ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the prophylactic effects of caloric restriction (CR) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic cardiomyopathy (SCM) and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective actions of CR. This research aims to provide innovative strategies and theoretical support for the prevention of SCM. MethodsA total of forty-eight 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice, weighing between 20-25 g, were randomly assigned to 4 distinct groups, each consisting of 12 mice. The groups were designated as follows: CON (control), LPS, CR, and CR+LPS. Prior to the initiation of the CR protocol, the CR and CR+LPS groups underwent a 2-week acclimatization period during which individual food consumption was measured. The initial week of CR intervention was set at 80% of the baseline intake, followed by a reduction to 60% for the subsequent 5 weeks. After 6-week CR intervention, all 4 groups received an intraperitoneal injection of either normal saline or LPS (10 mg/kg). Twelve hours post-injection, heart function was assessed, and subsequently, heart and blood samples were collected. Serum inflammatory markers were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum myocardial enzyme spectrum was analyzed using an automated biochemical instrument. Myocardial tissue sections underwent hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of protein in myocardial tissue, including inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-9, IL-18), oxidative stress markers (iNOS, SOD2), pro-apoptotic markers (Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, CASP3), and SIRT3/SIRT6. ResultsTwelve hours after LPS injection, there was a significant decrease in ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) ratios, along with a notable increase in left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD). Morphological and serum indicators (AST, LDH, CK, and CK-MB) indicated that LPS injection could induce myocardial structural disorders and myocardial injury. Furthermore, 6-week CR effectively prevented the myocardial injury. LPS injection also significantly increased the circulating inflammatory levels (IL-1β, TNF-α) in mice. IF and Western blot analyses revealed that LPS injection significantly up-regulating the expression of inflammatory-related proteins (TNF-α, IL-9, IL-18), oxidative stress-related proteins (iNOS, SOD2) and apoptotic proteins (Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, CASP3) in myocardial tissue. 6-week CR intervention significantly reduced circulating inflammatory levels and downregulated the expression of inflammatory, oxidative stress-related proteins and pro-apoptotic level in myocardial tissue. Additionally, LPS injection significantly downregulated the expression of SIRT3 and SIRT6 proteins in myocardial tissue, and CR intervention could restore the expression of SIRT3 proteins. ConclusionA 6-week CR could prevent LPS-induced septic cardiomyopathy, including cardiac function decline, myocardial structural damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with the regulation of SIRT3 expression in myocardial tissue.

Thrombosis is a key factor that increases the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients and causes long COVID sequelae. Guanxinning Tablet (GXNT), which is composed of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Ligusticum Chuanxiong, has significant antithrombotic activity, but the similarities and differences between its anti-conventional thrombus and microthrombus induced by COVID-19 remain unclear. In this paper, the main active components, potential targets and mechanisms of GXNT in the treatment of thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 were preliminarily revealed by using anti-platelet experiments in vitro, network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking technology and molecular biology experiments. The results of platelet aggregation and adhesion experiments in vitro showed that GXNT had significant anti-platelet aggregation and adhesion activities in a dose-dependent manner. Using network pharmacology analysis, it was revealed that salvianolic acid B, tanshinone IIA, caffeic acid and ligustrazine in GXNT could resist thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 through key targets as the high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 6 (IL6) and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1). HMGB1 signaling pathway is one of its key common mechanisms. Western blot also indicated that GXNT significantly inhibited the expression of HMGB1 protein in platelets. In summary, this paper explores the similarities and differences between the mechanism of GXNT against conventional thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 and provides drug reference and theoretical basis for clinical prevention and treatment of long COVID sequelae. The animal experiment has been approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. TCM-LAEC2023187g1549).

