Objective: To investigate the antidepressant effects of Yuanzhi (Polygalae Radix, PR) aqueous extract on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression rat models and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: A total of 40 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control, model, low dose of PR (PR-L, 0.5 g/kg), high dose of PR (PR-H, 1 g/kg), and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) groups, with 8 rats in each group. Except for the rats in control group, those in the other four groups underwent CUMS-induced depression modeling. PR and fluoxetine were administered intragastrically once daily, 30 min prior to the CUMS procedure, for 14 consecutive days until the behavioral tests were performed. After CUMS modeling, the sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT), forced swim test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) were employed to assess the pharmacological effects of PR on the mitigation of depressive-like behaviors in rat models. Additionally, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was utilized to quantify the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β in the rats. Western blot analysis was also conducted to evaluate the protein expression levels of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1 in the hippocampal tissues of the rats. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the morphological changes in ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1positive (Iba-1+) cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) of rats with CUMS-induced depression. Result: (i) Treatment with PR-H and fluoxetine resulted in significant enhancements in both the total distance and time the rats moved during tests (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Post-administration of PR-H and fluoxetine also led to statistically significant increase in sucrose preference among rats (P < 0.05). Besides, PR-L, PR-H, and fluoxetine treatment markedly decreased the latency of ingestion (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively). As observed from the FST, PR-L, PR-H, and fluoxetine presented antidepressant effects on rats with CUMS-induced depression, leading to the reduction in time of their immobility (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively). The results of TST indicated reduced immobility time in rats receiving PR-H and fluoxetine treatment as well (P < 0.01). (ii) Rats in model group showed an increase in the levels of Iba-1+ microglia in their left and right brains in comparison with control group (P < 0.01). However, such increase was negated post PR treatment (P < 0.01). Treatment with PR-L, PR-H, and fluoxetine considerably reduced the levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, P < 0.01). In addition, treatment of PR-L and PR-H effectively counteracted the elevated levels of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1, and markedly down-regulated the expression levels of phosphorylated p65 (p-p65), COX-2, and iNOS in rats’ hippocampus (P < 0.01). Conclusion Collectively, these findings indicate that PR exerts an antidepressant effect on rats with CUMS-induced depression partially through the modulation of the NLRP3 and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Following the principles of evidence-based medicine,in accordance with the structure and drafting rules of standardized documents,based on literature research,according to the characteristics of chronic cough in children and issues that need to form a consensus,the TCM Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Cough in Children was formulated based on the Delphi method,expert discussion meetings,and public solicitation of opinions.The guideline includes scope of application,terms and definitions,eti-ology and diagnosis,auxiliary examination,treatment,prevention and care.The aim is to clarify the optimal treatment plan of Chinese medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease,and to provide guidance for improving the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough in children with Chinese medicine.

Objective To compare the effects of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 on depression-and anxiety-like behaviors in chronic unpredictable stress-induced rats.Methods Seventy male SPF grade SD rats were tested for sugar and water preference after 5 days of adaptation and divided into seven groups according to their preference index:a control group,model group,fluoxetine hydrochloride group,ginsenoside Rg1 24 mg/kg group,ginsenoside Rg1 48 mg/kg group,ginsenoside Rb1 33 mg/kg group,and ginsenoside Rb1 67 mg/kg group.All rats,except for the control group,were subjected randomly to one or two different stimulating factors every day for a total of 35 days.On the 36th day,behavioral experiments including sugar and water preference,open field,novel environment feeding inhibition,elevated cross maze,and forced swimming experiments were conducted to investigate the anti-depression and anti-anxiety effects of the treatments.Serum and hippocampal levels of interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and serum corticosterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results Compared with the model group,ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 significantly increased sucrose consumption in the sucrose preference test and decreased immobility in the forced swimming test.Ginsenoside Rg1(48 mg/kg)significantly reduced the latency to eat in the novelty-suppressed feeding test,and ginsenoside Rg1(24 and 48 mg/kg)significantly increased the percentage of open arm entries and time in the elevated cross maze test.Serum corticosterone levels were significantly decreased in the ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 groups,serum IL-1β and IL-6 levels were significantly decreased in the ginsenoside Rg1(48 mg/kg)group,serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly decreased in the ginsenoside Rb1(33 mg/kg)group,and IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α levels in the hippocampus were significantly decreased in the ginsenoside Rg1(48 mg/kg)and Rb1(67 mg/kg)groups.Conclusions Both ginsenosides can regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and inhibit neuroinflammation,improving depression-and anxiety-like behaviors in rats induced by chronic unpredictable stress.Ginsenoside Rg1 has a significantly better anti-anxiety effect than Rb1.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)is one of the most important guideline-recommended procedures for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.Acute cerebral infarction is a serious complication after TAVR,with a high incidence rate and may significantly affect patient prognosis and quality of life.Thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy are standard treatments for acute cerebral infarction recommended by guidelines,but evidence of their efficacy and safety in patients undergoing TAVR is limited.We report a patient with acute cerebral infarction after TAVR,who were treated with emergency cerebral angiography and successful transcatheter thrombectomy.

