ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of puncture cyanoacrylate selective seal （PCSS） under endoscopic ultrasound in the treatment of gastroesophageal varices （GOV）. MethodsA total of 100 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent endoscopic therapy for the secondary prevention of GOV bleeding in Beijing Ditan Hospital， Capital Medical University， from March 1 to December 31， 2023 were enrolled and randomly divided into PCSS group and traditional endoscopy group. The patients were followed up for 6 months after surgery， and the two groups were compared in terms of clinical outcome and complications. The primary outcome measure was the rate of alleviation or disappearance of GOV， and the secondary outcome measure was variceal rebleeding and death. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed or approximately normally distributed quantitative data between two groups， and the Wilcoxon non-parametric test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed quantitative data between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of qualitative data between two groups. ResultsThere were 50 patients in the PCSS group， among whom 1 patient was lost to follow-up， and there were 50 patients in the traditional endoscopy group， among whom 3 patients were lost to follow-up. There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline data such as age， sex， Child-Pugh class， varices grade， and GOV typing （all P>0.05）. Compared with the traditional endoscopy group， the PCSS group had significantly better results of the number of endoscopic treatment sessions （t=-15.671， P=0.001）， the total amount of tissue adhesive used （t=-2.830， P=0.006）， and the rate of alleviation or eradication of varices sclerosis （χ²=7.078， P=0.029）. Both groups had low rates of postoperative rebleeding， adverse reactions， and complications， and there were no significant differences between the two groups （all P>0.05）. ConclusionCompared with traditional endoscopy， PCSS can significantly enhance treatment outcome while maintaining safety standards.

The subcortical visual pathway is generally thought to be involved in dangerous information processing, such as fear processing and defensive behavior. A recent study, published in Human Brain Mapping, shows a new function of the subcortical pathway involved in the fast processing of non-emotional object perception. Rapid object processing is a critical function of visual system. Topological perception theory proposes that the initial perception of objects begins with the extraction of topological property (TP). However, the mechanism of rapid TP processing remains unclear. The researchers investigated the subcortical mechanism of TP processing with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). They find that a subcortical magnocellular pathway is responsible for the early processing of TP, and this subcortical processing of TP accelerates object recognition. Based on their findings, we propose a novel training approach called subcortical magnocellular pathway training (SMPT), aimed at improving the efficiency of the subcortical M pathway to restore visual and attentional functions in disorders associated with subcortical pathway dysfunction.

To explore the mechanism of spleen- were obtained for the treatment of acute-on-chronic livstrengthening and moisture-nourishing liver prescription er failure, and 244 intersecting target genes and 7 core (JPLSYGF) in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver target genes were screened. Molecular docking showed failure using network pharmacology and the molecular that the core target genes AKT1, SRC, VEGFA, docking. Methods Relying on TCMSP and Gene- STAT3 , EGFR, MAPK3 , HRAS had good affinity with Cards and other databases, the relevant targets of JPL- quercetin, the main active component in the JPLSYGF in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure SYGF, and had strong binding activity. In addition, in were obtained. String and Cytoscape were used to con- vivo tests verified that the JPLSYGF could reduce the struct PPI networks of targets, core targets were expression of HRAS, EGFR, STAT3 , SRC, and VEGscreened out, and DAVID was used for GO function FA, to delay the progression of acute-on-chronic liver annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. failure. Conclusions JPLSYGF may act on core tar- The main active ingredients of the traditional Chinese gets such as HRAS, EGFR, STAT3, SRC, VEGFA medicine compound formula for JPLSYGF were select- and so on, to achieve the effect of treating acute-oned with a bioavailability OB value of =Э 30% and a chronic liver failure. drug-like DL^O. 18 as the screening conditions, and.

ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue adhesive injection with the assistance of metal clips in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with gastric varices and gastric-renal shunt （GRS）. MethodsThe patients who attended Beijing Ditan Hospital， Capital Medical University， due to liver cirrhosis and gastric varices from February to June 2023 were enrolled， and all patients were confirmed to have GRS and received endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue adhesive injection with the assistance of metal clips. The primary evaluation index was alleviation or disappearance of varicose veins after surgery， and the secondary evaluation indices were surgical completion and complications. ResultsA total of 11 patients were enrolled in this study， among whom there were 7 male patients and 4 female patients， with a median age of 55 years. Of all patients， 1 had Child class A liver function， 7 had Child class B liver function， and 3 had Child class C liver function. The maximum （median） diameter of the shunt was 8 mm， and the minimum （median） diameter of the shunt was 4 mm. The median blood flow velocity of the target vessel was 11 cm/s before treatment and 5 cm/s after occlusion with metal clips. The median amount of tissue adhesive injected was 2 mL， and the amount of lauromacrogol used was 1 mL. Disappearance of blood flow signals was observed in all patients after surgery （100%）， and the success rate of surgery was 100%. No patient experienced rebleeding after follow-up for 6 weeks. Gastroscopy at 1 month after surgery showed that gastric varices were eradicated or almost disappeared in 9 patients and were alleviated in 2 patients. ConclusionEndoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue adhesive injection with the assistance of metal clips is a feasible， safe， and effective treatment method for cirrhotic patients with gastric varices and GRS.

