BACKGROUND:Inflammation affects the osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells,and the osteogenic ability and autophagy level of periodontal ligament stem cells are closely related.However,there are no relevant reports on whether inflammation affects the osteogenic ability and autophagy level of periodontal ligament stem cells at different stages of osteogenic differentiation. OBJECTIVE:To explore alkaline phosphatase expression and autophagy periodontal ligament stem cells levels in periodontitis and normal conditions. METHODS:Periodontal ligament stem cells from normal and periodontitis patients were isolated and cultured,and underwent Vimentin,pan-CK,and Stro-1 fluorescence staining.At 3,7,and 14 days of osteogenic differentiation,western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of alkaline phosphatase,LC3B,Beclin1,and ATG5 in normal and inflammatory periodontal ligament stem cells.The mRNA expression levels of alkaline phosphatase,bone sialoprotein,osteocalcin,Runx2,LC3B,Beclin1,and ATG5 were detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Stro-1 was positive,Vimentin was positive,and pan CK was negative in periodontal ligament stem cells.(2)At 3,7,and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation,compared with normal periodontal ligament stem cells,the mineralization nodules formed by periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory sources were significantly reduced(P<0.01);the expression of alkaline phosphatase protein and mRNA was significantly lower(P<0.05);the mRNA expression levels of bone sialoprotein,osteocalcin,and Runx2 were significantly decreased(P<0.05).(3)At 7 and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation,compared with normal periodontal ligament stem cells,the expression levels of ATG5,LC3B,and Beclin1 proteins and mRNA of periodontal ligament stem cells were downregulated(P<0.05).These findings suggest that inflammation reduces the activity of periodontal ligament stem cells in mineralizing nodule formation and the expression of alkaline phosphatase and weakens the autophagy potential of periodontal ligament stem cells at 7 and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation.

Objective To explore the medication rules of Professor Hua Baojin in the treatment of subsolid pulmonary nodules through retrospective analysis and data mining techniques. Methods The prescriptions of patients with subsolid pulmonary nodules who were diagnosed and treated by Professor Hua Baojin at Guang’anmen Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024 were retrospectively collected. Data were imported into the Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform for analysis of drug frequency, four natures and five flavors, meridian tropism, drug association, and hierarchical clustering. Results A total of 455 prescriptions were included, containing 205 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines, with a total frequency of 12048 times. Fifty-seven commonly used drugs were screened out, among which drugs with high frequencies included astragalus membranaceus (raw) and hawthorn fruit (charred). The nature of the drugs was mainly warm, cold, and neutral. The flavor of the drugs was mostly sweet, bitter, and pungent. The meridians they belonged to mainly included the lung, spleen, and liver meridians. Their efficacy was mainly tonifying deficiency, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and relieving cough and asthma. Association analysis obtained 19 pairs of drug combinations, 21 groups of three-drug combinations, and four groups of four-drug combinations. Hierarchical clustering obtained 10 groups of drug combinations. Conclusion On the basis of the core pathogenesis of subsolid pulmonary nodule, Professor Hua applies the theory of regulating qi and detoxifying; regulating the qi of the liver, spleen, and lung; and detoxifying the toxins of phlegm and blood stasis, providing valuable experience for the clinical treatment of SSN.

Objective To explore the clinical information of female patients with pulmonary nodules and the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and their elements. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect the basic information, medical history data, image data, and four diagnostic information of female patients with pulmonary nodules. The distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes and their elements in female patients with pulmonary nodules were determined by KMO test, Bartlett spherical test, systematic cluster analysis, chi-square test, and other methods. Results A total of 721 female patients with pulmonary nodules were included in this study. The patients were mainly 45-59 years old, had secondary school education or above, and had a history of oil smoke exposure as clinical characteristics. The pulmonary nodules were mainly 6-10 mm in size and appeared as multiple and ground glass nodules. The clinical symptoms were mainly fatigue, emotional irritability, and shortness of breath. The main syndromes of disease location were the spleen, liver, and lung; and the main syndromes of disease were phlegm, dampness, and qi deficiency. The main complex syndromes were spleen deficiency and dampness, liver stagnation, and qi/yin deficiency. Conclusion Middle age, high education, and multiple small ground glass nodules are the clinical characteristics of female patients with pulmonary nodules. Exposure to oil smoke is an important cause of the occurrence of female pulmonary nodules. During treatment, attention should be paid to strengthening the spleen, removing dampness, soothing the liver, regulating and tonifying qi, and nourishing yin.

