Pyroptosis is the programmed death of cells accompanied by an inflammatory response and is widely involved in the development of a variety of diseases, such as infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegeneration. It has been shown that cellular scorching is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension ( PAH) in cardiovascular diseases. Patients with PAH have perivascular inflammatory infiltrates in lungs, pulmonary vasculopathy exists in an extremely inflam-matory microenvironment, and pro-inflammatory factors in cellular scorching drive pulmonary vascular remodelling in PAH patients. This article reviews the role of cellular scorch in the pathogenesis of PAH and the related research on drugs for the treatment of PAH, with the aim of providing new ideas for clinical treatment of PAH.

Exosomes represent a class of nanoscale extracellular vesicles that facilitate the exchange of genetic information among various cells.Alzheimer's disease(AD)stands as a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by its subtle and advan-cing onset,representing the foremost form of dementia lacking effective therapeutic interventions.Notably,investigations have illuminated the involvement of exosomes in the pathogenesis of AD,attributing diagnostic and therapeutic significance to their role,particularly concerning exosomal microRNAs(miRNA).The miRNAs carried by exosomes serve as potential biomarkers for AD,while also exhibiting potential benefits in ameliorating cognitive dysfunction in individuals afflicted by AD.This article aims to comprehensively review the origins of exosomes(encom-passing both mesenchymal cell-derived exosomes and brain-de-rived exosomes)and their potential as therapeutic agents targe-ting AD.

Panax notoginseng is the dried root and rhizome of Panax notoginseng(Burk.)F.H.Chen,a perennial erect herb of the genus Ginseng of the family Wujiaceae.As a traditional Chinese medicine in our country,Panax notoginseng has a good tonic effect,and the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicines has the words that Panax notoginseng is used to tonify the blood,remove the blood stasis and damage,and stop epistaxis.It can also be used to pass the blood and tonify the blood with the best efficacy,and it is the most precious one of the prescription med-icines.Eaten raw,it removes blood stasis and generates new blood,subdues swelling and stabilizes pain,stops bleeding with-out leaving stasis,and promotes blood circulation without hurting the new blood;taken cooked,it can be used to replenish and strengthen the body.Notoginsenoside R1 is a characteristic com-pound in the total saponin of Panax ginseng.In recent years,China's aging has been increasing,and the incidence of neuro-logical disorders has been increasing year by year.Meanwhile,reports on notoginsenoside R1 in the treatment of neurological disorders are increasing,and its neuroprotective effects have been exerted with precise efficacy.The purpose of this paper is to review the treatment of neurological diseases and the mecha-nism of action of notoginsenoside R1,so as to provide a certain theoretical basis for clinical use and new drug development.

Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the most important saponins in ginseng. It has a wide range of pharmacological activities. It is considered to be a powerful neuroprotective agent. It has neuroprotective effects such as anti-neuroinflammation, anti-oxidative stress, anti-neuronal apoptosis, and enhancing memory. Rg1 shows a good application prospect in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and mental diseases such as depression. This paper reviews the research on the neuroprotective mechanism of Rg1 at home and abroad in recent years, in order to provide new research ideas for the clinical treatment of nervous system diseases.

OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between early parenteral nutrient intake and the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants with gestational age less than 32 weeks who could not receive enteral nutrition within one week after birth. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on preterm infants born between October 2017 and August 2022 with gestational age less than 32 weeks who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Children's Hospital of Soochow University within 24 hours after birth and relied solely on parenteral nutrition within the first week of life. The study population included 79 infants with BPD and 73 infants without BPD. Clinical data during hospitalization were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The proportions of infants with weight loss of more than 10% after birth, extrauterine growth retardation, and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in the BPD group were higher than in the non-BPD group (P<0.05). The time to regain birth weight, time to achieve full enteral feeding, and corrected gestational age at discharge were longer in the BPD group than in the non-BPD group. The Z-scores of physical growth at corrected gestational age of 36 weeks were lower in the BPD group than in the non-BPD group (P<0.05). The BPD group had a higher fluid intake and a lower calories intake in the first week than the non-BPD group (P<0.05). The starting dose and total amount of amino acids, glucose, and lipids in the first week were lower in the BPD group than in the non-BPD group (P<0.05). The BPD group had a higher glucose-to-lipid ratio on the third day and higher energy-to-nitrogen and glucose-to-lipid ratios on the seventh day after birth than the non-BPD group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Preterm infants with BPD had lower intake of amino acids and lipids and a lower proportion of calories provided by amino acids and lipids in the first week of life, which suggests an association between early parenteral nutrition intake and the development of BPD.
Infant ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Gestational Age ; Amino Acids ; Parenteral Nutrition/adverse effects* ; Glucose ; Lipids

BACKGROUND: Weather conditions are a possible contributing factor to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of irreversible loss of vision. The present study evaluated the joint effects of meteorological factors and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on AMD. METHODS: Data was extracted from a national cross-sectional survey conducted across 10 provinces in rural China. A total of 36,081 participants aged 40 and older were recruited. AMD was diagnosed clinically by slit-lamp ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Meteorological data were calculated by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis and were matched to participants' home addresses by latitude and longitude. Participants' individual PM_2.5 exposure concentrations were calculated by a satellite-based model at a 1-km resolution level. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models paired with interaction analysis were performed to investigate the joint effects of meteorological factors and PM_2.5 on AMD. RESULTS: The prevalence of AMD in the study population was 2.6% (95% CI 2.42-2.76%). The average annual PM_2.5 level during the study period was 63.1 ± 15.3 µg/m³. A significant positive association was detected between AMD and PM_2.5 level, temperature (T), and relative humidity (RH), in both the independent and the combined effect models. For PM_2.5, compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) across increasing quartiles were 0.828 (0.674,1.018), 1.105 (0.799,1.528), and 2.602 (1.516,4.468). Positive associations were observed between AMD and temperature, with ORs (95% CI) of 1.625 (1.059,2.494), 1.619 (1.026,2.553), and 3.276 (1.841,5.830), across increasing quartiles. In the interaction analysis, the estimated relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and the attributable proportion (AP) for combined atmospheric pressure and PM_2.5 was 0.864 (0.586,1.141) and 1.180 (0.768,1.592), respectively, indicating a synergistic effect between PM_2.5 and atmospheric pressure. CONCLUSIONS This study is among the first to characterize the coordinated effects of meteorological factors and PM_2.5 on AMD. The findings warrant further investigation to elucidate the relationship between ambient environment and AMD.
Humans ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Macular Degeneration/etiology* ; Meteorological Concepts

