ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a prediction model for the compatibility of Chinese medicinal pairs based on Graph Convolutional Networks （GCN）， named HC-GCN. The model integrates the properties of herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms to predict pairs with specific therapeutic effects. It serves as a demonstration by applying the model to predict and validate the efficacy of blood-activating herb pairs. MethodsThe training dataset for herb pair prediction was constructed by systematically collecting commonly used herb pairs along with their characteristic data， including Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target genes. Integrating traditional characteristics of herb with modern bioinformatics， we developed an efficacy-oriented herb pair compatibility prediction model （HC-GCN） using graph convolutional networks （GCN）. This model leverages machine learning to capture the complex relationships in herb pair compatibility， weighted by efficacy features. The performance of the HC-GCN model was evaluated using accuracy （ACC）， recall， precision， F1 score （F1）， and area under the ROC curve （AUC）. Its predictive effectiveness was then compared to five other machine learning models： eXtreme Gradient Boosting （XGBoost）， logistic regression （LR）， Naive Bayes， K-nearest neighbor （KNN）， and support vector machine （SVM）. ResultsUsing herb pairs with blood-activating effects as a demonstration， a prediction model was constructed based on a foundational dataset of 46 blood-activating herb pairs， incorporating their Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target gene characteristics. The HC-GCN model outperforms other commonly used machine learning models in key performance metrics， including ACC， recall， precision， F1 score， and AUC. Through the predictive analysis of the HC-GCN model， 60 herb pairs with blood-activating effects were successfully identified. Among of these potential herb pairs， 44 include at least one herb with blood-activating effects. ConclusionIn this study， we established an efficacy-oriented compatibility prediction model for herb pairs based on GCN by integrating the unique characteristics of traditional herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms. This model demonstrated high predictive performance， offering a novel approach for the intelligent screening and optimization of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions， as well as their clinical applications.

【Objective】 To explore the correlation between different feeding styles of caregivers and diet quality of children with nutritional problems, in order to provide reference for making effective feeding guidance and intervention strategy. 【Methods】 From January 2022 to August 2023, 2- to 6-year-old children who had been enrolled in kindergartens or nurseries and their caregivers from the combined outpatient department of Child Healthcare and Nutrition in Shanghai Children′s Hospital were selected into this study.The amount of dinner served and consumed was obtained through the three-day dinner intake survey, and the Chinese Healthy Eating Index (CHEI) was calculated.Feeding styles were divided into four groups through the Caregiver Feeding Style Questionnaire.Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between served and consumed CHEI score.Chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA were used to compare the differences in CHEI score for dinner consumed in children with different feeding styles. 【Results】 1) Totally 133 parent-child pairs were included in this study.There were 68 boys (51.1%) and 65 girls (48.9%), with an average age of (4.6±0.6) years.2) CHEI scores for dinner served was highly correlated with that for dinner consumed (r=0.90, P<0.05).There was statistically significant difference between the CHEI score for dinner served and consumed by authoritative and authoritarian feeding styles (t=2.538, 1.732, P<0.05).3) After adjusting body shape, children in the authoritative feeding style actually completed a significantly higher diet quality CHEI score than those in the authoritarian feeding style (P<0.05).4)Authoritative and indulgent feeding styles had statistical differences in the distribution of children′s body size (χ²=13.587, P=0.035). 【Conclusions】 Parents with authoritarian feeding style and indulgent feeding style have worse control over their children′s dietary completion.Children with authoritative feeding style have higher dietary quality than those with authoritarian feeding style.Children with indulgent feeding style may have a higher proportion of non-low weight than those with authoritative feeding style.Although feeding style could not reverse the outcome of body shape deviation in children with disease, it may have some positive effects.

