OBJECTIVE: Baicalein has been reported to have wide therapeutic effects that act through its anti-inflammatory activity. This study examines the effect and mechanism of baicalein on sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC). METHODS: A thorough screening of a small library of natural products, comprising 100 diverse compounds, was conducted to identify the most effective drug against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated H9C2 cardiomyocytes. The core target proteins and their associated signaling pathways involved in baicalein's efficacy against LPS-induced myocardial injury were predicted by network pharmacology. RESULTS: Baicalein was identified as the most potent protective agent in LPS-exposed H9C2 cardiomyocytes. It exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cell injury and inflammation. In the LPS-induced septic mouse model, baicalein demonstrated a significant capacity to mitigate LPS-triggered myocardial deficits, inflammatory responses, and ferroptosis. Network pharmacological analysis and experimental confirmation suggested that hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit α (HIF1-α) is likely to be the crucial factor in mediating the impact of baicalein against LPS-induced myocardial ferroptosis and injury. By combining microRNA (miRNA) screening in LPS-treated myocardium with miRNA prediction targeting HIF1-α, we found that miR-299b-5p may serve as a regulator of HIF1-α. The reduction in miR-299b-5p levels in LPS-treated myocardium, compared to the control group, was reversed by baicalein treatment. The reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and dual-luciferase reporter gene analyses together identified HIF1-α as the target of miR-299b-5p in cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSION Baicalein mitigates SIC at the miRNA level, suggesting the therapeutic potential of it in treating SIC through the regulation of miR-299b-5p/HIF1-α/ferroptosis pathway. Please cite this article as: Zhou WY, Du JK, Liu HH, Deng L, Ma K, Xiao J, Zhang S, Wang CN. Baicalein attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced myocardial injury by inhibiting ferroptosis via miR-299b-5p/HIF1-α pathway. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):560-575.
Flavanones/pharmacology* ; Animals ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics* ; Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Mice ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Rats ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cardiomyopathies/etiology* ; Cell Line ; Sepsis/complications*

Objective To understand the current situation of human brain donation in Hebei Province by analyzing the basic information of Human Brain Bank samples of Hebei Medical University in order to provide basic data support for subsequent scientific research.Methods The samples collected from the Human Brain Bank of Hebei Medical University were analyzed(from December 2019 to February 2024),including gender,age,cause of death,as well as quality control data such as postmortem delay time,pH value of cerebrospinal fluid and and RNA integrity number and result of neuropathological diagnosis.Results Until February 2024,30 human brain samples were collected and stored in the Human Brain Bank of Hebei Medical University,with a male to female ratio of 9∶1.Donors over 70 years old accounted for 53％.Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases(36.67％)and nervous system diseases(23.33％)accounted for a high proportion of the death causes.The location of brain tissue donors in Shijiazhuang accounted for 90％donations,and the others were from outside the city.The postmortem delay time was relatively short,90％within 12 hours and 10％more than 12 hours.69.23％of the brain samples had RNA integrity values greater than 6.Cerebrospinal fluid pH values ranged from 5.8 to 7.5,with an average value of 6.60±0.45.Brain weights ranged from 906-1496 g,with an average value of(1210.78±197.84)g.Three apolipoprotein E(APOE)alleles were detected including five genotypes(ε2/ε3,ε2/ε4,ε3/ε3,ε3/ε4,ε4/ε4).Eleven staining methods related to neuropathological diagnosis had been established and used.A total of 12 cases were diagnosed as neurodegenerative diseases(including Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,multiple system atrophy,corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy,etc.),accounting for 40％donated brains.The comorbidity rate of samples over 80 years old was 100％.Conclusion The summary and analyses of the data of brain donors in the Human Brain Bank of Hebei Medical University can reflect the current situation of the construction and operation of the brain bank in Hebei Province,and it can also be more targeted to understand and identify potential donors.Our information can provide reference for the construction of brain bank and provides more reliable materials and data support for scientific research.

