OBJECTIVE To predict and validate the potential mechanisms of Kaixinsan （KXS） in ameliorating neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease （AD）. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify core anti- inflammatory components and key inflammatory targets of KXS for AD. Gene ontology （GO） functional annotation， Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment， and molecular docking were performed. Based on these findings， male SD rats were used to establish an AD model via chronic D-galactose induction. The effects of KXS on AD rats were evaluated， including quantitative behavioral score， learning and memory parameters （escape latency， platform crossings， platform quadrant distance and time）， organ indexes （heart， liver， spleen， thymus）， histopathological alterations in the hippocampus， and expressions of inflammation-related pathway proteins and their upstream/downstream regulators. RESULTS Core anti-inflammatory components of KXS for AD included gomisin B， panaxytriol， gomisin A， enhydrin， vulgarin and panaxydol， while key inflammatory targets involved nuclear factor-kappa B subunit 1（ NFKB1）， nuclear factor-κB p65（ NF-κB p65）， interleukin-1β（ IL- 1β）， IL-6， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， tumor necrosis factor， nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain- containing receptor 3 （NLRP3） and caspase-1 （CASP1）. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment involved inflammatory response， phosphorylation and the NF-κB signaling pathway. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding affinities between core components and key targets. Animal experiments demonstrated that， compared to the model group， KXS significantly alleviated histopathological damage （e.g.， neuronal shrinkage， reduced Nissl bodies in hippocampal CA1， CA3， and DG regions）， increased organ indexes （except for liver index） and Nissl-stained positive cells， improved learning and memory performance， and reduced behavioral scores （at the 8 and 12 weeks of the experiment） and protein expression of NF- κB p65， phosphorylated NF- κB p65， TLR4， NLRP3， CASP1 and IL-1β. CONCLUSIONS KXS effectively mitigates neuroinflammation， reduces hippocampal neuronal injury， and enhances learning and memory ability in AD rats， potentially through suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway and its upstream/ downstream regulators.

Malignant tumor is a serious and difficult disease threatening human health， which has a high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in improving the therapeutic effect of malignant tumors and alleviating adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Qi deficiency and blood stasis are important pathogeneses in the development of malignant tumors， and the method of supplementing Qi and activating blood is an effective strategy for treating malignant tumors. Astragali Radix， sweet in taste and warm in nature， has effects of tonifying Qi and rising Yang， strengthening the exterior and reducing sweat， promoting fluid and nourishing blood. Curcumae Rhizoma， acrid and bitter in taste and warm in nature， has the effects of promoting Qi and breaking blood stasis， eliminating mass， and relieving pain. Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma， as the classic herb pair of invigorating Qi and activating blood， has a clear effect on inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. Studies have shown that Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma contains astragalus polysaccharide， astragaloside， calycosin， formononetin， curcumin， β-elemene， curcumenol， curcumenone， curcumendione， gemacrone， and other anti-tumor active ingredients. It can significantly inhibit the occurrence and development of liver cancer， colorectal cancer， gastric cancer， lung cancer， ovarian cancer， cervical cancer， breast cancer， and other cancers and has the advantages of superposition effect， synergistic complementarity， and increased dissolution compared with single herb and monomer of Chinese traditional herbs and has been widely valued in the field of TCM anti-cancer. Its anti-tumor mechanism includes inhibition of tumor cell proliferation， promotion of tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy， anti-invasion and metastasis， regulation of immune function， and enhancement of anti-tumor drug sensitivity. By combining Chinese and foreign literature， the compatibility effect and anti-tumor mechanism of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma were summarized， and then scientific compatibility of these two herbs was expounded， in order to provide a useful reference for clinical application and future research of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma.

Objective:To investigate the nutritional risk, incidence of malnutrition, and intake of three major energy-supplying nutrients, analyze changes in their body composition and the possible influencing factors in patients with stomach neoplasms during perioperative period in order to provide a theoretical basis for the nutritional management of patients with stomach neoplasms during perioperative period.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 105 patients who underwent gastric cancer radical surgery in the Gastrointestinal Department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University from June 2021 to May 2023 were taken as the research subjects using fixed-point continuous sampling method. They were recruited for screening and assessment using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Nutrients intake during the perioperative period were investigated using the 24-h recall method and dietary diary method, etc. Body compositions were measured using the bioelectrical resistance method.Results:Among the 105 patients, there were 78 males and 27 females, with an average age of (61.5 ± 10.3) years. About 83.8% (88/105) gastric cancer patients were at nutritional risk and 82.9% (87/105) were malnourished. The preoperative and postoperative energy intake were (1 646.1 ± 321.5) and (1 317.2 ± 365.8) kcal (1 kcal=4.184 kJ), respectively, which were significantly lower than the target amount of (1 896.7 ± 262.9) kcal, the difference was statistically significant ( t=6.23, 8.29, both P<0.05).The preoperative body mass, muscle mass, skeletal muscle, fat mass, and skeletal muscle index were (51.5 ± 9.6), (40.8 ± 6.0), (23.6 ± 4.0), (8.3 ± 4.9) kg, and 6.7 ± 0.8 respectively, while the postoperative values were (50.0 ± 9.1), (39.8 ± 6.0), (22.8 ± 3.6), (7.8 ± 5.2) kg, and 6.5 ± 0.8 respectively, with statistically significant differences between the two groups ( t values were 2.89-10.61, all P<0.05). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that the operation time ( OR=3.984, 95% CI 1.433-11.080, P<0.05) and energy satisfaction ( OR=0.053, 95% CI 0.005-0.610, P<0.05) were independent influencing factors for the degree of skeletal muscle loss. Conclusions:During perioperative period, the gastric cancer patients had poor nutritional status with insufficient nutrient intake and accelerated loss of body muscle and fat. Therefore, it was necessary to conduct a comprehensive nutritional evaluation for patients with stomach neoplasms during perioperative period in time and take steps to promote recovery by providing individualized nutritional therapy.