Objective To investigate the infection status and changing trend of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in hospitalized patients in medical institutions,and provide reference for formulating HCV infection prevention and control strategies.Methods HCV infection surveillance results from cross-sectional survey data reported to China Healthcare-associated Infection(HAI)Surveillance System in 2020 were summarized and analyzed,HCV positive was serum anti-HCV positive or HCV RNA positive,survey result was compared with the survey results from 2003.Results In 2020,1 071 368 inpatients in 1 573 hospitals were surveyed,738 535 of whom underwent HCV test,4 014 patients were infected with HCV,with a detection rate of 68.93％and a HCV positive rate of 0.54％.The positive rate of HCV in male and female patients were 0.60％and 0.48％,respectively,with a statistically sig-nificant difference(x2=47.18,P＜0.001).The HCV positive rate in the 50-＜60 age group was the highest(0.76％),followed by the 40-＜50 age group(0.71％).Difference among all age groups was statistically signifi-cant(x2=696.74,P＜0.001).In 2003,91 113 inpatients were surveyed.35 145 of whom underwent HCV test,resulting in a detection rate of 38.57％;775 patients were infected with HCV,with a positive rate of 2.21％.In 2020,HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales were 0.46％-0.63％,with the highest in hospital with bed numbers ranging 600-899.Patients'HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales was statistically signifi-cant(X2=35.34,P＜0.001).In 2020,12 provinces/municipalities had over 10 000 patients underwent HCV-rela-ted test,and HCV positive rates ranged 0.19％-0.81％,with the highest rate from Hainan Province.HCV posi-tive rates in different departments were 0.06％-0.82％,with the lowest positive rate in the department of pedia-trics and the highest in the department of internal medicine.In 2003 and 2020,HCV positive rates in the depart-ment of infectious diseases were the highest,being 7.95％and 3.48％,respectively.Followed by departments of orthopedics(7.72％),gastroenterology(3.77％),nephrology(3.57％)and general intensive care unit(ICU,3.10％)in 2003,as well as departments of gastroenterology(1.35％),nephrology(1.18％),endocrinology(0.91％),and general intensive care unit(ICU,0.79％)in 2020.Conclusion Compared with 2003,HCV positive rate decreased significantly in 2020.HCV infected patients were mainly from the department of infectious diseases,followed by departments of gastroenterology,nephrology and general ICU.HCV infection positive rate varies with gender,age,and region.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of compound levodopa/carbidopa(250 mg/25 mg)and levodopa/benserazide(200 mg/50 mg)in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods This experiment used a levodopa challenge test with a randomized crossover design.In the first week,20 PD patients orally received either 275 mg of compound levodopa/carbidopa or 250 mg of levodopa/benserazide on an empty stomach,and in the second week,they received the other treatment.The levodopa blood concentration was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry,and motor symptoms were evaluated using the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Ⅲ.Results Data from 17 patients in the compound levodopa/carbidopa group and 18 patients in the levodopa/benserazide group was included in the analysis.After administration,the Cmax values of compound levodopa/carbidopa and levodopa/benserazide groups were(3 563.76±1 003.06)and(3 642.44±1 192.70)ng·mL-1;the tmax values were(1.10±0.44)and(1.03±0.55)h;the t1/2 values were(1.52±0.15)and(1.68±0.27)h;the AUC0-t values were(7 625.19±1 706.85)and(5 846.07±1 191.16)ng·mL-1·h;the mean residence time(MRT)values were(2.39±0.361)and(2.14±0.37)h,respectively.There were no statistically significant differences in the Cmax,tmax,and t1/2 values between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Compared with the levodopa/benserazide group,the compound levodopa/carbidopa group increased levodopa AUC and prolonged MRT(all P＜0.05).The improvement in motor symptoms and levodopa blood concentration showed consistent trends at various time points in both groups.The compound levodopa/carbidopa group showed significantly better improvement in motor function at 6 and 8 hours after medication compared to the levodopa/benserazide group[(-10.82±8.91)points vs(-5.17±6.78)points,(-7.88±10.05)points vs(-2.11±4.84)points;both P＜0.05].Conclusion The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of compound levodopa/carbidopa are similar to those of levodopa/benserazide.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of modified Dahuang Fuzi Decoction following the therapy of unblocking bowels for the treatment of acute pancreatitis of pathogenic-cold accumulation and retention type.Methods A total of 78 patients with acute pancreatitis of pathogenic-cold accumulation and retention type were randomly divided into a study group and a control group,39 cases in each group.The control group was treated with conventional western medicine,and the study group was treated with oral use or nasogastric feeding of Dahuang Fuzi Decoction on the basis of treatment for the control group.The course of treatment covered seven days.The two groups were observed in the changes of serum pancreatic enzyme indicators of serum amylase and lipase,inflammatory factors of C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),interleukin-6(IL-6)and interleukin-8(IL-8),acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)score,and modified CT severity index(MCTSI)score before and after treatment.The time for abdominal pain relief,time for abdominal distension relief,and time for anal defecation were compared between the two groups.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,there was one patient falling off separately from the study group and the control group,and 38 patients in each group were eventually included in the efficacy statistics.(2)After seven days of treatment,the total effective rate of the study group was 86.84％(33/38),and that of the control group was 78.95％(30/38).The intergroup comparison(tested by rank sum test)showed that the efficacy of the study group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the serum levels of pancreatic enzyme indicators of amylase and lipase in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum amylase and lipase levels in the study group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the serum levels of inflammatory factors of CRP,PCT,IL-6 and IL-8 in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum CRP,PCT,IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the study group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the APACHE Ⅱ and MCTSI scores of the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of APACHE Ⅱ and MCTSI scores in the study group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(6)For the time of symptom relief,the time for abdominal pain relief,time for abdominal distension relief,and time for anal defecation in the study group were significantly shortened compared with those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(7)No obvious adverse reactions occurred in the two groups during the treatment,indicating high safety.Conclusion On the basis of conventional treatment,the use of modified Dahuang Fuzi Decoction following the therapy of unblocking bowels exerts certain efficacy for the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis of pathogenic-cold accumulation and retention type.The therapy is effective on relieving the symptoms and signs of patients,and decreasing the level of serum pancreatic enzyme indicators and inflammatory factors.

