OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Pangshi antai zhixue decoction in the improvement of spontaneous abortion with heat syndrome by regulating the NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome. METHODS The binding activities of 13 main components in Pangshi antai zhixue decoction with NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein ， containing a CARD （ASC）， and caspase-1 precursor （pro- No.20-21ZY1053） caspase-1） were predicted by molecular docking. Sixty 1-day-old pregnant rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group （0.002 g/kg）， and Pangshi antai zhixue decoction low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （11.025， 22.05， 44.10 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Each group was given distilled water/corresponding medicinal solution intragastrically， once a day， for 12 consecutive days. Except for normal group， other groups were given traditional Chinese medicine for warming yang and mifepristone to establish a model of spontaneous abortion with heat syndrome. 24 h after the last medication， serum levels of triiodothyronine （T3）， thyroxine （T4）， interleukin-2 （IL-2）， IL-4， IL-6， IL-10， and interferon-γ （IFN-γ） were all detected； the abortion rate and uterine coefficient were calculated； the pathological morphology of the pregnant uterus was observed； protein expressions of NLRP3， ASC and caspase-1 were detected. RESULTS The molecular docking results showed that the binding energies of 13 main components of Pangshi antai zhixue decoction with NLRP3， ASC， and pro-caspase-1 were all less than －5 kJ/moL. The animal experiment results showed that compared with normal group， the uterine coefficient and serum levels of IL-4， IL-6 and IL-10 were decreased significantly in model group （P＜0.05）； the abortion rate and serum levels of T3， T4， IL-2 and IFN-γ as well as protein expressions of NLRP3， ASC and caspase-1 were increased significantly （P＜0.05）； there were abortion lesions in the pregnant endometrium. Compared with the model group， most of the quantitative indicators mentioned above were significantly reversed in Pangshi antai zhixue decoction groups （P＜0.05）， and the endometrial miscarriage lesions in pregnancy were improved to varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS Pangshi antai zhixue decoction influences the immune balance between mother and fetus by regulating the formation of NLRP3 inflammasome， down-regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-2， and up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4， IL-6 and IL-10， thereby improving spontaneous abortion with heat syndrome.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between serum creatinine/cystatin C ratio （CCR） and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） based on the NHANES database， and to evaluate the potential significance of CCR as an indicator reflecting the metabolic status of the body. MethodsBased on the data from the NHANES database in 1999‍ ‍—‍ ‍2004， a total of 4 217 participants were enrolled and divided into NAFLD group with 1 726 participants and non-NAFLD group with 2 491 participants. CCR was compared between the two groups， and the association between CCR and NAFLD was analyzed. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between CCR and NAFLD； CCR was divided into 4 groups based on quartiles， and odds ratio （OR） and 95% confidence interval （CI） in the regression model was calculated with the first quartile as reference. In addition， the restricted cubic spline analysis was used to investigate whether there was a non-linear relationship between CCR and NAFLD， and interaction items were introduced into the Logistic regression model to perform an interaction analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the stratification of variables to investigate the difference in the association between CCR and NAFLD in different populations. ResultsThe non-NAFLD group had a significantly higher CCR than the NAFLD group （Z=-4.76，P<0.01）. The Logistic regression analysis showed that in model 1 without adjustment of variables， CCR was negatively associated with NAFLD （OR=0.993，95%CI：0.989‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.996，P<0.01）， and in model 3 with adjustment of all variables， CCR was still negatively associated with NAFLD （OR=0.986，95%CI：0.981‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.991，P<0.01）. The analysis of CCR based on quartiles showed a significant association between the increase in CCR and the reduction in the risk of NAFLD. In model 3， compared with the individuals with the lowest quartile of CCR， the individuals with the highest quartile of CCR had a significantly lower risk of NAFLD （OR=0.426，95%CI：0.316‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.574，P<0.01）. Further interaction and subgroup analyses showed that the interaction between CCR and age/sex had a statistical significance （P_interaction<0.01 and P_interaction=0.04）. The subgroup analysis based on age showed a more significant association between CCR and NAFLD in the middle-aged population （≤60 years） （OR=0.982，95%CI：0.976‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.987）， and the subgroup analysis based on sex showed a stronger association between CCR and NAFLD in women （OR=0.979，95%CI：0.972‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.986）. ConclusionThis study shows a significant negative association between CCR and NAFLD， and such association is more significant in middle-aged individuals and women.