Objective To investigate the effects of metformin(Met)on the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells under different glucose concentration culture conditions,and to find the potential role of miR-139-5p in the process.Methods PANC-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of metformin(0/5/10/20 mmol/L)in 25 mmol/L(high-glucose group,HG)or 5 mmol/L(normal-glucose group,NG)glucose culture,cell proliferation,apoptosis,migration and cell cycle were detected after 48 h.The expression of miR-139-5p was quantitatively detected by RT-qPCR,and the miR-139-5p mimics were transfected into PANC-1 cells to clarify the role of miR-139-5p.Results Metformin inhibited the proliferation,promoted apoptosis,and induced S phase and G2/M phase arrest of PANC-1 cells under in high glucose and normal glucose culture conditions,and its anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis effects were more significant in the normal glucose groups.The expression of miR-139-5p was up-regu-lated by metformin treatment in normal but not in high glucose culture.Further studies showed that miR-139-5p mimics inhibited of PANC-1 cells proliferation without metformin pre-incubation and enhanced the anti-prolifera-tion effect of 5 mmol/L metformin.The pro-apoptotic effect of 10 mmol/L metformin in normal glucose culture conditions.Conclusions In normal-glucose culture conditions,metformin can inhibit proliferation,induce apop-tosis and cell cycle arrest of PANC-1 cells more significantly than in higher-glucose culture,which may be partly related to the up-regulation of miR-139-5p.

Objective To research the effect and the mechanism of cinnamon oil on experimental rat prostatic hyperplasia.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,control group and cinnamon oil-H,-M,-L groups,with 10 rats in each group.The prostatic hyperplasia model was induced by injected subcutaneously with 5 mg·kg-1·d-1 testosterone propionate for 30 d.Normal group and model group were given 1 mL·kg-1 0.9％NaCl;control group were given 1 mg·kg-1 finasteride;cinnamon oil-H,-M,-L groups were given 1,0.5,0.25 mg·kg-1 cinnamon oil by intragastric administration,respectively,once a day for 30 d.The wet weight and index of prostate gland in rats were compared to explore the therapeutic effect of cinnamon oil,and the inhibitory effect of cinnamon oil on 5α-reductase and NADPH oxidase was studied to explore its mechanism.Results The prostate wet weight in normal group,model group,control group and cinnamon oil-H,-M,-L groups were(0.51±0.09),(1.02±0.17),(0.65±0.15),(0.64±0.17),(0.79±0.09)and(0.81±0.15)mg;the prostate index were(2.25±0.33),(4.70±0.48),(3.03±0.82),(3.02±0.60),(3.53±0.46)and(3.68±0.66)mg·kg-1;the fluorescence intensity of NADPH oxidase were(1.26±0.18),(5.21±0.80),(2.21±0.56),(2.51±0.56),(4.13±0.64)and(4.90±0.88)RLU,respectively.Compared with model group,the fluorescence intensity of NADPH oxidase in normal group,control group and cinnamon oil-H,-M groups all had significantly differences(all P＜0.01).The average inhibition rates of 5α-reductase in positive control group(20 μmol·L-1),cinnamon oil group(10,20 μmol·L-1)were 49.36％,45.62％and 63.45％,respectively.The average inhibition rate of 5α-reductase in cinnamon oil group(20 μmol·L-1)was higher than that in positive control group(20 μmol·L-1),the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Cinnamon oil may inhibit prostate hyperplasia by inhibiting 5α-reductase and NADPH oxidase.

Objective Recombinase-aided polymerase chain reaction(RAP)is a sensitive,single-tube,two-stage nucleic acid amplification method.This study aimed to develop an assay that can be used for the early diagnosis of three types of bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus(SA),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA),and Acinetobacter baumannii(AB)in the bloodstream based on recombinant human mannan-binding lectin protein(M1 protein)-conjugated magnetic bead(M1 bead)enrichment of pathogens combined with RAP. Methods Recombinant plasmids were used to evaluate the assay sensitivity.Common blood influenza bacteria were used for the specific detection.Simulated and clinical plasma samples were enriched with M1 beads and then subjected to multiple recombinase-aided PCR(M-RAP)and quantitative PCR(qPCR)assays.Kappa analysis was used to evaluate the consistency between the two assays. Results The M-RAP method had sensitivity rates of 1,10,and 1 copies/μL for the detection of SA,PA,and AB plasmids,respectively,without cross-reaction to other bacterial species.The M-RAP assay obtained results for<10 CFU/mL pathogens in the blood within 4 h,with higher sensitivity than qPCR.M-RAP and qPCR for SA,PA,and AB yielded Kappa values of 0.839,0.815,and 0.856,respectively(P<0.05). Conclusion An M-RAP assay for SA,PA,and AB in blood samples utilizing M1 bead enrichment has been developed and can be potentially used for the early detection of bacteremia.

