ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of stir-fried Semen Armeniacae Amarum (SAA) against aristolochic acid I (AAI)-induced nephrotoxicity and DNA adducts and elucidate the underlying mechanism involved for ensuring the safe use of Asari Radix et Rhizoma. METHODS: In vitro, HEK293T cells overexpressing Flag-tagged multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 (MRP3) were constructed by Lentiviral transduction, and inhibitory effect of top 10 common pairs of medicinal herbs with Asari Radix et Rhizoma in clinic on MRP3 activity was verified using a self-constructed fluorescence screening system. The mRNA, protein expressions, and enzyme activity levels of NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) and cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) were measured in differentiated HepaRG cells. Hepatocyte toxicity after inhibition of AAI metabolite transport was detected using cell counting kit-8 assay. In vivo, C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups according to a random number table, including: control (1% sodium bicarbonate), AAI (10 mg/kg), stir-fried SAA (1.75 g/kg) and AAI + stir-fried SAA (1.75 and 8.75 g/kg) groups, 6 mice in each group. After 7 days of continuous gavage administration, liver and kidney damages were assessed, and the protein expressions and enzyme activity of liver metabolic enzymes NQO1 and CYP1A2 were determined simultaneously. RESULTS: In vivo, combination of 1.75 g/kg SAA and 10 mg/kg AAI suppressed AAI-induced nephrotoxicity and reduced dA-ALI formation by 26.7%, and these detoxification effects in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). Mechanistically, SAA inhibited MRP3 transport in vitro, downregulated NQO1 expression in vivo, increased CYP1A2 expression and enzymatic activity in vitro and in vivo, respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Notably, SAA also reduced AAI-induced hepatotoxicity throughout the detoxification process, as indicated by a 41.3% reduction in the number of liver adducts (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Stir-fried SAA is a novel drug candidate for the suppression of AAI-induced liver and kidney damages. The protective mechanism may be closely related to the regulation of transporters and metabolic enzymes.
Aristolochic Acids/toxicity* ; Animals ; Humans ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone)/genetics* ; HEK293 Cells ; Kidney/pathology* ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; DNA Adducts/drug effects* ; Male ; Kidney Diseases/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice ; Prunus armeniaca ; Plant Extracts

