ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of modified Shaofu Zhuyutang in antagonizing cellular pyroptosis and fibrosis in ectopic endometrial tissues of endometriosis through the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB/NOD-like receptor protein 3 （TRL4/NF-κB/NLPR3） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy-two SPF-grade female SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group （n = 12） and a modeling group （n = 60）. The rats in the sham-operated group underwent a caesarean section， while the rats in the modeling group were used to establish an endometriosis model through the auto-transplantation method. After successful modeling， the animals were randomly divided into the model group， progesterone group （0.25 mg·kg^-1）， and modified Shaofu Zhuyutang low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （7.5， 15， 30 g·kg^-1）， with 12 animals in each group. After 4 weeks of drug administration， voluntary activity and heat pain latency were observed. The rats were sacrificed for tissue collection， and Masson staining were used to observe histopathological changes in the endometrial tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure serum levels of interleukin-18 （IL-18）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the protein expression area of tumor necrosis factor-related factor 6 （TRAF6） and NLPR3 in the endometrial tissues. Immunofluorescence （IF） was used to detect the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and gasdermin D （GSDMD） in the endometrial tissues. Western blot was employed to measure the relative expression of TRL4， myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）， TRAF6， NF-κB p65， phosphorylated NF-κB p65 （p-NF-κB p65）， and NLPR3 proteins in endometrial tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 in the endometrial tissues. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， rats in the model group showed reduced voluntary activity and shorter heat pain latency. Serum levels of IL-18， IL-1β， TNF-α， and TGF-β were elevated. The relative expression areas of TRAF6 and NLPR3 proteins were increased， and the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and GSDMD was enhanced. The relative expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， and NLPR3 proteins， along with the expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 mRNA， were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， rats in the progesterone group and the modified Shaofu Zhuyutang medium- and high-dose groups exhibited improved voluntary activity， longer heat pain latency， the fibrosis of endometrial tissue is alleviated. Serum levels of IL-18， IL-1β， TNF-α， and TGF-β were decreased. The relative expression areas of TRAF6 and NLPR3 proteins decreased， and the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and GSDMD weakened. The relative expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， p-NF-κB p65， NLPR3 proteins， and TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 mRNA expression were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Shaofu Zhuyutang may play a therapeutic role in endometriosis by interfering with key proteins in the TRL4/NF-κB/NLPR3 signaling pathway， reducing NLRP3 inflammasome-induced cellular pyroptosis， antagonizing the fibrosis process in ectopic endometrial tissues， improving the inflammatory microenvironment in the pelvic cavity， and alleviating pain.

Objective:To optimize the alcohol precipitation process of Quhan Zhufeng Granules.Methods:Taking the volume fraction of ethanol, the relative density of the concentrated solution and the standing time as the investigation factors, the Z value of the total evaluation of gentiopicrin content, oleanolic acid content and dry paste yield of gentiana macrophylla as the evaluation indexes, the star-point design-response surface method was used to optimize the alcohol precipitation process.Results:The optimal the alcohol precipitation process of Quhan Zhufeng Granules: concentration relative density 1.08 g/ml (90-95 ℃), alcohol precipitation at the end of volume fraction of 62% ethanol, standing for 16 h.Conclusion:The alcohol precipitation process using overall desirability and central composite design is stable and feasible, and has good predictability, which can provide experimental basis for further scale production.