Male infertility (MI) and male sexual dysfunction (MSD) can often coexist together due to various interplay factors such as psychosexual, sociocultural and relationship dynamics. The presence of each form of MSD can adversely impact male reproduction and treatment strategies will need to be individualized based on patients’ factors, local expertise, and geographical socioeconomic status. The Asia Pacific Society of Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and the Asian Society of Men’s Health and Aging (ASMHA) aim to provide a consensus statement and practical set of clinical recommendations based on current evidence to guide clinicians in the management of MI and MSD within the Asia-Pacific (AP) region. A comprehensive, narrative review of the literature was performed to identify the various forms of MSD and their association with MI. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for the following English language articles under the following terms: “low libido”, “erectile dysfunction”, “ejaculatory dysfunction”, “premature ejaculation”, “retrograde ejaculation”, “delayed ejaculation”, “anejaculation”, and “orgasmic dysfunction” between January 2001 to June 2022 with emphasis on published guidelines endorsed by various organizations. This APSSM consensus committee panel evaluated and provided evidence-based recommendations on MI and clinically relevant MSD areas using a modified Delphi method by the panel and specific emphasis on locoregional socioeconomic-cultural issues relevant to the AP region. While variations exist in treatment strategies for managing MI and MSD due to geographical expertise, locoregional resources, and sociocultural factors, the panel agreed that comprehensive fertility evaluation with a multidisciplinary management approach to each MSD domain is recommended. It is important to address individual MI issues with an emphasis on improving spermatogenesis and facilitating reproductive avenues while at the same time, managing various MSD conditions with evidence-based treatments. All therapeutic options should be discussed and implemented based on the patient’s individual needs, beliefs and preferences while incorporating locoregional expertise and available resources.

Knowledge about the neuronal dynamics and the projectome are both essential for understanding how the neuronal network functions in concert. However, it remains challenging to obtain the neural activity and the brain-wide projectome for the same neurons, especially for neurons in subcortical brain regions. Here, by combining in vivo microscopy and high-definition fluorescence micro-optical sectioning tomography, we have developed strategies for mapping the brain-wide projectome of functionally relevant neurons in the somatosensory cortex, the dorsal hippocampus, and the substantia nigra pars compacta. More importantly, we also developed a strategy to achieve acquiring the neural dynamic and brain-wide projectome of the molecularly defined neuronal subtype. The strategies developed in this study solved the essential problem of linking brain-wide projectome to neuronal dynamics for neurons in subcortical structures and provided valuable approaches for understanding how the brain is functionally organized via intricate connectivity patterns.
Animals ; Neurons/physiology* ; Mice ; Brain/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Somatosensory Cortex/physiology* ; Neural Pathways/physiology* ; Hippocampus/physiology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Male ; Brain Mapping ; Nerve Net/physiology* ; Substantia Nigra/physiology* ; Tomography, Optical/methods*

To conduct textual research on the records of Chrysanthemi Flos in the ancient literature from the aspects of name， origin， species， scientific name， origin， harvesting， processing， quality and so on， and the modern literature was sorted out to clarify the relationship between the ancient and modern times， so as to provide a reference for the development of famous classical formulas containing Chrysanthemi Flos. Chrysanthemi Flos is an ornamental， edible and medicinal plant in China， it has many aliases， but it has been recorded in this materia medica under the name of Juhua， Ganju and Ganjuhua. Before the Tang dynasty， medicinal Chrysanthemi Flos mainly collected wild products， including yellow flowers and white flowers， of which the mainstream of yellow flowers was originally Dendranthema lavandulifolium and D. potentilloides， the mainstream of white flowers is D. vestitum and D. chanetii. The cultivation of medicinal Chrysanthemi Flos began in the Northern Song dynasty， and wild D. lavandulifolium， D. potentilloides， D. vestitum and D. chanetii were selected through long-term interspecies and intraspecies crossbreeding， which gradually formed the current cultivar D. morifolium. After chrysanthemums were introduced abroad， foreign scholars began to name chrysanthemums with Linnaeus's plant classification system. In 1792， Mathier named chrysanthemums as Chrysanthemum morifolium and continued to this day， and all the editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia adopted this scientific name. In the Song dynasty， many local varieties such as Nanyangju， Dengzhouhuang and Dengzhoubai appeared. By the time of the Republic of China， five famous authentic varieties， namely Huaiju， Boju， Chuju， Gongju and Hangju， had been cultivated for medicinal purposes. Boju has been the best medicinal variety since the late Qing dynasty. Hangbaiju has been famous for its tea use， especially the best quality of Huju. Chuju has its own unique characteristics， and it is of good quality both for medicine and tea. Gongju has always been a good tea chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemums are traditionally harvested in September of the lunar calendar， but some of the new varieties cultivated nowadays are harvested earlier. The embryo chrysanthemum in Hangbaiju is a commodity type that collects unopened buds in advance. In ancient times， chrysanthemums were mainly dried in the shade， in modern times， drying methods include drying in the shade， drying in the oven and drying in the sun after steaming. At present， hot air drying is mostly used. In terms of processing， Chrysanthemi Flos was used raw products in ancient times， in modern times， it is still widely used， sometimes stir fried（including stir-fried charcoal）. Due to different varieties， producing areas and processing methods， there are certain differences in the proportion of ingredients contained in chrysanthemum. Therefore， it is suggested that chrysanthemums with different varieties， origins and processing methods should be selected according to clinical indications in the development of famous classical formula preparations containing Chrysanthemi Flos.

