Glaucoma is a group of optic nerve disorders characterized by progressive optic nerve atrophy and visual field defects, which can lead to irreversible blindness. Early diagnosis of glaucoma is essential for preventing visual loss. However, due to the absence of obvious early symptoms, the diagnosis of glaucoma remains challenging. Visual electrophysiological examinations, an objective approach for evaluating visual function, have the potential to be used in the early diagnosis of glaucoma. This review integrates the latest publications to introduce visual electrophysiological examination techniques, including electroretinography(ERG)and visual evoked potential(VEP). It also explores the mechanisms underlying these techniques and their application value in the early diagnosis of glaucoma. In addition, this review summarizes the advantages, limitations, and applicable scenarios of different visual electrophysiological techniques. Finally, the review provides an outlook on the development prospects of visual electrophysiological techniques in the early diagnosis of glaucoma. The findings of this review can assist clinicians in selecting appropriate diagnostic methods, promote the innovation and development of early visual electrophysiological diagnostic techniques for glaucoma, and contribute to reducing the risk of blindness caused by glaucoma.

Objective To observe the effects of acupoint catgut embedding therapy on body mass,lipid metabolism,serum leptin and mRNA and protein expressions of hypothalamic leptin receptor(LepR)-mediated Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)pathway in rats with diet-induced obesity(DIO).Methods Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into 10 in normal group and 30 in modeling group.A high-fat diet was used to establish the DIO rat model.After successful modeling,the modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group,the acupoint catgut embedding group and the acupoint catgut embedding + AG490(JAK2/STAT3 pathway blocker)group,with 10 rats in each group.The acupoint catgut embedding group and the acupoint catgut embedding + AG490 group were embedded on day(s)1,8,15 and 22 after successful modeling,the acupoints were selected from the Zhongwan(RN12),Shuidao(ST28),Tianshu(ST25),Pishu(BL20),Weishu(BL21),Sanjiaoshu(BL22)with a total of 4 treatments,and the acupoint catgut embedding + AG490 group was injected intraperitoneally with 1 mg/kg of AG490 every day during the treatment period;the normal group and the model group were only grasped and fixed.Body mass was measured before and after treatment.Lipid metabolism indexes of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and serum leptin levels were measured after treatment,and the mRNA expressions of hypothalamus LepR,JAK2 and STAT3 were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),and the protein expressions of hypothalamus LepR,JAK2 and STAT3 were detected by Western Blot.Results Before treatment,compared with the normal group,the body mass of the model group,the acupoint catgut embedding group,and the acupoint catgut embedding+AG490 group were all elevated(P＜0.01),and compared with the model group,there was no significant difference in the body mass between the acupoint catgut embedding group and the acupoint catgut embedding+AG490 group(P＞0.05).After treatment,compared with the normal group,body mass,leptin and TG,TC,LDL-C levels were increased,and mRNA and protein expression levels of LepR,JAK2,STAT3 were decreased in the model group(all P＜0.01);compared with the model group,body mass,leptin and TG,TC,LDL-C levels were decreased in the acupoint catgut embedding group,and mRNA and protein levels of LepR,JAK2,STAT3 were increased in the acupoint catgut embedding + AG490 group(all P＜0.01);compared with the acupoint catgut embedding + AG490 group,the body mass,leptin and TG,TC,LDL-C levels were decreased,and mRNA and protein levels of LepR,JAK2,STAT3 were increased in the acupoint catgut embedding group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Acupoint catgut embedding has a good effect on weight loss and lipid reduction in DIO rats,and its central mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of serum leptin level and activation of hypothalamic LepR-mediated JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides (MOIG) on bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and the mechanism of osteoclast function and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RA rats were established by injecting bovin type II collagen. The Bio-ethic Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University approved all experimental protocols associated with this study (IACUC-20180410-03). The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks; the femoral trabecular micro-structure changes were observed in CIA rats by micro-CT; the LPS-induced osteoclasts model further observed the effect and mechanism of anti-inflammatory osteoporosis in vitro. The results indicated that MOIG could markedly increase bone mineral density (BMD) in CIA rats, improve trabecular micro-structure. In vitro studies demonstrated that MOIG could significantly inhibit osteoclastogensis and differentiation, suppress tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, F-actin ring formation, TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) recruitment, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-Bα (IκBα) degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation, thereby repressing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation. Subsequently, MOIG effectively inhibited osteoclast nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) and cellular oncogene Fos (c-Fos) expression, as well as bone resorption related protein activity including matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9) and cathepsin K (CtsK). Meanwhile, MOIG also repressed the phosphorylation expression of Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. Moreover, further studies found that MOIG could suppress glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, and GSK-3β gene silencing could markedly inhibit oetsoclast F-actin ring formation as well as the phosphorylation expression of p65 and STAT3. Of note, compared with GSK-3β gene silencing group, there was no significant difference in the group treated with both MOIG with GSK-3β gene silencing simultaneously. Thus, the results suggested that MOIG may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation via regulating GSK-3β, thereby alleviating bone destruction in RA.