Objective:To investigate whether ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) irradiation can reduce radiation-induced intestinal injuries of mice compared to conventional dose rate (CONV) irradiation.Methods:Both FLASH and CONV irradiation were delivered with electron beam, with dose rates of 750 Gy/s and 0.5G y/s, respectively. A total of 105 mice were randomly divided into groups using a simple randomization method. Twenty-one mice were selected for weight observation, 7 mice in each group. After 9 Gy FLASH and CONV irradiation on the abdomen, the weight changes of mice were measured every other day, and compared among three groups. Twenty-four mice were selected for pathological examination including 5 mice in the control group. Three-and-a-half-day days after 12 Gy FLASH ( n=10) and CONV irradiation ( n=9) on the abdomen, the intestines of the mice were taken. Pathological sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) to compare the number and percentage of regenerated crypts of the small intestine between two groups. After 12 Gy FLASH ( n=10) and CONV irradiation ( n=10) on the abdomen, the survival of 20 mice was observed. After FLASH using 4.5 Gy×2 times ( n=10) and CONV irradiation at 9 Gy×1 time ( n=10) on the abdomen, the weight changes were observed. After FLASH using 6 Gy×2 times ( n=10) and CONV irradiation at 12 Gy×1 time ( n=10) on the abdomen, the survival of mice was observed. The time interval between two irradiation was 1 min. EBT3 film was employed to monitor the actual exposure dose of the mice. The variables conforming to normal distribution were expressed by Mean±SD. Inter group comparison was performed by independent t-test. The survival of mice among different groups was compared by log-rank test. Results:After 9 Gy of abdominal irradiation, the mean weight of mice in the FLASH group was significantly higher than that in the CONV group. The weight of mice in the FLASH and CONV groups was (19.8±0.8) g and (18.0±1.8)g ( P=0.036) at 7 days after irradiation, (22.0±1.0)g and (21.2±0.5)g ( P=0.075) at 15 days after irradiation, and (24.2±1.4)g and (22.0±1.2)g ( P=0.012) at 25 days after irradiation, respectively. After 12 Gy irradiation, the mean survival of mice in FLASH and CONV groups was 4 days and 4.7 days ( P=0.029). After 12 Gy total abdominal irradiation, the mean number of intestinal regenerative crypts in the FLASH and CONV groups was 2.9/mm and 1.2/mm ( P=0.041), and the percentage of intestinal regenerative crypts was 34.1% and 14.1%, respectively. The survival of mice irradiated by FLASH using 6 Gy×2 times was longer compared with that of mice after CONV irradiation at 12 Gy×1 time. The weight of mice after 4.5 Gy×2 times irradiation was higher than that of mice after CONV irradiation at 9 Gy×1 time. Conclusion:Weight, survival and the number of intestinal regenerative crypts in the FLASH group are higher than those in the CONV group after irradiation, indicating that radiation-induced intestinal injury caused by FLASH irradiation is slighter than that of CONV irradiation.

