Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica alcohol extract(TAAE)for synovial pannus formation in rats with college-induced arthritis(CIA).Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomized into normal control group,CIA model group,TGT group,3 TAAE treatment groups at low,medium and high doses(n=10).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to CIA modeling using a secondary immunization method and treatment with saline,TGT or TAAE by gavage once daily for 35 days.The severity of arthritis was assessed using arthritis index(AI)score,and knee joint synovium pathologies were examined with HE staining.Serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were detected with ELISA;the protein expressions of PI3K,Akt,p-PI3K,p-Akt,VEGF,endostatin,HIF-1α,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 in knee joint synovial tissues were determined using Western blotting,and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,VEGF,HIF-1α,PI3K,and Akt were detected with RT-PCR.Results Treatment of CIA rat models with TAAE and TGT significantly alleviated paw swelling,lowered AI scores,and reduced knee joint pathology,neoangiogenesis,and serum levels of inflammatory factors.TAAE treatment obviously increased endostatin protein expression,downregulated p-PI3K,p-Akt,MMP1,MMP3,MMP9,VEGF,and HIF-1α proteins,and reduced TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,PI3K,Akt,VEGF,and HIF-1α mRNA levels in the synovial tissues,and these changes were comparable between high-dose TAAE group and TGT group.Conclusion TAAE can improve joint symptoms and inhibit synovial pannus formation in CIA rats by regulating the expressions of HIF-1α,VEGF,endostatin,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of 3D printed metal augment or tibial prosthesis for reconstruction of large bone defects in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and knee revision surgery.Methods:A total of 7 patients (7 knees) with TKA or knee revision who were admitted to the Department of Orthopaedics of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine with large bone defects from July 2018 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 4 patients with TKA and 3 patients with knee revision. There were 3 males and 4 females, aged 58.7±7.6 years (range, 54-68 years), 3 patients with left knee and 4 patients with right knee. All the patients had bone defects in the knee joint (AORI type III), 2 cases had bone defects only in the femur, 4 cases had bone defects only in the tibia, and 1 case had bone defects in both the tibia and femur, which were treated with personalized reconstruction using 3D printing. Hip-knee-ankle angles, American Knee Society score (KSS) before and after surgery were compared, and postoperative complications were observed.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation, and the operation time was 189.3±35.5 min (range, 125-240 min). Complex TKA was performed in 4 cases with surgical times of 175, 195, 210, and 240 min, and revision surgery was performed in 3 cases with surgical times of 125, 180, and 200 min, respectively. Intraoperative blood loss was 114±24.4 ml (range, 100-150 ml). Five cases used 3D printed metal augment, and two used 3D printed one-piece tibial components. All patients were followed up for 2, 2, 5, 6, 7, 20, 57 months, respectively. The KSS of the five patients at 3 months postoperatively were 56, 61, 66, 56, and 56 points, respectively, greater than the preoperative scores of 35, 44, 36, 27, and 41 points. The KSS functional scores of the five patients at 3 months postoperatively were 45, 45, 45, 30, and 45 points, respectively, which were greater than the preoperative scores of 30, 30, 15, 20, and 20 points. The hip-knee-ankle angle was 181.8°±3.4° (range, 177.9° to 188.0°) at the final follow-up and 175.8°±12.4° (range, 153.3° to 192.1°) before surgery, with no significant difference ( t=-1.230, P=0.242). At the final follow-up, the 3D printed component was well integrated with the bone surface, the prosthesis was securely positioned, and the force lines of the lower limbs were normal. There were no postoperative complications such as poor wound healing, infection, fat liquefaction, nerve injury, deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs, knee joint stiffness, periprosthesis infection and loosening. Conclusion:Using 3D printed metal augment or tibial prosthesis to reconstruct the huge bone defect in TKA and revision has a satisfactory early clinical effect, satisfactory joint function and good surgical safety.

