AIM:To investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of sesamin(SES)on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and to explore the potential mecha-nisms based on mRNA-seq.METHODS:Spontane-ously hypertensive rats(SHRs)were fed a high-fat,high-cholesterol diet to establish a rat model of hy-pertension combined with dyslipidemia,and then treated with SES for 16 weeks continuously.The ex-periment was divided into four groups:WKY,SHR,Model,and Model+SES(160 mg·kg-1·d-1).Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method.Body weight was monitored,and body mass index was calculated.Liver morphology was detected by ultrasound,and liver thickness was measured.Liver wet weight was weighed,and liver index was calcu-lated.Liver volume was detected by the water dis-placement method.Serum triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate amino-transferase(AST),and total bile acids(TBA)were de-tected by ELISA.Liver sequencing analysis was per-formed using mRNA-seq.Liver histomorphological changes were observed by HE staining.The degree of hepatic steatosis was observed by Oil Red O stain-ing,and the degree of hepatic fibrosis was observed by MASSON staining.The mRNA expression of Al-dh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd was detected by q-PCR.The protein expression of Scd,Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS:After 16 weeks of continuous SES administration to rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,blood pressure was significantly reduced(P＜0.01),and body weight was decreased.Serum TG,TC,and LDL-C levels were decreased,while HDL-C levels were increased.Serum ALT and AST levels were decreased.Liver weight,organ in-dex,liver thickness,and liver volume were de-creased.The degree of hepatic steatosis and hepat-ic fibrosis was improved.A total of 545 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in the livers of rats in each group,of which 278 were upregulated and 267 were downregulated.Among the 27 com-monly differentially expressed mRNAs,five mRNAs related to lipid metabolism were screened,namely Aldh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd.KEGG enrich-ment analysis showed that the enriched pathways were AMPK and PPAR.Further validation revealed that in the SES-treated group,the mRNA expression of Scd in the liver was decreased,while the mRNA expression of Nnmt was increased.The protein ex-pression of Scd was decreased,while the protein ex-pression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was increased.CONCLUSION:SES has preven-tive and therapeutic effects on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of Scd expression levels in the liver and the increase in the expression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ.

AIM:To investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of sesamin(SES)on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and to explore the potential mecha-nisms based on mRNA-seq.METHODS:Spontane-ously hypertensive rats(SHRs)were fed a high-fat,high-cholesterol diet to establish a rat model of hy-pertension combined with dyslipidemia,and then treated with SES for 16 weeks continuously.The ex-periment was divided into four groups:WKY,SHR,Model,and Model+SES(160 mg·kg-1·d-1).Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method.Body weight was monitored,and body mass index was calculated.Liver morphology was detected by ultrasound,and liver thickness was measured.Liver wet weight was weighed,and liver index was calcu-lated.Liver volume was detected by the water dis-placement method.Serum triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate amino-transferase(AST),and total bile acids(TBA)were de-tected by ELISA.Liver sequencing analysis was per-formed using mRNA-seq.Liver histomorphological changes were observed by HE staining.The degree of hepatic steatosis was observed by Oil Red O stain-ing,and the degree of hepatic fibrosis was observed by MASSON staining.The mRNA expression of Al-dh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd was detected by q-PCR.The protein expression of Scd,Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS:After 16 weeks of continuous SES administration to rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,blood pressure was significantly reduced(P＜0.01),and body weight was decreased.Serum TG,TC,and LDL-C levels were decreased,while HDL-C levels were increased.Serum ALT and AST levels were decreased.Liver weight,organ in-dex,liver thickness,and liver volume were de-creased.The degree of hepatic steatosis and hepat-ic fibrosis was improved.A total of 545 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in the livers of rats in each group,of which 278 were upregulated and 267 were downregulated.Among the 27 com-monly differentially expressed mRNAs,five mRNAs related to lipid metabolism were screened,namely Aldh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd.KEGG enrich-ment analysis showed that the enriched pathways were AMPK and PPAR.Further validation revealed that in the SES-treated group,the mRNA expression of Scd in the liver was decreased,while the mRNA expression of Nnmt was increased.The protein ex-pression of Scd was decreased,while the protein ex-pression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was increased.CONCLUSION:SES has preven-tive and therapeutic effects on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of Scd expression levels in the liver and the increase in the expression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic etiology of a child with Char syndrome.Methods:A child who was presented at the Department of Child Health, Henan Children′s Hospital in February 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected, and peripheral blood samples of the child and her parents were collected for the extraction of genomic DNA. Whole exome sequencing was carried out, and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.Results:The child had mainly manifested facial dysmorphism, patent ductus arteriosus, growth retardation, curving of fifth fingers and middle toes. Whole exome sequencing revealed that she has harbored a heterozygous c. 944A>C (p.Glu315Ala) variant of the TFAP2B gene, which was verified to be de novo by Sanger sequencing. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was rated to be likely pathogenic (PM1+ PM2_Supporting+ PM6+ PP3). Conclusion:The heterozygous c. 944A>C (p.Glu315Ala) variant of the TFAP2B gene probably underlay the Char syndrome in this child. Above finding has expanded the mutational and phenotypic spectra of the TFAP2B gene, which has facilitated early identification and diagnosis of Char syndrome.