Objectives:To explore the effects of interatrial shunt on cardiac function and clinical prognosis of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF). Methods:This study was a prospective single-arm study.From December 2021 to December 2022,15 consecutive patients with HFrEF from Beijing Anzhen Hospital were enrolled in this study.Interatrial shunt was performed with a D-Shant atrial shunt device.Right heart catheterization was performed before and immediately after device implantation,pulmonary capillary wedge pressure(PCWP),mean right atrial pressure(RAP),interatrial gradient pressure,mean pulmonary artery pressure,total pulmonary resistance(TPR),pulmonary vascular resistance(PVR),cardiac index(CI),and pulmonary/systemic blood flow ratio(Qp/Qs)were measured.Patients were followed-up for 12 months after procedure,changes in cardiac structure and function were evaluated by echocardiography.NYHA classification,6-minute walking distance(6MWD),and Kansas City cardiomyopathy questionnaire(KCCQ)were observed.All-cause mortality and rehospitalization for heart failure served as clinical endpoints. Results:Interatrial shunt procedure was successful in all patients.Compared with preoperative value,PCWP,interatrial gradient pressure,mean pulmonary artery pressure,and TPR were significantly decreased,while Qp/Qs was significantly increased immediately after procedure(all P<0.01).There were no significant changes in RAP,PVR,and CI post procedure(all P>0.05).There were no significant differences in shunt size,shunt velocity,and shunt pressure difference between postoperative immediately and at 12-months follow-up(all P>0.05).At 12 months,left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly higher than baseline level(P<0.05),and there were no significant changes in right atrial diameter and right ventricular fractional area change(both P>0.05).Compared with preoperative status,NYHA classification was improved,KCCQ score was increased,and the number of patients with 6MWD>450 m was increased at 12 months(all P<0.05).N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide value was significantly decreased at 12 months(P<0.05).No patient died during the 12-months follow-up period,and there were no device-related adverse events.Two patients experienced hospital readmission for heart failure. Conclusions:Implantation of interatrial shunt device could effectively improve hemodynamic parameters in patients with HFrEF and is related to significantly improved cardiac function at 12-months follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Microgravity exerts several negative effects on the learning and memory of astro-nauts during space flight.Rg1 and Rb1,the key steroidal components of ginseng,have shown potent neuroprotec-tive effects with a high safety profile.The object of the current study is to investigate the influence of Rg1 and Rb1 on simulated microgravity-induced memory and learning dysfunction in the hindlimb suspension(HLS)rat model.METHODS The HLS rats were orally administered Rg1(30 and 60 μmol·kg-1)or Rb1(30 and 60 μmol·kg-1)for four weeks.The Morris water maze test(MWM)and reward operating conditioning reflex test(ROCR)were conducted to evaluate spatial and associative learning and memory.After the behavior tests,the serum and the prefrontal cortex(PFC)were dissected to measure the mechanism.RESULTS Rg1 and Rb1 treatment amelio-rated the cognitive deficits of HLS-exposure rats in MWM and ROCR,reduced reactive oxygen species generation and increased antioxidant enzyme activity.Rg1 and Rb1 also assisted in the recovery of mitochondrial complex Ⅰ(NADH dehydrogenase)activities and Mfn2,and decrea-sed Drp-1 expression.Furthermore,Rg1 and Rb1 reduced the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and the expression of cleaved-cas-pase 3,cytochrome c,increased the levels of SYN,PSD95 and activated BDNF-TrkB/PI3K-Akt pathway in the PFC.CONCLUSION Rg1 and Rb1 treatment attenuated cog-nitive deficits induced by HLS,mitigated mitochondrial dysfunction,attenuated oxidative stress,inhibited apopto-sis,and increased the synaptic plasticity,which was partly mediated by the modulation of the BDNF-TrkB/PI3K-Akt signaling.

OBJECTIVE To investigated the anti-de-pressant effects of the fruit Areca catechu L.(ACL)and elucidated its potential underlying mechanism using a rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS).METHODS CUMS was induced in rats to establish a depression animal model for 28 d.According to the baseline sucrose preference,the male rats were divided into six different groups.They were treated with parox-etine hydrochloride,ACL,and water once a day until the behavioral tests were performed.The levels of corticoste-rone(CORT),malondialdehyde(MDA),catalase(CAT),and total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD)in serum were de-tected using a commercial kit,and the concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)and dopamine(DA)mono-amine neurotransmitters in the brain tissues were detect-ed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Doublecortin(DCX)expression in the hippocampal den-tate gyrus(DG)was determined by immunofluorescence,and the relative abundance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),TrkB,PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,PSD-95,and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β of brain tissues were assayed by West-ern blotting.RESULTS ACL markedly increased sucrose preference,decreased the immobility time,and short-ened the feeding latency of CUMS-induced rats.CUMS induction resulted in marked changes in the contents of the monoamine neurotransmitters(5-HT and DA)in the hippocampus and cortex of brain tissues and the levels of CORT,MDA,CAT,and T-SOD in serum,whereas ACL administration alleviated these considerable changes.ACL promoted DCX expression in DG and increased the protein levels of BDNF,TrkB,PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,PSD-95,and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β in the brains of CUMS-induced rats.CONCLUSION Our results indicated that ACL may improve depression-like behaviors in CUMS-induced rats by decreasing the hyperfunction and oxidative stress of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,stimulating hippo-campal neurogenesis,and activating the BDNF signaling pathway.