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*

Exploring the risk "time interval window" of sequential medication of Reduning injection (RDN) and penicillin G injection (PG) by detecting the correlation between serum biochemical indexes and plasma metabonomic characteristics, in order to reduce the risk of adverse reactions caused by the combination of RDN and PG. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). The changes of biochemical indexes in serum of rats were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It was determined that RDN combined with PG could cause pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) activated by complement pathway. Further investigation was carried out at different time intervals (1.5, 2, 3.5, 4, 6, and 8 h PG+RDN). It was found that sequential administration within 3.5 h could cause significant PARs. However, PARs were significantly reduced after administration interval of more than 4 h. LC-MS was used for plasma metabolomics analysis, and the levels of serum biochemical indicators and plasma metabolic profile characteristics were compared in parallel. 22 differential metabolites showed similar or opposite trends to biochemical indicators before and after 3.5 h. And enriched to 10 PARs-related pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism. In conclusion, there is a risk "time interval window" phenomenon in the adverse drug reactions caused by the sequential use of RDN and PG, and the interval medication after the "time interval window" can significantly reduce the risk of adverse reactions.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Based on the strategy of metabolomics combined with bioinformatics, this study analyzed the potential allergens and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) induced by the combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology combined with UNIFI software, a total of 21 compounds were identified in Reduning and penicillin G mixed injection. Based on molecular docking technology, 10 potential allergens with strong binding activity to MrgprX2 agonist sites were further screened. Metabolomics analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology revealed that 34 differential metabolites such as arachidonic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes were endogenous differential metabolites of PARs caused by combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. Through the analysis of the "potential allergen-target-endogenous differential metabolite" interaction network, the chlorogenic acids (such as chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and isochlorogenic acid A) and β-lactam allergens in the combination of the two may be mainly regulated by PLD1, PLA2G12A and CYP1A1. The three upstream signal target proteins mainly activate the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, promote the degranulation of mast cells, release downstream endogenous inflammatory mediators, and induce PARs.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the biological characteristics of polycythemia vera (PV) patients with myeloid fibroplasia, and further analyze the risk factors affecting myeloid fibroplasia in PV patients, so as to provide ideas for predicting the occurrence of myeloid fibroplasia in PV patients. METHODS: Forty patients with PV in the Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences were collected and divided into two groups, with (hyperplasia group) and without (Non-proliferative group) hyperplasia of bone marrow fibers. The differences of basic clinical characteristics, blood routine, biochemistry, bone marrow cells, coagulation function and other indicators between the two groups were compared, and the independent risk factors affecting the proliferation of bone marrow fibrous tissue in PV patients were further analyzed by multivariate regression. RESULTS: Compared with Non-proliferative group, the JAK2 mutation rate (95% vs 70%，P=0.037), eosinophilic cell count (0.19 vs 0.11, P=0.047) and eosinophilic percentage (1.84 vs 1.27, P=0.001) in PV patients with hyperplasia were significantly increased, triglycerides (1.55 vs 1.91, P=0.038) and low-density lipoprotein (1.50 vs 3.08, P=0.000) were significantly reduced, bone marrow hematopoietic volume (0.85 vs 0.6, P=0.001), granulocyte/erythrocyte ratio (3.40 vs 1.89, P=0.033), lymphocyte/erythrocyte ratio (0.60 vs 0.42, P=0.033), and granulocyte+lymphocyte/erythrocyte ratio (3.72 vs 2.37, P=0.026) were significantly increased, thrombin time (18.84 vs 18.12, P=0.043) was significantly prolonged. Multivariate regression analysis results showed that peripheral blood eosinophil ≥2% and low-density lipoprotein ≤2 mmol/L were independent risk factors for bone marrow fibrous tissue hyperplasia in PV patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Increased proportion of peripheral blood eosinophils and decreased low density lipoprotein are risk factors for bone marrow fibrous tissue hyperplasia in PV patients.
Humans ; Bone Marrow/pathology* ; Polycythemia Vera ; Hyperplasia/pathology* ; Granulocytes/pathology* ; Janus Kinase 2/genetics* ; Risk Factors ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Polycythemia/pathology*

The mechanisms underlying autophagic defects in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remain largely unknown. We aimed to elucidate the roles of hepatic cyclooxygenase 1 (COX1) in autophagy and the pathogenesis of diet-induced steatohepatitis in mice. Human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) liver samples were used to examine the protein expression of COX1 and the level of autophagy. Cox1^Δhepa mice and their wildtype littermates were generated and fed with 3 different NASH models. We found that hepatic COX1 expression was increased in patients with NASH and diet-induced NASH mice models accompanied by impaired autophagy. COX1 was required for basal autophagy in hepatocytes and liver specific COX1 deletion exacerbated steatohepatitis by inhibiting autophagy. Mechanistically, COX1 directly interacted with WD repeat domain, phosphoinositide interacting 2 (WIPI2), which was crucial for autophagosome maturation. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated rescue of WIPI2 reversed the impaired autophagic flux and improved NASH phenotypes in Cox1^Δhepa mice, indicating that COX1 deletion-mediated steatohepatitis was partially dependent on WIPI2-mediated autophagy. In conclusion, we demonstrated a novel role of COX1 in hepatic autophagy that protected against NASH by interacting with WIPI2. Targeting the COX1-WIPI2 axis may be a novel therapeutic strategy for NASH.