With three representative types of gynecological diseases (dysmenorrhea, pelvic inflammation, polycystic ovary syndrome) as examples, the application methods of meridian and acupoint diagnosis for gynecological diseases treated with acupuncture and moxibustion are discussed. During clinical diagnosis and treatment, it is recommended to examine the patient's leg segment along the three yin meridians of foot, aiming to explore the positive reactions of the meridians and acupoints (color, shape, skin temperature, sensory abnormalities, etc.). Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment at this positive reaction place can improve the clinical efficacy. Meridian and acupoint diagnosis could provide basis for meridian syndrome differentiation, thus guiding the selection of acupoint prescriptions; it is also helpful to clarify the deficiency, excess, cold and heat of the disease nature, thus guiding the selection of acupuncture and moxibustion methods. In addition, it is an auxiliary method to estimate the prognosis and outcome of the disease.
Female ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Meridians ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Foot ; Genital Diseases, Female/therapy*

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacies of O-arm combined with CT three-dimensional navigation system assisted screw placement versus manual screw placement in treating lower cervical fracture and dislocation.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was used to analyze the clinical data of 41 patients with lower cervical fracture and dislocation, who were treated in Honghui Hospital, Xi′an Jiaotong University from May 2021 to February 2022. The patients included 26 males and 15 females, aged 31.5-48.6 years [(41.5±15.0)years]. The injured segments were C 3 in 3 patients, C 4 in 12, C 5 in 13, C 6 in 10 and C 7 in 3. Nineteen patients were treated with cervical pedicle screws by O-shaped arm combined with CT three-dimensional navigation system (navigation group, 76 screws) and 22 by bare hands (traditional group, 88 screws). The total operation time, effective operation time, single nail placement time, single screw correction times, screw distance from anterior cortex, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopic radiation dose, incision length and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups, and the height of intervertebral space, Cobb angle, interbody slip distance and American Spinal injury Association (ASIA) grade were compared before operation and at 3 days after operation. Visual analogue score (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and neck dysfunction index (NDI) were evaluated before operation, at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up. Accuracy of screw placement and incidence of complications (adjacent facet joint invasion, infection, screw loosening) were detected as well. Results:All the patients were followed up for 11.1-13.9 months [(12.5±1.4)months]. The total operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopic radiation dose and incision length in the navigation group were more or longer than those in the traditional group (all P<0.05). The effective operation time, single nail placement time, single nail correction times and screw distance from anterior cortex in the navigation group were markedly less or smaller than those in the traditional group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were significant improvements in the height of intervertebral space, Cobb angle and interbody slip distance between the two groups at 3 days after operation (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the height of intervertebral space, Cobb angle, interbody slip distance or ASIA grade between the two groups before operation or at 3 days after operation (all P>0.05). Compared with pre-operation, the VAS, JOA score and NDI were significantly improved in both groups at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P<0.05), with further improvement with time. There was no significant difference in VAS between the two groups before operation or at 3 months after operation (all P>0.05), but it was markedly lower in the navigation group compared with the traditional group at 3 days after operation and at the last follow-up (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in JOA score or NDI between the two groups before operation or at 3 days and 3 months after operation (all P>0.05), but both were lower in the navigation group compared with the traditional group at the last follow-up (all P<0.05). The accuracies of placement of grade 0 and grade 0+1 screws were 92.0% (70/76) and 96.6% (73/76) in the navigation group, respectively, which were markedly higher than 88.7% (78/88) and 93.5% (82/88) in the traditional group (all P<0.05). The rates of adjacent facet joint invasion of A, B, and C degrees were 71.2% (54/76), 28.8% (22/76) and 0% (0/76) in the navigation group, respectively, while the invasion rates were 60.5% (53/88), 32.3% (28/88) and 7.3% (7/88) in the traditional group ( P<0.05). No screw loosening was noted in the navigation group, but the screw loosening rate was 9.1% (8/88) in the traditional group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Compared with manual screw placement, O-arm combined with CT three-dimensional navigation system assisted screw placement for lower cervical fracture and dislocation has the advantages of shorter effective operation time, quicker screw placement, stronger screw holding force, better cervical stability, slighter postoperative pain, higher screw placement accuracy, and lower facet joint invasion and screw loosening rates.

