ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of Xielitang on dextran sulfate sodium （DSS）-induced ulcerative colitis （UC） mice and its possible mechanism. MethodsDSS was used to establish UC model. Sixty mice were randomly divided into a normal group， a model group， a sulfasalazine group （0.6 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Xielitang groups （1.67， 3.34， 6.68 g·kg^-1）. After treatment for 42 d， the colon length was recorded， and the disease activity index （DAI） score was calculated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathomorphological changes of colon. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of farnesoid X receptor （FXR）， small heterodimer partner （SHP）， liver receptor homolog-1 （LRH-1）， cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1）， and fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 （FGFR4） in liver and FXR， sodium-dependent bile acid transporter （ASBT）， and fibroblast growth factor 15 （FGF15） in ileum. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the intestinal flora. Moreover， ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect the bile acid content. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly decreased colon length， IL-10 content， α-diversity index， abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus， and content of deoxycholic acid （DCA） and lithocholic acid （LCA） （P<0.01）， significantly increased DAI score， IL-6 and TNF-α content， abundance of Bacteroidetes， and the content of cholic acid （CA）， chenodeoxycholic acid （CDCA）， and taurocholic acid （TCA） （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly down-regulated protein expression of FXR， SHP， and FGFR4 in liver and FXR， ASBT， and FGF15 in ileum （P<0.01）， and significantly up-regulated protein expression of LRH-1 and CYP7A1 in liver （P<0.01）. In addition， the structure of colonic mucosa was destroyed， and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the model group. Compared with the model group， Xielitang could significantly increase the colon length， IL-10 content， α-diversity index， the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus， and DCA and LCA content （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decrease DAI score， abundance of Bacteroidetes， and the content of IL-6， TNF-α， CA， CDCA， and TCA （P<0.01）， up-regulate the protein expression of FXR， SHP， and FGFR4 in liver and FXR， ASBT， and FGF15 in ileum （P<0.01）， and down-regulate the protein expression of LRH-1 and CYP7A1 in liver （P<0.01）. The pathological damage of colonic mucosa was obviously alleviated. ConclusionXielitang protects against UC probably by regulating the "intestinal microbiota-bile acid" axis， regulating intestinal flora imbalance， and maintaining bile acid homeostasis.

Objective:To investigate the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping between perceived social support and family function in parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients.Methods:Totally 320 parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients who were treated at the Department of Pediatric Organ Transplantation, Tianjin First Central Hospital from April to October 2023 were selected by convenience sampling. The participants were surveyed using a general information questionnaire, the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Ⅱ (AAQ-Ⅱ), the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), and the Family APGAR Index (APGAR). Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between perceived social support, psychological flexibility, dyadic coping, and family function in these parents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using Amos 26.0 to analyze the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping between perceived social support and family function, with the Bootstrap method used for model testing.Results:A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed, with 312 valid responses, yielding a response rate of 97.50% (312/320). The scores for the 312 parents were as follows: PSSS (59.29±15.64), AAQ-Ⅱ (20.35±9.07), DCI (124.64±32.65), and APGAR (6.98±2.74). Family function was positively correlated with perceived social support and dyadic coping ( P<0.01), and perceived social support was positively correlated with dyadic coping ( P<0.01). Psychological flexibility was negatively correlated with family function, perceived social support, and dyadic coping ( P<0.01). SEM results showed that psychological flexibility and dyadic coping had a significant chain mediation effect between perceived social support and family function, with a mediation effect value of 0.059. The chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping accounted for 13.81% of the total effect (0.059/0.427) . Conclusions:Perceived social support directly affects family function in parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients and also indirectly influences family function through the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping.

