Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Nuanxinkang on plaque formation in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)comorbid with atherosclerosis(AS)mice by inhibiting endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition(EndMT).Methods Male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into six groups:control group,model group,atorvastatin group(2.6 mg·kg-1)and Nuanxinkang low-,medium-and high-dose groups(crude drug 3.5,7.0,14.0 g·kg-1),with eight mice in each group.The mice were exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia(CIH)environment during sleep for a long time,and fed with high-fat diet to replicate OSAHS comorbid with AS mouse model.Oil red O staining was used to observe the formation of plaque on aortic intima in mice.Masson trichrome staining was used to evaluate the collagen content of atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic root of mice.The expressions of endothelial cell marker CD31 and EndMT marker Vimentin in aortic plaque were detected by immunofluorescence.Blood lipid levels were determined by ELISA;the mRNA expression levels of EndMT markers α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue were detected by qPCR.Results Compared with the control group,the area of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the area of collagen deposition in the aortic root plaque was significantly increased(P＜0.01).The number of CD31 positive cells in the plaque were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the number of Vimentin positive cells were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Serum TG,T-CHO and LDL-C levels were significantly increased(P＜0.01),and HDL-C level was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the area of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in Nuanxinkang groups were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the collagen deposition area of aortic root atherosclerotic plaque were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The number of CD31 positive expression cells in the plaque of Nuanxinkang high-dose group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the number of Vimentin positive expression cells in the plaque of Nuanxinkang medium-and high-dose groups were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The serum TG level of mice in the high-dose group of Nuanxinkang was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The serum T-CHO and LDL-C levels of mice in each Nuanxinkang administration group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The serum HDL-C levels of mice in the medium-and high-dose groups of Nuanxinkang were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue of mice in each treatment group were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).Conclusion Nuanxinkang can effectively reduce the plaque formation in OSAHS comorbid with atherosclerosis mice,which may be related to its inhibition of EndMT and reduction of collagen fiber formation.

By reviewing the historical materia medica， medical books and modern literature， this paper has systematically sorted out and verified the name， origin， quality and other aspects of Ophicalcitum. After herbal textual research， it is shown that before the Qing dynasty， the mineral medicine was mostly recorded in the name of Huarushi， but now it is called Huaruishi， and there is another mixed name Baiyunshi. The light white spots described in the historical materia medica are consistent with the characteristics of marble with sparkling star-like luster， combined with the color like sulfur， color are green， black spots and other serpentine features， it is deduced that it is serpentine marble， consistent with the present-day Ophicalcitum， and Ophicalcitum in the Song dynasty has a high content of serpentine. The main producing areas are Henan， Shaanxi， Shanxi and Sichuan， Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Hebei and other places are also available. Successive generations of materia medica on the quality evaluation of Ophicalcitum is less， the modern to neat and firm in the texture， sandwiched with yellow-green mottled for the best. Ophicalcitum is acidic， astringent and neutral in nature， belonging to the liver meridian， with the efficacy of treatment of gold sores and blood flow， internal leakage of cataracts， dropping afterbirth， now describing its efficacy as removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding. In ancient times， the earliest processing method was burning， followed by calcination by sulphur， calcination， quenching with vinegar and other methods. In modern times， it has been simplified to open calcination， processing with vinegar and the addition of water quenching. The gravimetric method and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid titration were used to detect the contents of CO₃^2- and CaCO₃ in Ophicalcitum， respectively， and it was found that the gap in CaCO₃ content among commercially available products was wide， and the content of CaCO₃ in sample S13 and sample S18 was the same， but their compositions were different， and according to the contents of CO₃^2- and CaCO₃， the dolomite and calcite contents could be calculated， of which the higher the calcite content the more obvious the sparkling star-like luster. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction（XRD） were used to detect the physical phase composition of the powder of the samples， and Raman spectroscopy was used for the rapid non-destructive testing of the striped part， which showed that Ophicalcitum was mainly composed of dolomite， calcite， serpentine， olivine and pyroxene， with serpentine dominanting the striped part. In summary， the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the content of CaCO₃ in Ophicalcitum is not less than 40%， which is difficult to control its quality， and it is suggested to increase the detection of CO₃^2- content. This study can provide a scientific basis for the traceability of Ophicalcitum and better guide the clinical medication and rational utilization of resources.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of herpes pharyngitis (HA) in three prefectures of Jiangsu Province, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of HA in Jiangsu.Methods:Three surveillance sentinel hospitals in Wuxi, Suzhou and Yancheng were selected from May 2018 to December 2022, and information related to HA visits and hospitalized cases was regularly collected from the hospital inpatient management system by age groups. Enterovirus nucleic acid detection was performed by RT-PCR, and sequencing analysis, identification of genotype subtypes, and phylogenetic analysis were performed on the sequences of the gene encoding the coat protein VP1 of the main prevalent strains.Results:A total of 57 709 HA cases were recorded in the sentinel hospitals in in Wuxi, Suzhou and Yancheng, which was 1.76 times higher than the reported cases of hand, foot and mouth disease during the same period (57 709/32 831).The percentage of HA hospitalizations was 1.35% (781/57 709), and the percentage of hospitalizations showed an increasing trend from year to year ( χ2=62.79, P<0.001 ).The incidence peak of HA was during May-July. The cases were mainly children aged 12-59 months (67.07%, 38 708/57 709), with the highest case number in age group 36-59 months (34.40%, 19 852/57 709). The HA positivity rate was 33.82% (644/1 904); enterovirus A was predominant (54.04%, 348/644); of these, Coxsackievirus (CV)A6 accounted for the highest percentage (52.59%, 183/348), while CVA16 and CVA4 accounted for 24.71% (86/348) and 15.23% (53/348), respectively. All 10 CVA4 HA endemic strains belonged to the C2 gene subtype, and all 6 CVA6 HA endemic strains belonged to the D3a gene subtype; and were genetically closer to and related to the strains in some areas of China (Fujian Province, Guangzhou City, Jiangxi Province, Yunnan Province, Tianjin City, etc.). Conclusions:The disease burden of HA was heavy in 3 areas in Jiangsu, children in age group 12-59-month were mainly affected, and the annual incidence peak of HA was during May-July. The pathogens causing HA varied, but predominated by enterovirus A and had low intra-typical differentiation, and no new evolutionary branches were found, suggesting that it is necessary to include HA in foot and mouth disease surveillance or regarded as a notifiable communicable disease.

