Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of acellular nerve allografts(ANA)combined with electroacupuncture on spinal ganglia in rats with sciatic nerve injury(SNI).Methods Totally 50 male adult SD rats were randomly selected for this experiment.Ten rats were prepared for the ANA.Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,ANA group and combinational group,with 10 rats in each group.The SNI model was established by cutting off the nerves 10 mm at the 5 mm on the inferior border of piriformis after separating the right sciatic nerves.The rats in the ANA group were bridged with ANA to the two broken ends of injured nerves.The rats in the combinational group were treated with electroacupuncture 2 days after ANA bridging,Huantiao(GB30)and Yanglingquan(GB34)were performed as the acupuncture points,each electroacupuncture lasted 15 minutes and 7 days as a course of treatment,4 courses in all.Sciatic nerve conduction velocity was measured by electrophysiology to evaluate the regeneration of damaged axons.Morphology of spinal ganglia was observed by Nissl staining.The expression of nerve growth factor(NGF)and brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining.Results Compared with the normal group,the sciatic nerve conduction velocity in model group decreased significantly(P<0.01),Nissl bodies in neurons of spinal ganglia were swollen and dissolved,with incomplete structure and the number decreased dramatically(P<0.01),while the level of NGF and BDNF also decreased significantly(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the sciatic nerve conduction velocity in ANA and combinational groups strongly increased(P<0.01),the damage of Nissl bodies in neurons of spinal ganglia reduced and the number obviously increased(P<0.01),the level of NGF and BDNF increased considerably(P<0.01).Compared with the ANA group,the sciatic nerve conduction velocity in combinational group increased significantly(P<0.01),the morphology of Nissl bodies in neurons of spinal ganglia were more regular and the number increased(P<0.01),moreover,the level of NGF also increased significantly(P<0.01).Conclusion ANA combined with electroacupuncture can enhance the sciatic nerve conduction velocity,improve the morphology of neurons in spinal ganglia and play a protective effect on spinal ganglia.The mechanism can be related to the higher expression of NGF and BDNF proteins,especially the expression of NGF protein.

The modernization and development of traditional Chinese medicine has led to higher standards for the quality of traditional Chinese medicine products. The extraction process is a crucial component of traditional Chinese medicine production, and it directly impacts the final quality of the product. However, the currently relied upon methods for quality assurance of the extraction process, such as simple wet chemical analysis, have several limitations, including time consumption and labor intensity, and do not offer precise control of the extraction process. As a result, there is significant value in incorporating near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the production process of traditional Chinese medicine to improve the quality control of the final products. In this study, we focused on the extraction process of Xiao'er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid (XXZOL), using near-infrared spectra collected by both a Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer and a portable near-infrared spectrometer. We used the concentration of synephrine, a quality control index component specified by the pharmacopoeia, to achieve rapid and accurate detection in the extraction process. Moreover, we developed a model transfer method to facilitate the transfer of models between the two types of near-infrared spectrometers (analytical grade and portable), thus resolving the low resolution, poor performance, and insufficient prediction accuracy issues of portable instruments. Our findings enable the rapid screening and quality analysis of XXZOL onsite, which is significant for quality monitoring during the traditional Chinese medicine production process.

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cryptorchidism/genetics* ; Disorders of Sex Development/genetics* ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Male ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypospadias/genetics* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics*

Dof(DNA binding with one finger), a unique class of transcription factors in plants, play an important role in seed development, tissue differentiation, and metabolic regulation. To identify the number and function of Dof gene family members in Panax ginseng, this study identified the members of Dof gene family in P. ginseng and systematically analyzed their structures, evolution, functional differentiation, expression patterns, and interactions using bioinformatics methods at the transcriptome level. At the same time, the association analysis of Dof genes from P. ginseng with key enzyme genes for ginsenoside synthesis was carried out to screen the candidate PgDof genes involved in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis. The results showed that there were 54 genes belonging to the Dof gene family in P. ginseng from Jilin. All PgDof genes had Zf-Dof conserved motifs, implying that they were evolutionarily conserved and could be divided into five groups. Expression pattern analysis confirmed that the expression of PgDof gene family members in different tissues, different year-old P. ginseng, and different farm varieties varied significantly. Simultaneously, as revealed by "gene-saponin content" and "gene-gene" linkage analysis, an important candidate PgDof14-1 gene involved in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis was obtained. From the established genetic transformation system of this gene in the hairy roots of P. ginseng, a positive hairy root clone was determined. This study has laid a theoretical foundation for the study of Dof gene family in P. ginseng.
Gene Expression Profiling/methods* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Ginsenosides ; Panax ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Plant Roots/metabolism* ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloids (Sangzhi alkaloids, SZ-A) for treatment of type 2 diabetes in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial. METHODS: A total of 200 patients were randomized to receive SZ-A (n=100) or placebo (n=100) for 16 weeks. The data analysis system for electronic data capture clinical trial central randomization system was used for randomization and dispensing of drugs. The primary outcome was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. The secondary outcome included the proportions of cases with HbA1c <7.0% and HbA1c <6.5%, fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), area under curve for the PBG (AUC_0-2h), body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Adverse events (AEs), severe adverse events (SAEs), treatment-related adverse events (TAEs), gastrointestinal disorders (GDs), blood pressure, routine blood tests, and liver and kidney function were monitored. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the change of HbA1c at week 16 was -0.80% (95% CI: -0.98% to -0.62%) and -0.09% (95% CI: -0.27% to 0.09%) in SZ-A group and placebo group, respectively. The proportion of patients with HbA1c <7% and <6.5% was higher in the SZ-A group than in the placebo group (46.8% vs. 21.6% and 29.9% vs. 10.8%). The observed values and changes in FBG, 1 h-PBG, 2 h-PBG, and AUC_0-2h differed significantly between groups (P<0.001), but differences were not significant in body weight and BMI (P>0.05). The incidence rates of AEs, TAEs, and GDs differed significantly between groups (P=0.010, P=0.005, and P=0.006, respectively), whereas the incidence rates of SAEs showed no significant differences between groups (P=1.000). CONCLUSION SZ-A are effective and safe for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The protocol was registered in http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=60117 (ChiCTR2000038550).
Alkaloids ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Double-Blind Method ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Morus ; Tablets/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome

Aim To investigate the role of eelastrol in reactive oxygen species ( ROS) accumulation and DNA damage in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and further investigate its effect on apoptosis induction in cancer cells.Methods Human liver cancer HepG2 and Huh7 cells were cultured with celastrol, then the morphological changes of cells were observed under microscope.MTT assay was employed to detect the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, CM-H2DCFDA probe to detect intracellular ROS levels, and immunofluorescence to detect the expression level of -y-H2AX in celastrol-treated cells.Hoechst 33258 staining was used to observe nuclear condensation and fragmentation; Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell death.J J Western blot was applied to measure the expression levels of -y-H2 AX, caspase-3, PARP and other proteins.Results Celastrol had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of liver cancer cells in dose-dependent manner.Comparer] with the eontrol group, the eell viability was reduced and intracellular ROS level also increased significantly after celastrol treatment in a dose-dependent manner ( P < 0.05 ).With Hoechst staining, typical apoptotic characteristics such as nuclear chromatin condensation and fragmentation were observed in celastrol-treated cells.Western blot results showed that pro-form of caspase-3 significantly decreased, and the cleavage of PARP markedly increased by celastrol.After pretreatment with ROS inhibitor NAC, celastrol-mediated caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage were significantly reversed ( P < 0.05 ).Conclusions Celastrol can induce apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and its anti-cancer effect is dependent on ROS-mediated DNA damage.

Objective To investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA (IncRNA) nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEATl) on hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) glial astrocyte injury, and to explore whether the mechanism was related to the regulation of micro RNA (miR)-761. Methods Rat cortical astrocytes were cultured to construct a H/R injury model. Astrocytes were divided into control group, model group, model+ small interfering RNA negative control (si-NC) group, model+ si-NEATl group, model+ miR-NC group, model + miR-761 group, model + si-NEATl + anti-miR-NC group, model+si-NEATl+anti-miR-761 group. Expression of NEATl and miR-761 were detected by Real-time PCR. The experiment was repeated 3 times. The content of malonaldefryde (MDA), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were detected by kits. Dual luciferase reporter experiment and Real-time PCR were used to analyze the targeting relationship between NEATl and miR-761. The experiment was repeated 3 times. Results Compared with the control group, the cell apoptosis rate and MDA content of the model group increased significantly, SOD and CAT activities decreased significantly, NEATl expression increased significantly, and miR-761 expression decreased significantly (P< 0. 05). Compared with the model+si-NC group, the apoptosis rate and MDA content of the model+si-NEATl group reduced significantly, and SOD and CAT activities increased significantly (P < 0 . 0 5) . Compared with the model + miR-NC group, the apoptosis rate and MDA content of the model + miR-761 group reduced significantly, and SOD and CAT activities increased significantly (P < 0 . 0 5) . MiR-761 was the target gene of N E A T l, and NEATl negatively regulated miR-761 expression. Compared with the model+si-NEATl+anti-miR-NC group, the apoptosis rate and MDA content of the model+siNEAT1+anti-miR-761 group increased significantly, and SOD and CAT activities decreased significantly (P < 0 . 0 5) . Conclusion Interference with NEATl expression can protect astrocytes from H / R injury by up-regulating miR-761.