Objective:To investigate the trend of radiological diagnostic examination frequency and the related influencing factors in a general hospital in recent four years.Methods:The hospital information system and the radiology information system were used to collect the information on the numbers of the outpatients, the emergency patients, and the inpatients and the radiology examination information from 2019 to 2022. The examination frequency and proportion of various imaging equipment were counted by using the perspective table of data, and the examination items and the proportion of the radiological diagnostic examinations were calculated. The positive rates of the radiological examinations were measured from 2019 to 2022. The gender and age distribution of the patients were analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationships between the numbers of the patients undergoing radiological examinations and the numbers of the outpatients, emergency patients and the inpatients.Results:The annual frequency of radiological diagnostic examinations from 2019 to 2022 were 307 306, 245 418, 317 250 and 325 625, respectively, with a total of 1 195 599. Among them, the proportions of CT, X-rays, bedside X-rays, bone density, gastrointestinal imaging and mammography were 59.74%, 38.04%, 1.39%, 0.42%, 0.21% and 0.19%, respectively. In each year, the proportion of CT in all radiological diagnostic examinations was 49.58%, 63.40%, 60.40% and 65.20%, respectively. The frequency of emergency CT and emergency chest CT was correlated with the number of emergency patients( r =0.63, 0.61, P<0.05), and the frequency of non-emergency CT was correlated with the number of outpatients and inpatients ( r =0.61, 0.66, P<0.05). The positive rates of the CT examinations were higher than 80% except the lowest of 79.95% in 2021. Conclusions:Radiological examinations especially CT examinations have increased significantly, and played an important role in the diagnosis of diseases. However, attention should be paid to the Justification of the CT examinations. Timely statistical analysis of radiological examination information can provide data supports and references for scientific management of radiological examinations.

ObjectiveTo study the bioactive secondary metabolites of Talaromyces sp. TP21 and their bioactivities. MethodThe secondary metabolites of Talaromyces sp. TP21 were isolated by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）， normal phase and reversed phase column chromatography combined with molecular networking and bioassay-guided fractionation， and their structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） and high resolution mass spectrometry （HR MS）. The inhibitory effects of the compounds on the growth of the lung cancer cell line A549 and the liver cancer cell line Hep G2 were measured by themethyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） method. The antimicrobial activities of the compounds were measured with Staphylococcus aureus and human oral cavity-derived Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the indicator microorganisms. ResultSeventeen compounds were isolated from the secondary metabolites of Talaromyces sp. TP21 and identified as ergochrome C （1）， daldiniaeschsone A （2）， seco-blennolide B （3）， penitholabene （4）， penicichrysogene A （5）， orsellinic acid （6）， griseofulvin （7）， isorhodoptilometrin （8）， （+）-5-chloromitorubrinic acid （9）， penicillixanthone A （10）， pentacecilide B （11）， pentacecilide C （12）， chrodrimanin C （13）， chrodrimanin E （14）， chrodrimanin H （15）， chrodrimanin F （16）， and 3-hydroxypentacecilide A （17）. ConclusionCompounds 1-5， 11-12， and 17 were isolated from Talaromyces for the first time. Among them， compounds 4， 7， and 10-12 exhibited inhibitory activities against the growth of A549 and Hep G2 cells， with the median inhibitory concentration below 50 μmol·L^-1. Furthermore， compounds 9 and 10 showed inhibitory activities against S. aureus and human oral cavity-derived S. cerevisiae， with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 8-128 mg·L^-1.

