The gut microbiota regulates intestinal nutrient absorption, participates in modulating host glucolipid metabolism, and contributes to ameliorating glucolipid metabolism disorder. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota can compromise the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, induce inflammatory responses, and exacerbate insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism in the host. Dangua Humai Oral Liquid, a hospital-developed formulation for regulating glucolipid metabolism, has been granted a national invention patent and demonstrates significant clinical efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Dangua Humai Oral Liquid on gut microbiota and the intestinal mucosal barrier in a mouse model with glucolipid metabolism disorder. A glucolipid metabolism disorder model was established by feeding mice a high-glucose and high-fat diet. The mice were divided into a normal group, a model group, and a treatment group, with eight mice in each group. The treatment group received a daily gavage of Dangua Humai Oral Liquid(20 g·kg~(-1)), while the normal group and model group were given an equivalent volume of sterile water. After 15 weeks of intervention, glucolipid metabolism, intestinal mucosal barrier function, and inflammatory responses were evaluated. Metagenomics and untargeted metabolomics were employed to analyze changes in gut microbiota and associated metabolic pathways. Significant differences were observed between the indicators of the normal group and the model group. Compared with the model group, the treatment group exhibited marked improvements in glucolipid metabolism disorder, alleviated pathological damage in the liver and small intestine tissue, elevated expression of recombinant claudin 1(CLDN1), occluding(OCLN), and zonula occludens 1(ZO-1) in the small intestine tissue, and reduced serum levels of inflammatory factors lipopolysaccharides(LPS), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein(LBP), interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidota decreased, while that of Firmicutes increased. Lipid-related metabolic pathways were significantly altered. In conclusion, based on the successful establishment of the mouse model of glucolipid metabolism disorder, this study confirmed that Dangua Humai Oral Liquid effectively modulates gut microbiota and mucosal barrier function, reduces serum inflammatory factor levels, and regulates lipid-related metabolic pathways, thereby ameliorating glucolipid metabolism disorder.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Mice ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Glycolipids/metabolism* ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Administration, Oral ; Disease Models, Animal

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective To explore the treatment for endometriosis(EMs)by Professor SITU Yi,a Guangdong famous traditional Chinese medicine physician,thus to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of EMs in traditional Chinese medicine based on personalized knowledge graph analysis and data mining technology.Methods Based on the literature research achievements of diagnosis and treatment of EMs,the ontology knowledge tree of famous physician's principles,methods,prescriptions and medicines was established by user-computer integration method.The medical records of EMs patients treated by Professor SITU Yi in the outpatient department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from 2013 to 2019 were collected.After standardization of the data of medical records,the knowledge set was defined,the knowledge map of TCM diagnosis and treatment of EMs was constructed,and the symptom characteristics and medication rules for EMs were analyzed.Results The core symptoms of EMs patients were dysmenorrhea,chronic pelvic pain and infertility,with the predominated syndrome of blood stasis.The pathogenesis of EMs patients was mainly due to qi stagnation,kidney deficiency,and qi deficiency.Frequent itemset analysis yielded the core drug groups of"Corydalis Rhizoma,Cyperi Rhizoma,Paeoniae Radix Alba""Lycii Fructus,Taxilli Herba,Poria,Dioscoreae Rhizoma"and"Aurantii Fructus,Leonuri Herba".The EMs word cloud map constructed on the basis of knowledge element clustering and neural network algorithm showed that the drug combinations of"Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Paeoniae Radix Rubra""Corydalis Rhizoma,Curcumae Radix""Cinnamomi Ramulus,Moutan Cortex,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Poria""Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Sparganii Rhizoma,Curcumae Rhizoma""Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Corydalis Rhizoma"and"Taxilli Herba,Cuscutae Semen"were commonly used for the treatment of EMs by Professor SITU Yi.The results of hierarchical clustering analysis and association network construction for Chinese medicinals,symptoms and syndromes showed that there were complex inner link among the syndromes,symptoms and medication.Conclusion For the treatment of EMs,Professor SITU Yi usually adopt the methods of activating blood to remove stasis and tonifying kidney,and also performs the periodic therapy and simultaneous application of purging and nourishing therapeutics.Knowledge graph analysis and data mining based on semantic web are helpful to unveil the tacit knowledge of clinical diagnosis and treatment experience of Professor SITU Yi,which can provide reference for the differentiation and treatment of EMs with Chinese medicine.

Taking the Ligustrum lucidum extract as an example, this study investigated the influence of external mechanical forces under different processing conditions on the crystallographic solid form and the key parameter of drug dissolution rate, so as to provide guidance for the preparation and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Under different pulverization and tableting conditions, the change of crystallographic solid form of L. lucidum extract was observed by polarizing light microscope. Meanwhile, the effect of this change on the dissolution rate was investigated, and the mathematical relationship between crystal content and dissolution rate was analyzed. The results showed that the process of ball milling and tableting had a significant impact on the crystallographic solid form of L. lucidum extract. The amorphous extract displayed crystal transformation, which induced a significant decline in dissolution rate. Further studies revealed that there was a negative linear relationship between crystal content and dissolution rate. The results of this study indicated that the crystallographic solid form transformation of traditional Chinese medicine extracts might occur during the preparation process, which may cause potential risks to the quality of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. It is suggested that we should pay attention to and strengthen the investigation of the crystallographic solid form during the preparation process, so as to guarantee the safety, effectiveness, and quality controllability of traditional Chinese medicine preparations.