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders with high prevalence, disability and relapse rates, and its etiology and pathogenesis are complex and still not fully understood. Neurotransmitters play a key role in maintaining chemical homeostasis in brain, and many studies have shown a strong link between neurotransmitters and the development and treatment of depression in recent years. Therefore, studying the neurotransmitters associated with depression has the potential to provide research targets and ideas for the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of depression. This paper reviews the recent domestic and foreign research results on neurotransmitter function and the pathogenesis of depression, aiming to analyze the in-depth relationship between neurotransmitter function and the pathogenesis of depression, and provide research ideas for the follow-up ex-ploration of the pathogenesis and diagnosis and treatment strategies of depression.

Dihydromyricetin is a dihydroflavone compound which widely exists in ampelopsis of grapevine family. It has many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-tumor, antioxidant, regulating blood glucose, reducing blood lipid, liver protection and so on. In recent years, it has been found that dihydromyricetin has a good neuroprotective effect and can play a certain pharmacological role in a variety of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer' s disease, depression, Parkinson's disease and stroke. The purpose of this paper is to review the research on the neuroprotective effect of dihydromyricetin in the past decade.

Objective To compare the setup accuracies of the surface-guided radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on volume rendering technique(VRT)reference surface and digital imaging and communications in medicine(DICOM)reference surface.Methods Twenty patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received radiotherapy using the customized AccuCushion with a thermoplastic fixation mask were selected.After the first cone beam CT(CBCT)-based image-guided radiotherapy of each patient was completed,the thermoplastic mask was removed to obtain the VRT reference surface based on optical surface monitoring system(OSMS),during which the patient position was maintained through instructions;the DICOM reference surface was got based on the body surface contour data extracted from the patient's localized CT images.After the completion of the 5th,10th,and 15th CBCT image-guided radiotherapy treatments,the patients'6 dimensions of setup errors were measured based on the 2 reference surfaces,respectively.Dimensional correlation analyses were carried out on the setup errors measured based on the 2 reference surfaces separately using Python's Stats tool to test the independence between the setup errors in each dimension.After independence test,Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed on the data of the setup errors based on each dimension measured with the 2 reference surfaces.Results The two sets of setup errors were independent of each other in all dimensions.The errors based on VRT reference surface were lower than those based on DICOM reference surface in 6 dimensions,while the difference between the 6-D errors of the two groups did not gradually become significant as the treatment progressed.Conclusion In the SGRT of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using a customized cushion combined with a thermoplastic mask,the setup accuracy and consistency based on VRT reference surface are both higher than those based on DICOM reference surface.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking for girls aged 3-8 years with incomplete precocious puberty (IPP). METHODS: Sixty girls with IPP were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (30 cases, 2 cases were eliminated). The girls in the control group were treated with healthy diet and proper exercise for 12 weeks. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, the girls in the observation group were treated with acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking. The acupuncture was applied at Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Guilai (ST 29), etc., the needles were retained for 20 min, acupuncture was given twice a week (once every 3 days). The auricular point sticking was applied at Luanchao (TF₂), Neishengzhiqi (TF₂), Neifenmi (CO₁₈), Yuanzhong (AT_2,3,4i), etc., twice a week. The treatment was given for 12 weeks. Before treatment, after treatment and in follow-up after 12 weeks of treatment completion, the Tanner stage of breast, serum contents of sex hormone (luteinizing hormone [LH], follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], estradiol [E₂]) were observed. The ovarian volume, the number of follicles with diameter>4 mm, and the uterine volume were measured by abdominal color Doppler ultrasound. In addition, the safety of the observation group was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, the Tanner stage of breast in the observation group was improved after treatment and in follow-up (P<0.05); after treatment and in follow-up, the Tanner stage of breast in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the serum levels of LH and E₂ in the observation group were increased (P<0.05), and the volume of bilateral ovaries was larger (P<0.05) in follow-up. Compared with before treatment, the serum contents of LH, FSH and E₂ in the control group were increased (P<0.05), the volume of bilateral ovaries was larger (P<0.05), and the number of follicles was increased (P<0.05) after treatment and in follow-up. The serum levels of LH, FSH and E₂ in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), the volume of bilateral ovaries was smaller than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the number of follicles was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the uterine volume in the two groups was larger in follow-up (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups after treatment and in follow-up (P>0.05). During the treatment, 3 cases in the observation group had slight abdominal pain and subcutaneous blood stasis, without serious adverse reactions. CONCLUSION Acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking could improve the Tanner stage of breast, reduce the level of sex hormone, slow down the development and maturation of ovary and follicle, and control the degree and speed of sexual development in girls aged 3-8 years with IPP.
Female ; Humans ; Puberty, Precocious/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Estradiol ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Ovary