ObjectiveBased on non-targeted metabolomics， to analyze the regulation of endogenous differential metabolites in serum of type 2 diabetes mellitus（T2DM） rats by Fuling Yunhua granules， and to clarify the metabolic pathways through which this granules exerted its effect on improving T2DM. MethodSeventy SD rats， half male and half female， were randomly divided into the control group， model group， and high， medium， low dose groups of Fuling Yunhua granules（20.70， 10.35， 5.18 g·kg^-1 in raw drug amount） and the positive drug group（pioglitazone hydrochloride tablets， 8.1 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， other groups were fed with high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin（STZ） to establish a T2DM rat model. After successful modeling， the treatment groups were administered the corresponding drugs by gavage， and the control group and model group were treated with an equal volume of saline by gavage， once/d， for 28 d. Fasting blood glucose（FBG） and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c（GHbA1c） levels were measured in all groups of rats during the administration period， and hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathomorphological changes in the pancreatic tissues of rats at the end of the administration period. The endogenous metabolite levels in rat serum were detected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry（UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS）， and the data were processed using principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）. Differential metabolites were identified by the Human Metabolome Database（HMDB） and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）， and screened for differential metabolites with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1， P<0.05， and fold change（FC）<0.6 or FC>1. And the metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of the screened differential metabolites was performed by MetaboAnalyst 5.0， then the screened differential metabolites were diagnosed and evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic（ROC） curves. ResultCompared with the control group， the FBG level of rats in the model group increased significantly（P<0.01）， the GHbA1c content tended to increase， but the difference was not statistically significant， and the pancreatic tissue of rats was obviously damaged， the number of pancreatic islets decreased， and the pancreatic β-cells were obviously reduced， atrophied and enlarged. Compared with the model group， the FBG levels of rats in the high dose group of Fuling Yunhua granules and the positive drug group were significantly reduced after 2 weeks of administration（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the GHbA1c content of rats in the high dose group of Fuling Yunhua granules was significantly reduced（P<0.05）， and the pancreatic tissue lesions of rats in the different dose groups of Fuling Yunhua granules were reduced. The results of non-targeted metabolomics showed that 46 differential metabolites were significantly changed in the model group compared with the blank group. Pathway enrichment analysis found that T2DM mainly affected biological processes including biosynthesis of primary bile acid， D-amino acid metabolism， steroid hormone biosynthesis， and glycerophospholipid metabolism in rats. Compared with the model group， the levels of 8 differential metabolites in the high dose group of Fuling Yunhua granules were significantly adjusted， and the pathway enrichment analysis found that D-amino acid metabolism， retinol metabolism， glycine， serine and threonine metabolism， tryptophan metabolism and other metabolic pathways were mainly involved. ROC curves further analysis revealed that the four characteristic differential markers of 11-cis-retinol， D-piperidinic acid， D-serine， and p-cresol sulfate had high diagnostic value for the treatment of T2DM with Fuling Yunhua granules. ConclusionFuling Yunhua granules can improve the symptoms of T2DM rats by regulating the amino acid metabolic and retinol metabolic pathways through the modulation of endogenous differential metabolites.