As a serious cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis (AS) causes chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in the body and poses a threat to human health. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a member of the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) family, and its elevated levels have been shown to contribute to AS. Lp-PLA2 is closely related to a variety of lipoproteins, and its role in promoting inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in AS is mainly achieved by hydrolyzing oxidized phosphatidylcholine (oxPC) to produce lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC). Moreover, macrophage apoptosis within plaque is promoted by localized Lp-PLA2 which also promotes plaque instability. This paper reviews those researches of Chinese medicine in treating AS via reducing Lp-PLA2 levels to guide future experimental studies and clinical applications related to AS.
Humans ; 1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Atherosclerosis/drug therapy* ; Lipoproteins ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Biomarkers

Children and adults differ significantly in physiology,biochemistry and immune function,which leads to sig-nificant differences in blood transfusion strategies between children and adults.To guide the clinical transfusion practice of pediatric patients and improve the prognosis of children,the National Health Commission organized the formulation and re-lease of the health industry standard Guideline for Pediatric Transfusion(WS/T 795-2022).This paper will briefly introduce some concepts that help understand of the Standard and the preparation process of the Standard,and explain and interpret the preparation of the"scope","general provisions"and"factors to consider"of the Standard,hoping to contribute to the understanding and implementation of the Standard.

Ritlecitinib is an inhibitor that acts on Janus kinase 3 and the hepatocellular carcinoma kinase family.In June 2023,the FDA approved Ritlecitinib for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in patients aged 12 years and above.Multiple clinical studies have observed hair regeneration in patients after using Ritlecitinib,which is generally safe and well tolerated during use.This article introduces its pharmacological effects,pharmacokinetics,clinical research,safety,and usage and dosage.

During the progression of heart failure(HF),abnormal transduction of the transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)/Smads signaling pathway is important mechanism of myocardial fibrosis(MF)in HF.TGF-β,a key factor in MF,is in an overexpression state in the process of MF in HF,and Smads is a major effector downstream of TGF-β.The TGF-β/Smads pathway induces abnormal proliferation of myofibroblasts,aggravates myocardial extracellular matrix deposition,and reduces the ability of the cardiac tissues to resist fibrosis,which plays a complex role in the pathogenesis of MF in HF.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has the efficacy of unequivocal inhibiting myocardial collagen deposition,anti-MF,protecting the myocardium and improving cardiac function in the prevention and treatment of MF in HF and so on,and the TGF-β/Smads pathway is one of the key pathways through which TCM monomers,TCM combinations,and proprietary medicines can exert their cardioprotective effects on the HF.This paper reviews the existing experimental research results of TCM intervening in the TGF-β/Smads pathway for the treatment of MF in HF over the past 10 years,with a view to providing theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of HF MF well as the development and of new drugs.