Direct compression is an ideal method for tablet preparation, but it requires the powder's high functional properties. The functional properties of the powder during compression directly affect the quality of the tablet. 15 parameters such as Py, FES-8KN, FES-12KN, FES-16KN, CR-8KN, CR-12KN, and CR-16KN were used as the characteristic variables in this paper. Unsupervised learning methods like principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and factor analysis were applied to analyze and classify the compression behavior data of 36 traditional Chinese medicine powders. The results showed that both different dimensionality reduction classification methods could effectively differentiate the compression behavior characteristics of 36 traditional Chinese medicine compound powders. The hierarchical cluster analysis results showed a better agreement with the actual compression phenomena of the powders, where group 1 was high elasticity and low compressibility, group 2 was easily compressed and hard to break, group 3 was excellent compressibility and compactibility. This study is expected to provide references and ideas for predicting the behavior of traditional Chinese medicine powders and the screening of tablet formulations.

Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.

ObjectiveTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutes a valuable cultural heritage and an important source of antitumor compounds. Poria (Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf), the dried sclerotium of a polyporaceae fungus, was first documented in Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica and has been used therapeutically and dietarily in China for millennia. Traditionally recognized for its diuretic, spleen-tonifying, and sedative properties, modern pharmacological studies confirm that Poria exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor activities. Pachymic acid (PA; a triterpenoid with the chemical structure 3β-acetyloxy-16α-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acid), isolated from Poria, is a principal bioactive constituent. Emerging evidence indicates PA exerts antitumor effects through multiple mechanisms, though these remain incompletely characterized. Neuroblastoma (NB), a highly malignant pediatric extracranial solid tumor accounting for 15% of childhood cancer deaths, urgently requires safer therapeutics due to the limitations of current treatments. Although PA shows multi-mechanistic antitumor potential, its efficacy against NB remains uncharacterized. This study systematically investigated the potential molecular targets and mechanisms underlying the anti-NB effects of PA by integrating network pharmacology-based target prediction with experimental validation of multi-target interactions through molecular docking, dynamic simulations, and in vitro assays, aimed to establish a novel perspective on PA’s antitumor activity and explore its potential clinical implications for NB treatment by integrating computational predictions with biological assays. MethodsThis study employed network pharmacology to identify potential targets of PA in NB, followed by validation using molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, MM/PBSA free energy analysis, RT-qPCR and Western blot experiments. Network pharmacology analysis included target screening via TCMSP, GeneCards, DisGeNET, SwissTargetPrediction, SuperPred, and PharmMapper. Subsequently, potential targets were predicted by intersecting the results from these databases via Venn analysis. Following target prediction, topological analysis was performed to identify key targets using Cytoscape software. Molecular docking was conducted using AutoDock Vina, with the binding pocket defined based on crystal structures. MD simulations were performed for 100 ns using GROMACS, and RMSD, RMSF, SASA, and hydrogen bonding dynamics were analyzed. MM/PBSA calculations were carried out to estimate the binding free energy of each protein-ligand complex. In vitro validation included RT-qPCR and Western blot, with GAPDH used as an internal control. ResultsThe CCK-8 assay demonstrated a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect of PA on NB cell viability. GO analysis suggested that the anti-NB activity of PA might involve cellular response to chemical stress, vesicle lumen, and protein tyrosine kinase activity. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the anti-NB activity of PA might involve the PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and Ras signaling pathways. Molecular docking and MD simulations revealed stable binding interactions between PA and the core target proteins AKT1, EGFR, SRC, and HSP90AA1. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses further confirmed that PA treatment significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression of AKT1, EGFR, and SRC while increasing the HSP90AA1 mRNA and protein levels. ConclusionIt was suggested that PA may exert its anti-NB effects by inhibiting AKT1, EGFR, and SRC expression, potentially modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings provide crucial evidence supporting PA’s development as a therapeutic candidate for NB.

OBJECTIVE: To study the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of the polysaccharide of Alocasia cucullata (PAC) and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: B16F10 and 4T1 cells were cultured with PAC of 40 µg/mL, and PAC was withdrawn after 40 days of administration. The cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8. The expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 proteins were detected by Western blot and the expressions of ERK1/2 mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A mouse melanoma model was established to study the effect of PAC during long-time administration. Mice were divided into 3 treatment groups: control group treated with saline water, positive control group (LNT group) treated with lentinan at 100 mg/(kg·d), and PAC group treated with PAC at 120 mg/(kg·d). The pathological changes of tumor tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The apoptosis of tumor tissues was detected by TUNEL staining. Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 protein expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the expressions of ERK1/2, JNK1 and p38 mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: In vitro, no strong inhibitory effects of PAC were found in various tumor cells after 48 or 72 h of administration. Interestingly however, after 40 days of cultivation under PAC, an inhibitory effect on B16F10 cells was found. Correspondingly, the long-time administration of PAC led to downregulation of Bcl-2 protein (P<0.05), up-regulation of Caspase-3 protein (P<0.05) and ERK1 mRNA (P<0.05) in B16F10 cells. The above results were verified by in vivo experiments. In addition, viability of B16F10 cells under long-time administration culture in vitro decreased after drug withdrawal, and similar results were also observed in 4T1 cells. CONCLUSIONS Long-time administration of PAC can significantly inhibit viability and promote apoptosis of tumor cells, and had obvious antitumor effect in tumor-bearing mice.
Mice ; Animals ; Alocasia/metabolism* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism*