Kidney deficiency syndrome is a common clinical syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. With the progress of science and technology， clinical and animal experiments on kidney deficiency syndrome have made remarkable progress. Research on kidney deficiency and the nature of "kidney" involves a large number of physiological and pathological bases， which are closely related to physiological and pathological links in the human body， among which the neuroendocrine-immune network shares the closest relationship. However， there are still many challenges in modern research on kidney deficiency syndrome， such as expert consensus on clinical diagnostic criteria and evaluation indexes and optimization of animal experimental models. In the past decade， a large number of clinical and animal experiments have been reported in the literature on kidney deficiency syndrome， among which the literature focusing on the combination of disease and syndrome is predominant， and most of them focus on kidney Yang deficiency and kidney Yin deficiency， involving the exploration of many pathological mechanisms. Research on the mechanisms related to kidney deficiency syndrome encompasses multiple signaling pathways and various biochemical indicators， including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/nuclear factor-erythroid 2-relatedfactor-2（PI3K/Akt/Nrf2） signaling pathway， the Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor88/nuclear factor-κB（TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB） signaling pathway， the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（JAK2/STAT3） signaling pathway， Osteoprotectin/nuclear factor-κB receptor activator ligand/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB （OPG/RANKL/RANK） signaling pathway. The biochemical indicators cover the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cAMP/cGMP） ratio， Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity， Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-ATPase activity， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， polycorticosterone （CORT）， 17-OHCS， and other sex hormone indicators， providing crucial reference values for diagnosing kidney Yang deficiency or kidney Yin deficiency. The literature related to kidney deficiency syndrome over the past decade was collated and excavated， with a view to providing a reference for research on kidney deficiency syndrome.

Objective To isolate endophytic fungi from Angelica sinensis and evaluate the bioactivity of their secondary metabolites.Methods Angelica sinensis and rhizosphere soil were utilized as materials.The tissue homogenization method was employed with six diverse culture media to isolate endophytic fungi.The antibacterial activity of secondary metabolites was gauged using a 96-well plate assay,while UV spectrophotometry was used to evaluate the inhibitory activity of four enzymes.Results A total of 153 fungal strains were isolated and purified from Angelica sinensis roots,stems,leaves,and soil.The samples exhibited specific inhibitory activities against adenosine deaminase(ADA),β-lactamase,xanthine oxidase(XO),and tyrosinase(TYR),with rates of 45.83%,52.78%,51.39%and 55.56%,respectively.Furthermore,1.39%of the samples displayed wide-ranging inhibitory effects against four indicator bacteria.Strain 6B also showcased the lowest inhibitory concentration values of 62.5 and 7.81 μg/mL against Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and ATCC35218,respectively,signifying its potential research significance.Conclusion Angelica sinensis has abundant endophytic fungal resources and is a good source for discovering active compounds,demonstrating certain research value.

Objective:To investigate the value of mDixon-Quant imaging combined with blood cell parameters in assessing lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in rectal cancer (RC). Methods:Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were retrospectively collected from 62 patients with pathologically confirmed RC at North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital from November 2022 to June 2024. We calculated the ratio of blood cell parameters and measured the mDixon-Quant parameters,including fat fraction (FF),R2* value,and T2* value,of the lesions. We compared these metrics across groups and performed multiple Lo-gistic regression analyses to identify risk factors associated with LVI and LNM. Additionally,we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) to evaluate predictive efficacy. Smooth curve fitting and Spearman correlation analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between imaging and blood cell parameters. Results:The R2* value,neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR),sys-temic immune-inflammation index (SII),and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) were significantly higher in the LVI-positive group compared to those in the negative group. Similarly,the LNM-positive group showed higher R2* value,FF value,NLR,platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR),SII,and SIRI than the negative group,with all differences being statistically significant (P<0.05). R2* and SII were identified as in-dependent risk factors for LVI,with AUCs of R2*,SII,and R2*+SII being 0.752,0.802,and 0.883,respectively. R2*,FF,and SII were independ-ent risk factors for LNM,and the AUCs of R2*,FF,SII,R2*+FF,and R2*+FF+SII were 0.733,0.702,0.778,0.825 and 0.857,respectively. Cor-relation analysis indicated a positive relationship between FF and several blood cell parameters,including NLR,monocyte to lymphocyte ra-tio (MLR),SII,and SIRI (r=0.534,0.451,0.353,0.468,P<0.05). Conclusions:Both mDixon-Quant imaging and blood cell parameters are effect-ive for assessing LVI and LNM status in RC. In addition,the correlation between FF and various blood cell parameters highlights the potential role of abnormal lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses in the development of RC,suggesting new avenues for developing clinically tailored treatment protocols.

