Objective To observe the effects of Shenfu Injection on ferroptosis-related factors and oxidative stress-related indexes in rat cardiomyocytes treated with isoproterenol;To explore its mechanism in treating chronic heart failure.Methods Isoproterenol was used to induce rat H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury.The cells were divided into normal group,model group,Shenfu Injection group and Ferrostatin-1 group,and treated with corresponding intervention.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of cellular mitochondria,ferrous ion fluorescent probe was used to detect Fe2+content in cells,flow cytometry was used to detect intracellular contents of ROS and Lipid-ROS;colorimetry was used to detect the contents of MDA,GSH,SOD and GSH-Px in cells;Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11,p53,COX2 and Nrf2 in cells.Results Compared with the normal group,the survival rate of H9c2 cells in the model group was significantly reduced(P<0.01),with cell swelling and rupture,mitochondrial shrinkage,decreased quantity and disordered arrangement,more damaged mitochondria,the contents of Fe2+,ROS,Lipid-ROS and MDA in cells significantly increased(P<0.01),while the contents of GSH,SOD and GSH-Px significantly decreased(P<0.01),the expressions of p53,COX2 protein and mRNA significantly increased(P<0.01),the expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11 and Nrf2 protein and mRNA significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the survival rates of H9c2 cells in Shenfu Injection group and Ferrostatin-1 group significantly increased(P<0.01),there was a larger number of normal mitochondria and a more complete structure,the contents of Fe2+,ROS,Lipid-ROS and MDA in cells were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while the contents of GSH,SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expressions of p53,COX2 protein and mRNA were significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11 and Nrf2 protein and mRNA significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion Shenfu Injection can reduce p53 expression,weaken its inhibitory effect on SLC7A11,thereby promoting GPX4 expression,inhibiting ferroptosis,reducing lipid peroxide accumulation,increasing cellular antioxidant capacity,and alleviating myocardial cell oxidative damage.

This study was aimed at identifying the pathogenic bacteria responsible for the death of a young tiger at the Fujian Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute.Tissue samples from the lungs,liver,and intestines of the deceased tiger were collected,and the bacteria were cultured inasterile environment.The bacterial strains were characterized according to their morphological and molecular biological properties,including assessment of virulence genes and antibiotic resistance genes,mouse lethality tests,and antibiotic susceptibility evaluations.A predominant bacterial strain isolated from the liver of the deceased tiger was identified as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)strain Tiger22513F.Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the Tiger22513F strain exhibited close genetic similarity to the reference strain ETEC(MF919609.1),with 99.9%nucleotide similarity,and resided on the same evolutionary branch.The Tiger22513F strain contained 11 antibiotic resistance genes(tetA,sul1,sul3,cmlA,floR,blaTEM,blaSHV,blaCMY-2,qnrA,qnrS,and qnrD)along with five virulence genes(VT1,fyuA,tsh,iucD,and ST).Mouse lethality tests indicated significant pathogenicity toward mice,affecting primarily the lungs,liver,and intestines.Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated that this strain exhibited resistance to various classes of beta-lactam antibiotics,as well as quinolones and aminoglycosides.This investigation successfully isolated a multi-drug resistant enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain with pronounced pathogenicity from the liver of a deceased tiger;thus providing valuable scientific insights for clinical diagnosis,as well as prevention and control measures,against ETEC infections in South China tigers.

Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including AF, which is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias globally. AF is strongly associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure (HF), and cardiovascular mortality. Although intensive blood pressure lowering has been shown to reduce adverse cardiovascular events, its effect on the risk of AF remains debated. Some studies suggest a beneficial effect, whereas others are inconclusive. Therefore, a comprehensive review and meta-analysis are needed to clarify these effects. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of intensive blood pressure lowering on the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in hypertensive patients. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to September 2, 2024, for randomized controlled trials comparing intensive blood pressure lowering with standard treatment in hypertensive patients. Studies were included if participants were 40 year or older with systolic blood pressure between 130 and 180 mm Hg (1 mm Hg≈0.133 kPa). Data extraction was conducted by 2 independent researchers, and statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. A random-effects model was applied if heterogeneity was detected (I > 50%). Results: A total of 6 randomized controlled trials involving 34,824 participants were included in the analysis. Intensive blood pressure lowering significantly reduced the risk of new-onset AF compared with standard treatment (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.93, p < 0.01, I = 0%). Reductions were also observed in stroke (RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.58-0.87, p < 0.005, I = 7%), HF (RR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.45-0.99, p = 0.05, I = 53%), and nonfatal coronary events (RR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.70-0.92, p < 0.005, I = 39%). However, intensive blood pressure lowering had no significant effect on cardiovascular mortality or all-cause mortality compared with standard treatment. Discussion: Intensive blood pressure lowering significantly reduces the risk of AF and other cardiovascular events, such as stroke, HF, and nonfatal coronary events, particularly among high-risk hypertensive patients. These findings support the potential benefits of intensive blood pressure management in reducing AF incidence and improving overall cardiovascular outcomes, but the evidence is limited.

