ObjectiveMicrotube associated protein-2 （MAP-2）， alpha-tubulin （α-tubulin）， and synaptophysin （SYP） are important proteins in neuronal signal communication. This paper observed the effects of modified Zhigancao Tang on the expression of serum α-Synuclein （α-Syn） and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP of patients with liver and kidney deficiency of Parkinson's disease （PD）， analyzed their correlation， and evaluated the therapeutic effect of modified Zhigancao Tang in patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD based on α-Syn transmission pathway mediated by neuronal communication in vivo. MethodsA total of 60 patients with PD who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a treatment group （30 cases） and a control group （30 cases）. Both groups were treated on the basis of PD medicine， and the treatment group was treated with modified Zhigancao Tang. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The changes in UPDRS score， TCM syndrome score， and expression of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP were observed before and after 12 weeks of treatment in each group. The correlation between the above-mentioned serum biological indexes and the levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers was analyzed. ResultsAfter treatment， the TCM syndrome score， UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ score of the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ scores in the treatment group were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total effective rate of the control group was 63.3% （19/30）， and that of the treatment group was 86.7% （26/30）. The clinical effect of the observation group was better than the control group （Z=-2.03， P<0.05）. The total effective rate of the observation group was better than that of the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （χ²=5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， the oligomer level of serum α-Syn and MAP-2 level in the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， as well as α-tubulin in the treatment group， were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum α-Syn was correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-Syn oligomer in patients with PD （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP . Serum α-Syn oligomers of patients with PD were correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-tubulin （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP level. Serum SYP of patients with PD was correlated with serum MAP-2 （P<0.05）. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Tang has a therapeutic effect on patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD by inhibiting the production of α-Syn oligomers and intervening α-Syn microtubule transport pathway in vivo.

BACKGROUND:Pinoresinol diglucoside promotes bone formation and bone matrix synthesis and accelerates bone tissue repair.However,the mechanism of action and effects of this compound in osteoblasts need to be further explored. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and mechanism of action of pinoresinol diglucoside on dexamethasone-treated osteoblasts based on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. METHODS:Different concentrations of dexamethasone groups and pinoresinol diglucoside groups were set to treat osteoblasts for 24 hours,and the optimal intervention concentrations were screened.Osteoblasts were treated with dexamethasone,pinoresinol diglucoside and inhibitor XAV-939.Then,control group,dexamethasone group,XVA-939 group,pinoresinol diglucoside group,pinoresinol diglucoside+XVA-939 group were set up.Cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect cell activity.Alkaline phosphatase activity and caspase3/7 enzyme activity in cells were detected.Annexin V/PI staining and EdU assay were used to detect cell apoptosis and proliferation.Real-time qPCR and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt3a,β-catenin,c-myc,osteocalcin,and type I collagen,respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After dexamethasone and pinoresinol diglucoside intervened in osteoblasts for 24 hours,10 μmol/L dexamethasone was found to be the optimal intervention concentration for cell inhibition,and cell proliferation was most pronounced at a concentration of pinoresinol diglucoside of 100 μmol/L.Compared with the dexamethasone group,alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly enhanced(P<0.05)and caspase3/7 enzyme activity was significantly reduced(P<0.05)in the pinoresinol diglucoside group.Annexin V/PI staining and cell proliferation assay by EdU method showed that pinoresinol diglucoside inhibited apoptosis and promoted proliferation of osteoblasts after dexamethasone intervention.The mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt3a,β-catenin,c-myc,osteocalcin,and type I collagen were significantly higher in the pinoresinol diglucoside group and pinoresinol diglucoside+XVA-939 group compared with the dexamethasone and XVA-939 groups(P<0.05).To conclude,pinoresinol diglucoside can inhibit osteoblast apoptosis after dexamethasone intervention,protect osteoblast activity and promote osteoblast proliferation by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway,which may play a role in delaying steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Threatened abortion is a common disease of obstetrics and gynecology and one of the diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. The China Association of Chinese Medicine organized experts in TCM obstetrics and gynecology， Western medicine obstetrics and gynecology， and pharmacology to deeply discuss the advantages of TCM and integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment as well as the medication plans for threatened abortion. After discussion， the experts concluded that chromosome， endocrine， and immune abnormalities were the key factors for the occurrence of threatened abortion， and the Qi and blood disorders in thoroughfare and conception vessels were the core pathogenesis. In the treatment of threatened abortion， TCM has advantages in preventing miscarriages， alleviating clinical symptoms and TCM syndromes， relieving anxiety， regulating reproductive endocrine and immune abnormalities， personalized and diversified treatment， enhancing efficiency and reducing toxicity， and preventing the disease before occurrence. The difficulty in diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with traditional Chinese and Western medicine lies in identifying the predictors of abortion caused by maternal factors and the treatment of thrombophilia. Recurrent abortion is the breakthrough point of treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It is urgent to carry out high-quality evidence-based medicine research in the future to improve the modern diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with TCM.