Objective:To investigate the value of mDixon-Quant imaging combined with blood cell parameters in assessing lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in rectal cancer (RC). Methods:Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were retrospectively collected from 62 patients with pathologically confirmed RC at North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital from November 2022 to June 2024. We calculated the ratio of blood cell parameters and measured the mDixon-Quant parameters,including fat fraction (FF),R2* value,and T2* value,of the lesions. We compared these metrics across groups and performed multiple Lo-gistic regression analyses to identify risk factors associated with LVI and LNM. Additionally,we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) to evaluate predictive efficacy. Smooth curve fitting and Spearman correlation analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between imaging and blood cell parameters. Results:The R2* value,neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR),sys-temic immune-inflammation index (SII),and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) were significantly higher in the LVI-positive group compared to those in the negative group. Similarly,the LNM-positive group showed higher R2* value,FF value,NLR,platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR),SII,and SIRI than the negative group,with all differences being statistically significant (P<0.05). R2* and SII were identified as in-dependent risk factors for LVI,with AUCs of R2*,SII,and R2*+SII being 0.752,0.802,and 0.883,respectively. R2*,FF,and SII were independ-ent risk factors for LNM,and the AUCs of R2*,FF,SII,R2*+FF,and R2*+FF+SII were 0.733,0.702,0.778,0.825 and 0.857,respectively. Cor-relation analysis indicated a positive relationship between FF and several blood cell parameters,including NLR,monocyte to lymphocyte ra-tio (MLR),SII,and SIRI (r=0.534,0.451,0.353,0.468,P<0.05). Conclusions:Both mDixon-Quant imaging and blood cell parameters are effect-ive for assessing LVI and LNM status in RC. In addition,the correlation between FF and various blood cell parameters highlights the potential role of abnormal lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses in the development of RC,suggesting new avenues for developing clinically tailored treatment protocols.

Objective     To analyze the perioperative outcomes of uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy compared with three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. Methods     Data were extracted from the Western China Lung Cancer Database, a prospectively maintained database at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Perioperative outcomes of the patients who underwent uniportal or three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer during January 2014 through April 2021 were analyzed by using propensity score matching. Altogether 5 817 lung cancer patients were enrolled who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy (uniportal: 530 patients; three-port: 5 287 patients). After matching, 529 patients of uniportal and 1 583 patients of three-port were included. There were 529 patients with 320 males and 209 females at median age of 58 (51, 65) years in the uniportal group and 1 583 patients with 915 males and 668 females at median age of 58 (51, 65) years in the three-port group. Results     Uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (20 mL vs. 30 mL, P<0.001), longer operative time (115 min vs. 105 min, P<0.001) than three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the number of lymph node dissected, rate of conversion to thoracotomy, incidence of postoperative complication, postoperative pain score within 3 postoperative days, length of hospital stay, or hospitalization expenses. Conclusion     Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is safe and effective, and the overall perioperative outcomes are comparable between uniportal and three-port strategies, although the two groups show differences in intraoperative blood loss.

Objective:To investigate the effect of heat shock protein B8 (HspB8) downregulation on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) and retinal function in the mice model of optic nerve injury (ONC).Methods:Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) 2 AAV2-shHspB8-GFP was constructed to knockdown HspB8. 66 adult male C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into the control group, the ONC group, the AAV2-shHspB8 group, the ONC+AAV2-shHspB8 group, and the ONC+AAV2-GFP group. There were 10, 20, 16, 10 and 10 mice respectively, and both eyes were used as experimental eyes. Western blot was used to evaluate the expression of HspB8 on day 3 and 7 after ONC. By GFP immunofluorescence staining, the efficacy of AAV2-shHspB8-GFP transfer was accessed. Moreover, it was possible to identify functional and RGC survival differences between groups by optomotor response (OMR), dark adapted full-field flash electroretinogram (ff-ERG), oscillatory potentials (OPs), photopic negative response (PhNR) and retinal flat-mount RGC counting 5 days after ONC. Comparisons between two groups were made using Mann-Whitney U test, unpaired t-test, unpaired t-test with Welch’s correction, one-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni t test. Results:Compared with the control group, the expression of HSPB8 protein in the retina of mice in ONC3 group was significantly increased, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=43.63, P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the ONC group showed obviously lower visual acuity ( P<0.01), lower a-wave, b-wave, OPs, PhNR amplitude, longer b-wave latency ( P<0.05), and the survival rates of RGC in ONC3 group, ONC5 group and ONC7 group decreased in a time-dependent manner( F=384.90, P<0.01). Transfection of AAV2 efficiency was highest on 4 weeks after IVT. Besides, there was no significant differences between the control group and the AAV2-shHspB8 group on visual acuity, ff-ERG, OPs, PhNR and RGC survival ( P>0.05). In comparison of the control group, we found that RGC survival of the ONC5+AAV2-shHspB8 group was significantly elevated ( F=10.62, P<0.01). Conclusions:Expression of HspB8 on the retina can be induced by ONC. The investigation of RGC counting, visual acuity, and ff-ERG revealed that optic nerve injury destructed functionality of mice retina and resulted to RGC death ultimately. The Most crucial finding of this research is that HspB8 knockdown had a neuroprotective effect in RGC after ONC.