To investigate the differences in methylation levels of cuproptosis related genes in cervical cancer and their effects on clinical prognosis.Methods:The methylation data of 310 cervical tissue specimens were acquired from public databases. The UALCAN database was used to analyze the methylation level differences of 12 cuproptosis-related genes and study their level in different stages or grades of cervical cancer. Genes with statistically significant differences were selected for prognosis analysis using the EWAS datahub. Finally, gene-enrichment analysis, pathway analysis, immune infiltration analysis, the mutation rate and tumor mutation burden (TMB) of the genes in cervical cancer were analyzed using the cBioportal database. Two independent samples rank-sum test was used for differences in methylation levels and immune cell infiltration; comparative analyses of overall survival were performed using KM survival curves and Log-rank two-sided tests. TMB analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon Test for statistical analyses; Pearson correlation analysis was used for assessment in GSEA and pathway analyses.Results:The methylationβvalue of Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A gene) in the cervical cancer tissues of patients was 0.075 which was significantly higher than the methylationβvalue of 0.049 in normal human tissues ( P=0.008). Dihydrolipoamide S-Acetyltransferase (DLAT gene) methylation with a β value of 0.102 was significantly higher than normal human tissue methylation with a β value of 0.08 ( P=0.002), and the methylation level β value of Lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1 gene) in cervical cancer tissues was 0.06,which was significantly lower than normal human tissue methylation value of 0.092 ( P=0.009). Patients with CDKN2A gene methylation levels≥0.199 had an overall survival of 14.75 years, which was lower than that of patients with methylation levels<0.199 (17.56 years) ( P=0.034).The results of gene enrichment analysis indicated that it mainly involves biological processes such as the response to type I interferon and DNA replication. The expression of CDKN2A gene is positively correlated with the number of neutrophils and dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment( P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the number ofmacrophages( P<0.05). TMB was higher in the group of variants of the CDKN2A gene than in the group of non-variants ( P=0.019). Conclusion:CDKN2A methylation is a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer.

Objective To observe the value of radiomics models based on gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(Gd-EOB-DTPA)enhanced hepatobiliary phase(HBP)MRI for assessing clinical pathological stage of hepatic fibrosis(HF).Methods Data of 240 patients with pathologically/clinically diagnosed and clinical pathological staged HF who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MR examination were retrospectively analyzed.The liver-to-muscle signal intensity ratio(SIR1)and liver-to-spleen signal intensity ratio(SIR2)were measured based on HBP images.Radiomics features of HBP images were extracted and screened to construct radiomics models.The signal intensity ratio(SIR)-radiomics combined models were constructed based on SIR and radiomics signatures.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn to evaluate the efficacy of each model for assessing clinical pathological stage of HF.Results The area under the curve(AUC)of SIR1 and SIR2 models for assessing clinical pathological stage of HF were 0.63-0.70 and 0.65-0.71,respectively.The most effective radiomics model for assessing HF,significant HF,advanced HF and early cirrhosis was support vector machine(SVM),SVM,light gradient boosting machine and K-nearest neighbor model,respectively,with the AUC in validation set of 0.87,0.82,0.81 and 0.80,respectively,while the AUC of SIR-radiomics combined models in validation set of 0.88,0.82,0.82 and 0.81,respectively.Conclusion The radiomics models based on Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced HBP MRI were helpful for assessing clinical pathological stage of HF.Combining with HBP SIR could improve their efficacy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Baihe Wuyaotang （BWT） on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） and elucidate its underlying mechanism. MethodC57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to six groups： normal control， model， positive drug （pioglitazone hydrochloride 1.95×10^-3 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose BWT （1.3，2.5 and 5.1 g·kg^-1）. Following a 12-week high-fat diet （HFD） inducement， the mice underwent six weeks of therapeutic intervention with twice-daily drug administration. Body weight was monitored weekly throughout the treatment period. At the fifth week， glucose tolerance （GTT） and insulin tolerance （ITT） tests were conducted. Subsequently， the mice were euthanized for the collection of liver tissue and