Objective To evaluate the in vitro effect of combinations of 5 β-lactam antibiotics with different β-lac-tamase inhibitors on the activity of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR-TB),and identify the most effective combination of β-lactam antibiotics and β-lactamase inhibitors against MDR-TB.Methods MDR-TB strains collected in Henan Province Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Project in 2021 were selected.The mini-mum inhibitory concentrations(MIC)of 5 β-lactam antibiotics or combinations with different β-lactamase inhibitors on clinically isolated MDR-TB strains were measured by MIC detection method,and the blaC mutation of the strains was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and DNA sequencing.Results A total of 105 strains of MDR-TB were included in the analysis.MIC detection results showed that doripenem had the highest antibacterial activity against MDR-TB,with a MIC50 of 16 μg/mL.MIC values of most β-lactam antibiotics decreased significantly after combined with β-lactamase inhibitors.A total of 13.33％(n=14)strains had mutations in blaC gene,mainly 3 nu-cleotide substitution mutations,namely AGT333AGG,AAC638ACC and ATC786ATT.BlaC proteins Ser111 Arg and Asn213Thr enhanced the synergistic effect of clavulanic acid/sulbactam and meropenem on MDR-TB compared with synonymous single-nucleotide mutation.Conclusion The combination of doripenem and sulbactam has the strongest antibacterial activity against MDR-TB.Substitution mutations of BlaC protein Ser111 Arg and Asn213Thr enhances the sensitivity of MDR-TB to meropenem through the synergy with clavulanic acid/sulbactam.

The purpose of this study was to identify the tick species native to Xindi Township,Yumin County,Xinjiang,China.Preliminary morphological identification of parasitic ticks collected from animals in the area was conducted with an ultra-depth of field three-dimensional VHX 600 digital stereo microscope.Total DNA of the ticks was extracted,amplified by PCR based on the COI and ITS2 gene loci,and the posi-tive PCR products were sequenced.The sequence were a-ligned with reference sequences from the NCBI database were aligned with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.A genet-ic phylogenetic tree was generated with the neighbor-joining method of MEGA 7.0 software to determine the evolutionary biological characteristics of ticks.Morphological identification showed that the ticks collected from Xindi Township of Yu-min County were consistent with the characteristics of Hya-lomma asiaticum.An evolutionary tree based on the COI and ITS2 gene sequences showed that the ticks collected in this study were clustered with known H.asiaticum sequences.The PCR products of COI and ITS2 were sequenced and compared,which confirmed that the collected tick species were H.asiaticum,in agreement with the morphological and molecular biological results.These findings help to clarify the distribution of ticks in Xindi Township of Xinjiang,and provide basic data for the analysis of tick genetic and evolutionary characteristics,as reference for surveillance and control of ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