This study was aimed at identifying the pathogenic bacteria responsible for the death of a young tiger at the Fujian Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute.Tissue samples from the lungs,liver,and intestines of the deceased tiger were collected,and the bacteria were cultured inasterile environment.The bacterial strains were characterized according to their morphological and molecular biological properties,including assessment of virulence genes and antibiotic resistance genes,mouse lethality tests,and antibiotic susceptibility evaluations.A predominant bacterial strain isolated from the liver of the deceased tiger was identified as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)strain Tiger22513F.Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the Tiger22513F strain exhibited close genetic similarity to the reference strain ETEC(MF919609.1),with 99.9%nucleotide similarity,and resided on the same evolutionary branch.The Tiger22513F strain contained 11 antibiotic resistance genes(tetA,sul1,sul3,cmlA,floR,blaTEM,blaSHV,blaCMY-2,qnrA,qnrS,and qnrD)along with five virulence genes(VT1,fyuA,tsh,iucD,and ST).Mouse lethality tests indicated significant pathogenicity toward mice,affecting primarily the lungs,liver,and intestines.Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated that this strain exhibited resistance to various classes of beta-lactam antibiotics,as well as quinolones and aminoglycosides.This investigation successfully isolated a multi-drug resistant enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain with pronounced pathogenicity from the liver of a deceased tiger;thus providing valuable scientific insights for clinical diagnosis,as well as prevention and control measures,against ETEC infections in South China tigers.

Objective To observe the effects of Shenfu Injection on ferroptosis-related factors and oxidative stress-related indexes in rat cardiomyocytes treated with isoproterenol;To explore its mechanism in treating chronic heart failure.Methods Isoproterenol was used to induce rat H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury.The cells were divided into normal group,model group,Shenfu Injection group and Ferrostatin-1 group,and treated with corresponding intervention.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of cellular mitochondria,ferrous ion fluorescent probe was used to detect Fe2+content in cells,flow cytometry was used to detect intracellular contents of ROS and Lipid-ROS;colorimetry was used to detect the contents of MDA,GSH,SOD and GSH-Px in cells;Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11,p53,COX2 and Nrf2 in cells.Results Compared with the normal group,the survival rate of H9c2 cells in the model group was significantly reduced(P<0.01),with cell swelling and rupture,mitochondrial shrinkage,decreased quantity and disordered arrangement,more damaged mitochondria,the contents of Fe2+,ROS,Lipid-ROS and MDA in cells significantly increased(P<0.01),while the contents of GSH,SOD and GSH-Px significantly decreased(P<0.01),the expressions of p53,COX2 protein and mRNA significantly increased(P<0.01),the expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11 and Nrf2 protein and mRNA significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the survival rates of H9c2 cells in Shenfu Injection group and Ferrostatin-1 group significantly increased(P<0.01),there was a larger number of normal mitochondria and a more complete structure,the contents of Fe2+,ROS,Lipid-ROS and MDA in cells were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while the contents of GSH,SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expressions of p53,COX2 protein and mRNA were significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the expressions of GPX4,FTH1,SLC7A11 and Nrf2 protein and mRNA significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion Shenfu Injection can reduce p53 expression,weaken its inhibitory effect on SLC7A11,thereby promoting GPX4 expression,inhibiting ferroptosis,reducing lipid peroxide accumulation,increasing cellular antioxidant capacity,and alleviating myocardial cell oxidative damage.

Objective To systematically evaluate the prevalence of frailty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods A systematic search method for observational studies on the prevalence of frailty in patients with RA was conducted, and literature screening, data extraction as well as evaluation of literature quality were performed in strict accordance with evidence-based medical research methodology. Meta-analysis and Egger's linear regression analysis were performed by Stata 16.0 software. Results Twenty-six literatures were included in the study, including a total sample size of 22, 547 patients. The results of the analysis showed that the total prevalence of frailty in patients with RA was 36% (95%CI, 0.26 to 0.45, P < 0.001), and the prevalence of pre-frailty was 43% (95%CI, 0.36 to 0.50, P < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of frailty was higher in RA patients with features of female, age over 60 years old, hospitalization, living in European region and evaluation with multi-dimensional comprehensive frailty assessment tool and the specific RA frailty assessment tool. Conclusion The overall incidence of frailty and pre-frailty in RA patients is high, and there are differences in the incidence of frailty among patients with different ages, genders, environments, regions, and types of assessment tools.

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.