BACKGROUND:Intervertebral disc degeneration is an important cause of low back pain.At present,there are many modeling methods for disc degeneration in China and abroad,but there is not a model for low back pain due to disc degeneration. OBJECTIVE:To compare the effect of mechanical puncture combined with tumor necrosis factor α and complete Freund's adjuvant with a conventional disc mechanical puncture alone. METHODS:A total of 18 male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups,with 6 animals in each group.No treatment was given in the blank group.Animal models of intervertebral disc degeneration were made in the L4-5 segments of rats in the control using conventional mechanical puncture.In the experimental group,on the basis of mechanical puncture,tumor necrosis factor α+complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into the L4-5 intervertebral discs using a microinjector to establish a model of disc degeneration induced by mechanical puncture combined with inflammatory factors.Four weeks after surgery,the pain threshold of rats was measured by the hot plate method for assessing the perception of heat injury in rats with intervertebral disc degeneration.MRI examination was performed to observe the disc degeneration in each group.ELISA was used to detect the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin 1β,interleukin 6 and prostaglandin E2.Hematoxylin-eosin and Safranin O-fast green staining were used to observe the morphological changes of the disc. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In terms of pain,the behavioral pain threshold of the experimental group was continuously decreased,and the levels of serum inflammatory factors were significantly higher compared with the control group.In terms of morphology,the MRI results showed that the L4-5 nucleus pulposus signal completely disappeared in the experimental group.Histopathological results showed that in the control group,the nucleus pulposus was intact,more notochord cells were visible,and some fiber rings were ruptured,while in the experimental group,there are fewer notochord cells and the structure of the nucleus pulposus and fibrous ring is disturbed,with the boundary disappearing.To conclude,mechanical puncture combined with tumor necrosis factor alpha and complete Freund's adjuvant can successfully establish a discogenic low back pain model in rats.This operation is simple and economical to achieve obvious disc degeneration and low back pain,with greatly shortened molding cycle.This model can be used as a reference for studying discogenic low back pain models.

Objective To analyze the diagnosis status of negative etiological pulmonary tuberculosis test re-sults in Wuhan,and to provide scientific basis for improving the diagnosis strategy of etiological negative pul-monary tuberculosis.Methods From January 1 to February 28,2019,a total of 241 patients with negative eti-ological tuberculosis who were registered,reported and treated in 1 municipal and 2 district-level designated hospitals were selected.The medical record data,chest imaging examination and laboratory examination re-sults of the selected patients were reviewed and extracted,and the quality of etiological examination and ima-ging examination of patients with negative etiological pulmonary tuberculosis were analyzed.Results Among the 241 patients,88.8％(214/241)of the patients met the diagnostic criteria for negative etiological pulmona-ry tuberculosis,and 96.3％(232/241)of the patients had chest imaging examinations that were consistent with the original diagnostic results.Patients received sputum smear examination,sputum culture,and molecu-lar biology test accounted for 97.9％(236/241),73.9％(178/241)and 65.6％(158/241),respectively.Patients received anti-tuberculosis antibody test,tuberculin skin test,y-interferon release and diagnostic anti-infection treatment accounted for 54.8％(132/241),46.5％(112/241),26.1％(63/241),and 53.1％(128/241),respec-tively.The sputum culture detection rate of urban area was higher than those of central and remote urban are-as,the rate of central urban area was higher than that of remote urban areas,and the molecular biology detec-tion rate of urban area was higher than those of central and remote urban area,with statistical significance(P＜0.001).The detection rate of anti-tuberculosis antibody of urban area was lower than that of central ur-ban area,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).The rate of diagnostic anti-infective therapy of central urban area was higher than that of urban area and the remote urban area,and the rate in ur-ban area was higher than that of remote urban area,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).Conclusion It is necessary to further standardize the diagnosis of negative etiological pulmonany tu-berculosis of designated tuberculosis hospitals.The proportion of diagnostic anti-infection treatment and auxil-iary examination at the municipal level needs to be increased,and the frequency and items of laboratory etio-logical examination at the district level need to be increased.

Objective To investigate the role of theophylline drugs in acute exacerbation stage of chron-ic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).Methods The clinical data of 401 patients with AECOPD ad-mitted and treated in this hospital from January 2016 to September 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into the drug group (n=308) and control group (n=93) according to whether or not u-sing theophylline drugs.The control group was given the conventional treatment,and the drug group was giv-en theophylline drugs on the basis of conventional treatment.The hospitalization duration,C-reactive protein (CRP),procalcitonin (PCT),blood routine[WBC,neutrophil,hemoglobin,hematocrit (HCT),platelet-lym-phocyte ratio (PLR),neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR),eosinophils,basophil]changes were compared between the two groups,and the parameters with differences conducted the subgroup analysis to observe the effect of different types of theophylline.Results Before treatment,there was no statistically significant differ-ence in the baseline data between the drug group and the control group,and the number of basophils between the aminophylline group and doxophylline group (P>0.05).After treatment,there was no statistically signif-icant difference in PCT,CRP,WBC,neutrophil,hemoglobin,HCT,PLR,NLR and eosinophil between the drug group and control group (P>0.05).The length of hospital stay in the drug group was shorter than that of the control group,and the basophils count was less than that of the control group,and the difference was statisti-cally significant (P<0.05).After treatment,there was no statistically significant difference in the hospitaliza-tion duration in the aminophylline group and doxophylline group in the drug group subgroups (P>0.05),but the basophils count was higher than that of the doxofylline group (P<0.05).Conclusion Theophylline drugs could significantly shorten the hospitalization duration and reduce the basophils in the patients with AECO-PD.There is no significant difference in shortening the hospitalization duration between aminophylline and doxophylline,but aminophylline's effect on basophils is significantly stronger than that of doxophylline.