Background Previous studies using meta-analysis to explore the relationship between air pollution exposure and ischemic stroke (IS) mostly focus on particulate matter-related themes, few include gaseous pollutants in the study, and subgroup analyses of factors such as different lag days, seasons, and genders are rarely been reported. Objective To quantitatively evaluate the relationships between short-term exposures to 6 common air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone (O₃), and the incidence of IS. Methods A systematic search was conducted to collect literature studying the 6 common air pollutants and IS published up to May 1, 2022 in 6 databases (China Journal Full-text Database, China Biology Medicine Disc, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase). Literature quality evaluation was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Stata 16.0 software was used to conduct meta-analysis including heterogeneity test, combined effect size, meta-regression, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias test. Results A total of 33 articles were qualified for inclusion. The total number of samples included in the literature was 7195631. The meta-analysis results showed that short-term exposures to PM_2.5 (OR=1.0082, 95%CI: 1.0049−1.0116), PM₁₀ (OR=1.0017, 95%CI: 1.0008−1.0026), CO (OR=1.0328, 95%CI: 1.0231−1.0426), NO₂ (OR=1.0150, 95%CI: 1.0079−1.0222), SO₂ (OR=1.0158, 95%CI: 1.0078-1.0238), and O₃ (OR=1.0017, 95%CI: 1.0003−1.0032) were associated with an increased risk of IS. PM₁₀ and O₃ increased the risk of IS in both lag0 and lag1, while PM_2.5, CO, NO₂, and SO₂ all showed an associated increased risk of IS only in lag0. The results of sensitivity analysis showed stable results for all pollutants studied, and there was no publication bias in the literature on the association of the remaining five pollutants with IS incidence except for the PM_2.5-related literature. Conclusion Short-term exposures to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ may increase the incidence of IS, with this risk showing the most significant level on the day of IS onset.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of shikonin-induced death of human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells. METHODS: Cultured SMMC-7721 cells and normal hepatocytes (L-02 cells) were treated with 4, 8, or 16 μmol/L shikonin, and the changes in cell viability was assessed using MTT assay. The levels of ATP and lactic acid in the cell cultures were detected using commercial kits. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the relationship among pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). The expressions of PHD3, PKM2, HIF-1α, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and Bcl-2 in SMMC-7721 cells were detected with Western blotting, and cell apoptosis was analyzed with annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The effects of RNA interference of PKM2 on PHD3 and HIF-1α expressions in SMMC-7721 cells were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The IC₅₀ of shikonin against SMMC-7721 and L-02 cells was 8.041 μmol/L and 31.75 μmol/L, respectively. Treatment with shikonin significantly inhibited the protein expressions of PKM2, HIF-1α and PHD3 and nuclear translocation of PKM2 and HIF-1α in SMMC-7721 cells. Coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining confirmed that shikonin inhibited the formation of PKM2/PHD3/HIF-1α complex and significantly reduced the contents of lactic acid and ATP in SMMC-7721 cells (P < 0.05). The expressions of PHD3 and HIF-1α decreased significantly after PKM2 knockdown (P < 0.05). Shikonin treatment significantly increased the apoptosis rate, enhanced the expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and decreased Bcl-2 expression in SMMC-7721 cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Shikonin induces apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells possibly by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis through the PKM2/PHD3/HIF-1α signaling pathway to cause energy supply dysfunction in the cells.
Humans ; Prolyl Hydroxylases ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Caspase 3 ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Liver Neoplasms ; Signal Transduction ; Apoptosis ; Adenosine Triphosphate

