）， shortened immobility time in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， increased neuronal cells， reduced necrotic cells， and lightened cellular staining in the frontal cortex， up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB and CREB， and elevated levels of 5-HT， NE， and DA in the frontal cortex （P<0.01）. Moreover， the Chaihu Shugansan + ferulic acid group outperformed the Chaihu Shugansan group and the ferulic acid group in increasing the body mass and the 5-HT content in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）. The combination group outperformed the Chaihu Shugansan group regarding the number of rearings and up-regulation in the mRNA level of BDNF in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）， and it was superior to the ferulic acid group in terms of shortening the immobility time in the forced swimming test， up-regulating the mRNA levels of BDNF， TrkB， and CREB and the protein levels of BDNF and CREB in the frontal cortex， and increasing the DA content in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）. ConclusionChaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid can exert antidepressant effect on the rat model of CUMS by regulating the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway and monoamine neurotransmitter content in the frontal cortex. Moreover， the antidepressant effect of Chaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid was more significant than that of Chaihu Shugansan and ferulic acid used alone.

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Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective: To analyze the developmental trajectories of middle school students loneliness and social support, as well as to explore the interaction between loneliness and social support, so as to provide the evidence based support for the mental health development of adolescents. Methods: A total of 989 first year students from four public middle schools in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province were selected for three follow up surveys by a cluster random sampling method (T1:March 2023, T2:June 2023, T3:December 2023). The UCLA Loneliness Scale-20 (ULS-20) and Social Support Scale for University Students (SSSUS) were employed for questionnaire data collection. The growth mixture modeling was utilized to test the developmental trajectories of loneliness and social support among middle school students, while the cross lagged analysis was performed to investigate their mutual influence. Results: The scores for loneliness and social support in T1, T2 and T3 were (43.1±5.8, 42.5± 6.8 , 42.0±6.9; 55.9±12.0, 60.7±15.7, 60.4±16.7), respectively. Correlational analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between loneliness levels (T1, T2, T3) and social support (T1, T2, T3) ( r =-0.47 to -0.36, P <0.01). Growth mixture modeling indicated a linear declining trend of middle school students loneliness, and the developmental trajectory of social support showed a linear increasing trend, with significant individual differences in initial levels and rates of change ( P <0.05). Cross lagged analyses revealed that loneliness levels at T1 negatively predicted social support scores at T2 ( β =-0.16), and loneliness levels at T2 negatively predicted social support scores at T3 ( β =-0.12) ( P <0.05). Additionally, prior loneliness positively predicted its subsequent levels, with path coefficients of 0.58 and 0.47, respectively ( P <0.05). Social support scores at T1 negatively predicted loneliness levels at T2 ( β =-0.10), while scores at T2 negatively predicted loneliness levels at T3 ( β =-0.15) ( P <0.05). Prior loneliness also positively predicted its subsequent levels, with path coefficients of 0.43 and 0.44, respectively ( P <0.05). Conclusion The developmental trajectory of middle school students loneliness demonstrates a decreasing trend, while that of social support exhibits a linear increasing trend, indicating a longitudinal causal relationship between loneliness and social support.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of neuromuscular choristoma-associated desmoid type fibromatosis (NMC-DF).Methods:The clinical morphological and immunohistochemical features of 7 NMC-DF cases diagnosed from January 2013 to January 2023 in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A series of neuromuscular choristoma and neuromuscular choristoma-associated desmoid type fibromatosis were evaluated for CTNNB1 mutations, and hotspot mutations for CTNNB1 were tested in 4 NMC-DF cases using Sanger sequencing.Results:The tumors were collected from 3 females and 4 males, aged 1 to 22 years (mean 7.1 years), involving the sciatic nerve ( n=4), brachial plexus ( n=2) or multiple nerves ( n=1). The course of the disease spanned from 3 months to 10 years. Two cases were recurrent tumors. All the 7 NMC cases showed endoneurial intercalation of mature skeletal muscle fibers among the peripheral nerve fascicles, and the histologic features of the NMC-DF were strikingly similar to the conventional desmoid-type fibromatosis. By immunohistochemistry, all NMC and NMC-DF cases showed aberrant nuclear staining of β-catenin (7/7), the muscle cells in NMC were intensely immunoreactive for desmin, and the admixed nerve fibers were highlighted by NF and S-100 (7/7). Four NMC and NMC-DF had CTNNB1 mutations, 3 c.121A>G (p.T41A) and 1 c.134C>T (p.S45F). Follow-up of the 7 cases, ranging from 22 to 78 months, showed tumor recurrence in 2 patients at 3 and 8 months respectively after the first surgical resection, of which 1 patient underwent above-knee amputation. No recurrence occurred in other cases with tumor excision and neurological reconstruction surgery. There was no metastasis occurred in the 7 cases. Conclusions:NMC is a rare congenital lesion with differentiated mature skeletal muscle tissue found in peripheral nerve fascicles, and approximately 80% of patients with NMC develop a soft tissue fibromatosis. CTNNB1 mutation in the Wnt signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of NMC and NMC-DF, and S45F mutations seems to have a higher risk of disease progression.

The prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy （DCM） has been increasing year by year，which seriously endangers the physical and mental health of patients. Establishing an animal model that conforms to the clinical characteristics of the disease is a prerequisite for conducting experimental research on DCM. This study sorted out and summarized the commonly used DCM animal models and evaluated the degree of consistency between the models and clinical practice based on the etiology and pathogenesis of traditional Chinese and western medicine and clinical diagnostic criteria. The models with high consistency with western medicine include immune models，drug toxicity models，and tachycardia models，while the models with high consistency with traditional Chinese medicine include drug toxicity models，gene correlation models，and tachycardia models. With consideration of the characteristics of the symptoms，consistency，and their respective advantages and disadvantages，the more ideal models are drug toxicity models，tachycardia models，and gene correlation models. In addition to evaluating the clinical consistency of traditional Chinese and western medicine in DCM animal models，this study also analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of existing DCM animal models，existing problems，and observation indicators of the models and pointed out the lack of standardized and unified syndrome model differentiation standards. Due to the complexity of the disease and the unclear pathogenesis，there are few studies on DCM models，and there is room for improvement. On this basis，four improvement directions are proposed to make the animal models as close to the clinical pathological and physiological processes as possible，so that the combination of disease and syndrome in animal models is more practical. These animal models can provide an experimental basis for the pathogenesis，drug intervention，efficacy evaluation，and scientific research of DCM and better serve scientific research and clinical practice.

There is no unified international guidelines or consensus on seizures and epilepsy following acute stroke reperfusion therapy so far.In this review,we briefly summarize its definitions and mechanisms.Post stroke epilepsy after reperfusion treatment is defined as patients with ischemic stroke who have received intravenous thrombolysis and/or endovascular therapy,without other definitive causes or epilepsy history before stroke,have at least two epileptic seizures occurred within 7 days of stroke onset,or at least one epileptic seizures occurred within 30 days of stroke onset.The incidence rate of epilepsy after intravenous thrombolysis is about 6.4%-20.6%,and arterial thrombectomy is about 5%.The pathophysiological mechanism of post stroke epilepsy after reperfusion treatment may be related to local hyperfusion,epileptogenic properties of tPA and hemorrhagic transformation.Higher stroke severity,cortical involvement,middle cerebral artery infarction,and early post-stroke seizures may be predictive factors for post-stroke epilepsy after reperfusion therapy.Levetiracetam and lamotrigine may be effective drugs for post-stroke epilepsy after reperfusion therapy.Sustained seizures after thrombolysis may increase the risk of death.

Objective To explore the prescribing law of TCM in national patents for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH);To provide a reference for clinical medication.Methods Data on TCM compound prescriptions for the treatment of BPH were retrieved from the China National Intellectual Property Administration(CNIPA)patent retrieval and analysis system,covering the period from January 1,2000,to October 31,2023.The frequency,efficacy category,properties and tastes,meridian tropism,core complex co-occurrence network,and potential TCM clusters mentioned in the patents were analyzed using Excel 2016,SPSS Modeler 18.0,SPSS Statistics 27,and Cytoscape 3.10.0 software.Results A total of 182 patents were included,involving 404 kinds of Chinese materia medica,with a total frequency of 2054 times.Among them,22 kinds of Chinese materia medica had a frequency of≥20,with the most frequently used Chinese materia medica being Astragali Radix,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex,Epimedii Folium,Salviea Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Plantaginis Semen,Poria,Vaccariae Semen,Alismatis Rhizoma and Paeoniae Radix Rubra.The high-frequency herbs primarily consisted of tonifying herbs(267 times,13.00%),blood circulation-activating and stasis-resolving herbs(216 times,10.52%),and diuretic and dampness-percolating herbs(147 times,7.16%).The properties of the herbs were mainly sweet and cold,and they were mainly attributed to the liver and kidney meridians.Association rule analysis yielded 10 common drug pairs,including Cornus Officinalis-Rehmannize Radix et Praeparata,Curcumae Rhizoma-Sparganii Rhizoma,and Astragali Radix-Codonopsis Radix.The drug combination with the highest confidence was Angelicae Sinensis Radix-Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.Clustering analysis revealed five drug combinations,while potential TCM clustering analysis identified five groups,among which the"Zingiberis Rhizoma-Os Draconis-Angelicae Pubescentis Radix-Scallion-Rice Bran-Speranskiae Herba"network demonstrated the highest degree of interconnection(Score=6).Conclusion The high-frequency herbs in national patents for the treatment of BPH with TCM compound prescriptions mainly focus on tonifying the spleen and kidney,activating blood circulation to remove stasis,and clearing heat and draining dampness,providing a reference for clinical practice.

Objective:To compare the results of invasive prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods:Clinical data of pregnant women undergoing PGT and invasive prenatal diagnosis at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2019 to December 2022 were collected. The results of PGT and invasive prenatal diagnosis were compared, and the outcomes of pregnancies were followed up. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (No. 2022SLYEC-491).Results:A total of 172 couples were included in this study, and 26 non-targeted variants were discovered upon prenatal diagnosis, including 10 cases (38.5%) by chromosomal karyotyping, 15 (57.7%) by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), and 1 (3.8%) by whole exome sequencing. The 10 karyotypic anomalies had included 6 chromosomal polymorphisms, 2 chromosomal mosaicisms, 1 paternally derived translocation, and 1 missed maternal chromosomal inversion. CMA has identified 15 copy number variations (CNVs), which included 11 microdeletions and microduplications, 3 loss of heterozygosity, and 1 low-level mosaicism of paternal uniparental disomy. One CNV was classified as pathogenic, and another one was likely pathogenic, whilst the remaining 13 were classified as variants of uncertain significance. Therefore, 8.7% of CNVs was detected by invasive prenatal diagnosis after PGT. 92.3% (24/26) of the non-targeted variants have been due to technological limitations of next-generation sequencing (NGS).Conclusion:Invasive prenatal diagnosis after PGT can detect non-targeted variants, which may further reduce the incidence of birth defects.