serum， and the subcutaneous adipose tissue （iWAT） and epididymal adipose tissue （eWAT） were weighed. Serum levels of total triglycerides （TG） and liver function indicators，such as alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， were determined. Histological examinations， including oil red O staining， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Masson staining， and transmission electron microscopy， were performed to evaluate hepatic lipid deposition， pathological morphology， and ultrastructural changes， respectively. Meanwhile， Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were employed to analyze alterations， at both gene and protein levels， the insulin signaling pathway molecules， including insulin receptor substrate 1/2/protein kinase B/forkhead box gene O1 （IRS1/2/Akt/FoxO1）， glycogen synthesis enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase （Pepck） and glucose-6-phosphatase （G6Pase）， lipid metabolism-related genes stearoyl-coA desaturase-1 （SCD-1） and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 （CPT-1）， fibrosis-associated molecules α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， type Ⅰ collagen （CollagenⅠ）， and the fibrosis canonical signaling pathway transforming growth factor-β₁/drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein2/3（TGF-β₁/p-Smad/Smad2/3）， inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-6， IL-8， IL-11， and IL-1β， autophagy markers LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ and p62/SQSTM1， and the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）. ResultCompared with the model group， BWT reduced the body weight and liver weight of NAFLD mice（P<0.05， P<0.01）， inhibited liver lipid accumulation， and reduced the weight of white fat： it reduced the weight of eWAT and iWAT（P<0.05， P<0.01） as well as the serum TG content（P<0.05， P<0.01）. BWT improved the liver function as reflected by the reduced ALT and AST content（P<0.05， P<0.01）. It improved liver insulin resistance by upregulating IRS2， p-Akt/Akt， p-FoxO1/FoxO1 expressions（P<0.05）. Besides， it improved glucose and lipid metabolism disorders： it reduced fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose（P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved GTT and ITT（P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced the expression of Pepck， G6Pase， and SCD-1（P<0.01）， and increased the expression of CPT-1（P<0.01）. The expressions of α-SMA， Collagen1， and TGF-β₁ proteins were down-regulated（P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the expression of p-Smad/Smad2/3 was downregulated（P<0.05）， suggesting BWT reduced liver fibrosis. BWT inhibited inflammation-related factors as it reduced the gene expression of IL-6， IL-8， IL-11 and IL-1β（P<0.01） and it enhanced autophagy by upregulating LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ expression（P<0.05）while downregulating the expression of p62/SQSTM1 and mTOR（P<0.05）. ConclusionBWT ameliorates NAFLD by multifaceted improvements， including improving IR and glucose and lipid metabolism， anti-inflammation， anti-fibrosis， and enhancing autophagy. In particular， BWT may enhance liver autophagy by inhibiting the mTOR-mediated signaling pathway.

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders exhibit abnormalities in perceptual processing. Previous perceptual studies are mainly based on asking participants to fill in a questionnaire， and little research has been undertaken on objective behavior in patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders. ObjectiveTo explore the behavioral changes in vibrotactile sense among patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders， so as to enrich relevant findings in objective behavioral research. MethodsFrom March 2021 to September 2023， 33 patients with schizophrenia and 31 patients with depressive disorders in the outpatient and inpatient departments of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5） diagnostic criteria were enrolled. And another 34 healthy controls were concurrently recruited at Beihang University and Beijing Huilongguan Hospital. Patients with schizophrenia were assessed using Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS）， and patients with depressive disorders were assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）. The vibrotactile sensitivity of the left hand in all participants was tested in a delay match-to-sample procedure， and the correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task was compared among the three groups. ResultsCompared with healthy controls， a reduction was found in the correct rates at index finger， middle finger and ring finger in patients with schizophrenia （P<0.01）， the average correct rate at five fingers in patients with schizophrenia （P=0.001）， and the correct rate at thumb in patients with depressive disorders （P=0.026）. No statistical difference was reported in correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task between patients with depression disorders and