Objective: To explore the incidence and risk factors of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) after colon cancer surgery. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed. Patients diagnosed with colon cancer who underwent radical surgery between January 2016 and May 2021 were included, and demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, surgical data and postoperative complications were extracted from the specialized prospective database at Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Case exclusion criteria: (1) simultaneously multiple primary colon cancer; (2) segmental resection, subtotal colectomy, or total colectomy; (3) patients undergoing colostomy/ileostomy during the operation or in the state of colostomy/ileostomy before the operation; (4) patients receiving natural orifice specimen extraction surgery or transvaginal colon surgery; (5) patients with the history of colectomy; (6) emergency operation due to intestinal obstruction, perforation and acute bleeding; (7) intestinal diversion operation; (8) benign lesions confirmed by postoperative pathology; (9) patients not following the colorectal clinical pathway of our department for intestinal preparation and antibiotic application. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to determine the risk factors of SSI after colon cancer surgery. Results: A total of 1291 patients were enrolled in the study. 94.3% (1217/1291) of cases received laparoscopic surgery. The incidence of overall SSI was 5.3% (69/1291). According to tumor location, the incidence of SSI in the right colon, transverse colon, left colon and sigmoid colon was 8.6% (40/465), 5.2% (11/213), 7.1% (7/98) and 2.1% (11/515) respectively. According to resection range, the incidence of SSI after right hemicolectomy, transverse colectomy, left hemicolectomy and sigmoid colectomy was 8.2% (48/588), 4.5% (2/44), 4.8% (8 /167) and 2.2% (11/492) respectively. Univariate analysis showed that preoperative BUN≥7.14 mmol/L, tumor site, resection range, intestinal anastomotic approach, postoperative diarrhea, anastomotic leakage, postoperative pneumonia, and anastomotic technique were related to SSI (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that anastomotic leakage (OR=22.074, 95%CI: 6.172-78.953, P<0.001), pneumonia (OR=4.100, 95%CI: 1.546-10.869, P=0.005), intracorporeal anastomosis (OR=5.288, 95%CI: 2.919-9.577,P<0.001) were independent risk factors of SSI. Subgroup analysis showed that in right hemicolectomy, the incidence of SSI in intracorporeal anastomosis was 19.8% (32/162), which was significantly higher than that in extracorporeal anastomosis (3.8%, 16/426, χ(2)=40.064, P<0.001). In transverse colectomy [5.0% (2/40) vs. 0, χ(2)=0.210, P=1.000], left hemicolectomy [5.4% (8/148) vs. 0, χ(2)=1.079, P=0.599] and sigmoid colectomy [2.1% (10/482) vs. 10.0% (1/10), χ(2)=2.815, P=0.204], no significant differences of SSI incidence were found between intracorporeal anastomosis and extracorporeal anastomosis (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of SSI increases with the resection range from sigmoid colectomy to right hemicolectomy. Intracorporeal anastomosis and postoperative anastomotic leakage are independent risk factors of SSI. Attentions should be paid to the possibility of postoperative pneumonia and actively effective treatment measures should be carried out.
Case-Control Studies ; Colonic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgical Wound Infection/etiology*

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between the content of 4 functional components in Codonopsis pilosula roots from different areas and soil factors， and thereby to lay a theoretical basis for soil ecological regulation and improvement of quality of C. pilosula roots. MethodThe content of lobetyolin， atractylenolide Ⅲ， alcohol extract， and polysaccharides， as well as soil fertility and 16 soil factors in 24 batches of samples from different producing areas were determined. Principal component analysis （PCA） and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to explore the key soil factors leading to the variation of chemical component content in C. pilosula roots. ResultThe content of lobetyolin and atractylenolide Ⅲ in samples from Longxi was the highest， and the content of polysaccharides peaked in samples from Huguan. The content of lobetyolin was in positive correlation with soil total nitrogen， total phosphorus， total potassium， alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen， and available potassium （P<0.01）， as well as soil organic matter， pH， available manganese， and available zinc （P<0.05）. There was a positive correlation between pH and atractylenolide Ⅲ content （P<0.05）. Soil total potassium was in positive correlation with alcohol extract and polysaccharide content （P<0.01）. Soil available zinc was positively correlated with alcohol extract and the polysaccharide content （P<0.05）. Sample sites with higher PCA scores were Pingshun， Huguan， and Longxi， which were significantly positively correlated with the content of polysaccharides in C. pilosula roots in different habitats. ConclusionThe content of functional components in C. pilosula roots can be improved by raising soil organic matter content and applying specific fertilizers.