The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure in vivo would lead to aggravated kidney damage. In this study, coated aldehyde oxy-starch (CAO) was used as an adsorbent to investigate its in vitro adsorption performance on renal failure indexes for urea, indoxyl sulfate (INS), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr). The effects of variables such as pH, temperature, concentration, dosage, and time on the adsorption capacity of CAO were systematically investigated, employing analytical techniques of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). The results revealed that CAO exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for urea, INS, and MMA, alongside a moderate adsorption capacity for DMA, UA, and Cr. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO were fitted in pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Freundlich adsorption model. The enthalpy change ΔH of urea in adsorption was in the range of 40 to 60 kJ·mol^-1, which demonstrated the presence of strong adsorption force due to the interactions of coordinating groups. The ΔH of UA was greater than 80 kJ·mol^-1, indicating the generation of chemical bonds during the adsorption. Both of them, Gibbs free energy ΔG was less than 0, within the range of -20 to 0 kJ·mol^-1, suggested that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO occurred spontaneously as physical adsorption process. The adsorption entropy ΔS of urea and UA was > 0, which indicated an increase in entropy throughout the adsorption. The infrared spectroscopygram showed the formation of a chemical bond, specifically the imine bond, following the adsorption of urea by CAO, thereby indicating a chemical reaction during the adsorption. This study elucidates the adsorption mechanism of CAO on various indexes of renal failure, providing a scientific basis for its clinical usage.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Objective:To document the effectiveness of using a digital treadmill in rehabilitating the walking ability of patients with an incomplete spinal cord injury.Methods:Ninety-three patients with an incomplete spinal cord injury were randomly divided into a control group ( n=46) and a treatment group ( n=47). Both groups received routine rehabilitation, but the treatment group was additionally trained using a digital treadmill. Before and after 3 months of the treatment, the quadriceps strength of each patient was graded using Lovett muscle strength grades. Walking ability was quantified using the 10m walk test, the 6min walking endurance test and lower extremity motor scoring (LEMS). Gait parameters were recorded along with the maximum knee flexion and hip flexion angles. Ability in the activities of daily living was assessed using the modified Barthel index (MBI) and the functional independence rating scale (FIM). Results:After treatment, significant improvement was observed in the average quadriceps muscle strength, 10m walking time, 6min walking distance, LEMS score, step length, step speed, step frequency, maximum knee flexion angle, maximum hip flexion angle, MBI score and FIM score of both groups compared with before the treatment. Significantly greater improvement was observed in the treatment group′s average quadriceps muscle strength, 10m walking time, 6min walking distance, LEMS score, step length, walking speed, stride frequency, knee and hip flexion angles, and their average MBI and FIM scores.Conclusions:Rehabilitation training using a digital treadmill can improve the lower limb muscle strength, walking ability and gait parameters of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury, as well as their ability in the activities of daily living.