Objective To analyze the serum PD-L1 levels of gastric cancer patients and its relationship with tumor stage and prognosis.Methods Serum of sixty patients with pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer in our hospital from August 2018 to December 2019 were collected,and the serum of 15 healthy adults as a control.The serum PD-L1 levels was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The serum PD-L1 levels between gastric cancer patients and healthy adults were compared.The relationship between the serum PD-L1 levels and prognosis of gastric cancer patients with different stages was analyzed.Finally,the PD-L1 expression in tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining,and its correlation with serum PD-L1 levels was analyzed.Results The serum PD-L1 levels of gastric cancer group was significantly higher than that of the control group.The serum PD-L1 levels in patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ gastric cancer was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ.The serum PD-L1 levels in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis was significantly elevated,indicating poor prognosis.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival time of gastric cancer patients with higher level of serum PD-L1 was shorter than those with lower ones.We further evaluated the PD-L1 expression in tumor tissues.There was no significant correlation between the serum PD-L1 levels and that in tumor tissues.Conclusions The serum PD-L1 levels of gastric cancer patients was higher than that of healthy adults,and which gradually increased with the progression of the disease.Gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis had a much higher serum PD-L1 levels,and there was no significant correlation between serum PD-L1 levels and PD-L1 expression in tumor tissues.

Here,5 important pathogens carried by ticks in Maanshan City,Anhui Province,China were identified.In to-tal,642 ticks were collected from 13 villages around Maanshan City and identified by morphological and mitochondrial COI genes.The 16S rRNA gene of Francisella tularensis,ssrA gene of Bartonella,16S rRNA,ompA and ompB genes of Rickett-sia,16S rRNA and gltA genes of Anaplasma,and groEL and rpoB genes of Coxiella were sequenced.Reference sequences were retrieved from a public database.Phylogenetic trees were constructed with MEG A1 1.0 software.In total,36 Rickettsiae isolates were detected in 640 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks,which included 20 isolates of Rickettsia heilongjian-gensis,16 of Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis,2 of Ana-plasma bovis,and 186 of Coxiella-like endosymbiont.R.hei-longjiangensis HY2 detected in this study and Anhui B8 strain,Ca.R.jingxinensis QL3 and those from Shanxi Prov-ince and Jiangsu Province,A.bovis JX4 and those from Shanxi Province were clustered on the same branch.Overall,17 ticks had combined infections and none of the 5 bacteria were detected in two Amblyomma testudinarium ticks.This is the first report of Ca.R.jingxinensis detected in H.longicornis ticks from Anhui Province.It is recommended that the two types of Rickettsia that cause spotted fever and A.bovis should be reported to local health authorities to initiate appropriate prevention and control measures.

Hepatohilar cholangiocarcinoma is a common malignant tumor of the biliary system,and radical surgery is one of the important treatment methods.Due to the narrow space at the hi-lum and the high rate of anatomical variation,radical surgery is challenging.By using medical imag-ing technology and 3D reconstruction,surgeons can accurately determine the stage and classifica-tion of hilar cholangiocarcinoma preoperatively.They can assess the tumor's resectability by Ac-cording to the bile duct separation limit points(U point,P point)and anticipate the impact of portal vein,bile duct,and arterial variations on the surgical plan,thereby improving the rate of radical re-section and reducing complication rates.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica alcohol extract(TAAE)for synovial pannus formation in rats with college-induced arthritis(CIA).Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomized into normal control group,CIA model group,TGT group,3 TAAE treatment groups at low,medium and high doses(n=10).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to CIA modeling using a secondary immunization method and treatment with saline,TGT or TAAE by gavage once daily for 35 days.The severity of arthritis was assessed using arthritis index(AI)score,and knee joint synovium pathologies were examined with HE staining.Serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were detected with ELISA;the protein expressions of PI3K,Akt,p-PI3K,p-Akt,VEGF,endostatin,HIF-1α,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 in knee joint synovial tissues were determined using Western blotting,and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,VEGF,HIF-1α,PI3K,and Akt were detected with RT-PCR.Results Treatment of CIA rat models with TAAE and TGT significantly alleviated paw swelling,lowered AI scores,and reduced knee joint pathology,neoangiogenesis,and serum levels of inflammatory factors.TAAE treatment obviously increased endostatin protein expression,downregulated p-PI3K,p-Akt,MMP1,MMP3,MMP9,VEGF,and HIF-1α proteins,and reduced TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,PI3K,Akt,VEGF,and HIF-1α mRNA levels in the synovial tissues,and these changes were comparable between high-dose TAAE group and TGT group.Conclusion TAAE can improve joint symptoms and inhibit synovial pannus formation in CIA rats by regulating the expressions of HIF-1α,VEGF,endostatin,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