Objective:To investigate the application value of transanal endoscopic intersphincteric resection (taE-ISR) in sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer.Methods:The pro-pensity score matching and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 278 patients with low rectal cancer who were admitted to 5 medical centers, including Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine et al, from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected. There were 178 males and 100 females, aged 58 (range, 49-64)years. Of 278 pati-ents, 147 cases undergoing taE-ISR were divided into the taE-ISR group, and 131 cases undergoing intersphincteric resection (ISR) were divided into the ISR group. Observation indicators:(1) propen-sity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) comparison of intraoperative and postoperative conditions between the two groups; (3) long-term follow-up of the two groups; (4) analysis of risk factors affecting sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer. Propensity score matching was done by the 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with a caliper value of 0.05. Propensity score matching analysis was done using the Matching package. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the Student′s t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the Pearson chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and plot survival curve, and the Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the Logistic regression model with the "glm2" package. The forest plot was used to show the risk factors affecting sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer. Results:(1) Propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of 278 patients, 180 cases were successfully matched, including 90 cases in the taE-ISR group and 90 cases in the ISR group, respectively. After propensity score matching, the elimination of distance between ischial tuberosities and distance from ischial tuberosity to the skin of buttocks confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups. (2) Comparison of intraoperative and postoperative conditions between the two groups. Cases with positive distal margins, cases with specimen integrity, cases with sphincter preservation were 1, 88, 88 in the taE-ISR group and 8, 78, 74 in the ISR group, showing significant differences between the two groups ( P<0.05). (3) Long-term follow-up of the two groups. The median follow-up time was 4.3(range, 3.8-5.0)years of the taE-ISR group and 4.1(range, 3.4-4.7)years of the ISR group. The overall survival rate, disease-free survival rate and cumulative recurrence rate were 100.0%, 95.6% and 2.2% of the taE-ISR group, versus 98.9%, 87.8% and 10.0% of the ISR group, showing no significant difference in overall survival rate between the two groups ( χ2=0.97, P>0.05) and significant differences in disease-free survival rate and cumulative recurrence rate between the two groups ( χ2=4.05, 5.26, P<0.05). (4) Analysis of risk factors affecting sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer. Results of multivariate analysis showed that taE-ISR, distance from the tumor to the anus, and adjacent organ damage were independent factors affecting sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer ( odds ratio=0.86, 0.88, 1.35, 95% confidence interval as 0.79-0.93, 0.83-0.92, 1.04-1.74, P<0.05). In further analysis, there were significant differences in sphincter preservation and defecatory dysfunction between the 21 cases with neoadjuvant therapy in the taE-ISR group and the 19 cases with neoadjuvant therapy in the ISR group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The taE-ISR is safe and feasible for patients with low rectal cancer. Compared with ISR, taE-ISR can significantly improve surgical quality, sphincter preservation rate and patient prognosis.