Objective:To study the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in treatment of T2a and lower stages of gallbladder carcinoma.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on patients who were diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and underwent surgical treatment from January 2016 to January 2021 at Hunan Provincial People's Hospital. These patients were divided into the simple treatment group and the radical treatment group based on the surgical methods used. The simple treatment group consisted of 64 patients who underwent LC for accidental gallbladder cancers. The radical treatment group consisted of 30 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy (LRC). The baseline characteristic of the two groups of patients were matched in a 1∶1 ratio using propensity score matching. After matching, there were 26 patients in each of the 2 groups. There were 7 males and 19 females in the simple group, with mean ± s. d. age of (60.6±9.6) years. There were 8 males and 18 females, with mean ± s. d. age (60.9±9.1) years in the radical treatment group. Blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, biliary leakage, acute pulmonary embolism, and incisional infection were compared between the two groups.Results:In the simple group, the operative time was (78.7±62.9) min, intraoperative blood loss was (10.7±11.6) ml and postoperative hospital stay was (4.4±2.6) d. These results were significantly better than those in the radical group with operative time (298.7±101.3) min, intraoperative blood loss (161.9±96.7) ml and postoperative hospital stay (9.9±4.0) d (all P<0.05). There were no significant difference in the postoperative complications and disease free survival rates between the two groups (both P>0.05). Conclusion:LC was safe and effective for treatment of T2a and lower stages of gallbladder cancer, and it could achieve a similar disease-free survival rate as LRC.

Objective:To study and analyse the results of postoperative hemorrhage after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD).Methods:The clinical data of patients who underwent LPD from May 2011 to December 2019 at Hunan Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics of patients, onset time of postoperative hemorrhage, location of postoperative hemorrhage, postoperative biliary fistula, pancreatic fistula, infection and other short-term complications, reoperation and mortality rates were analyzed.Results:Of 356 patients who underwent LPD in this study, there were 200 males and 156 females, aged (58.0±10.5) years. The postoperative complication rate was 33.1% (118/356), the reoperation rate was 6.5% (23/356), and the mortality rate was 2.5% (9/356). The most common complications were postoperative hemorrhage [15.2% (54/356)], pancreatic fistula [14.6%(52/356)] and abdominal infection [13.8%(49/356)]. The onset time of postoperative hemorrhage was usually in the 1st - 14th day, and the highest rate of postoperative hemorrhage was 3.9% (14/356) on the first day after surgery. The postoperative hemorrhage rate then showed a downward trend, but increased again on the 7th day. The extraluminal hemorrhage locations were relatively widely distributed, and the incidence of gastrointestinal anastomotic hemorrhage in patients with intraluminal hemorrhage was the highest [67.9%(19/28)]. Of the 9 patients who died, 7 were related to postoperative bleeding.Conclusions:LPD resulted in a high incidence of complications. Postoperative hemorrhage was a complication that had the greatest impact on short-term recovery of patients. It was also an important cause of reoperation and death. In addition to postoperative bleeding caused by pancreatic fistula, gastrointestinal anastomotic bleeding was also clinically important.

Objective: To understand the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in tumor registration areas of Zhejiang Province,and to provide reference for prevention and control strategies for colorectal cancer. Methods: The colorectal cancer data was retrieved from fourteen tumor registries in Zhejiang Province were collected,the incidence rate and mortality rate were calculated and standardized according to the Chinese standard population in 2010 and Segi's world population in 2000. The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in different sex,age group and region were analyzed. Results: The crude incidence rate of colorectal cancer from 2010 to 2014 was 35.82/100 000（20 983 cases）. The standardized incidence rate by Chinese and world standard population were 20.80/100 000 and 23.01/100 000. The crude mortality rate of colorectal cancer was 15.25/100 000 （8 934 cases）. The standardized mortality rate by Chinese and world standard population were 8.01/100 000 and 9.39/100 000. The ratio of mortality to incidence was 0.43:1. From 2010 to 2014,the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer were stable（P>0.05）. The incidence rates of colorectal cancer in urban and rural residents were 37.69/100 000 and 31.14/100 000,and the mortality rates were 15.73/100 000 and 14.05/100 000. The incidence rates of colorectal cancer in males and females were 41.53/100 000 and 30.11/100 000,and the mortality rates were 17.74/100 000 and 12.76/100 000. The incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer both increased with age. The incidence rate increased significantly in people after 40 years old,and peaked with 187.35/100 000 in people aged 80-84 years. The morbidity rate peaked with 171.27/100 000 in people aged 85 years or over. Conclusion The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in Zhejiang Province were stable,but the incidence was higher than the national average level. The incidence of colorectal cancer in people aged over 40 years increased significantly.