OBJECTIVES: To study the association between early-life factors (including birth weight, method of birth, gestational age, and history of gestational metabolic disorders) and pubertal timing in girls. METHODS: The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select the girls in grades 2-3 and 7-8 from three primary schools and three middle schools in Guangzhou, China from March to December, 2019, and breast development was examined for all girls. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect the information on early-life factors. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association of gestational metabolic disorders, birth weight, method of birth, and gestational age with pubertal timing in girls. The Bootstrap method was used to assess the mediation effect of body mass index (BMI) (Z score) between high birth weight (≥4 000 g) and pubertal timing. RESULTS: A total of 1 665 girls were enrolled, among whom 280 (16.82%) were judged to have early pubertal timing. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high birth weight was associated with the increased risk of early pubertal timing (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.19-3.66, P=0.008). Nevertheless, no significant association was observed between other early-life factors and pubertal timing (P>0.05). The OR for the mediation effect of BMI (Z score) between high birth weight and early pubertal timing was 1.25 (95%CI: 1.09-1.47), accounting for 29.33% of the total effect of high birth weight on early pubertal timing. CONCLUSIONS High birth weight is associated with the increased risk of early pubertal timing in girls, and overweight/obesity may play a partial mediating role in the association between high birth weight and early pubertal timing in girls.
Female ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Body Mass Index ; China ; Gestational Age ; Logistic Models ; Puberty, Precocious

italic>Ardisia crispa (Thunb.) A. DC. is a traditional Miao medicinal herb with significant therapeutic effects in the treatment of sore throat, tonsillitis, edema of nephritis and bruising and rheumatism, etc. Ardisia crispa var. amplifolia and Ardisia crispa var. dielsii are varieties of A. crispa. A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii are controversial in terms of species evolutionary relationships and taxonomic identification. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome sequences of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii chloroplasts using Illumina platform, assembled, annotated and characterized them, compared the structural features and degree of variation among chloroplast genomes using bioinformatics methods, and also downloaded constructing phylogenetic trees to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of chloroplasts in Primulaceae and Myrsinaceae using whole genome sequence information. The results showed that the complete chloroplast genome sequences of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii were 156 749 bp and 156 748 bp in length, with 132 genes annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes; the codon preference of A/U was greater than that of G/C; The differences in the coding regions of rps15 and rpoB genes in the comparative genome analysis can be used as loci for molecular identification of the two species; the differences in the coding regions of ycf1, ycf2, rpoC1, ycf3, petD and rpl16 genes in the chloroplast genome compared with those of the same genus can be used as loci for identification of the genus. In the phylogenetic results, A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii were clustered together with 100% support, indicating that they are closely related. In this research, we analyzed the chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii, providing an important theoretical basis for their molecular identification, genetic variation, breeding and phylogenetic analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall (EHC), a Xizang medicinal plant traditionally used for treating liver diseases, can improve imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the effects of topical EHC use in vivo on the skin pathology of imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The protein levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in mouse skin samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells with or without EHC treatment were used to evaluate the expression of keratinocyte-derived intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and chemokine CXC ligand 9 (CXCL9) using Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor MG132 were utilized to validate the EHC-mediated mechanism underlying degradation of ICAM-1 and CXCL9. RESULTS: EHC improved inflammation in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and reduced the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17A in psoriatic lesions. Treatment with EHC also suppressed ICAM-1 and CXCL9 in epidermal keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies revealed that EHC suppressed keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9 by promoting ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated protein degradation rather than transcriptional repression. Seven primary compounds including ehletianol C, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, herpetrione, herpetin, herpetotriol, herpetetrone and herpetetrol were identified from the EHC using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION Topical application of EHC ameliorates psoriasis-like skin symptoms and improves the inflammation at the lesion sites. Please cite this article as: Zhong Y, Zhang BW, Li JT, Zeng X, Pei JX, Zhang YM, Yang YX, Li FL, Deng Y, Zhao Q. Ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall ameliorates psoriasis-like skin inflammation and promotes degradation of keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(6): 584-592.
Animals ; Mice ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Imiquimod/adverse effects* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Ligands ; Psoriasis/chemically induced* ; Keratinocytes ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Chemokines/metabolism* ; Interferon-gamma/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

Since the emergence of the term "materia medica", scholars have proposed different opinions on its concept. This term has been used to refer to traditional Chinese medicines, or medical books, or traditional pharmacology. Due to the differences in the concept of materia medica, scholars also have controversies about the concept of herbalism. Herbalism is usually understood as traditional Chinese pharmacology. After years of evolution, the term "herbalism" has now possessed the characteristics of an independent discipline, which can be defined as an applied basic discipline that comprehensively utilizes traditional and modern technological methods to study the formation, development, and changes of traditional pharmacology and reveal the basic theories and application laws of traditional medicine. At present, the research content of herbalism mainly includes three aspects: materia medica history, materia medica literature, and traditional pharmacology. This study explores the disciplinary concepts and main research content of herbalism based on a systematic review of the literature about the concepts of materia medica and herbalism, with the aim of attracting more attention to promote the establishment and development of the discipline of herbalism.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Herbal Medicine ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Technology