Epigenetic mechanisms play a crucial role in the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）， especially among lean individuals. The research on related epigenetic mechanisms has provided new clues and directions for revealing the underlying causes and treatment strategies of NAFLD. This article introduces the role of epigenetics in the development and progression of NAFLD among lean individuals in recent years， analyzes the latest research advances in the epigenetics of NAFLD in this population， and briefly describes the basic concepts of epigenetics， including DNA methylation， histone modifications， and non-coding RNA regulation. This article also discusses how epigenetic alterations impact the pathogenesis， disease progression， and treatment strategies of NAFLD in lean individuals.

Objective: To identify the phenotypes, antibodies and explore the molecular mechanisms of a patient who carries antibodies to RBC high-frequency antigens and his family members. Methods: The antibody identification test was performed for the proband by serological methods, and targeted NGS was subsequently used to detect mutations that occurred in blood group genes. Blood samples were collected from the proband and his family members. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the mutation of the XK gene. The expression of Kell blood group antigens was detected by serological methods and flow cytometry. K cells were used to detect the antibody specificity of the proband. The morphology of red blood cells was detected by the scanning electron microscopy. The serum creatine kinase levels of the proband and his family members were analyzed by colorimetric methods. Results: The results of the antibody identification test suggested that the proband might have antibodies to high-frequency antigens. NGS results suggested a homozygous mutation (c. 107G>A) in exon 1 of the XK gene in the proband, resulting in a truncated XK protein. The Sanger sequencing results of the proband were consistent with the NGS results, and the mutation was not found in other family members. The expression of Kell blood group antigens of the proband was not found by serological methods and flow cytometry. The results of the antibody specificity test showed that the proband had anti-Km antibodies. Spike-like changes were identified on red blood cells, and serum creatine kinase level was elevated in the proband. Conclusion: In this study, the McLeod phenotype caused by homozygous mutation (c. 107G>A) of XK gene was identified in Chinese individuals for the first time by the phenotype and molecular mechanism studies. The results of genotyping and phenotyping suggested that the McLeod phenotype caused by the mutation was compatible with the phenotypes of McLeod and K .

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intervention effect and potential mechanism of breviscapine on hepatic fibrosis （HF） in rats based on the transforming growth factor-β（1 TGF-β1）/Smad2/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1（ERK1） and Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-associated protein 1（Keap1）/nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2（Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1（HO-1） pathways. METHODS Totally 60 rats were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， breviscapine low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （5.4， 10.8， 21.6 mg/kg）， and colchicine group （positive control， 0.45 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group， half male and half female. Except for the normal control group， HF model of the other groups was induced by carbon tetrachloride. Subsequently， each drug group was given corresponding medicine by gavage once a day for 28 days. The liver appearance of rats in each group was observed and their liver coefficients were calculated. The levels of alanineaminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）in serum， those of ALT， AST， superoxide dismutase （SOD），malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH- Px） in liver tissue were detected. The liver tissue inflammatory and fibrotic changes were observed. The protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β1， Smad2， ERK1， Nrf2， Keap1 and HO-in liver tissue were detected. RESULTS Compared with the normal control group， the model group showed large areas of white nodular lesions in the liver， obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen fiber deposition. The body weight， the levels of SOD and GSH-Px in liver tissue， the protein and mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were significantly lowered in the model group （P＜0.05）； the liver coefficient， the percentage of Masson staining positive area， ALT and AST levels of serum and liver tissue， MDA level of liver tissue， the protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β1， Smad2， ERK1 and Keap1 were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， the liver lesions of rats in each drug group were improved， and the above quantitative indexes were generally reversed （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Breviscapine has a good intervention effect on HF rats， which may be related to inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2/ERK1 pathway for anti-fibrosis and regulating Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to inhibit oxidative stress.