Objective To investigate the role of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells(PNEC)and γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)in patients with pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors(PNET).Methods The pathological specimens of 29 cases of PNET treated in the eighth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2018 to January 2022 were collected.The morphological characteristics were observed by HE staining,and the expression levels of synaptophysin(Syn),chromogranin A(CgA),CD56,Ki-67,CD86 and CD163 were observed by immunohistochemical staining.Calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP)and glutamic acid decarboxylase(GAD)65/67 in different types of PNETs were detected by double antibody immunofluorescence co-staining,and the correlation between GAD65/67 positive PNEC and macrophage polarization was analyzed.Results The results of HE staining showed that all four types of PNET tissues had neuroendocrine(NE)characteristics:rosette structure and organ nesting or palisade pattern,but they were different,and the proportion of mitotic cells from low to high was typical carcinoid(TC),atypical carcinoid(AC),large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma(LCNEC)and small cell lung cancer(SCLC).The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the positive expression rate of Syn and CgA and the positive degree of Syn,CgA and CD56 in carcinoid(TC and AC)were significantly higher than those in LCNEC and SCLC(P＜0.05).The Ki-67 indices of the four types of PNET are:TC＜5%,AC 5%-20%,LCNEC and SCLC＞75%respectively.The number of PNEC in carcinoid was significantly higher than that in LCNEC,SCLC and paratumoral tissues(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference in the number of PNEC between LCNEC and SCLC and para-tumor tissues(P＞0.05).The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of GAD65/67 positive cells co-expressing GAD65/67 in 95%PNEC was significantly higher than that in LCNEC,SCLC and para-tumor tissues(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between LCNEC and SCLC GAD65/67 positive cells and para-tumor tissues(P＞0.05).The results of immunohistochemical staining also showed that the number of CD86 positive M1 macrophages was significantly higher than that of CD163 positive M2 macrophages in para-tumor tissues(P＜0.05),while M2 macrophages were significantly more than M1 macrophages in AC,LCNEC and SCLC(P＜0.01).Correlation analysis showed that the number of GAD65/67 positive PNEC cells in PNET was negatively correlated with the number of CD163 positive M2 macrophages in tumor stroma(r=-0.6336,P=0.0174).Conclusions PNEC is the main source of GABA in lung tissue and plays an immunomodulatory role in the lung,which may be involved in the progression of PNET.

ObjectiveHuman Ku70 protein mainly involves the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair of double-stranded DNA breaks (DSB) through its DNA-binding properties, and it is recently reported having an RNA-binding ability. This paper is to explore whether Ku70 has RNA helicase activity and affects miRNA maturation. MethodsRNAs bound to Ku protein were analyzed by RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq) and bioinfomatic anaylsis. The expression relationship between Ku protein and miRNAs was verified by Western blot (WB) and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. Binding ability of Ku protein to the RNAs was tested by biolayer interferometry (BLI) assay. RNA helicase activity of Ku protein was identified with EMSA assay. The effect of Ku70 regulated miR-124 on neuronal differentiation was performed by morphology analysis, WB and immunofluorescence assays with or without Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. ResultsWe revealed that the Ku70 protein had RNA helicase activity and affected miRNA maturation. Deficiency of Ku70 led to the up-regulation of a large number of mature miRNAs, especially neuronal specific miRNAs like miR-124. The knockdown of Ku70 promoted neuronal differentiation in human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) and SH-SY5Y cells by boosting miR-124 maturation. Importantly, ZIKV infection reduced the expression of Ku70 whereas increased expression of miR-124 in hNPCs, and led to morphologically neuronal differentiation. ConclusionOur study revealed a novel function of Ku70 as an RNA helicase and regulating miRNA maturation. The reduced expression of Ku70 with ZIKV infection increased the expression of miR-124 and led to the premature differentiation of embryonic neural progenitor cells, which might be one of the causes of microcephaly.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95％ confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.