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy burdening people globally, with increasing morbidity and mortality nowadays, due to the alternation in the diet type and lifestyle in modern society. Berberine, a type of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, is widely present in numerous medicinal plants, particularly including Coptidis Rhizoma. Mounting evidence reveals that berberine possesses an array of pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, anti-bacterium, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes mellitus and so on. In particular, berberine exhibits substantial inhibition on various types of cancers including CRC. Hereby, we sought to systematically review the suppressive effect of berberine on CRC through the diminishment of the proliferation and metastasis, induction of apoptosis, arrest of cell cycle, regulation of inflammatory reaction, the reverse of chemotherapeutic resistance and restoration of gut microbiota in CRC, so as to shed light on the in-depth mechanisms underlying the treatment of CRC with berberine in the clinical setting.

AIM: To provide a scientific basis for the development of children's eye health measures in Binhu District of Wuxi City by understanding the visual development status of children aged 0-6 years old in the region.

METHODS: A total of 3 695 children of 0-6 years old from preschool children in Binhu District received quickly check of eye's refractive status by using the SureSight automatic screening refractor, and determine the results by referring to the refractive screening referral standard norm for each age groups offered by the US Welch Allyn company. All participating preschool children have completed a vision screening and a comprehensive eye examination.

RESULTS: The total of abnormal rate was 9.76%, suspicious rate was 5.40% in vision screened children, along with the age increase, the abnormal and suspicious detection rates had a tendency to rise, differences in vision screening results of each age group were statistically significant(χ²=15.913, P=0.014), and differences between boys and girls had no statistical significance(χ²=7.200, P=0.066). The highest proportion of abnormal vision was astigmatism(13.89%, 17.96%, 17.62%, 11.50%), followed by hyperopia(0.35%, 1.91%, 3.60%, 8.86%)and anisometropia(0.69%, 0.67%, 1.64%, 2.07%)in different age groups. Hyperopia(4.38%), myopia(0.82%), astigmatism(15.65%), anisometropia(1.42%)and any refractive(0.466%), these five types in the distribution of various age groups. The prevalence of astigmatism in preschool children in 0-3 years old were 6.94%(95%CI: 4.90%-9.00%)and the 3-4 years old were 8.98%(95%CI: 7.80%-10.20%), the 4-5 years old were 8.81%(95%CI: 7.70%-9.90%), the 5-6 years old were 5.75%(95%CI: 4.80%-6.70%). The prevalence of astigmatism in different age groups had no statistical difference(χ²=0.872, P=0.929).

CONCLUSION: Astigmatism was the most common type of ametropia in preschool children, followed by hyperopia and anisometropia. Although no myopia was found, it confirmed the previous research that myopia was not formed at early age. Preschool children vision screening and eye care should be implemented regularly.

Objective:To investigate mutations in the KRT5 gene in a pedigree with Dowling-Degos disease.Methods:Clinical data were collected from the proband, and a survey was conducted in 12 members in 3 generations of the family. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the proband, 8 family members and 50 unrelated healthy individuals, genomic DNA was extracted for whole-exome sequencing, and sequencing results were compared with the published sequences of human KRT5, POFUT1 and POGLUT1 genes.Results:There were 3 patients in this family, including the proband, his father and deceased grandmother. The proband and his father clinically presented with reticular pigmentation in the skinfolds, especially the chest and abdomen skinfolds. A novel heterozygous nonsense mutation c.165T>A was identified in exon 1 of the KRT5 gene in the proband and his father, but not in other family members or healthy controls. No abnormality was found in the POFUT1 or POGLUT1 gene in any subjects.Conclusion:A novel heterozygous nonsense mutation c.165T>A was identified in the KRT5 gene, and may contribute to the clinical phenotype of the proband and his father with Dowling-Degos disease.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that has become a major gastroenterologic problem during recent decades. Numerous complicating factors are involved in UC development such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and microbiota disorder. These factors exacerbate damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier. Spirulina platensis is a commercial alga with various biological activity that is widely used as a functional ingredient in food and beverage products. However, there have been few studies on the treatment of UC using S. platensis aqueous extracts (SP), and the underlying mechanism of action of SP against UC has not yet been elucidated. Herein, we aimed to investigate the modulatory effect of SP on microbiota disorders in UC mice and clarify the underlying mechanisms by which SP alleviates damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to establish a normal human colonic epithelial cell (NCM460) injury model and UC animal model. The mitochondrial membrane potential assay 3-‍‍(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,‍5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and staining with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) and Hoechst 33258 were carried out to determine the effects of SP on the NCM460 cell injury model. Moreover, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), western blot, and 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing were used to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of action of SP on UC in C57BL/6 mice. In vitro studies showed that SP alleviated DSS-induced NCM460 cell injury. SP also significantly reduced the excessive generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevented mitochondrial membrane potential reduction after DSS challenge. In vivo studies indicated that SP administration could alleviate the severity of DSS-induced colonic mucosal damage compared with the control group. Inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress was associated with increases in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of tight junction proteins (TJs) post-SP treatment. SP improved gut microbiota disorder mainly by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and the expression of TJs in the colon. Our findings demonstrate that the protective effect of SP against UC is based on its inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine overproduction, inhibition of DSS-induced ROS production, and enhanced expression of antioxidant enzymes and TJs in the colonic mucosal barrier.
Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Colitis/prevention & control* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Colon/metabolism* ; Dextran Sulfate/toxicity* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Spirulina

