ObjectiveTo explore the clinical effectivess of Nuangong Tiaojing Decoction （暖宫调经汤） combined with ginger moxibustion at Baliao acupoints （Eight Bone-Holes） for treating premature ovarian failure （POF） of yang-deficiency uterus-coldeness syndrome， based on conventional western medical treatment. MethodsA total of 130 patients diagnosed with POF of yang-deficiency uterus-coldeness syndrome were divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 65 cases in each group， based on patient preference. The control group received conventional western medicine treatment， while the treatment group was additionally given Nuangong Tiaojing Decoction orally one dose per day and underwent ginger moxibustion at Baliao points once daily. Both groups were treated for three months. Before and after treatment， ovarian function indicators， including ovarian volume， follicle count， ovarian peak systolic velocity （PSV）， and endometrial thickness were assessed， and serum sex hormone levels including progesterone （P）， estradiol （E₂）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， prolactin （PRL）， and testosterone （T）， as well as anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH） levels were also measured. Additionally， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were evaluated， covering symptoms such as reduced libido， lumbosacral pain， fear of cold with cold extremities， fatigue， dull complexion， lower abdominal distension and pain， pale tongue， and deep and rough pulse. After treatment， clinical effectiveness and safety were determined. ResultsCompared with the pre-treatment levels within group， both groups showed significant increases in ovarian volume， follicle count， PSV， endometrial thickness， and levels of P， E₂， and AMH after treatment， while the levels of FSH， LH， PRL， and T， as well as scores of lumbosacral pain， reduced libido， dull complexion， deep and rough pulse， and total TCM syndrome scores significantly reduced after treatment. Furthermore， the treatment group exhibited higher ovarian volume， follicle count， PSV， endometrial thickness， and levels of P， E₂， and AMH compared to the control group， while FSH， LH， PRL， T levels， and all symptom scores， as well as total TCM syndrome scores， were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The clinical effectiveness in treatment group was 96.92% （63/65）， significantly higher than 81.54% （53/65） in control group （P＜0.05）. The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was 26.15% （17/65）， while in the control group it was 32.31% （21/65）， with no statistically significant difference （P＞0.05）. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine treament， Nuangong Tiaojing Decoction combined with ginger moxibustion at Baliao acupoints for patients with POF of yang-deficiency uterus-coldeness syndrome can significantly improve ovarian function and clinical symptoms， regulate hormone levels， and thereby enhance clinical effectiveness.

In this study, RAW264.7 cells were employed to investigate the effects of honey-processed Astragalus on their energy metabolism and polarization, and explore the scientific connotation of the enhanced efficacy of honey-processed Astragalus on invigorating spleen-stomach and replenishing Qi. The medicated sera were prepared by intragastric administration of rats with water extracts of crude and honey-processed Astragalus, and the composition changes of medicated sera of crude and honey-processed Astragalus were analyzed by using LC-MS technology. The cell survival rates were detected and the concentrations of medicated sera were screened through CCK-8 assay. The differences of cell phagocytic rates, ATP energy metabolism, and NO secretion between crude and honey-processed Astragalus were evaluated by using neutral red phagocytosis assay, ATP detection kit, and NO detection kit. The effects of crude and honey-processed Astragalus on TNF-α secretion of RAW264.7 cells were detected by employing ELISA kit. The effects of crude and honey-processed Astragalus on polarization of RAW264.7 cells were evaluated by utilizing flow cytometry. The differential metabolites related to glycolysis in cell lysates and culture media were screened by using LC-MS technology. The experiment was approved by the experimental animal ethics committee from Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine (No. AWE202407352). The results showed that the contents of betaine, amino acids, and ononin in the prepared medicated sera of rats treated by intragastric administration with water extracts of honey-processed Astragalus increased compared to those in crude one. The results of CCK-8 experiment showed that there were no cytotoxic effects on RAW264.7 cells in the medicated sera of crude and honey-processd Astragalus at different concentration. The phagocytic index and ATP yield both increased to varying degrees after administration of the medicated sera to cells. The secretion of NO in normal and inflammatory cells increased and decreased respectively, and the effect of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. The results of ELISA kit showed that the medicated sera of both crude and honey-processed Astragalus could promote the secretion of TNF-α in a concentration-dependent manner, and the promoting effect of honey-processed Astragalus was stronger than that of crude one. The results of flow cytometry showed that the medicated sera of both crude and honey-processed Astragalus could promote M1-type polarization and inhibit M2-type polarization of RAW264.7 cells, and the effect of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. Compared to crude Astragalus, the metabolites related to glycolysis in the cell lysates and culture media of the medicated sera of honey-processed Astragalus were generally on the rise, indicating that the effect on promoting glycolysis of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. In summary, honey-processed Astragalus can promote the polarization and energy metabolism of RAW264.7 cells, and participate in positive immune regulation, which is correlated with its enhanced effect of invigorating spleen-stomach and replenishing Qi.