Radiotherapy is widely used in the management of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the clinical efficacy is limited by the safe irradiated dose. Sensitizing tumor cells to radiotherapy via interrupting DNA repair is a promising approach to conquering the limitation. The BRCA1-BARD1 complex has been demonstrated to play a critical role in homologous recombination (HR) DSB repair, and its functions may be affected by HERC2 or BAP1. Accumulated evidence illustrates that the ubiquitination-deubiquitination balance is involved in these processes; however, the precise mechanism for the cross-talk among these proteins in HR repair following radiation hasn't been defined. Through activity-based profiling, we identified PT33 as an active entity for HR repair suppression. Subsequently, we revealed that BAP1 serves as a novel molecular target of PT33 via a CRISPR-based deubiquitinase screen. Mechanistically, pharmacological covalent inhibition of BAP1 with PT33 recruits HERC2 to compete with BARD1 for BRCA1 interaction, interrupting HR repair. Consequently, PT33 treatment can substantially enhance the sensitivity of CRC cells to radiotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Overall, these findings provide a mechanistic basis for PT33-induced HR suppression and may guide an effective strategy to improve therapeutic gain.

Objective To investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation in early pregnancy on the incidence and glucose metab-olism of high-risk women with gestational diabetes mellitus.Methods Pregnant women who had regular prenatal examination in Hefei First People's Hospital from December 2019 to May 2022 with serum 25(OH)D level＜30ng/ml,expected date of delivery ≥ 35 years or pre-pregnancy body mass index(BMI)≥24kg/m2were selected.They were randomly divided into intervention group(86 cases)and control group(94 cases).The intervention group,took 1200IU/d vitamin D3 capsules orally from the first trimester of pregnancy to the second trimester of pregnancy[the date of oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)examination for pregnant women];the control group was not given vitamin D3 capsules,and pregnant women with vitamin D deficiency or insufficient were recommended to take vitamin D3 cap-sules or calcium tablets containing vitamin D.Results The levels of vitamin D in the first and second trimester of pregnancy were 12.986± 5.654ng/ml and 31.277±9.856ng/ml in the intervention group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).The inci-dence of gestational diabetes mellitus in control group and intervention group was 24.5％and 20.9％,and the difference was not statisti-cally significant(P＞0.05).There were no significant difference in fasting blood glucose,fasting insulin,1h blood glucose,2h blood glucose and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index(HOMR-IR)between the intervention group and the control group in the second trimester of pregnancy(P＞0.05).Conclusion Vitamin D supplementation in early pregnancy can only significantly improve the level of vitamin D in pregnant women,and almost make it reach sufficient state,but has no obvious effect on the risk of gestational dia-betes mellitus and glucose metabolism.

Objective:To investigate the effects of computerized cognitive remediation therapy (CCRT) combined with social skill training on the improvement of negative symptoms of schizophrenia.Methods:A total of 102 schizophrenic patients who received treatment in Shanxi Province Social Welfare Kangning Psychiatry Hospital from March 2019 to June 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group ( n = 51/group). During the intervention process, because of the reasons such as midway discharge, only 93 patients were included in the final analysis, consisting of 47 patients in the intervention group and 46 patients in the control group. All patients received social skills training. Patients in the intervention group received 8-week CCRT. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Social Skills Checklist were used to evaluate curative effect in the two groups. Results:After treatment, total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the score of negative symptoms in the intervention group were (46.36 ± 9.33) points and (11.15 ± 3.53) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than (51.06 ± 10.26) points and (16.42 ± 4.75) points in the control group ( t = 2.07, 5.41, both P < 0.05). The total score of Social Skills Checklist, conflict resolution ability score and relationship building ability score in the intervention group were (16.05 ± 6.85) points, (3.36 ± 1.65) points and (3.14 ± 1.83) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than (21.08 ± 8.24) points, (5.92 ± 2.35) points and (6.75 ± 2.51) points, respectively ( t = 2.87, 5.34, 7.00, all P < 0.01). Conclusion:CCRT combined with social skill training can effectively improve the negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia.

