Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, combined with in vitro experiment verification, we explored the mechanism of action of Porana racemosa Roxb. (PRA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and provided a modern pharmacological basis for the treatment of RA by PRA. The potential target of chemical components in the analyzed moth rattan was predicted by Swiss Target Prediction database; OMIM, GeneCards, TTD and Disgenet databases were used to search the disease targets of RA; the protein interaction (PPI) network and medicine-composition-target network were constructed using STRING database and Cytoscape software; GO (gene ontology) functional enrichment and KEGG (kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway analysis were carried out using DAVID database, and molecular docking software was used to dock the potentially active ingredients of PRA and core targets; finally, MH7A cells were selected for cell viability, scratch healing and mRNA expression level analysis of key genes to explore the effects of PRA and their potentially active ingredients on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of MH7A cells. In this study, a total of 628 potentially active ingredient targets, 1 890 RA targets and 235 intersection targets were identified. It was screened that the potentially active ingredients of RA treatment by PRA were ethylcaffeate, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester and so on, and the core targets involved tumor necrosis factor (TNF), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and so on. 1 200 GO entries and 166 KEGG pathway entries were obtained from the enrichment analysis; molecular docking results showed that N-p-coumaroyltyramine and ethylcaffeate had good binding activity with TNF, MMP9, cysteine-aspartate protease 3 (CASP3), PTGS2, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) proteins. In vitro experiments showed that PRA, ethylcaffeate and N-p-coumaroyltyramine could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of MH7A cells, up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related gene CASP3 mRNA, and down-regulate the expression of MMP9, PTGS2 and BCL2 mRNA, and it can also down-regulate the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) mRNA and PI3K and p-AKT proteins. This study preliminarily revealed that the treatment of RA by PRA may be related to proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Neuroscience is a significant frontier discipline within the natural sciences and has become an important interdisciplinary frontier scientific field. Brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body, and its structural and functional analysis is considered the “ultimate frontier” of human self-awareness and exploration of nature. Driven by the strategic layout of “China Brain Project”, Chinese scientists have conducted systematic research focusing on “understanding the brain, simulating the brain, and protecting the brain”. They have made breakthrough progress in areas such as the principles of brain cognition, mechanisms and interventions for brain diseases, brain-like computation, and applications of brain-machine intelligence technology, aiming to enhance brain health through biomedical technology and improve the quality of human life. Due to limited understanding and comprehension of neuroscience, there are still many important unresolved issues in the field of neuroscience, resulting in a lack of effective measures to prevent and protect brain health. Therefore, in addition to actively developing new generation drugs, exploring non pharmacological treatment strategies with better health benefits and higher safety is particularly important. Epidemiological data shows that, exercise is not only an indispensable part of daily life but also an important non-pharmacological approach for protecting brain health and preventing neurodegenerative diseases, forming an emerging research field known as motor neuroscience. Basic research in motor neuroscience primarily focuses on analyzing the dynamic coding mechanisms of neural circuits involved in motor control, breakthroughs in motor neuroscience research depend on the construction of dynamic monitoring systems across temporal and spatial scales. Therefore, high spatiotemporal resolution detection of movement processes and movement-induced changes in brain structure and neural activity signals is an important technical foundation for conducting motor neuroscience research and has developed a set of tools based on traditional neuroscience methods combined with novel motor behavior decoding technologies, providing an innovative technical platform for motor neuroscience research. The protective effect of exercise in neurodegenerative diseases provides broad application prospects for its clinical translation. Applied research in motor neuroscience centers on deciphering the regulatory networks of neuroprotective molecules mediated by exercise. From the perspectives of exercise promoting neurogenesis and regeneration, enhancing synaptic plasticity, modulating neuronal functional activity, and remodeling the molecular homeostasis of the neuronal microenvironment, it aims to improve cognitive function and reduce the incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This has also advanced research into the molecular regulatory networks mediating exercise-induced neuroprotection and facilitated the clinical application and promotion of exercise rehabilitation strategies. Multidimensional analysis of exercise-regulated neural plasticity is the theoretical basis for elucidating the brain-protective mechanisms mediated by exercise and developing intervention strategies for neurological diseases. Thus,real-time analysis of different neural signals during active exercise is needed to study the health effects of exercise throughout the entire life cycle and enhance lifelong sports awareness. Therefore, this article will systematically summarize the innovative technological developments in motor neuroscience research, review the mechanisms of neural plasticity that exercise utilizes to protect the brain, and explore the role of exercise in the prevention and treatment of major neurodegenerative diseases. This aims to provide new ideas for future theoretical innovations and clinical applications in the field of exercise-induced brain protection.