ObjectiveTo explore the protective effect of Xielitang on ulcerative colitis （UC） mice induced by dextran sodium sulfate （DSS） and its possible mechanism. MethodSixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， sulfasalazine group and and low-， medium-， and high-dose Xielitang groups. Free drinking DSS solution to build the chronic UC model mice. Except for normal group， other groups were given 1.5% DSS for 3 cycles of drinking （days 1-7， days 22-28 and days 43-49） and distilled water for the rest of the time （days 8-21， days 29-42 and days 50-63）. After the first cycle， corresponding drugs were given for 42 days. The changes of general condition， body weight and disease activity index （DAI） score of mice were daily recorded during the experiment. At the end of the treatment， serum and colon tissue samples were collected， colon length was measured， intestinal weight index and colonic mucosal injury （CMDI） score were calculated. The pathological status of colon tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-10 （IL-10） and tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The gene and protein expressions of Toll like receptor 4 （TLR4）， nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） and hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） in colon tissue was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the body weight， colon length and IL-10 content in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， DAI score， intestinal weight index， CMDI score， IL-6 and TNF-α contents， and mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4， NF-κB and HIF-1α in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Moreover， the structure of colonic mucosa was destroyed and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the model group. Compared with model group， body weight， colon length and IL-10 content in each dose group of Xielitang were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， DAI score， intestinal weight index and CMDI score， IL-6 and TNF-α contents， mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4， NF-κB and HIF-1α were notably decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The pathological injury of colon was obviously alleviated. ConclusionXielitang can significantly improve the inflammatory response of UC mice induced by DSS， and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of TLR4/NF-κB/HIF-1α signaling pathway.

Understanding the connection between brain and behavior in animals requires precise monitoring of their behaviors in three-dimensional (3-D) space. However, there is no available three-dimensional behavior capture system that focuses on rodents. Here, we present MouseVenue3D, an automated and low-cost system for the efficient capture of 3-D skeleton trajectories in markerless rodents. We improved the most time-consuming step in 3-D behavior capturing by developing an automatic calibration module. Then, we validated this process in behavior recognition tasks, and showed that 3-D behavioral data achieved higher accuracy than 2-D data. Subsequently, MouseVenue3D was combined with fast high-resolution miniature two-photon microscopy for synchronous neural recording and behavioral tracking in the freely-moving mouse. Finally, we successfully decoded spontaneous neuronal activity from the 3-D behavior of mice. Our findings reveal that subtle, spontaneous behavior modules are strongly correlated with spontaneous neuronal activity patterns.
Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Mice ; Neuroimaging ; Rodentia

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused havoc across the entire world. Even though several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in distribution worldwide, with others in the pipeline, treatment modalities lag behind. Accordingly, researchers have been working hard to understand the nature of the virus, its mutant strains, and the pathogenesis of the disease in order to uncover possible drug targets and effective therapeutic agents. As the research continues, we now know the genome structure, epidemiological and clinical features, and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we summarized the potential therapeutic targets involved in the life cycle of the virus. On the basis of these targets, small-molecule prophylactic and therapeutic agents have been or are being developed for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Broussonetiae Fructus （BF） in preventing and treating drug-induced liver injury （DILI） induced by acetaminophen （APAP） through the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway. MethodSixty C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， silybin group （3.4 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium- and low-dose BF groups （3.0， 1.5， 0.75 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group. The DILI model was induced by intragastric administration of APAP at 800 mg·kg^-1， and drugs were administered simultaneously for 10 consecutive days. The serum contents or activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， total bilirubin （TBIL）， and direct bilirubin （DBIL） were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in liver tissues. The morphological changes in liver mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The activities or content of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）， glutathione （GSH）， glutathione disulfide （GSSG）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in the serum and liver tissues were detected by the colorimetric method. The expression of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in liver tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. The gene expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）， CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein （CHOP）， and c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） in liver tissues was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased serum activities or content of ALT， AST， TBIL， and DBIL （P<0.01）， increased MDA and GSSG contents （P<0.01）， decreased contents or activities of SOD， T-AOC， GSH， GSH-Px， and ATP （P<0.01）， swollen hepatocytes with inflammatory infiltration and lamellar necrosis， swollen and broken mitochondria of hepatocytes， and increased mRNA expression of GRP78， CHOP， and JNK （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the groups with drug intervention showed decreased serum content or activities of ALT， AST， TBIL， and DBIL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced MDA and GSSG contents（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased contents or activities of SOD， T-AOC， GSH， GSH-Px， and ATP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved swollen hepatocytes， inflammatory infiltration， and lamellar necrosis， recovered bilayer membrane structure in mitochondria of hepatocytes， and decreased mRNA expression of GRP78， CHOP， and JNK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBF has preventive and therapeutic effects on APAP-induced DILI mice， and the mechanism may be related to the reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress level in vivo.