Background: Pleuropterus multiflorum Thunb. cv. “Heshouwu”(HSW) has been used as a classical material for both medicine and food in China for millennia. Recently, the cultivation region of HSW has shifted from Guangdong to Sichuan, Guizhou, and other regions. The investigation of geographic variation in bioactive metabolite contents and their relationship with soil mineral elements holds academic significance. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the variations in the distribution of active components in HSW across diverse planting regions and their relationship with soil mineral elements. Methods: A reliable quantitative analysis based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS) was developed to assess the levels of 15 bioactive metabolites in 60 HSW samples collected from 4 distinct regions. A total of 43 soil mineral elements in corresponding 60 soil samples were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), heatmap analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and random forest (RF) regression were conducted based on the above quantitative data. Results: The content of stilbene glycosides displayed a wider range of variation compared with emodin and physcion among different regions. Eight compounds were screened as the differential metabolites in HSW samples from various sources using the supervised OPLS-DA analysis. Among these, 2 important functional compounds including physcion and 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-(6″-O-ace-tyl)-glucoside (THSG-5) are the most abundant in HSW samples from Deqing, a geographical indicative production region. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the impact of soil mineral elements on the levels of stilbene glycosides is greater compared to that on anthraquinones. A negative correlation was observed between the levels of elements Na, Zn, Ba, Ti, and 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahydroxysilbene 2-O-glucoside (THSG-1). Conversely, a positive correlation was found between the contents of elements Na, Ce, Ti, and physcion and THSG-5, 2 components that exhibited higher levels in Deqing. Furthermore, an RF algorithm was employed to establish an interrelationship model, effectively forecasting the abundance of the majority of differential metabolites in HSW samples based on the content data of soil mineral elements. Conclusions: The variation of stilbene glycosides is wider than emodin and physcion in HSW. The levels of metabolites in HSW samples are influenced by soil mineral elements, with stilbene glycosides being more susceptible to such influences compared to anthraquinones. Specifically, THSG-1 shows a negative association withmost soil mineral elements, notably Na, Zn, Ba, and Ti, whereas the content of physcion displays a positive correlation.

Objective:To more accurately evaluate the function of the otolith organ and its conduction pathway of pilots by collecting the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) corrected by electromyogram (EMG) in healthy military pilots and comparing bilateral amplitude, amplitude asymmetry ratio and other relevant parameters with and without EMG rectification.Methods:One hundred (200 ears) healthy male active duty military pilots were selected as study subjects, with an average age of (26.86±6.54) years old. The cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) induced by air conduction acoustic stimulation were performed to the subjects in sitting position. Sound was delivered through inserted earphones, with the stimulus being tone burst at 97 dB nHL. The P1 latency, N1 latency, P1-N1 wave interval latency, and the P1-N1 amplitude and amplitude asymmetry ratio of VEMPs were recorded before and after the correction of EMG and those were compared and analyzed.Results:The evoked rate of VEMPs was 100%. The latency of P1 and N1, P1-N1 interval of cVEMP in these pilots were (15.58±1.29), (26.12±1.91), and (10.54±1.49) ms. The latency of N1 and P1, P1-N1 interval of oVEMP in these pilots were (11.96±0.92), (16.92±1.06), and (4.96±0.75) ms. The difference of VEMPs amplitude before and after EMG correction was statistically significant ( Z=-17.30, -17.30, both P<0.001). The difference of amplitude asymmetry ratio of cVEMP before and after correction was statistically significant ( Z=-2.91, P=0.004), but the difference of amplitude asymmetry ratio of oVEMP before and after correction was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:This research sets up the normal range of VEMPs corrected by EMG in military pilots and provides a more accurate reference for medical selection of flying cadets and functional evaluation of the otolith organ and its conduction pathway.

Cancer cachexia is a multi-organ syndrome and closely related to changes in signal communication between organs, which is mediated by cancer cachexia factors. Cancer cachexia factors, being the general name of inflammatory factors, circulating proteins, metabolites, and microRNA secreted by tumor or host cells, play a role in secretory or other organs and mediate complex signal communication between organs during cancer cachexia. Cancer cachexia factors are also a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment. The pathogenesis of cachexia is unclear and no clear effective treatment is available. Thus, the treatment of cancer cachexia from the perspective of the tumor ecosystem rather than from the perspective of a single molecule and a single organ is urgently needed. From the point of signal communication between organs mediated by cancer cachexia factors, finding a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer cachexia is of great significance to improve the level of diagnosis and treatment. This review begins with cancer cachexia factors released during the interaction between tumor and host cells, and provides a comprehensive summary of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment for cancer cachexia, along with a particular sight on multi-organ signal communication mediated by cancer cachexia factors. This summary aims to deepen medical community’s understanding of cancer cachexia and may conduce to the discovery of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer cachexia.