Five saponins were isolated from the kernels of Momordica cochinchinensis, by macroporous resin, silica gel, ODS column chromatography, and semi preparative HPLC. Based on MS and NMR analysis, combining with alkaline hydrolysis and acid hydrolysis, their structures were identified as: gypsogenin-3-O-{β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3)]-β-D-glucuropyranonosyl}-28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1→3)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1→4)]-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2)-β-D-fucopyranoside (1), quillaic acid-3-O-{β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3)]-β-D-glucuropyranonosyl}-28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1→3)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1→4)]-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2)-β-D-fucopyranoside (2), gypsogenin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3)]-β-D-glucuropyranonoside sodium (3), quillaic acid-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3)]-β-D-glucuropyranonoside sodium (4), 18α-quillaic acid-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3)]-β-D-glucuropyranonoside (5). Compounds 1-5 were new compounds, and named as mubezhisides A, B, C, D, E, respectively. They all could obviously inhibited the growth of Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis.

In view of the few studies on the influence of Armillaria spp. infection on the content of the chemical components in different parts of Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, this study determined the biomass of P. umbellatus sclerotia and the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia and the uninfected part of the sclerotia in different harvesting years under the conditions of A. gallica and A. mellea infection respectively. According to the difference of content and dynamic changes of the polysaccharide and the steroid substances, the superior Armillaria sp. was screened to obtain the best harvest years of P. umbellatus. Using HPLC and UV-VIS spectrophotometry methods, the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in P. umbellatus sclerotia infected by the two Armillaria spp. in different years were determined. In addition, the differentially expressed genes related to P. umbellatus polysaccharide synthesis were screened according to the transcriptomic data of different parts of P. umbellatus after A. mellea infection. With the increase of years, the biomass of sclerotia infected by different Armillaria spp. had significant differences, and there were significant differences in the four components of sclerotia. The four components of the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia were significantly higher than those of the uninfected part. The best harvest time was the third year after cultivation. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the infection of Armillaria spp. could significantly promote polysaccharide synthesis, which provided a basis for polysaccharide content determination at the molecular level. The study clarified the influence of different Armillaria spp. infection on the accumulation of chemical components of P. umbellatus sclerotia, laying a foundation for exploring the symbiosis mechanism and provided a scientific clue for screening superior Armillaria sp. and guiding the artificial cultivation of P. umbellatus sclerotia.

Eight compounds were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate part of 70% acetone extract of Rehmannia glutinosa by various chromatographic techniques such as silica gel, MCI gel CHP-20, ODS, Toyopearl HW-40C, combined with TLC and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by modern spectroscopy techniques (NMR, MS, UV, IR), and identified as neomartynoside A (1), osmanthuside B₆ (2), martynoside (3), isomartynoside (4), (E)-p-hydroxycinnamic acid (5), caffeic acid (6), ferulic acid (7), and methyl caffeate (8). Compound 1 is a new phenylethanol glycoside, which was identified as neomartynoside A. Compound 2 was isolated from Rehmannia glutinosa for the first time. In addition, compounds 2, 6 and 7 significantly increased relative glucose consumption, showing potential hypoglycemic activity.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan in improving the cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease （AD） from cell apoptosis mediated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodsFour-month-old SD male rats were randomly assigned into a blank group， a sham group， a model group， a donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg^-1） group， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （15.30， 7.65， and 3.82 g·kg^-1， respectively） Hei Xiaoyaosan groups， with 10 rats in each group. The sham group received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL normal saline， while the other groups received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL beta-amyloid 1-42 （Aβ_1-42） solution for the modeling of AD. Rats were administrated with corresponding agents once a day for 42 consecutive days. The Morris water maze test was carried out to assess the learning and memory abilities of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampus of rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of PI3K， Akt， and NF-κB. A cell model of AD was established by co-culturing Aβ_1-42 and PC12 cells in vitro. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by the cell-counting kit 8 （CCK-8） assay and flow cytometry （FC）， respectively. ResultsAnimal experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had a prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， a reduced number of crossing platforms （P<0.01）， disarrangement and a reduced number of hippocampal neurons， up-regulated expression of Bax and Caspase-3， down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）， decreased p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels， and an increased p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， donepezil hydrochloride and high- and medium-dose Hei Xiaoyaosan shortened the escape latency and increased the number of crossing platforms （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved the arrangement and increased the number of hippocampal neurons， down-regulated the expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3， up-reguated the expression level of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced the p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Cell experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited an increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at various doses improved the cell viability （P<0.01）， and the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at the high dose decreased the cell apoptosis （P<0.01）. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan may improve the learning and memory abilities of AD model rats by regulating cell apoptosis， while increasing the vitality and reducing the apoptosis rate of AD model cells via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the seroprevalence of antibody against Toxoplasma gondii among patients with hematological malignancies, and compare it with that among health individuals, so as to provide insights into unraveling the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. Methods A total of 225 patients with hematological malignancies in Department of Hematology, Xuzhou Central Hospital and 300 healthy individuals in the same hospital were enrolled from 2017 to 2024. Blood samples were collected from all subjects, and the serum IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii were detected using chemiluminescent immunoassay. Demographic and clinical features were collected from patients with hematological malignancies, including gender, age, contact with cats, consumption of raw or undercooked meat, type of malignancy, clinical symptoms, blood transfusion and treatment, and the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody was compared among patients with different characteristics. Results The age (t = 0.72, P > 0.05) and gender (χ² = 0.93, P > 0.05) were compared between patients with hematological malignancies and healthy individuals. The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 20.89% among patients with hematological malignancies and 4.33% among healthy individuals (χ² = 34.81, P < 0.01), and the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody was 20.89% among patients with hematological malignancies and 4.33% among healthy individuals (χ² = 34.81, P < 0.01), while there was no significant difference in the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgM antibody between patients with hematological malignancies and healthy individuals (1.33% vs. 0; corrected χ² = 2.02, P > 0.05). The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 23.08% among patients with leukemia, 16.67% among patients with lymphoma, 19.23% among patients with multiple myeloma, 24.00% among patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm, and 26.09% among patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (χ² = 1.44, P > 0.05), and was all higher than among healthy individuals (corrected χ² = 23.92, 10.74, 13.76, 12.84 and 14.54; all P values < 0.01). In addition, there were no significant differences in the detection of anti-T. gondii antibody among patients with hematological malignancies in terms of gender, age, contact with cats, consumption of raw or undercooked meat, chemotherapy or blood transfusion (χ² = 0.76, 1.97, 0, 2.81, 2.38 and 0.66; all P values > 0.05). Conclusions There is a high risk of T. gondii infection among patients with hematological malignancies, and intensified surveillance of T. gondii infection is recommended among patients with hematological malignancies.