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in a variety of tumors and participate in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, the expression and function of many LncRNAs in tumors have not been fully clarified. In this paper, 113 normal breast tissues and 1 109breast cancer tissues were analyzed in TCGT database. LncRNA AL133467. 1 was found to be lowly expressed in breast cancer tissues and negatively correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. The expression of AL133467. 1 in breast cancer cells was significantly lower than that in normal breast epithelial cells. We overexpressed AL133467. 1 in relatively low-expression breast cancer cells SKBR3and BT474, and cell count and plate colony-formation experiments showed that overexpression ofAL133467. 1 could significantly inhibit the proliferation and colony formation of breast cancer cells (P< 0. 01). Cell scratch and Transwell assays showed that the migration and invasion ability of breast cancer cells overexpressing AL133467. 1 was significantly reduced compared with the control group (P<0. 01). MiRDB database showed that AL133467. 1 had binding sites with miR-661. miR-661 could bind the transducer of ErbB2, 2 (ErbB2, 2, TOB2). qRT-PCR showed that miR-661 was highly expressed inbreast cancer cells and positively correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients (P < 0. 001). Luciferase reporter assays showed that AL133467. 1 had specific binding to miR-661 (P < 0. 01). AL133467. 1 overexpression could inhibit the expression of miR-661 in breast cancer cells (P<0. 0001). Transfection of miR-661 mimics eliminated the inhibitory effect of overexpression of AL133467. 1 on breast cancer cells (P < 0. 001). In addition, qRT-PCR and Western blotting results showed that overexpression of AL133467. 1 up-regulated TOB2 mRNA (P < 0. 0001) and protein levels. But whenmiR-661 mimics were transfected, TOB2 mRNA (P < 0. 0001) and protein levels were significantly inhibited. In conclusion, as a competitive endogenous RNA of miR-661. AL133467. 1 promotes the expression of TOB2, thereby inhibiting the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells.

  Objective  Quantitative imaging evaluation was performed on the liver and spleen system lesions of patients with Gaucher disease after treatment. in order to deepen the understanding of Gaucher disease.  Methods  From August 1999 to August 2018, we registered, examined and treated children with Gaucher disease, and conducted quantitative imaging research on 40 children with Gaucher disease who were intensively followed up in Beijing Children's hospital, Capital Medical University until August 2018. At the same time, 34 normal volunteers were matched. All subjects were scanned with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). The fat fraction(FF), iron content(R2^*), standard apparent diffusion coefficient(sADC), slow apparent diffusion coefficient(D), fast apparent diffusion coefficient(D^*) and perfusion fraction(f)of the liver and spleen were measured. The quantitative parameter values measured by patients with Gaucher disease and normal subjects were statistically analyzed by independent sample t-tests.  Results  The results showed that there was no significant difference in FF, R2^*, sADC, D, D^*, f of the liver and spleen, and liver elasticity was also within the normal range. However, the volume of liver and spleen in patients was significantly different from that in normal subjects.  Conclusions  After treatment, the volume of the liver and spleen in patients with Gaucher disease is greater than that of normal people, but other quantitative parameters are within the normal range, indicating that long-term enzyme replacement therapy can delay the progress of liver and spleen diseases to a certain extent. Quantitative imaging has a certain value in the evaluation of Gaucher disease.

The present study comprehensively compared the content of chondroitin sulfate in Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP) and Cervi Cornu(CC) of different specifications and explored the feasibility of chondroitin sulfate as an indicator to distinguish between CCP and CC. Twenty-two batches of CCP of different specifications(two-branched velvet antler and three-branched velvet antler) from 15 habitats, CC from 6 habitats, and 60 batches of CCP slices prepared from different parts(wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices) were collected. High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine chondroitin sulfate content in CCP and CC of different specifications. Cluster analysis was used to classify CCP slices of different specifications. The results showed that CCP contained abundant chondroitin sulfate. The average content of chondroitin sulfate was 2.35 mg·g~(-1) in two-branched velvet antler and 1.79 mg·g~(-1) in three-branched velvet antler, significantly higher than 0.11 mg·g~(-1) in CC. Chondroitin sulfate content in wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices were 7.81, 8.39, 1.33, and 0.54 mg·g~(-1), respectively. Cluster analysis showed that gauze slices and bone slices could be clustered into one category and distinguished from wax slices and powder slices. CCP slices prepared from different parts could be separated well through chondroitin sulfate content. Based on the five principles of Q-marker selection, chondroitin sulfate can be used as a potential Q-marker for the identification of CCP and CC, as well as a potential quality indicator for CCP slices of different specifications(wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices). This research provides data support for CCP quality evaluation.
Animals ; Cornus ; Chondroitin Sulfates ; Deer ; Powders ; Antlers ; Gastropoda