BACKGROUND:Disturbances in bone metabolism have a significant association with ferroptosis in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head(SONFH).Furthermore,the pathologic process of SONFH is characterized by the presence of cartilage damage and degeneration.However,the specific regulatory targets and the relationship between ferroptosis and cartilage concerning SONFH remain unclear. OBJECTIVE:To employ bioinformatics and machine learning techniques to identify specific genes associated with ferroptosis that target cartilage and to investigate the correlation between ferroptosis and cartilage,thereby providing novel ideas and methodologies for the study and treatment of SONFH. METHODS:Disease datasets pertinent to the study and ferroptosis-related genes were retrieved from the GEO and FerrDb databases.Subsequently,the disease datasets were normalized and differential analysis using the R language to identify ferroptosis-related differential genes(Fe-DEGs).We conducted Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis of Fe-DEGs.Furthermore,ferroptosis-related signature genes were filtered based on the protein-protein interaction network of Fe-DEGs and machine learning methods.Finally,the rabbits were divided into normal and model groups.The normal group was given the same dose of saline to simulate the modeling drug,and the animal model of SONFH in rabbits was constructed by injection of modified horse serum combined with methylprednisolone.After successful modeling,the expression of signature gene was verified between different groups,and the phenotype of ferroptosis in cartilage was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Through the normalization and differential analysis of the dataset,a total of 1 315 differentially expressed genes were identified.Additionally,379 ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from the FerrDb database.After intersecting both gene sets,19 Fe-DEGs were obtained.The GO analysis revealed that Fe-DEGs were mainly involved in biological processes such as cell migration and cellular response to oxidative stress,cellular components such as kinase complexes,amino acid complexes,and cytoplasmic membranes,as well as molecular functions such as kinase activity,receptor activity,and protein binding.The KEGG analysis revealed that Fe-DEGs were mainly enriched in the FoxO signaling pathway,vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway,and FcγR-mediated phagocytosis.Constructing a protein-protein interaction network and using machine learning,we identified the ferroptosis-related signature gene,CA9.The gene set enrichment analysis of the signature gene CA9 revealed an upregulated expression in biological processes such as fatty acid metabolism and O-GlcNAc glycosylation modification,while being inhibited in terms of neural activity and ligand-receptor interactions.RT-PCR and western blot results showed that compared with the normal group,the expressions of ACSL4 and CA9 at mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in the model group(P<0.05),while the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPX4 at mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower in the model group(P<0.05),coinciding with the expression levels of the signature genes in the dataset.These findings indicate that the cartilage of SONFH is closely related to ferroptosis,and targeting the signature gene may provide certain ideas and directions for the study and treatment of SONFH.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between serum calcium levels and the prognosis of survival and renal recovery in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) accompanied by hypercalcemia.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of patients with AKI accompanied by hypercalcemia admitted to Shanghai General Hospital from December 2015 to August 2022. There were 157 patients included in the study. The observation endpoint was set at discharge, focusing on the patients' survival and renal recovery during this period. Based on their status at discharge, patients were divided into a survival group (116 cases) and a death group (41 cases); and among the survivors, into a renal recovery group (63 cases) and a non-recovery group (53 cases). Continuous variables conforming to normal distribution were expressed as xˉ± s, and the mean comparison between the two groups was performed using an independent sample t-test. Continuous variables not conforming to normal distribution were represented by median (interquartile range) and compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency (percentage), and comparisons were made using the chi-squared (χ 2) test or Fisher's exact test, as applicable. The correlation between serum calcium levels and patient outcomes was analyzed using univariate and multivariate Logistic regression. Results:The average age of the study subjects was (68.37±16.28) years, with 97 males (61.78%). The ages in the survival and death groups were (65.39±16.13) years and (76.80±13.67) years, respectively, with 66 males in the survival group and 31 in the death group. The history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma) was 37 cases and 23 cases, respectively, and serum albumin levels were (35.41±6.84) g/L and (30.82±5.75) g/L, respectively. Significant Statistical differences were observed in age, gender, history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma), and serum albumin were found between the survival and death groups (statistical values: t=4.04, χ 2=4.49, χ 2=7.51, t=3.85; all P<0.05). AIK 1 stage were 33.33%(21/63) and 64.15%(34/53), 2 stage were 36.51%(23/63) and 24.53%(13/34), 3 stage were 30.16%(23/63) and 11.32%(6/34) in the renal recovery and non-recovery groupsrespectively. Serum calcium at discharge in the renal recovery and non-recovery groups were (2.50±0.38) mmol/L and (2.70±0.58) mmol/L, respectively, with mean serum calcium levels of (2.60±0.29) mmol/L and (2.78±0.39) mmol/L, and lowest serum calcium levels of (2.28±0.36) mmol/L and (2.50±0.51) mmol/L, respectively. BNP levels were 118 (64, 283) ng/L and 248 (69, 1 383) ng/L, respectively. Significant differences in AKI stage, serum calcium at discharge, mean serum calcium, lowest serum calcium, and BNP were observed between the two groups (statistical values: χ 2=11.84, t=2.26, t=2.75, t=2.73, U=2.62, all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR=1.062, 95% CI 1.027-1.098, P<0.001), history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma) ( OR=3.811, 95% CI 1.623-8.951, P=0.002), and serum albumin ( OR=0.889, 95% CI 0.829-0.953, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality of patients; severity of AKI(AKI2 OR=2.984, 95% CI 1.281-6.954, P=0.011, AKI3 OR=5.280, 95% CI 1.863-14.963, P=0.002) and serum calcium level at discharge ( OR=0.813, 95% CI 0.666-0.992, P=0.041) were independent risk factors affecting early renal recovery of patients. Conclusion:Serum calcium level is not associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with AKI accompanied by hypercalcemia but is related to the prognosis of early renal recovery. Proactively managing serum calcium, along with treatment of the primary malignancy and correction of hypoalbuminemia can help improve the prognosis of these patients.

Objective To explore and establish preliminary methods for sampling,pretreatment,and detection of airborne etomidate and fentanyl.By finding and selecting source-marking molecules of illicit drugs,preliminarily elucidated the source characteristics of airborne etomidate and fentanyl.Methods Etomidate and fentanyl-containing flue gas have been produced via simulated smoking,while the flue gas has been collected through bubbling absorption or filter membrane;The collected PM have been extracted by ethanol for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)analysis of etomidate,fentanyl and marking molecules(nicotine).Additionally,ultra-high performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)have been implemented to quantify concentration of etomidate and fentanyl in PM extraction solution for estimating content of airborne PM-containing etomidate and fentanyl.Results The estimated content of indoor PM-containing etomidate generated from smoking is 750.70 ng/m3,and the estimated content of indoor PM-containing fentanyl is 399.07 ng/m3.Conclusion Under the experimental conditions,the sampling efficiency of PM filtration is higher than that of flue-gas blubbing absorption.Nicotine can serve as a marker for the smoking or thermal-inhaling sources of PM-containing etomidate and fentanyl.The present research provides a new practical case for analyzing the source characteristics of airborne PM-containing illicit drugs.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value Tamm-Horsfall protein(THP)and osteopontin(OPN)in serum and 24-hour urine for urolithiasis.Methods A total of 101 patients with urolithiasis who underwent flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy at the Urology Department of Civil Aviation General Hospital from April 2020 to March 2023 were included as the stone group,and 50 healthy individuals were enrolled as the control group.The samples of serum and 24-hour urine samples were collected from both the groups,and the levels of THP and OPN were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between each biomarker and urolithiasis,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to assess their diagnostic value.Results The stone group showed significantly lower THP levels(20.13[13.12,26.03]mg/d)and OPN levels(51.24[36.72,101.37]μg/d)in 24-hour urine,and THP levels(182.01[160.91,209.20]ng/mL)and OPN lev-els(18.76[15.72,22.48]ng/mL)in serum compared to the control group(all the P＜0.001).Binary Logistic regression analysis re-vealed that THP(OR=0.736,95％CI:0.606-0.895),OPN(OR=0.975,95％CI:0.958-0.993)and citrate(OR=0.067,95％CI:0.012-0.376)in 24-hour urine,and THP(OR=0.946,95％CI:0.908-0.986)and OPN(OR=0.896,95％CI:0.803-0.999)in ser-um were the protective factors for urolithiasis,while calcium level(OR=2.125,95％CI:1.243-3.633)24-hour urine was a risk factor(all the P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve(AUCROC)for the individual diagnosis of urolithiasis were 0.846,0.809,0.786,0.823,0.748,and 0.755 for the above six biomarkers,respectively.The AUCROC for the combined diagnosis u-sing THP+OPN in serum,THP+OPN in 24-hour urine and all the six biomarkers were 0.882,0.920 and 0.984,respectively,indica-ting better diagnostic performance.Conclusion The combined detection of the THP and OPN levels in serum and 24-hour urine may have good diagnostic value for urolithiasis and serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers.

As a complex and refractory disease,the incidence of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head(SONFH)is increasing year by year and showing an increasing trend in younger people.A good animal model of disease can provide important support for studying the pathogenesis of SONFH and the development of treatment method.In this paper,the latest progress made in the construction of SONFH animal models is summarized and analyzed from the aspects of animal selection,modeling method,and model evaluation.To achieve this,we review and categorize the experimental studies related to SONFH animal models conducted in China and overseas in recent years,providing a reference for related research of SONFH.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors related to pregnancy of endometriosis and whether Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with endometriosis in long-term management. METHODS: This multicenter cohort study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of endometriosis patients with fertility needs from January 2019 to November 2019. A total of 252 patients with endometriosis from 5 level-III Grade A hospitals in Beijing were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed for the relevant factors. The propensity score matching (PSM) function of SPSS software was used to match the CHMs group with the non-CHMs group. The pregnancy rate and live birth rate were analyzed. RESULTS: The results of univariate analysis showed that age, disease course, presence of infertility, presence of adenomyosis, time after surgery or use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a), use of CHMs and follow-up time were influencing factors of pregnancy in endometriosis patients (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that age, presence of adenomyosis, time after surgery or use of GnRH-a, use of CHMs and follow-up time were independent factors affecting pregnancy in endometriosis patients, among which, age ⩾35 years old, presence of adenomyosis and follow-up time >6 months were independent risk factors (OR=0.445, 0.348, 0.140, respectively, P<0.05), time after surgery or use of GnRH-a ⩽6 months and use of CHMs were independent protective factors (OR=3.839, 3.842, respectively, P<0.05). After PSM, 99 pairs of two groups were matched successfully. The pregnancy rate of the CHMs group was higher than that of the non-CHMs group [55.56% (55/99) vs. 36.36% (36/99), P<0.05]. The live birth rate of the CHMs group was higher than that of the non-CHMs group [49.49% (49/99) vs. 35.35% (35/99), P<0.05]. CONCLUSION CHMs can effectively improve clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of patients with endometriosis in the chronic disease management.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Endometriosis/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Adenomyosis ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Plant Extracts ; Fertilization in Vitro

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the onset and recurrence characteristics of noncardiogenic ischemic stroke patients in China. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter and registry study was carried out in 2,558 patients at 7 representative clinical sub-centers during November 3, 2016 to February 17, 2019. A questionnaire was used to collect information of patients regarding CM syndromes and constitutions and associated risk factors. Additionally, stroke recurrence was defined as a primary outcome indicator. RESULTS: A total of 327 (12.78 %) patients endured recurrence events, 1,681 (65.72%) were men, and the average age was 63.33 ± 9.45 years. Totally 1,741 (68.06%) patients suffered first-ever ischemic stroke, 1,772 (69.27%) patients reported to have hypertension, and 1,640 (64.11%) of them reported dyslipidemia, 1,595 (62.35%) patients exhibited small-artery occlusion by The Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification. Specifically, 1,271 (49.69%) patients were considered as qi-deficient constitution, and 1,227 (47.97%) patients were determined as stagnant blood constitution. There were 1,303 (50.94%) patients diagnosed as blood stasis syndrome, 1,280 (50.04%) patients exhibited phlegm and dampness syndrome and 1,012 (39.56%) patients demonstrated qi deficiency syndrome. And 1,033 (40.38%) patients declared intracranial artery stenosis, and 478 (18.69%) patients reported carotid artery stenosis. The plaque in 1,508 (41.36%) patients were of mixed. Particularly, 41.09% of them demonstrated abnormal levels of glycated hemoglobin levels. CONCLUSIONS Recurrence in minor and small-artery stroke cannot be ignored. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, abnormal HbA1c, intracranial artery stenosis and carotid plaque were more common in stroke patients. Particularly, phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndromes, as well as qi deficiency and blood stasis constitutions, were still the main manifestations of stroke. (Trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT03174535).
Aged ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ischemic Stroke ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; Syndrome