NLRP3 can recruit proteins such as ASC and pro-caspase1 to form NLRP3 inflammasomes after being stimulated by pathogen and danger signals in vivo,and then induce pyropto-sis and promote the inflammatory reactions to maintain the home-ostasis.However,the overactivation of NLRP3 inflammasomes is closely related to many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in humans.Targeted inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasomes can sig-nificantly inhibit inflammation and alleviate the relative symp-toms.Therefore,it is an important research direction for treating diseases of NLRP3 inflammasome that searching for effective in-hibitors targeting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and achieving clinical transformation.This review summarizes the latest re-search progress based on the sources of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors.

Objective: This meta-analysis aims to refine the understanding of the optimal choice between different cage shapes in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) by systematically comparing perioperative data, radiological outcomes, clinical results, and complications associated with banana-shaped and straight bullet cages. Methods: A meticulous literature search encompassing PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, China Knowledge Network, and Wanfang Data was executed up to October 5, 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on studies comparing banana-shaped and straight bullet cages in TLIF. The quality of included studies was assessed using appropriate tools such as the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for nonrandomized studies. Rigorous evaluations were performed for radiographic outcomes, including disc height (DH), segmental lordosis (SL), lumbar lordosis (LL), subsidence, and fusion rates. Clinical outcomes were meticulously evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and complications. Results: The analysis incorporated 7 studies, involving 573 patients (297 with banana-shaped cages, 276 with straight cages), all with NOS ratings exceeding 5 stars. No statistically significant differences were observed in operative time, blood loss, or hospitalization between the 2 cage shapes. Banana-shaped cages exhibited greater changes in DH (p = 0.001), SL (p = 0.02), and LL (p = 0.01). Despite statistically higher changes in ODI for straight cages (26.33, p < 0.0001), the actual value remained similar to banana-shaped cages (26.15). Both cage types demonstrated similar efficacy in VAS, complication rates, subsidence, and fusion rates. Conclusion Although banana-shaped cages can excel in restoring DH, SL, and LL, straight bullet cages can provide comparable functional improvements, pain relief, and complication rates.

Objective: This meta-analysis aims to refine the understanding of the optimal choice between different cage shapes in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) by systematically comparing perioperative data, radiological outcomes, clinical results, and complications associated with banana-shaped and straight bullet cages. Methods: A meticulous literature search encompassing PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, China Knowledge Network, and Wanfang Data was executed up to October 5, 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on studies comparing banana-shaped and straight bullet cages in TLIF. The quality of included studies was assessed using appropriate tools such as the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for nonrandomized studies. Rigorous evaluations were performed for radiographic outcomes, including disc height (DH), segmental lordosis (SL), lumbar lordosis (LL), subsidence, and fusion rates. Clinical outcomes were meticulously evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and complications. Results: The analysis incorporated 7 studies, involving 573 patients (297 with banana-shaped cages, 276 with straight cages), all with NOS ratings exceeding 5 stars. No statistically significant differences were observed in operative time, blood loss, or hospitalization between the 2 cage shapes. Banana-shaped cages exhibited greater changes in DH (p = 0.001), SL (p = 0.02), and LL (p = 0.01). Despite statistically higher changes in ODI for straight cages (26.33, p < 0.0001), the actual value remained similar to banana-shaped cages (26.15). Both cage types demonstrated similar efficacy in VAS, complication rates, subsidence, and fusion rates. Conclusion Although banana-shaped cages can excel in restoring DH, SL, and LL, straight bullet cages can provide comparable functional improvements, pain relief, and complication rates.