AIM To investigate the effects of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula on neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury based on the study of oxidative stress and inflammatory response.METHODS The rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the edaravone group(3.0 mg/kg),the low,medium and high dose groups(9.0,18.0,36.0 g/kg)of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula,with 18 rats in each group.The middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion was conducted by thread embolism method to simulate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats followed by 6 days corresponding drugs administration.Subsequently,the rats had their neurological function deficit scored by Zeal Longa scoring method;their sizes of cerebral infarction areas measured by TTC staining;their pathological damage and apoptosis of neurons in hippocampal CA1 area of ischemic penumbra of the brain tissue detected by HE staining and TUNEL staining;their SOD activity and levels of GSH,MDA,IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α in brain tissue detected by kits;and their protein expressions of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,cleaved-capase-3,TLR4,NF-κB p65,Nrf2,HO-1 in rat brain tissue determined by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with edaravone,medium and high dose of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula displayed improvements in the scores of nerve function defects,the rate of cerebral infarction,the rate of neuronal apoptosis,the levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and MDA in the ischemic penumbra of brain tissues,the protein expressions of Bax and TLR4,the ratio of cleaved-capase-3/caspase-3 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65(P＜0.05),the levels of GSH,the activity of SOD and the protein expressions of Bcl-2,Nrf2 and HO-1(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Being an inhibitor of oxidative stress and inflammatory response,Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula can alleviate brain injury in rats with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury through the inhibition of neuronal apoptosis and improvement of neural function mediated by the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway and activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway.

Celastrol and wilforlide A are the main active triterpenoids of the traditional Chinese medicine Lei Gong Teng, which have anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities, and are the material basis for the clinical efficacy of Lei Gong Teng-related Chinese medicinal preparations. By analysing the biosynthetic pathway of active ingredients, optimizing genetic elements and utilizing "cell factory" to produce triterpenoids heterologously will be an effective way to obtain from Tripterygium wilfordii in the future in a "low-cost and high-efficient" manner. CYP712Ks are the first cytochrome P450s involved in the skeleton modification of friedelane-type and oleanane-type triterpenoids in T. wilfordii, and they can catalyse the generation of polpunonic acid from friedelin and 3-epi-katonic acid from β-amyrin by carboxylation at C-29 position. In this study, four multifunctional TwCYP712K1/2/3/5 were used to clarify the catalytic function and substrate selection preference using in vivo functional characterization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The spatial structure of the protein-substrate binding was clarified through homology modeling and molecular docking, and then the differential amino acids in the active pocket of the protein were mutated to clarify the crucial amino acids determining the catalytic function and the selection of substrate structure. A total of 63 mutant elements were constructed, and the amino acid sites affecting the carboxylation function of TwCYP712Ks were analyzed. In particular, the key amino acids affecting the substrate selectivity of TwCYP712K2 towards oleanane-type and friedelane-type triterpenoids were revealed and the TwCYP712K2^F127I and TwCYP712K2^A227T mutants would result in a reversal of the product ratio. In conclusion, four proteins of TwCYP712Ks were semi-rationally designed by homologous protein alignment and mutual mutation to elucidate multiple amino acid sites determining the catalytic function of the proteins, and a series of activity-enhancing or altering mutants were obtained, which provide abundant catalytic elements for the biosynthesis of active triterpenoids from T. wilfordii, and the mechanism of carboxylation in the C-29 position was initially elucidated.

Emerging research suggests a potential association of progression of Alzheimer's disease(AD)with al-terations in synaptic currents and mitochondrial dynamics.However,the specific associations between these pathological changes remain unclear.In this study,we utilized Aβ42-induced AD rats and primary neural cells as in vivo and in vitro models.The investigations included behavioural tests,brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)analysis,Nissl staining,thioflavin-S staining,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,Golgi-Cox staining,trans-mission electron microscopy(TEM),immunofluorescence staining,proteomics,adenosine triphosphate(ATP)detection,mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)and reactive oxygen species(ROS)assess-ment,mitochondrial morphology analysis,electrophysiological studies,Western blotting,and molecular docking.The results revealed changes in synaptic currents,mitophagy,and mitochondrial dynamics in the AD models.Remarkably,intervention with Dengzhan Shengmai(DZSM)capsules emerged as a pivotal element in this investigation.Aβ42-induced synaptic dysfunction was significantly mitigated by DZSM intervention,which notably amplified the frequency and amplitude of synaptic transmission.The cognitive impairment observed in AD rats was ameliorated and accompanied by robust protection against structural damage in key brain regions,including the hippocampal CA3,primary cingular cortex,prelimbic system,and dysgranular insular cortex.DZSM intervention led to increased IDE levels,augmented long-term potential(LTP)amplitude,and enhanced dendritic spine density and length.Moreover,DZSM intervention led to favourable changes in mitochondrial parameters,including ROS expression,MMP and ATP contents,and mitochondrial morphology.In conclusion,our findings delved into the realm of altered synaptic currents,mitophagy,and mitochondrial dynamics in AD,concurrently highlighting the therapeutic potential of DZSM intervention.