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of acid stimulation on salivary flow rate and compositions of human parotid and submandibular glands, so as to provide basis for comprehensive evaluation of salivary gland function in both health and disease status. METHODS: In the study, 210 healthy participants' whole saliva samples were collected under passive drooling, and their parotid gland and submandibular gland secretions were collected by negative pressure suction. 2% citric acid was dropped on the tip of tongue every 1 min for acid stimulation for a total of 5 times to collect stimulated whole saliva, parotid and submandibular gland saliva. The collected saliva was weighed and saliva flow rate was calculated. The K⁺, Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺, total protein, total phosphorus and α-amylase in saliva samples were detected by biochemical analyzer, and the changing features of flow rate and compositions of different kinds of saliva were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: After acid stimulation, saliva flow rate significantly increased. The increase proportion of parotid gland saliva (10.7 folds) was much higher than that of submandibular gland saliva (2.9 folds). The concentrations of Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺, total protein and α-amylase in parotid gland saliva increased significantly (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in total phosphorus and K⁺ (P=0.89, P=0.34). The concentration of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ in saliva of submandibular gland increased significantly(P < 0.05), the concentration of total phosphorus decreased significantly(P < 0.05), and the concentration of Cl^- increased, but the difference was not significant(P=0.068). There was no significant difference in total protein, K⁺ and α-amylase (P=0.85, P=0.07, P=0.95). The compound secretion rate of total phosphorus in saliva of submandibular gland remained unchanged(P=0.066), while the secretion rate of K⁺, Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺, total protein and α-amylase significantly increased(P < 0.01). The compound secretion rate of K⁺, Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺, total protein and total phosphorus and α-amylase in parotid gland saliva increased(P < 0.01). The concentrations of Na⁺, Cl^-, K⁺, total phosphorus, total protein and α-amylase in parotid were higher than those in submandibular gland (P < 0.01), and the concentration of Ca²⁺ in submandibular gland saliva was significantly higher than that in parotid (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The response of parotid to acid stimulation is stronger, and the secretion of submandibular gland is more stable. Acid stimulation significantly influences the concentrations of electrolytes in saliva, and the composited secretion rate is an evaluation index to reflect both flow rate and composition concentration of saliva. The parotid gland plays an important role in the secretion of total protein, total phosphorus and α-amylase in saliva, and the submandibular gland is the main source of Ca²⁺ in saliva.
Humans ; Parotid Gland ; Saliva ; Secretory Rate ; Submandibular Gland ; Tongue

Objective To analyze the distribution features of the Bragg peak of carbon ion beams in materials using SRIM software, and to explore the use of computed tomography (CT) number to calculate the incident energy of carbon ion beams. Methods SRIM software was used to study the travel of carbon ion beams (100 to 300 MeV/u) in different equivalent materials, and analyze the effects of the incident energy of carbon ion beams and the type and thickness of equivalent materials on the depth of the Bragg peak of carbon ion beams. Origin 2017 was used to analyze the functional relationship between CT number and water-equivalent Bragg peak depth ratio (Di) through data fitting. Results The ratios of the Bragg peak depths in equivalent materials to that in water almost stayed constant with the increase in the incident energy of carbon ion beams. Through the functional relation between CT number and D_i, the Bragg peak depth of a carbon ion beam of a given energy in an equivalent material could be converted to the equivalent Bragg peak depth in water. Conclusion With the water-equivalent Bragg peak depth ratio D_i and CT number of different volume units of human tissues, the equivalent Bragg peak depth in water required for the Bragg peak to fall in the tumor can be accurately calculated, which can be used to reversely infer the needed incident energy of carbon ion beams.