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, is characterized by severe cognitive decline, loss of daily living abilities, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. This condition imposes a substantial burden on patients, families, and society. Despite extensive research efforts, the complex pathogenesis of AD, particularly the early mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction, remains incompletely understood, posing significant challenges for timely diagnosis and effective therapeutic intervention. Among the various cellular components implicated in AD, GABAergic interneurons have emerged as critical players in the pathological cascade, playing a pivotal role in maintaining neural network integrity and function in key brain regions affected by the disease. GABAergic interneurons represent a heterogeneous population of inhibitory neurons essential for sustaining neural network homeostasis. They achieve this by precisely modulating rhythmic oscillatory activity (e.g., theta and gamma oscillations), which are crucial for cognitive processes such as learning and memory. These interneurons synthesize and release the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, exerting potent control over excitatory pyramidal neurons through intricate local circuits. Their primary mechanism involves synaptic inhibition, thereby modulating the excitability and synchrony of neural populations. Emerging evidence highlights the significant involvement of GABAergic interneuron dysfunction in AD pathogenesis. Contrary to earlier assumptions of their resistance to the disease, specific subtypes exhibit vulnerability or altered function early in the disease process. Critically, this impairment is not merely a consequence but appears to be a key driver of network hyperexcitability, a hallmark feature of AD models and potentially a core mechanism underlying cognitive deficits. For instance, parvalbumin-positive (PV⁺) interneurons display biphasic alterations in activity. Both suppressing early hyperactivity or enhancing late activity can rescue cognitive deficits, underscoring their causal role. Somatostatin-positive (SST⁺) neurons are highly sensitive to amyloid β-protein (Aβ) dysfunction. Their functional impairment drives AD progression via a dual pathway: compensatory hyperexcitability promotes Aβ generation, while released SST-14 forms toxic oligomers with Aβ, collectively accelerating neuronal loss and amyloid deposition, forming a vicious cycle. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive (VIP⁺) neurons, although potentially spared in number early in the disease, exhibit altered firing properties (e.g., broader spikes, lower frequency), contributing to network dysfunction (e.g., in CA1). Furthermore, VIP release induced by 40 Hz sensory stimulation (GENUS) enhances glymphatic clearance of Aβ, demonstrating a direct link between VIP neuron function and modulation of amyloid pathology. Given their central role in network stability and their demonstrable dysfunction in AD, GABAergic interneurons represent promising therapeutic targets. Current research primarily explores three approaches: increasing interneuron numbers (e.g., improving cortical PV⁺ interneuron counts and behavior in APP/PS1 mice with the antidepressant citalopram; transplanting stem cells differentiated into functional GABAergic neurons to enhance cognition), enhancing neuronal activity (e.g., using low-dose levetiracetam or targeted activation of specific molecules to boost PV⁺ interneuron excitability, restoring neural network γ‑oscillations and memory; non-invasive neuromodulation techniques like 40 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), GENUS, and minimally invasive electroacupuncture to improve inhibitory regulation, promote memory, and reduce Aβ), and direct GABA system intervention (clinical and animal studies reveal reduced GABA levels in AD-affected brain regions; early GABA supplementation improves cognition in APP/PS1 mice, suggesting a therapeutic time window). Collectively, these findings establish GABAergic interneuron intervention as a foundational rationale and distinct pathway for AD therapy. In conclusion, GABAergic interneurons, particularly the PV⁺, SST⁺, and VIP⁺ subtypes, play critical and subtype-specific roles in the initiation and progression of AD pathology. Their dysfunction significantly contributes to network hyperexcitability, oscillatory deficits, and cognitive decline. Understanding the heterogeneity in their vulnerability and response mechanisms provides crucial insights into AD pathogenesis. Targeting these interneurons through pharmacological, neuromodulatory, or cellular approaches offers promising avenues for developing novel, potentially disease-modifying therapies.