schizophrenia （P>0.05）. The average correct rate of vibrotactile sense in schizophrenia group was not significantly correlated with the duration of disease， age of onset， chlorpromazine equivalent doses and PANSS score （r=0.058、0.045、0.114、-0.194， P>0.05）. The average correct rate in depressive group was negatively correlated with age of onset （r=-0.415， P=0.020）， but not significantly correlated with the duration of disease and HAMD-17 score （r=-0.044， 0.142， P>0.05）. ConclusionPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders have impaired vibrotactile sense. The vibrotactile sense is impaired in index， middle and ring fingers among patients with schizophrenia， and in thumbs of patients with depressive disorders. Moreover， the impairment in patients with depressive disorders may be related to the age of onset. ［Funded by 2023 Hebei Provincial Graduate Innovation Funding Project （number， CXZZSS2023140）］

ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of clinical practice guidelines for Chinese patent medicine （CPM） with internationally recognized tools the appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation （AGEREE） Ⅱ and reporting items for practice guidelines in healthcare （RIGHT）， thereby providing refe-rence for the clinical application and future development of CPM guidelines. MethodsDatabases including CNKI， VIP， Wanfang and Sinomed were searched for CPM guidelines， as well as medlive.cn， websites of China Association of Chinese Medicine and Chinese Medical Association， and reference lists of the included papers. The quality of the guidelines was evaluated using the AGREE Ⅱand RIGHT tools， and consistency tests were performed using Interclass Correlation Coefficient， and descriptive analysis and chi-square test were used to analyze the reporting rate for each domain and the average score for each item. ResultsFinally， 140 CPM guidelines were included， of which 51 were disease-oriented and 89 were drug-oriented， all of which were issued by China. For 51 disease-oriented CPM guidelines， the highest average score of all six AGREE Ⅱ domains was 73.32% for clarity， and the lowest was 26.80% for application； for 89 drug-oriented CPM guidelines， the highest average score was 55.62% for scope and purpose， and the lowest was 31.32% for rigour of development. In terms of the seven domains of the RIGHT checklist， the highest reporting rate was 68.26% for background， and lowest was 27.45% for other areas regarding the disease-oriented CPM guidelines； the highest reporting rate was 61.31% for background， and the lowest was 4.49% for other areas regarding drug-oriented CPM guidelines. The average reporting rate was higher for disease-oriented than drug-oriented CPM guidelines in three domains of AGREE Ⅱ （rigour of development， clarity of presentation， editorial independence）， as well as four domains of RIGHT checklist （basic information， evidence， funding and declaration and management of interests， and other areas）. ConclusionThe overall methodology and reporting quality of the current CPM guidelines still need to be improved. It is recommended that future guideline development teams should strictly refer to the AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT checklist， and take into account of the characteristics of CPM guidelines and relevant methodo-logical suggestions in the development and reporting of CPM guidelines， thereby guiding the clinical use of CPM in a better way.

Objective:To observe the protective effect and possible mechanism of stellate ganglion block(SGB)on spatial learning memory function impairment in rapid eye movement sleep deprived(RSD)rats.Methods:Thirty-two rats were randomly assigned to Control group,RSD group,SGB group,and rapid eye movement sleep deprivation with stellate ganglion block intervention(RSD+SGB)group.The rats in RSD group and RSD+SGB group were modeled by modified multi-platform method(MMPM),and the rats in SGB group and RSD+SGB group were intervened by the SGB method.Morris water maze(MWM)was selected to evaluate the spatial learning and memory functions of rats in each group,and the expression levels of glutamate(Glu)and aspartate(Asp)in hippocampal tissues of rats in each group were detected by colorimetric assay,and the expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1(NR1)and caspase-3 in hippocampal tissues of rats in each group were detected by Western Blot.Results:Compared with the RSD group,rats in RSD+SGB group had a significantly shorter escape latency after SGB intervention(P＜0.05),while the number of passes through the original platform position and the percentage of target quadrant time were significantly in-creased(P＜0.05);at the same time,the hippocampal tissues'expression levels of Glu,Asp,NR1,and caspase-3 were all significantly reduced(P＜0.05).Conclusion:SGB protects against RSD-induced impairment of spatial learn-ing memory capacity by reducing hippocampal tissue excitotoxicity and apoptosis induced by excitatory amino acid hyper-activation in RSD rats.