ObjectiveTo investigate the attenuating effect of Dioscoreae Bulbiferae Rhizoma（DBR） processed with Phaseoli Radiati Semen（PRS） juice， and explore the attenuating mechanism based on ferroptosis of the main toxic target organ. MethodSixty male ICR mice were randomly divided into blank group， DBR group， water roasted DBR group（hereinafter referred to as water group）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 1（DBR-PRS 10∶1， stuffy moistening for 40 min， stir-fried at 130 ℃ for 18 min， hereinafter referred to as group 1）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 2（DBR-PRS 10∶1， stuffy moistening for 80 min， stir-fried at 100 ℃ for 14 min， hereinafter referred to as group 2）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 3（DBR-PRS=20∶3， stuffy moistening for 40 min， stir-fried at 160 ℃ for 14 min， hereinafter referred to as group 3）. The raw and processed groups of DBR were gavaged with their corresponding 95% ethanol extract at a dose of 3 g·kg^-1·d^-1， while the blank group was gavaged with an equal volume of 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose， once a day for 14 consecutive days. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of mouse liver. Alanine aminotransferase（ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase（AST） levels in serum， as well as malondialdehyde（MDA）， ferrous ions（Fe²⁺）， reduced glutathione（GSH） and superoxide dismutase（SOD） levels in liver tissue were detected by the biochemical detection. Western blot was used to detect the expression of iron key proteins such as ferritin heavy chain 1（FTH1） and glutathione peroxidase 4（GPX4）. ResultHE staining results showed that the liver tissue structure of the blank group was clear， the morphology of hepatocytes was normal， the cytoplasms of hepatocytes in the DBR group and water group were loose and vacuolar， with obvious pathological damages， and the pathologic damages of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly improved. Compared with the blank group， the levels of ALT， AST， MDA and Fe²⁺ in mice from the DBR group were significantly increased（P<0.01）， while GSH and SOD levels were significantly reduced（P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of FTH1 and GPX4 were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared with the DBR group， the ALT， AST，MDA and Fe²⁺ levels of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the GSH and SOD levels and the protein expression levels of FTH1 and GPX4 were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the water group， the AST and MDA levels of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the SOD level significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the FTH1 protein expression significantly increased（P<0.01）， and the serum ALT level of mice in the group 2-3 significantly reduce（P<0.01）， Fe²⁺ level significantly reduced（P<0.01）， GSH level significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and GPX4 protein expression significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Among the group 1-3， the group 3 had the best detoxification effect. ConclutionProcessing with PRS juice can reduce the liver injury induced by DBR， and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of ferroptosis in the liver.

Objective:To explore the changes of dynamic cerebral autoregulation ability in pilots exposed to acute positive acceleration(+ Gz) by transcranial Doppler combined with beat-to-beat blood pressure.Methods:A total of 26 pilots enrolled in the + 8Gz manned centrifuge trial at the Air Force Medical Center, Air Force Medical University from June to October 2022 were prospectively included. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored in the resting state before the trial and within 5 min after centrifugation. Transcranial Doppler combined with noninvasive continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor were used to detect bilateral middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity and beat-to-beat pulse pressure respectively. The transfer function analysis was applied to derive the parameters of cerebral blood flow autoregulation in each frequency band from 0.02 to 0.50 Hz, and the phase, gain and coherence were calculated. The above parameters were compared between resting state and after acute + 8Gz positive acceleration exposure.Results:Compared with the resting state, in all of the 26 pilots after acute + 8Gz positive acceleration exposure, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly ( P<0.001), the phase significantly increased and the gain significantly decreased in the ultra-low frequency band (0.02-0.07 Hz) ( P<0.05); whereas there were no statistical differences of gain and phase in the low frequency band (0.07-0.20 Hz) and the high frequency band (0.20-0.50 Hz) (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Transcranial Doppler combined with beat-to-beat pulse pressure can be used for the assessment of changes in immediate dynamic cerebral autoregulation after acute + Gz exposure, and transfer function analysis of ultra-low frequency band parameters is suitable for this type of evaluation.

OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects of arbutin on myocardial fibrosis （MF） model rats and its mechanism. METHODS The network pharmacology was used to predict the potential target of arbutin in improving MF and molecular docking was used to validated. Totally 50 SD rats were given isoprenaline subcutaneously （5 mg/kg， once a day， for 14 consecutive days） to induce the MF model. Modeled rats were randomly divided into model group， captopril group （9 mg/kg）， arbutin low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （50， 100， 200 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Another 10 healthy rats were included as normal group. Each group was given the corresponding drugs， once a day， for 28 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the final administration， electrocardiograms and heart-related indexes [heart weight index （HWI）， left ventricular weight index （LVWI）] of rats were detected； the levels of creatine kinase （CK）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and type Ⅰ collagen （Col Ⅰ） and Col Ⅲ were detected in myocardial tissue of rats； the pathological changes of myocardial tissue were observed， and protein and mRNA expressions of adenosine deaminase （ADA） and adenosine kinase （ADK） were detected in the myocardial tissue of rats. RESULTS The results of network pharmacology showed that the main targets of arbutin improving MF were ADA and ADK. The results of molecular docking showed that arbutin bind stably with ADA and ADK. The results of experimental verification showed that compared with model group， the amplitude of ST and T waves in electrocardiogram were improved in administration groups， and the symptoms of atrial flutter were alleviated； HWI （except for arbutin medium-dose group）， LVWI， the levels of CK， LDH， NT-proBNP， Col Ⅰ and Col Ⅲ in the myocardial tissue of rats were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the degree of myocardial fibrosis in rats decreased； protein and mRNA expressions of ADA and ADK in the myocardial tissue were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Arbutin can improve cardiac fibrosis and cardiac function of MF model rats， the mechanism of which may be associated with up-regulating protein and mRNA expressions of ADA and ADK，influencing the nucleotide metabolism and collagen generation. zhangminghao@hactcm.edu.cn

BACKGROUND:Dendritic cells exhibit extremely strong antigen phagocytic function in the immature stage,and they can demonstrate great advantages in immune tolerance,cancer immunotherapy,and other aspects.However,due to the extremely low content of immature dendritic cells in living organisms,its clinical and scientific applications are severely limited. OBJECTIVE:To study the extraction and identification of mature and immature dendritic cells from Lewis rat bone marrow. METHODS:Bone marrow precursor cells were isolated from the bone marrow of Lewis rats,and immature dendritic cells were induced by 20 ng/mL of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and 10 ng/mL of interleukin-4 for 7 days,and then mature dendritic cells were induced by adding 1 μg/mL of lipopolysaccharide to immature dendritic cells for 2 days.The morphology of dendritic cells was observed using inverted fluorescence microscopy.The surface-specific molecules of mature and immature dendritic cells were identified by flow cytometry,and the secretion levels of supernatant interleukin-10,interleukin-12,and interleukin-17A in mature and immature dendritic cells were detected by ELISA.The response of mature and immature dendritic cells to T lymphocyte stimulation was measured by mixed lymphocyte reaction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The dendritic cells showed an obvious protrusion structure under an ordinary inverted fluorescence microscope.(2)Flow cytometry showed low expression of CD40,CD86,and other co-stimulatory molecules in immature dendritic cells.On the contrary,mature dendritic cells highly expressed the above co-stimulatory molecules.(3)The secretion of interleukin-10 and interleukin-17A in immature dendritic cells was much higher than that in mature dendritic cells(P<0.01).Interleukin-12 secretion in immature dendritic cells was much lower than that in mature dendritic cells(P<0.05).(4)Mature dendritic cells stimulated T cells significantly better than immature dendritic cells,and the stimulation ability was stronger when the ratio of mature dendritic cells to T lymphocytes reached 1:10.(5)The results indicate that Lewis rat bone marrow precursor cells can differentiate into dendritic cells and distinguish between mature and immature dendritic cells by flow cytometry identification,related factor detection,and mixed lymphocyte reaction.

Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is associated with various cancers, and recent studies suggest it may also increase the risk of retinoblastoma (RB) in newborns. However, the pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Objective By constructing an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework based on public databases to elucidate the potential mechanisms linking PFAS and RB. Methods Chemical-gene interactions and disease-gene interactions from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database were retracted to identify key toxicological disruption pathways using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and a priori knowledge. The Pathview package in R was employed to predict molecular initiating events, key events, and their associated phenotypes, for further understanding the relevant gene-molecule interaction toxicity pathway network. Molecular docking techniques were utilized to validate the affinity of PFAS for these molecular initiating events. An AOP framework focused on toxicological pathways was developed using classical AOP methodologies. Results The PI3K-AKT/MAPK signaling pathway was identified as a potential toxicological pathway involved in PFAS-related RB development, based on KEGG and a priori knowledge. The activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) served as the molecular initiating event, leading to the activation of key oncogenes such as RAS and AKT, as well as nuclear factor kappa-light chainenhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), along with the inhibition of the tumor suppressor gene P53. In this study, 14 types of PFAS demonstrated good binding affinity with most RTKs, with chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonates (Cl-PFESAs) showing particularly favorable predicted binding. Oncogenes, including the c-kit-encoded tyrosine kinase receptor for stem cell factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1, were identified as the receptors with the best predicted binding affinity. Conclusion The PI3K-AKT/MAPK signaling pathway may serve as a potential toxicological mechanism linking PFAS to an increased risk of RB.