Objective:To preliminarily explore the effects of tumor treating fields (TTF) arrays on the dose distribution in the treatment of Glioblastoma (GBM) using combined radiotherapy and concurrent TTF.Methods:EDR2 and MatriXX plate ionization chamber were employed to measure the absorbed doses of tissues at different depths (< 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, 1.5 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm) in the case that TTF arrays and latex-free foam were attached and not attached on the surface. Then the absorbed doses were calculated, compared, and analyzed. For the volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) of 10 GBM patients, deep dose verification was performed using the Sun Nuclear ArcCheck 3D dose verification system and the D99%, Dmean, and D1% of tumors and OARs were assessed. Results:The surface dose increased by 173% in the case that TTF arrays and latex-free foam were attached to the surface compared with the case of the surface with nothing attached. The surface dose increased by 61.7% due to the attachment of low-density latex-free foam. The dose deviation gradually decreased with an increase in the depth and stabilized (about 4%) at a depth of greater than 1.5 cm. As indicated by the VMAT verification result, the D99%, Dmean, and D1% of PTV and CTV decreased by 1.1%-1.2% and the Dmean and D1% of OARs (i.e., brainstem, pituitary gland, optic chiasma, optic nerve, eyeball, and eye crystal) decreased by 0.7%-1.5% in the case that TTF array and latex-free foam were attached on the surface compared with the case the surface with nothing attached. Conclusions:The combined radiotherapy and concurrent TTF in the GBM treatment will lead to a slight reduction of the absorbed doses of targets and OARs but a significant increase in the absorbed doses of the scalp. Therefore, it is recommended that the scalp doses should be reduced as far as possible in the design of the radiation treatment plan to reduce the adverse reactions on the scalp of GBM patients.

Objective:To observe the effect of Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction on airway mucus hypersecretion of asthmatic rats and its regulation on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) / mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) signal pathway. Methods:Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, high dose group, medium dose group, low dose group, western medicine group and combined group, with 10 rats in each group. Except the normal group, the other groups were sensitized with 1 ml ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide mixture to establish the asthma rat model. On the 16th day of the experiment, the high, medium and low dose groups were given Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction of 40, 20, 10 g/kg, respectively, the western medicine group was given carboxymethylstein tablets of 150 mg/kg, and the combined group was given Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction of 20 g/kg and carboxymethylstein tablets of 150 mg/kg, once a day, for 4 weeks. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) in serum of rats were detected by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), the total number and classification of leukocytes in BALF were observed by Wright Giemsa staining, the pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by glycogen staining (PAS). The protein expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and MUC5AC (MUC5AC) were detected by Western blotting, and the mRNA expression of EGFR and MUC5AC was detected by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Results:Compared with the model group, the level of IL-13 and TNF-α in the high, medium and low dose groups of traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine group and combined group was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). The levels of WBC, eosinophils and neutrophils in rat alveolar lavage fluid were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). The expression of EGFR (0.466 ± 0.023, 0.354 ± 0.047, 0.667 ± 0.066, 0.553 ± 0.065, 0.290 ± 0.033 vs. 0.782 ± 0.047) and MUC5AC (0.424 ± 0.022, 0.313 ± 0.033, 0.603 ± 0.051, 0.495 ± 0.041, 0.243 ± 0.024 vs. 0.806 ± 0.090) significantly decreased ( P<0.05), the m RNA expression of EGFR (2.302 ± 0.321, 2.549 ± 0.623, 3.084 ± 0.453, 2.585 ± 0.314, 1.810 ± 0.379 vs. 4.101 ± 0.567), MUC5AC (3.243 ± 0.742, 3.283 ± 1.064, 4.419 ± 0.572, 3.817 ± 0.637, 2.469 ± 0.424 vs. 5.840 ± 0.661) in the high, medium and low dose groups, western medicine group and combined group was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction ccould inhibit asthma, and its mechanism mightbe related to the EGFR/MUC5AC signaling pathway.