Objective:To discuss the efficacy of Bushen Huoxue decoction for recovery in patients with intra uterine adhesions （IUA） after trans cervical resection adhesions （TCRA） operation， and to investigate its effect on fibrosis factor. Method:The 110 patients were randomly divided into two groups by random number table （55 cases for control group and 55 cases for observation group）. The patients in both groups got TCRA， and after the operation， they got estradiol valerate tablets+progesterone capsules. The patients in control group additionally got Jinfengwan before meals， 10 g/time， 2 times/day. Patients in observation additionally got syndrome differentiation and treatment by Bushen Huoxuetang， 1 dose/day. The treatment course was 3 months in both groups， and 6 months' follow-up was recorded. Before and after treatment， menstrual volume， period and cycle were recorded. During the follow-up， pregnancy， ectopic pregnancy and abortion were also recorded. Endoscopy and vagina color Doppler ultrasound were conducted to detect endometrial thickness， uterine volume， resistance index （RI）， pulsation index （PI） and blood flow index （FI）. Scores of IUA and syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis were graded. At the 6^th months after treatment， rate of intrauterine re-adhesion was recorded. Levels of transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， connective tissue growth factor （CTGF）， matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-1 （TIMP-1）， platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF）， insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1） and matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） were detected， and safety was evaluated. Result:Total effective rate of clinical efficacy was 96.36% （53/55） in observation group， higher than 83.64% （46/55） in control group （χ²=4.959， P<0.05）. Recovery rate of menstrual volume， period and cycle were 92.73% （51/55）， 90.91% （50/55）， and 94.55% （52/55） in observation group， higher than 72.73% （40/55）， 76.36% （42/55）， and 76.36% （42/55） in control group（χ²=7.698，χ²=4.245，χ²=7.313，P<0.05， P<0.01）. During the follow-up， rate of intrauterine re-adhesions was 23.64% （13/55） in observation group， lower than 43.64% （24/55） in control group （χ²=4.927，P<0.05）. Pregnancy rate was 45.45% （25/55）， higher than 25.45% （14/55） in control group（χ²=4.807，P<0.05）. Score of syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis and IUA scores in observation group were lower than those in control group （P<0.01）. Endometrial thickness， uterine volume， and FI were higher than those in control group （P<0.01）. Levels of RI， PI， TGF-β₁， CTGF， PDGF， IGF-1 and TIMP-1 were lower than those in control group （P<0.01）， while level of MMP-9 was higher than that in control group （P<0.01）. No adverse reactions related to traditional Chinese medicine were found. Conclusion:Bushen Huoxue decoction can promote the recovery of menstruation， increase the thickness of endometrium， improve the blood circulation of uterus， regulate the expression of fibrogenic factors in vivo， prevent and treat intrauterine adhesions， reduce the rate of intrauterine re-adhesions， and improve the rate of pregnancy， with a good comprehensive effect and high safety for clinical use.

BACKGROUND: Delivery room resuscitation assists preterm infants, especially extremely preterm infants (EPI) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI), in breathing support, while it potentially exerts a negative impact on the lungs and outcomes of preterm infants. This study aimed to assess delivery room resuscitation and discharge outcomes of EPI and ELBWI in China. METHODS: The clinical data of EPI (gestational age [GA] <28 weeks) and ELBWI (birth weight [BW] <1000 g), admitted within 72 h of birth in 33 neonatal intensive care units from five provinces and cities in North China between 2017 and 2018, were analyzed. The primary outcomes were delivery room resuscitation and risk factors for delivery room intubation (DRI). The secondary outcomes were survival rates, incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and risk factors for BPD. RESULTS: A cohort of 952 preterm infants were enrolled. The incidence of DRI, chest compressions, and administration of epinephrine was 55.9% (532/952), 12.5% (119/952), and 7.0% (67/952), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factors for DRI were GA <28 weeks (odds ratio [OR], 3.147; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.082-4.755), BW <1000 g (OR, 2.240; 95% CI, 1.606-3.125), and antepartum infection (OR, 1.429; 95% CI, 1.044-1.956). The survival rate was 65.9% (627/952) and was dependent on GA. The rate of BPD was 29.3% (181/627). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for BPD were male (OR, 1.603; 95% CI, 1.061-2.424), DRI (OR, 2.094; 95% CI, 1.328-3.303), respiratory distress syndrome exposed to ≥2 doses of pulmonary surfactants (PS; OR, 2.700; 95% CI, 1.679-4.343), and mechanical ventilation ≥7 days (OR, 4.358; 95% CI, 2.777-6.837). However, a larger BW (OR, 0.998; 95% CI, 0.996-0.999), antenatal steroid (OR, 0.577; 95% CI, 0.379-0.880), and PS use in the delivery room (OR, 0.273; 95% CI, 0.160-0.467) were preventive factors for BPD (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Improving delivery room resuscitation and management of respiratory complications are imperative during early management of the health of EPI and ELBWI.
Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; China/epidemiology* ; Delivery Rooms ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy