Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective To investigate the changes of plasma microRNA-223 (miR-223) in pediatric severe pneumonia patients and its relationship with severe pneumonia.Methods There were 50 children with severe pneumonia enrolled in the study (observation group),and 50 healthy children were selected as control group (normal control group).The expression levels of plasma miR-223 were detected by real time polymerase chain reaction.The relationship between miR-223 and procalcitonin (PCT),C-reactive protein (CRP),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-α,and interleukin (IL)-10 were analyzed.The predictive value of miR-223 in plasma,PCT,and CRP to severe pneumonia was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.The relationship between miR-223,T cells,TNF-α,and IL-10 was analyzed.Results The plasma miR-223 expression levels in observation group were upregulated compared to those in the normal control group [(16.01 ± 5.17) × 10-4 mg/L vs (5.44 ± 2.21) × 10-4 mg/L,t =7.46,P ＜ 0.01].The CRP and PCT expression levels in severe pneumonia patients were higher than those of the normal control group [z =5.496,5.198,P ＜0.05,orP ＜0.01].The expressions of CD4+ CD25+Treg,miR-223,and IL-10 in observation group were higher than those of normal control group (P ＜0.05).The expression of CD4 + CD25 + Treg,miR-223,and IL-10 in the death children were higher.There was a positive correlation between miR-223 and IL-10 (r =0.335,0.571,P ＜ 0.01).The sensitivity and specific degrees to predict the severe pneumonia in mir-223,PCT,and CRP were 83.79％,86.12％,66.68％,91.05％,78.01％,and 44.23％,respectively.miR-223 was better than PCT and CRP to predict severe pneumonia in children.Conclusions The expression levels of plasma miR-223 in children with severe pneumonia could reflect the immunity,and it can be used as early prognostic markers to reflect the severity of inflammation in some degree.

Objective To explore the effect of enalapril combined with folate acid on endothelial function and urine microalbumin(UMA) in patients with hypertension.Methods 120 patients with hypertension were randomly divided into two groups:control group (n =60) was given enalapril 10.0mg/d,observation group (n =60) received enalapril 10.0mg + folic acid 0.4mg/d.The total treatment period was 8 weeks.Blood pressure,plasma homocysteine (Hcy),flow mediated dilation (FMD) and UMA were examined.Results The efficacy of pressure releasinghad no significant difference between two groups.Hcy[(10.2 ± 5.8) μmol/L vs (16.6 ±-8.1) μmol/L,t =3.641],FMD[(14.8 ±5.4)％ vs (8.2±3.5)％,t =7.325] and UMA[(14.8 ±5.4)mg/L vs (31.6 ±9.5)mg/L,t =8.221] of two groups were significantly different after treatment.Conclusion Combination therapy of enalapril and folate acid can decrease plasma Hey and UMA,restore vascular endothelium function in patients with hypertension.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of differentiating lymph node metastases of four types of primary tumors (lymphoma, lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma) using gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) . Methods Three cases with lymphoma (28 lymph node), five cases with lung adenocarcinoma(30 lymph node), four cases with lung squamous cell carcinoma(24 lymph node) and two cases with cholangiocarcinoma( 10 lymph node) were evaluated by germstona spectra imaging CT scans. Imaging protocol included unenhanced conventional CT scan (120 kVp) ,enhanced GSI (80/140 kVp) on arterial phase and conventional CT scan (120 kVp) on portal phase. CT attenuation values of lymph nodes in the monochromatic images at 11 sets of keV levels (40-140 keV, 10 keV step) and the iodine and water contents of these lymph nodes were measured. All results were analyzed with ANOVA and t test. Results The optimal monochromatic level was 70 keV for the optimal contrast-noise ratio (CNR) of metastatic lymphadenopathy. The CT attenuation values of metastatic lymphadenopathy were (81.36 ±9. 81 ), (58.33 ± 21.55 ), (56. 47 ± 10.62) and (73. 57 ±4. 43 ) HU,respectively, at 70 keV( F = 17.29, P ＜0. 01 ). There were significant differences in CT attenuation values between lymphoma and lung adenocarcinoma, between lymphoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma and between lung squamous cell carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (P ＜ 0. 05 ). The differences in CT attenuation values were significant between cholangiocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma, between cholangiocarcinoma and lymphoma ( P ＜ 0. 05 ). There was no difference in CT attenuation values at all 11 sets of keV levels between lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma ( P ＞ 0. 05 ). The iodine contents of lymphoma, lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma were ( 1. 93 ± 0. 04 ), ( 1.16 ± 0. 15 ), ( 1.25 ± 0. 21 ) and ( 1.44 ± 0. 04 ) g/L, respectively. The water contents of lymphoma, lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma were (1029.40 ± 20. 85), (1024.98 ± 11.19), (1022.12 ± 12. 94) and (1030.87 ± 10.10) g/L,respectively. Except between lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma, the differences in the iodine contents of metastatic lymphadenopathy were significant among tumors ( P ＜ 0. 05 ). There was no difference in the water contents of metastatic lymphadenopathy among tumors ( P ＞ 0. 05 ). Conclusions Although CT spectral imaging fails to differentiate metastatic lymphadenopathy of lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma, it is also a promising method of distinguishing metastatic lymphadenopathy of malignant tumors by CT attenuation values in monochromatic images and iodine contents in material density images. The optimal monochromatic level was determined to be at 70 keV for providing the optimal CNR of metastatic lymphadenopathy.