Objective:To determine S100A10 protein expression in psoriatic lesions, and to investigate its effect on psoriasis-like skin inflammation in imiquimod (IMQ) -induced mouse models.Methods:From January 2020 to June 2022, skin lesions were surgically collected from 28 patients with psoriasis in the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University; normal skin tissues were collected from 18 healthy subjects in the Department of General Surgery and Department of Ophthalmology during the same period, and served as a control group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the S100A10 protein expression in skin lesions from psoriasis patients and normal skin tissues from healthy controls. Ten wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J female mice and 10 S100A10 -/- C57BL/6J female mice were selected to establish the IMQ-induced mouse models of psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Then, the mice were randomly divided into gene knock-out (KO) /IMQ group, WT/IMQ group, KO/vaseline (VAS) group, and WT/VAS group by using a random number table, and there were 5 mice in each group. The mice in the KO/IMQ group and WT/IMQ group were topically treated with IMQ cream (62.5 mg) on the shaved back daily to establish the mouse models of psoriasis-like skin inflammation, while the mice in the KO/VAS group and WT/VAS group were topically treated with vaseline cream (62.5 mg) daily, and both treatments lasted 7 consecutive days. Skin lesions on the back were observed daily. On day 7, the mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and their dorsal skin tissues were excised. The IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation was evaluated by the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), pathological manifestations of skin lesions were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, the expression of S100A10 and Ki-67 in skin lesions was determined by immunohistochemical staining, the expression of STAT3, IL-17A and other cytokines was determined by Western blot analysis, and IL-17 mRNA expression was determined by real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR). Statistical analysis was carried out by using the independent sample t-test, nonparametric U test, and chi-square test. Results:Immunohistochemical staining showed that the S100A10 protein expression was significantly lower in the psoriasis vulgaris lesions than in the normal control skin tissues ( Z = -3.47, P < 0.001). In the mouse models, the S100A10 protein expression was significantly lower in the skin lesions of mice in the WT/IMQ group than in the skin tissues of mice in the WT/VAS group ( t = 3.64, P = 0.007), and the Ki-67 expression was significantly higher in the KO/IMQ group than in the WT/IMQ group ( t = 2.97, P = 0.041). Additionally, the mice in the KO/IMQ group presented with more severe clinical manifestations such as scales and infiltration compared with those in the WT/IMQ group. Western blot analysis showed that the phosphorylated STAT3/STAT3 expression and IL-17A protein expression was significantly higher in the KO/IMQ group than in the WT/IMQ group ( t = 3.27, 3.48, P = 0.031, 0.025, respectively), and qPCR revealed that the IL-17A mRNA expression was also significantly higher in the KO/IMQ group than in the WT/IMQ group ( t = 2.73, P = 0.029) . Conclusion:S100A10 protein was underexpressed in the skin lesions of psoriasis patients, and the deletion of S100A10 protein aggravated IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation in mice, possibly by upregulating STAT3 phosphorylation in the epidermis.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and distribution of Tranditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome types of refractory tic disorders in children based on clustering analysis.Methods:A cross-sectional study. 183 children aged 3-18 years with refractory tic disorders from pediatric encephalopathy outpatient department of the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine who met the inclusion criteria from October 2015 to January 2022 were recruited. Frequency descriptive analysis, systematic clustering analysis and principal component analysis were conducted by Microsoft Office Excel 2016 and IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 to explore the clinical characteristics and syndrome distribution of the disease.Results:The TCM symptoms of 183 children with refractory tic disorders were clustered into 6 categories, and finally 5 types of syndrome were obtained, among which the syndrome of spleen deficiency and liver hyperactivity mixed with dampness accounted for the largest proportion (27.32%), followed by the syndrome of phlegm-fire disturbing spirit (21.31%), the syndrome of wind-heat invading lung (18.03%), the syndrome of phlegm-qi stagnation (17.49%), and the syndrome of dampness and yin deficiency (15.85%).Conclusion:Through the mining and analysis of the outpatient information of pediatric encephalopathy in our hospital, the common syndrome differentiation types of refractory tic disorder are obtained, which can provide a reference for the TCM syndrome differentiation types of refractory tic disorder in children.

This study aims to explore the influence of Polygonati Rhizoma on the pyroptosis in the rat model of diabetic macroangiopathy via the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1(caspase-1)/gasdermin D(GSDMD) pathway. The rat model of diabetes was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet. The blood glucose meter, fully automated biochemical analyzer, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot were employed to measure blood glucose levels, lipid levels, vascular thickness, inflammatory cytokine levels, and expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins. The mechanism of pharmacological interventions against the injury in the context of diabetes was thus explored. The results demonstrated the successful establishment of the model of diabetes. Compared with the control group, the model group showed elevated levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c), lowered level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c), thickened vascular intima, and elevated serum and aorta levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-18(IL-18). Moreover, the model group showed increased NLRP3 inflammasomes and up-regulated levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD in aortic vascular cells. Polygonati Rhizoma intervention reduced blood glucose and lipid levels, inhibited vascular thickening, lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18 in the serum and aorta, attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome expression, and down-regulated the expression levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD, compared with the model group. In summary, Polygonati Rhizoma can slow down the progression of diabetic macroangiopathy by inhibiting pyroptosis and alleviating local vascular inflammation.
Animals ; Rats ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Interleukin-18 ; Blood Glucose ; Pyroptosis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Diabetes Complications ; Vascular Diseases ; Inflammasomes ; Cholesterol ; Lipids ; Diabetes Mellitus

Based on the idea of modification of sugar drugs, or transforming other active substances with sugar molecules, sixteen D-glucosamine-fluoroquinolone (FQ) derivatives were designed by combining D-glucosamine with FQs and synthesized by a multi-step reaction with shared intermediates. The assay results of anti-human pathogenic bacteria and anti-citrus canker showed that the inhibitory activities of two target molecules TM2b and TM2d against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC14125 were stronger than those of all tested positive control drugs, and the inhibitory rates of target molecules TM2m and TM2n against citrus canker were higher than that of the positive control streptomycin at the concentrations of 0.5 and 0.2 µg·mL^-1, respectively, which all were worthy of further study. In this study, a series of novel molecules composed of D-glucosamine and FQs were synthesized for the first time, and super antibacterial molecules were found, which expanded the types and biological activities of D-glucosamine derivatives.

The appropriate needle device is crucial for obtaining the curative effect of fire needling therapy. The article introduces the material specification, clinical operation, indications, characteristics and advantages of the contemporary traditional fire needling devices (e.g. He's fire needle and Shi 's fire needle) and the contemporary new-type ones (e.g. fire needling with filiform needle and micro-needle); and determines the innovations of modern fire needling. It is anticipated that the needle specifications, production process and operation standard of fire needling devices should be further unified so as to provide the references for the selection of fire needling devices in treatment based on clinical syndrome differentiation and expand the clinical application of fire needling therapy.
Humans ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Needles

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.