The pharmaceutical manufacturing model is gradually changing from intermittent manufacturing to continuous manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing. This paper briefly reviewed the supervision and research progress in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing in China and abroad and described the definition and advantages of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. The continuous manufacturing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) at the current stage was summarized in the following three terms: the enhancement of the continuity of intermittent manufacturing operations, the integration of continuous equipment to improve physical continuity between units, and the application of advanced process control strategies to improve process continuity. To achieve continuous manufacturing of TCM, the corresponding key technologies, such as material property characterization, process modeling and simulation, process analysis technology, and system integration, were analyzed from the process and equipment, respectively. It was proposed that the continuous manufacturing equipment system should have the characteristics of high speed, high response, and high reliability, "three high(H~3)" for short. Considering the characteristics and current situation of TCM manufacturing, based on the two dimensions of product quality control and production efficiency, a maturity assessment model for continuous manufacturing of TCM, consisting of operation continuity, equipment continuity, process continuity, and quality control continuity, was proposed to provide references for the application of continuous manufacturing technology for TCM. The implementation of continuous manufacturing or the application of key continuous manufacturing technologies in TCM can help to systematically integrate advanced pharmaceutical technology elements and promote the uniformity of TCM quality and the improvement of production efficiency.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Reproducibility of Results ; China ; Quality Control ; Pharmaceutical Preparations

Abstract: Objective　To predict the potential distribution of talaromycosis marneffei (TSM) and analyze its driving factors, so as to provide evidence for the surveillance and prevention of this disease. Methods　The data of all laboratory-confirmed, non-duplicating TSM published in the English and Chinese literature from the first case in January 1964 to December 2018 was collected. A Maxent ecology model using environmental variables, Rhizomys distribution and HIV/AIDS epidemic was developed to forecast ecological niche of TSM worldwide, as well as identify the driving factors. Results　A total of 705 articles (477 in Chinese and 228 in English) were obtained during the study period. After excluding imported cases, a total of 100 foci information were included in the model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of the model was 0.997 for the training set and 0.991 for the test set. Maxent model revealed that Rhizomys distribution, mean temperature of warmest quarter, precipitation of wettest month, HIV/AIDS epidemic and mean temperature of driest quarter were the top 5 important variables affecting TSM distribution. In addition to identifying traditional TSM endemic areas (South of the Yangtze River in China, Southeast Asian, North and Northeast India), other potential endemic areas were also identified, including parts of the North of the Yangtze River, Central America, West Coast of Africa, East Coast of South America, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Conclusion　Our finding has discovered hidden high-risk areas and provided insights about driving factors of TSM distribution, which will help inform surveillance strategies and improve the effectiveness of public health interventions against TM infections.

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

Uric acid (UA) is the final product of purine metabolism in human body,and its metabolic disorder will induce hyperuricemia (HUA).The occurrence and development of HUA are associated with a variety of pathological mechanisms such as oxidative stress injury,activation of inflammatory cytokines,and activation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.These mechanisms directly or indirectly affect the bioavailability of endogenous nitric oxide (NO).The decrease in NO bioavailability is common in the diseases with high concentration of UA as an independent risk factor.In this review,we summarize the mechanisms by which high concentrations of UA affect the endogenous NO bioavailability,with a focus on the mechanisms of high-concentration UA in decreasing the synthesis and/or increasing the consumption of NO.This review aims to provide references for alleviating the multisystem symptoms and improving the prognosis of HUA,and lay a theoretical foundation for in-depth study of the correlations between HUA and other metabolic diseases.
Humans ; Nitric Oxide ; Uric Acid ; Hyperuricemia ; Biological Availability ; Cytokines