Objective: To investigate current use of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy and influencing factors among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in China. Methods: Results of this study derived from "China Atrial Fibrillation Registry Study", the study prospectively enrolled atrial fibrillation (AF) patients from 31 hospitals, and patients with valvular AF or treated with catheter ablation were excluded. Baseline data such as age, sex and type of atrial fibrillation were collected, and drug history, history of concomitant diseases, laboratory results and echocardiography results were recorded. CHA₂DS₂-VASc score and HAS-BLED score were calculated. The patients were followed up at the 3rd and 6th months after enrollment and every 6 months thereafter. Patients were divided according to whether they had coronary artery disease and whether they took OAC. Results: 11 067 NVAF patients fulfilling guideline criteria for OAC treatment were included in this study, including 1 837 patients with CAD. 95.4% of NVAF patients with CAD had CHA₂DS₂-VASc score≥2, and 59.7% of patients had HAS-BLED≥3, which was significantly higher than NVAF patients without CAD (P<0.001). Only 34.6% of NVAF patients with CAD were treated with OAC at enrollment. The proportion of HAS-BLED≥3 in the OAC group was significantly lower than in the no-OAC group (36.7% vs. 71.8%, P<0.001). After adjustment with multivariable logistic regression analysis, thromboembolism(OR=2.48,95%CI 1.50-4.10,P<0.001), left atrial diameter≥40 mm(OR=1.89,95%CI 1.23-2.91,P=0.004), stain use (OR=1.83,95%CI 1.01-3.03, P=0.020) and β blocker use (OR=1.74,95%CI 1.13-2.68,P=0.012)were influence factors of OAC treatment. However, the influence factors of no-OAC use were female(OR=0.54,95%CI 0.34-0.86,P=0.001), HAS-BLED≥3 (OR=0.33,95%CI 0.19-0.57,P<0.001), and antiplatelet drug(OR=0.04,95%CI 0.03-0.07,P<0.001). Conclusion: The rate of OAC treatment in NVAF patients with CAD is still low and needs to be further improved. The training and assessment of medical personnel should be strengthened to improve the utilization rate of OAC in these patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Risk Factors ; China ; Administration, Oral ; Stroke

Objective: To analyze the status of statins use and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and very high/high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) from Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry (CAFR). Methods: A total of 9 119 patients with AF were recruited in CAFR between January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018, patients at very high and high risk of ASCVD were included in this study. Demographics, medical history, cardiovascular risk factors, and laboratory test results were collected. In patients with very high-risk, a threshold of 1.8 mmol/L was used as LDL-C management target and in patients with high risk, a threshold of 2.6 mmol/L was used as LDL-C management target. Statins use and LDL-C compliance rate were analyzed, multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the influencing factors of statins use. Results: 3 833 patients were selected (1 912 (21.0%) in very high risk of ASCVD group and 1 921 (21.1%) in high risk of ASCVD group). The proportion of patients with very high and high risk of ASCVD taking statins was 60.2% (1 151/1 912) and 38.6% (741/1 921), respectively. Attainment rate of LDL-C management target in patients with very high and high risk were 26.7% (511/1 912) and 36.4% (700/1 921), respectively. Conclusion: The proportion of statins use and attainment rate of LDL-C management target are low in AF patients with very high and high risk of ASCVD in this cohort. The comprehensive management in AF patients should be further strengthened, especially the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in AF patients with very high and high risk of ASCVD.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Atherosclerosis ; Dyslipidemias/drug therapy*

Objective: To investigate the timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of the anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) suffered from perioperative pericardial tamponade during atrial fibrillation catheter ablation and uninterrupted dabigatran. Methods: A total of 20 patients with pericardial tamponade, who underwent AF catheter ablation with uninterrupted dabigatran in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2019 to August 2021, were included in this retrospective analysis. The clinical characteristics of enrolled patients, information of catheter ablation procedures, pericardial tamponade management, perioperative complications, the timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of anticoagulation were analyzed. Results: All patients underwent pericardiocentesis and pericardial effusion drainage was successful in all patients. The average drainage volume was (427.8±527.4) ml. Seven cases were treated with idarucizumab, of which 1 patient received surgical repair. The average timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of anticoagulation in 19 patients without surgical repair was (1.4±0.7) and (0.8±0.4) days, respectively. No new bleeding, embolism and death were reported during hospitalization and within 30 days following hospital discharge. Time of removal of pericardial drainage catheter, restart of anticoagulation and hospital stay were similar between patients treated with idarucizumab or not. Conclusion: It is safe and reasonable to remove pericardial drainage catheter and restart anticoagulation as soon as possible during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation with uninterrupted dabigatran independent of the idarucizumab use or not in case of confirmed hemostasis.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Dabigatran/therapeutic use* ; Cardiac Tamponade/complications* ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Drainage/adverse effects* ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters/adverse effects*