Cardiometabolic disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in adults. In recent years, the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease has increased year by year, becoming a major problem in the global disease burden. The occurrence and development of cardiometabolic risk are affected by many factors. Shift work as an occupational hazard has been widely concerned. Nurses are a typical population for shift work, but few studies have looked at the association between their shift work and cardiometabolic risk. This article reviewed the current situation of cardiometabolic risk and the research progress on the association between shift work and cardiometabolic risk among nurses. The results showed that cardiometabolic risk is prevalent in the nurse population. Shift work is associated with cardiometabolic risks such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, and is mediated by circadian rhythm disorder, hormone secretion disorder, and stress response. However, the causal relationship between shift work and cardiometabolic risk is still unclear, and further prospective cohort studies should be conducted to improve the understanding of the impact of shift work on cardiometabolic risk in order to improve the cardiometabolic health status of nurses.

Reasonable and standardised placebo setting for acupoint application pastes is a key factor for clinical trials to verify the safety and effectiveness of acupoint application. By sorting out the current design status of placebo in the allocation concealment and blind design， paste components， paste location， paste duration in the current clinical trials of acupoint application pastes， it is proposed that there are problems such as low application rate of blinding and non-standardised reporting， insufficient standardisation of placebo settings and lack of systematic research， and lack of uniform standards of the placebo evaluation method. Based on the action mechanism of acupoint application， the idea of setting placebo for acupoint application paste is proposed in terms of replacing the application material， controlling the physicochemical effect produced by transdermal absorption of drugs， and setting the permeability of placebo， in order to enrich the methodological content of the placebo setting for acupoint application， and providing more scientific and reliable clinical evidence of acupoint application.

Objective: To retrospectively assess whether a lower hematocrit level (between 18% and 20%) had any impact on the safety of patients undergoing therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), and to further determine the threshold for red blood cell supplementation prior to TPE. Methods: Clinical data from 181 adult patients who underwent TPE treatment at the Department of Blood Transfusion of our hospital from March 2023 to July 2024 were collected. The patients were divided into a study group of 44 patients (Hct ≥18% and <20%) and a control group of 137 patients (Hct≥20%). In two groups, blood volume-related safety indicators including respiration rate, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation levels before and after TPE were compared using t-test. Between-group differences in the grading of adverse reactions such as allergies and hypotension were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: A total of 659 TPE treatments were performed on 181 patients, with 169 TPE treatments on 44 patients in the study group (Hct≥18% and <20%) and 490 TPE treatments on 137 patients in the control group (Hct≥20%). There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, BMI category, and the presence of cardiac insufficiency between the two groups. In the study group, there were no statistically significant differences in safety indicators such as respiration rate, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation level before and after TPE. In the control group, there were no statistically significant differences in heart rate and systolic blood pressure before and after TPE, but there were statistically significant differences in respiration rate and blood oxygen saturation level (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the grading of adverse reactions such as allergic reactions and hypotension between the two groups. Conclusion: For adult patients with stable conditions, maintaining a lower hematocrit level (Hct ≥18% and <20%) during TPE is relatively safe. It is feasible to lower the TPE red blood cell supplementation threshold to 18%≤Hct<20%，which may save blood resources while potentially benefit patients by avoiding unnecessary red blood cell transfusion.