Digital intraoral scanning is a hot topic in the field of oral digital technology.In recent years,digital intra-oral scanning has gradually become the mainstream technology in orthodontics,prosthodontics,and implant dentistry.The precision of digital intraoral scanning and the accuracy and stitching of data collection are the keys to the success of the impression.However,the operators are less familiar with the intraoral scanning characteristics,imaging process-ing,operator scanning method,oral tissue specificity of the scanned object,and restoration design.Thus far,no unified standard and consensus on digital intraoral scanning technology has been achieved at home or abroad.To deal with the problems encountered in oral scanning and improve the quality of digital scanning,we collected common expert opin-ions and sought to expound the causes of scanning errors and countermeasures by summarizing the existing evidence.We also describe the scanning strategies under different oral impression requirements.The expert consensus is that due to various factors affecting the accuracy of digital intraoral scanning and the reproducibility of scanned images,adopting the correct scanning trajectory can shorten clinical operation time and improve scanning accuracy.The scanning trajec-tories mainly include the E-shaped,segmented,and S-shaped methods.When performing fixed denture restoration,it is recommended to first scan the abutment and adjacent teeth.When performing fixed denture restoration,it is recommend-ed to scan the abutment and adjacent teeth first.Then the cavity in the abutment area is excavated.Lastly,the cavity gap was scanned after completing the abutment preparation.This method not only meets clinical needs but also achieves the most reliable accuracy.When performing full denture restoration in edentulous jaws,setting markers on the mucosal tissue at the bottom of the alveolar ridge,simultaneously capturing images of the vestibular area,using different types of scanning paths such as Z-shaped,S-shaped,buccal-palatal and palatal-buccal pathways,segmented scanning of dental arches,and other strategies can reduce scanning errors and improve image stitching and overlap.For implant restora-tion,when a single crown restoration is supported by implants and a small span upper structure restoration,it is recom-mended to first pre-scan the required dental arch.Then the cavity in the abutment area is excavated.Lastly,scanning the cavity gap after installing the implant scanning rod.When repairing a bone level implant crown,an improved indi-rect scanning method can be used.The scanning process includes three steps:First,the temporary restoration,adjacent teeth,and gingival tissue in the mouth are scanned;second,the entire dental arch is scanned after installing a standard scanning rod on the implant;and third,the temporary restoration outside the mouth is scanned to obtain the three-di-mensional shape of the gingival contour of the implant neck,thereby increasing the stability of soft tissue scanning around the implant and improving scanning restoration.For dental implant fixed bridge repair with missing teeth,the mobility of the mucosa increases the difficulty of scanning,making it difficult for scanners to distinguish scanning rods of the same shape and size,which can easily cause image stacking errors.Higher accuracy of digital implant impres-sions can be achieved by changing the geometric shape of the scanning rods to change the optical curvature radius.The consensus confirms that as the range of scanned dental arches and the number of data concatenations increases,the scanning accuracy decreases accordingly,especially when performing full mouth implant restoration impressions.The difficulty of image stitching processing can easily be increased by the presence of unstable and uneven mucosal mor-phology inside the mouth and the lack of relatively obvious and fixed reference objects,which results in insufficient ac-curacy.When designing restorations of this type,it is advisable to carefully choose digital intraoral scanning methods to obtain model data.It is not recommended to use digital impressions when there are more than five missing teeth.

AIM To evaluate the quality of Beidougen Formula Granules.METHODS Fifteen batches of standard decoctions and three batches of formula granules were prepared,after which paste rate and contents,transfer rates of magnoflorine,daurisoline,dauricine were determined.HPLC specific chromatograms were established,and cluster analysis was adopted in chemical pattern recognition.RESULTS For three batches of formula granules,the paste rates were 15.1%-16.6%,the contents of magnoflorine,daurisoline,dauricine were 18.93-19.39,9.42-9.60,6.79-6.85 mg/g with the transfer rates of 34.42%-35.25%,43.81%-44.65%,27.27%-27.51%from decoction pieces to formula granules,respectively,and there were seven characteristic peaks in the specific chromatograms with the similarities of more than 0.95,which demonstrated good consistence with those of standard decoctions and accorded with related limit requirements.Fifteen batches of standard decoctions were clustered into two types,and the medicinal materials produced from Jilin,Hebei,Shangdong could be used for the preparation of formula granules.CONCLUSION This reasonable and reliable method can provide references for the quality control and clinical application of Beidougen Formula Granules.

Objective To establish a rapid and convenient UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of tamoxifen and its active metabolite endoxifen in plasma of patients with breast cancer.Methods With diazepam as the internal standard,the plasma sample was precipitated with acetonitrile and methanol-acetonitrile was used as mobile phase.The samples were separated by chromatographic column ZORBAX Eclipse plus C18(18 μm,2.1 mm x50 mm)and scanned by electrospray ion source and positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode.The ion channels were detected as tamoxifen m/z 372.0→72.1,endoxifen m/z 374.0→58.2 and diazepam m/z 285→192.9.Results The linearity of tamoxifen and endoxifen were good in the concentration range of 1-500 ng·mL-1(R2=0.999 5)and 0.5-250 ng·mL-1,respectively(R2=0.999 9).The intra-day and inter-day precision of low,medium and high quality control concentrations were all less than 10％.Tamoxifen and endoxifen were stable at low temperature and stable after repeated freeze-thaw.Conclusion The experimental results show that the method meets the requirements of biological sample analysis,and the sample treatment is simple,specific,and can be used for the accurate and rapid determination of tamoxifen and indoloxifen in human plasma.