Objective: To explore the relationship between one-child and low height level classification among children and adolescents, and the effects of fruits, vegetables and physical activities on this association, and to provide as cientific reference for probing into and improving the differences of their height level between one child and child with siblings. Methods: Using stratified cluster sampling method, 93 primary and secondary schools in 7 provinces and cities in China were selected for physical examination and questionnaire surveys. A total of 40 978 primary and middle school students aged 7-17 were selected. A multilevel Logistic regression model was used to analyze. Results: Univariate analysis found that being one-child was less likely to be classified as low height level(OR=0.63, 95%CI=0.58-0.67); the multilevel model also found that the probability that one-child being at low height level was still lower(OR=0.78, 95%CI=0.73-0.85), and daily vigorous-intensity physical activities ≥1 h (OR=0.92, 95%CI=0.85-0.99) and daily vegetables and fruits intake ≥5 servings (OR=0.83, 95%CI=0.75-0.92) could also reduce the probability of being at low height level. Hierarchical analysis found that when vegetables and fruits intake and physical activities time were sufficient, there was no longer a significant difference in the height level classification between one-child and child with siblings(P>0.05). Conclusion Being one-child could be a protective factor for the height level classification of children and adolescents. Adequate intake of vegetables and fruits and time of vigorous-intensity physical activities could fill the gap of height level classification between of being one-child and child with siblings. Effective behavioral intervention measures should be taken to protect the healthy growth of height among children and adolescences.

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technology was used to analyze the chemical constituents from classical prescription Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang standard decoction. Acquity HSS T3 column(2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) was used as the chromatographic column, with 0.1% formic acid solution-0.1% formic acid acetonitrile as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The volume flow rate was 0.4 mL·min~(-1) and the column temperature was 40 ℃. Mass spectrometry data of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang standard decoction were collected in positive and negative ion modes. The chemical constituents from classical prescription Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang standard decoction were analyzed and identified by Masslynx 4.1 software combined with SciFinder database, comparison with reference mate-rials, mass spectrometry data analysis and reference to relevant literature. A total of 110 compounds were analyzed and identified, including 33 flavonoids, 14 monoterpene glycosides, 8 triterpenoids, 8 gingerols, 17 phenylpropanoids, 12 organic acids, 7 amino acids and 11 other compounds. The results of this study provide an experimental basis for the further research on the substance basis and quality control of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang standard decoction.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Flavonoids/analysis* ; Glycosides ; Prescriptions ; Reference Standards

Objective: To evaluate anemia and related nutritional status of 6-17 years old boarding school students in rural areas of central and western China, and to reveal the difference of nutrition problems in different regions. Methods: In the central and western regions, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces, as well as Tibet Autonomous Region were selected for this survey considering similar per capita GDP levels. One secondary school and one primary school which participated in the National Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students were selected from each province. One class was selected from each grade of every school by using cluster sampling method. A total of 2 180 students were selected in this survey. Venous blood was collected and the level of hemoglobin, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, folic acid and vitamin B12 was analyzed to evaluate anemia and nutrient deficiencies. Results: As for western region, prevalence of anemia among students aged 6-8 and 9-11 years was 3.2% and 2.9%, respectively; iron deficiency prevalence among students aged 6-8, 9-11 and 12-14 years was 10.8%, 13.8% and 24.3%, respectively; and folic deficiency prevalence among students aged 12-14 and 15-17 years was 32.7 % and 49.4%, respectively. Prevalence of anemia, iron and folic deficiency in those areas was significantly higher than those of central regions (all P <0.05). As for the central regions, vitamin B12 deficiency prevalence of students aged 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17 years was 7.3%, 19.4%, 29.2% and 45.5% respectively, which was significantly higher than of those of the western regions at the same age group. Conclusion Anemia, iron deficiency and folic acid deficiency are more common among students in western region, while the vitamin B12 deficiency problem is more common in central region. There are regional differences in the nutritional problems of students in the rural areas of central and western part of China. Nutrition improvement of student needs to be adapted to local conditions.