Objective:To investigate the relationship and clinical significance of circulating tu-mor DNA(ctDNA)methylation with postoperative recurrence of thyroid cancer.Method:5 pa-tients with recurrent thyroid cancer in our hospital from March 2021 to April 2022 were selected as the observation group,and 2 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group.The level of ctDNA methylation in peripheral blood of the two groups was detected by Illumina high-throughput sequencing system.Gene ontology(GO)function analysis and Kyoto gene and genome encyclope-dia(KEGG)signal pathway analysis were carried out on the methylation region genes with signifi-cant differences through the DAVID gene function analysis platform.Result:There were 7787 dif-ferential ctDNA methylation sites between the two groups.2914(37.4％)were hypermethylation sites and 4873(62.6％)were low methylation sites.GO functional analysis showed that differentially methylated genes were enriched in molecular functions such as DNA-binding transcriptional acti-vation,cell-substrate adhesion,glycoprotein complex and other cellular components.KEGG path-way analysis showed that differentially methylated genes were enriched in thyroid carcinoma signal pathway,cell adhesion molecules,RAP1 signal pathway,RAS signal pathway,MAPK signal path-way and so on.Conclusion:ctDNA methylation may be involved in cancer recurrence in postop-erative patients with thyroid cancer.Monitoring the level of ctDNA methylation in peripheral blood may be an effective method to indicate the recurrence or metastasis of thyroid cancer and guide clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of a modified three-point bending fracture device for establishing a rabbit model of closed tibial fracture. METHODS: The model of closed tibial fracture was established in 40 6-month-old male New Zealand white rabbits with a body weight of 2.5 to 3.0 kg, and the model was verified at 6 weeks after operation. Five rabbits underwent pre modeling without temporary external fixation before modeling, and then were fractured with a modified three-point bending fracture device;35 rabbits underwent formal modeling. Before modeling, needles were inserted, and splints were fixed externally, and then the fracture was performed with a modified three-point bending fracture device. The fracture model and healing process were evaluated by imaging and histopathology at 2 hours, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after operation. RESULTS: Two hours after modeling, the prefabricated module showed oblique fracture in varying degrees and the broken end shifted significantly;Except for 1 comminuted fracture, 2 curved butterfly fractures and 2 without obvious fracture line, the rest were simple transverse and oblique fractures without obvious displacement in formal modeling group. According to the judgment criteria, the success rate of the model was 85.71%. Four weeks after modeling, the fixed needle and splint of the experimental rabbits were in good position, the fracture alignment was good, the fracture line was blurred, many continuous callus growths could be seen around the fracture end, and the callus density was high. Six weeks after modeling, many thick new bone trabeculae at the fracture, marginal osteoblasts attached, and a small number of macrophages were seen under the microscope. The intramembrane osteogenesis area was in the preparation bone stage, the medullary cavity at the fracture had been partially reopened, the callus was in the absorption plastic stage, and many osteoclasts were visible. The X-ray showed that the fracture line almost disappeared, part of the medullary cavity had been opened, the external callus was reduced around, the callus was in the plastic stage, and the bone cortex was continuous. It suggests that the fracture model showed secondary healing. CONCLUSION The improved three-point bending fracture device can establish a stable rabbit model of closed tibial fracture, and the operation is simple, which meets the requirements of closed fracture model in basic research related to fracture healing.
Rabbits ; Male ; Animals ; Bony Callus ; Fracture Healing ; Tibial Fractures/surgery* ; Osteogenesis ; Radiography

In order to guarantee the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the crystallization transformation of complex extracts of TCMs and the influence of solid form on their physicochemical properties were studied.The extract of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata was taken as a model.Crystallization transformation happened when lofting under different conditions, and the intrinsic dissolution tests were carried out.It was found that humidity was the key factor to induce crystallization of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata.The greater the wettability was, the more the crystallization was.The dissolution rate of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata with the most crystallization amount significantly decreased by 96.51% compared to the sample without crystallization.After further simulating the preparation process of total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata, it was found that the wet granulation process with introduced water would also lead to crystallization and reduced dissolution rate.As for all crystallization samples, there was an inversely proportional relationship between the dissolution rates and the amount of crystallization.The risk of crystallization existed both in the storage and preparation process of TCM extracts.Crystallization would significantly affect the dissolution rate, and thus the quality of TCM products.In this study, the crystallization transformation of amorphous complex TCM extracts was discovered, and the effect of the crystallization transformation on its dissolution behavior was systematically studied, which provides a new research idea for assuring the quality of TCM products and promoting the improvement of TCM preparation level.

The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells,dominated by lactobacilli.Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age,as well as cervical,fecal,and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women.Factors such as pregnancy history,delivery history,cesarean section,and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome,and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical micro-biome data.Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut.The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history.Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity,heavy flow,dysmenor-rhea,and contraceptives were also identified.Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause.Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome.Gut and salivary microbiomes,plasma vitamins,metals,amino acids,and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome.Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.