Objective The study was to investigate the activation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) mRNA transcription and protein expression in peripheral blood and activation of signal path PI3K/AKT in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods From February 2015 to April 2018, 244 patients with heart failure in the cardiovascular department of our hospital were selected as heart failure group, while 244 healthy cases were enrolled as the control group at the same time. The peripheral blood samples of two groups were collected. We detected the transcription and protein expression of TNF-α mRNA and the activation of PI3K, AKT in peripheral blood. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were measured in two groups. The correlations between influencing factors and LVEF were analyzed. Results The levels of PI3K, AKT in the heart failure group were higher than those in the control group. The differences were statistically significant respectively (P < 0.05). The mRNA relative content and protein content of TNF-α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of heart failure group were higher compared with those of control group (P < 0.05). The LVEF of heart failure group was significantly lower than that of the control group (34.50 ± 6.33) ％ versus (55.60 ± 2.49) ％, P < 0.001). Among 244 patients with heart failure, Spearman correlation analysis showed that there were significant positive correlations between TNF-a mRNA and protein expression levels and the levels of PI3K, AKT respectively (P < 0.05). Multiple factors unconditional Logistic regression analysis showed that the TNF-α mRNA, protein expression and PI3K, AKT levels in peripheral blood were independent risk factors for LVEF (P < 0.05). Conclusion The expression levels of PI3K, AKT and TNF-α are all significantly increased in chronic heart failure patients, which could participate in the occurrence and development of heart failure.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of astragalosides Ⅳ (ASI) on high glucose-induced renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E).Methods NRK-52E were cultured and divided randomly into three groups:control group,high glucose group (HG in short),ASI groups (with various doses).Cells were treated with increasing concentrations of ASI (20,40,80 and 100 μg/ml) for 24 h in high glucose and we also stimulated cells in ASI 100 μg/ml with high glucose for various lengths of time.The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometric analysis.The mRNA and protein expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1),a-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),Smad2,Smad3 and their phosphorylated forms were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot,respectively.Results Compared with the control group,apoptosis was increased in the high glucose group (P ＜ 0.01).However,ASI inhibited high glucose-induced cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner,with a maximal inhibitory effect achieved at 100 μg/ml (P ＜ 0.05).The significant inhibition caused by ASI was observed at 8h after the start of pretreatment (P ＜ 0.05) and increased in a time-dependent manner.ASI can inhibit the expression of TGF-β1,α-SMA,Smad2,Smad3 both at mRNA and protein level.Conclusions ASI inhibited NRK-52E cells apoptosis induced by high glucose and reduced expression of TGF-β1,α-SMA,Smad2,Smad3 both at the mRNA and protein level in NRK-52E cells,thus delayed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progress.

Objective To study the effect of astragaloside on TGF-β1,SMAD2/3,and α-SMA expression in the kidney tissue of diabetic KKAy mice,and evaluate its potential role in renal interstitial fibrosis.Methods 20 type 2 diabetic KKAy mice were randomly divided into model group and astragaloside group,while 10 male C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control.Astragaloside at 40 mg · kg-1 · d-1 was given when the KKAy mice fed with high-fat diet to 14 weeks old.The mice in the control and model group received normal saline at 40 mg · kg-1 · d-1.Blood glucose meter was used to detect the blood glucose value of each mice at 16th,20th and 24th week.The mice were killed at 24 weeks old and the kidney tissue samples were collected.Pathology morphological changes were observed.Results (1) blood glucose value:cmpared with the control group,the blood glucose value of KKAy mice at 14 week increased significantly,and that of model group also increased significantly at 16th,20th and 24th week (P＜0.05);the blood glucose value of astragaloside group decreased compared with control group (P＜0.05).(2) Morphology of kidney:in the control group,the glomerular and tubular had clear structure,there was no renal interstitial fibrosis;in the model group,the renal glomerular mesangial matrix had broaden,mesangial cell had increased,renal tubular epithelial cell cytoplasm showed vacuole degeneration,renal interstitial inflammatory cell had increaised.In astragaloside group,there were few renal tubular epithelial cell cytoplasm,and there was no obvious fibrosis.(3)TGF-β1,SMAD2/3,and α-SMA expression levels of the kidney issuse:compared with control group,mice in model group up-regulated TGF-β1,SMAD2/3 and α-SMA expression (P＜ 0.05).TGF-β1,SMAD2/3,and α-SMA expression levels in astragaloside group were significantly lower than those in the model group (P＜0.05).There was few phosphorylated SMAD2/3 expression in renal tubular and glomerular nuclei,while that of model group increased (P＜0.01),and compared with model group,that of the astragaloside group decreased (P＜0.05).Conclusion Astragaloside can delay the renal fibrosis process in diabetic mice by influencing the TGF-β/SMADS signaling pathway and down-regulating TGF-β1 and α-SMA expression,thus to relieve renal fibrosis in diabetic mice.