【Objective】 To investigate the feasibility of prostatic exosomal protein (PSEP) detection kit in the diagnosis of histological prostatitis (HP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and to explore the correlation between PSEP and other clinical parameters. 【Methods】 A total of 104 patients with BPH or BPH plus HP treated during Nov.2021 and Nov.2022 were involved. The patients were instructed to fill out the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) scale independently before surgery. Clinical data such as prostate volume, residual urine volume, free prostate specific antigen (fPSA), total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), and fPSA/tPSA were collected. Preoperative midstream morning urine was collected for PSEP detection. 【Results】 The sensitivity and specificity of PSEP in the diagnosis of BPH were 93.51% and 70.37%, respectively, which were highly consistent with the postoperative pathological diagnosis results (Kappa=0.663). Serum PSEP level was positively correlated with tPSA level (r=0.242, P=0.040). 【Conclusion】 PSEP has a high clinical diagnostic value in the diagnosis of HP, which can provide a reliable basis for the diagnosis of HP in BPH patients and improve the diagnosis rate.

A series of chemotherapeutic drugs that induce DNA damage, such as cisplatin (DDP), are standard clinical treatments for ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, and other diseases that lack effective targeted drug therapy. Drug resistance is one of the main factors limiting their application. Sensitizers can overcome the drug resistance of tumor cells, thereby enhancing the antitumor activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, we aimed to identify marketable drugs that could be potential chemotherapy sensitizers and explore the underlying mechanisms. We found that the alcohol withdrawal drug disulfiram (DSF) could significantly enhance the antitumor activity of DDP. JC-1 staining, propidium iodide (PI) staining, and western blotting confirmed that the combination of DSF and DDP could enhance the apoptosis of tumor cells. Subsequent RNA sequencing combined with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) pathway enrichment analysis and cell biology studies such as immunofluorescence suggested an underlying mechanism: DSF makes cells more vulnerable to DNA damage by inhibiting the Fanconi anemia (FA) repair pathway, exerting a sensitizing effect to DNA damaging agents including platinum chemotherapy drugs. Thus, our study illustrated the potential mechanism of action of DSF in enhancing the antitumor effect of DDP. This might provide an effective and safe solution for combating DDP resistance in clinical treatment.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Cisplatin/pharmacology* ; Disulfiram/pharmacology* ; Testicular Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Fanconi Anemia/drug therapy* ; Alcoholism/drug therapy* ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Apoptosis ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Cell Proliferation

Adipose tissue is a promising target for treating obesity and metabolic diseases. However, pharmacological agents usually fail to effectively engage adipocytes due to their extraordinarily large size and insufficient vascularization, especially in obese subjects. We have previously shown that during cold exposure, connexin43 (Cx43) gap junctions are induced and activated to connect neighboring adipocytes to share limited sympathetic neuronal input amongst multiple cells. We reason the same mechanism may be leveraged to improve the efficacy of various pharmacological agents that target adipose tissue. Using an adipose tissue-specific Cx43 overexpression mouse model, we demonstrate effectiveness in connecting adipocytes to augment metabolic efficacy of the β ₃-adrenergic receptor agonist Mirabegron and FGF21. Additionally, combing those molecules with the Cx43 gap junction channel activator danegaptide shows a similar enhanced efficacy. In light of these findings, we propose a model in which connecting adipocytes via Cx43 gap junction channels primes adipose tissue to pharmacological agents designed to engage it. Thus, Cx43 gap junction activators hold great potential for combination with additional agents targeting adipose tissue.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:Consecutive patients with AIS without performing intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy admitted to the Cerebrovascular Disease Treatment Center, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from December 2015 to December 2020 were enrolled. The clinical, imaging and laboratory examination data were collected. HT was defined as the first imaging examination of AIS patients without finding bleeding signs, but the imaging reexamination after hospitalization found intracranial hemorrhage. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent correlation between NLR and HT. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of NLR for HT. Results:A total of 805 patients with AIS were included. The median age was 67 years (interquartile range, 63-71 years), the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 4 (interquartile range, 2-9), the median NLR was 3.84 (interquartile range, 2.66-5.30). Seventy-ywo patients (8.9%) had HT. There were significant differences in age, baseline systolic blood pressure, baseline NIHSS score, time from onset to admission, time from onset to blood collection, time from onset to imaging reexamination, NLR, atrial fibrillation, history of previous stroke and transient ischemic attack and stroke etiology between the HT group and the non-HT group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR was an independent risk factor for HT in patients with AIS after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio 1.355, 95% confidence interval 1.099-1.672; P=0.005). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of NLR predicting HT was 0.852, and the optimal cut-off value was 4.75. Its sensitivity and specificity of predicting HT were 88.3% and 71.8% respectively. Conclusion:High NLR is an independent risk factor for HT in patients with AIS during hospitalization, and had better predictive value for HT risk.

Background: Microsporum canis is a zoonotic disease that can cause dermatophytosis in animals and humans. Objectives: In clinical practice, ketoconazole (KTZ) and other imidazole drugs are commonly used to treat M. canis infection, but its molecular mechanism is not completely understood.The antifungal mechanism of KTZ needs to be studied in detail. Methods: In this study, one strain of fungi was isolated from a canine suffering with clinical dermatosis and confirmed as M. canis by morphological observation and sequencing analysis.The clinically isolated M. canis was treated with KTZ and transcriptome sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in M. canis exposed to KTZ compared with those unexposed thereto. Results: At half-inhibitory concentration (½MIC), compared with the control group, 453 genes were significantly up-regulated and 326 genes were significantly down-regulated (p < 0.05). Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis verified the transcriptome results of RNA sequencing. Gene ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed that the 3 pathways of RNA polymerase, steroid biosynthesis, and ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes are closely related to the antifungal mechanism of KTZ. Conclusions The results indicated that KTZ may change cell membrane permeability, destroy the cell wall, and inhibit mitosis and transcriptional regulation through CYP51, SQL, ERG6, ATM, ABCB1, SC, KER33, RPA1, and RNP genes in the 3 pathways. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the effective control of M. canis infection and the effect of KTZ on fungi.

Objective:To investigate the effect of exosomes (Exo) secreted by brain vascular endothelial cell bEnd.3 after ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on neurons suffering from oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD).Methods:bEnd.3 was exposed to OGD for 3 h to simulate IPC in vivo. After 48 h of reoxygenation, the Exo (IPC Exo) in the conditioned medium were extracted and identified by Western blot and transmission electron microscopy. IPC Exo were incubated with primary cultured mouse cortical neurons for 24 h. Confocal microscope was used to observe whether Exo could be uptaked by primary cultured mouse cerebral cortical neurons. The primary cultured cortical neurons were divided into control group, OGD group, OGD+ IPC Exo (5 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml, 20 μg/ml) groups and sham OGD group (treated with Exo secreted by bEnd.3 cultured under normoxia conditions). The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 and cell survival/death detection kit.Results:Transmission electron microscopy showed that the extract of bend.3 culture medium showed typical morphology of Exo, i. e., a double concave disc-shaped vesicle with a diameter of 30-100 nm. Western blot analysis showed that the extract of bEnd.3 medium highly expressed Exo markers Alix and Tsg101. Confocal microscopy showed that Exo could be uptaked by primary cultured mouse cortical neurons, and the uptake of Exo was widely distributed in the cytoplasm and synapses. Compared with the OGD group, the addition of 10 and 20 μg/ml IPC Exo could significantly increased the neuronal viability ( P<0.05), while the addition of sham Exo had no neuroprotective effect. Conclusion:Exo released by cerebral vascular endothelial cells after IPC have protective effect on neurons suffering from OGD.