Objective To explore the pharmacodynamic substances of Simiao Wan for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.Methods The pharmacological model of hyperuricemia was established.The chemical components in vivo and in vitro of Simiao Wan were analyzed by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS.Based on the components absorbed in blood,the"active ingredient-target-pathway"network of Simiao Wan for regulating hyperuricemia and gout was constructed by network pharmacology method.The key ingredients were used for molecular docking with key targets[uricogenase(XDH),uric acid transporter(ABCG2,GLUT9,OAT1,URAT1)and inflammatory targets(PTGS2,TLR2,TLR4)]of hyperuricemia and gout.Finally,experimental verification was conducted according to the results of molecular docking.Our aim is to identify the key pharmacodynamic substances of Simiao Wan for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.Results Eighty-nine components of Simiao Wan were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS analysis,including 74 components absorbed in blood,which were confirmed as candidate ingredients.Network pharmacology was used to constructed"components absorbed in blood-target-pathway"network,and components absorbed in blood were matched with 116 targets of hyperuricemia and 173 targets of gout.It is involved in the regulation of biological processes,such as glucose and lipid metabolism,oxidative stress,inflammatory response,ERK1 and ERK2 cascade,MAPK cascade,PI3K signal transduction.Moreover,Simiao Wan plays a role in regulating the network of hyperuricemia and gout through regulating blood lipids and atherosclerosis,apoptosis,AGE-RAGE,TNF,PI3K-Akt,MAPK,TLRs,JAK-STAT,NF-κB and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking studies showed that berberine,phellodendrine,magnoflorine,jatrorrhizine,palmatine,obacunone,limonin,atractylodin,taxifolin,atractylenolide Ⅲ and β-ecdysterone had good affinity with uric acid synthase,uric acid transporter and inflammatory targets.Western Blot test showed that taxifolin negatively regulates the expression of URAT1.The above-mentioned compounds were the main pharmacodynamic substances of Simiao Wan for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.Conclusion This article describes the main pharmacodynamic substances of Simiao Wan in the regulation of hyperuricemia and gout,which can provides a scientific basis for the clinical application,improvement in quality evaluation and standard of Simiao Wan.

N6-Methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most abundant internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA, playing critical role in various bioprocesses. Like other epigenetic modifications, m⁶A modification can be catalyzed by the methyltransferase complex and erased dynamically to maintain cells homeostasis. Up to now, only two m⁶A demethylases have been reported, fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkylation protein AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), involving in a wide range of mRNA biological progress, including mRNA shearing, export, metabolism and stability. Furthermore, they participate in many significantly biological signaling pathway, and contribute to the progress and development of cancer along with other diseases. In this review, we focus on the studies about structure, inhibitors development and biological function of FTO and ALKBH5.

Objective:To identify the risk factors of cognitive dysfunction in patients with atrial fibrillation and to establish a risk prediction model.Methods:The convenience sampling method was used to evaluate 260 patients with atrial fibrillation who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology of the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from January to December 2020. The cognitive function of the patients was evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Function Assessment Scale (MoCA). Univariate analysis was used to screen the independent variables that had influence on the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction, and the statistically significant variables were included in the multivariate Logistic regression model. According to the regression coefficients of statistically significant variables, a line map was drawn to construct the risk prediction model of cognitive dysfunction in patients with atrial fibrillation.Results:There were 209 cases with cognitive impairment and 51 cases without cognitive impairment. Univariate analysis showed that sex, age, smoking history, drinking history, education level, free thyroxine, hemoglobin, D-dimer and BMI ( χ2 values were 4.08-18.83, t values were -6.04-2.94, Z=-2.76) were significantly different between the patients with or without cognitive dysfunction. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR values were 1.13), education level ( OR=0.01-0.05), quit smoking history ( OR=0.36), drinking history ( OR=0.35) and free thyroxine( OR=1.14) had significantly statistical significance ( P<0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC) = 0.878 and AUC>0.8, this model had good clinical prediction ability. Conclusions:The construction of cognitive dysfunction risk prediction model for patients with atrial fibrillation can prevent or intervene high risk factors in advance, facilitate clinical use, and provide data support for the improvement of cognitive function in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Animals ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Antibodies, Viral ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

Objective:To investigate the uncertainty of the dose measurements of superficial organs and the image noise in CT scanning.Methods:GE Revolution CT was used to perform 20 repeated scans on the isolated skull specimen in sequential and helical mode. The chest phantom was scanned for 45 times with the pitch 1.0 and the collimation 80 mm for two scanners (GE Revolution CT, Philips Brilliance iCT) and 40 mm for the Siemens Somatom Definition Flash CT. The volume CT dose index (CTDI vol) was maintained during the above scannings. A dosimeter was used to measure the dose at the position of the right eye lens of the specimen and the center of right breast of the chest phantom. The position of dosimeter sensor remained unchanged. The standard deviation of CT values (image noise) in the air region of cross-sectional images at the center of the sensor reconstructed with lung/soft tissue algorithms were measured. The mean values ( Av), standard deviations ( SD), coefficients of variation ( CV) and relative ranges ( RR) of the dosimetric values and the standard deviations of CT values of 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 45 scans were calculated. Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between the dosimetric values and the standard deviations of CT values. Results:The measured dosimetric values of the skull specimen were almost unchanged in the sequential scannings. The relative range of dose in helical mode was 10.67%. The relative ranges of the measured values of the three CT scanners for 45 scans reached 43.83%, 25.31%, and 14.32%. The standard deviations of CT values of the lung/soft tissue images varied greatly and the differences were not completely related to the dosimetric values.Conclusions:The dosimetric values of superficial organs were stable in the sequential scanning mode. The dose measurements of superficial organs and the image noise changed greatly in helical scanning mode.