This paper aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of action of the Yiqi Fumai Formula(YQFM), a kind of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), on mice with experimental heart failure based on the "heart-gut axis" theory. Based on the network pharmacology integrated with the group collaboration algorithm, the active ingredients were screened, a "component-target-disease" network was constructed, and the potential pathways regulated by the formula were predicted and analyzed. Next, the model of experimental heart failure was established by intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin at a single high dose(15 mg·kg~(-1)) in BALB/c mice. After intraperitoneal injection of YQFM(lyophilized) at 7.90, 15.80, and 31.55 mg·d~(-1) for 7 d, the protective effects of the formula on cardiac function were evaluated using indicators such as ultrasonic electrocardiography and myocardial injury markers. Combined with inflammatory factors in the cardiac and colorectal tissue, as well as targeted assays, the relevant indicators of potential pathways were verified. Meanwhile, 16S rDNA sequencing was performed on mouse fecal samples using the Illumina platform to detect changes in gut flora and analyze differential metabolic pathways. The results show that the administration of injectable YQFM(lyophilized) for 7 d significantly increased the left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter, fractional shortening, and ejection fraction of cardiac tissue of mice with experimental heart failure(P<0.05). Moreover, markers of myocardial injury were significantly decreased(P<0.05), indicating improved cardiac function, along with significantly suppressed inflammatory responses in cardiac and intestinal tissue(P<0.05). Additionally, the species of causative organisms was decreased, and the homeostasis of gut flora was improved, involving a modulatory effect on PI3K-Akt signaling pathway-related inflammation in cardiac and colorectal tissue. In conclusion, YQFM can affect the "heart-gut axis" immunity through the homeostasis of the gut flora, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on heart failure. This finding provides a reference for the combination of TCM and western medicine to prevent and treat heart failure based on the "heart-gut axis" theory.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Heart Failure/microbiology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Heart/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by impaired motility of cilia and flagella. Mutations in cilia- and flagella-associated protein 300 ( CFAP300 ) are associated with human PCD and male infertility; however, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a consanguineous Chinese family, we identified a homozygous CFAP300 loss-of-function variant (c.304delC) in a proband presenting with classical PCD symptoms and severe sperm abnormalities, including dynein arm deficiency and acrosomal malformation, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Histological analysis revealed multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella in CFAP300 -mutant individual, whereas immunofluorescence demonstrated markedly reduced CFAP300 expression in the spermatozoa of the proband. Furthermore, tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics showed that the CFAP300 mutation reduced key spermatogenesis proteins (e.g., sperm flagellar 2 [SPEF2], solute carrier family 25 member 31 [SLC25A31], and A-kinase anchoring protein 3 [AKAP3]) and mitochondrial ATP synthesis factors (e.g., SLC25A31, cation channel sperm-associated 3 [CATSPER3]). It also triggered abnormal increases in autophagy-related proteins and signaling mediator phosphorylation. These molecular alterations are likely to contribute to progressive deterioration of sperm ultrastructure and function. Notably, successful pregnancy was achieved via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using the proband's sperm. Overall, this study expands the known CFAP300 mutational spectrum and offers novel mechanistic insights into its role in spermatogenesis.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/pathology* ; Acrosome/pathology* ; Sperm Tail/pathology* ; Pedigree ; Spermatozoa ; Adult ; Loss of Function Mutation ; Ciliary Motility Disorders/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Female

Identification of disease-specific cell subtypes (DSCSs) has profound implications for understanding disease mechanisms, preoperative diagnosis, and precision therapy. However, achieving unified annotation of DSCSs in heterogeneous single-cell datasets remains a challenge. In this study, we developed the gPRINT algorithm (generalized approach for cell subtype identification with single cell's voicePRINT). Inspired by the principles of speech recognition in noisy environments, gPRINT transforms gene position and gene expression information into voiceprints based on ordered and clustered gene expression phenomena, obtaining unique "gene print" patterns for each cell. Then, we integrated neural networks to mitigate the impact of background noise on cell identity label mapping. We demonstrated the reproducibility of gPRINT across different donors, single-cell sequencing platforms, and disease subtypes, and its utility for automatic cell subtype annotation across datasets. Moreover, gPRINT achieved higher annotation accuracy of 98.37% when externally validated based on the same tissue, surpassing other algorithms. Furthermore, this approach has been applied to fibrosis-associated diseases in multiple tissues throughout the body, as well as to the annotation of fibroblast subtypes in a single tissue, tendon, where fibrosis is prevalent. We successfully achieved automatic prediction of tendinopathy-specific cell subtypes, key targets, and related drugs. In summary, gPRINT provides an automated and unified approach for identifying DSCSs across datasets, facilitating the elucidation of specific cell subtypes under different disease states and providing a powerful tool for exploring therapeutic targets in diseases.
Humans ; Algorithms ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Databases, Genetic ; Molecular Sequence Annotation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between long-term glycemic control and cerebral infarction risk in patients with diabetes through a large-scale cohort study. METHODS: This prospective, community-based cohort study included 12,054 patients with diabetes. From 2006 to 2012, 38,272 fasting blood glucose (FBG) measurements were obtained from these participants. FBG trajectory patterns were generated using latent mixture modelling. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to assess the subsequent risk of cerebral infarction associated with different FBG trajectory patterns. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean age of the participants was 55.2 years. Four distinct FBG trajectories were identified based on FBG concentrations and their changes over the 6-year follow-up period. After a median follow-up of 6.9 years, 786 cerebral infarction events were recorded. Different trajectory patterns were associated with significantly varied outcome risks (Log-Rank P < 0.001). Compared with the low-stability group, Hazard Ratio ( HR) adjusted for potential confounders were 1.37 for the moderate-increasing group, 1.23 for the elevated-decreasing group, and 2.08 for the elevated-stable group. CONCLUSION Sustained high FBG levels were found to play a critical role in the development of ischemic stroke among patients with diabetes. Controlling FBG levels may reduce the risk of cerebral infarction.
Humans ; Cerebral Infarction/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; Fasting/blood* ; Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Sangxing Zhike Prescription in treating postinfectious cough(PIC)of warm dryness invading the lung type.Methods A total of 66 PIC patients with warm dryness invading the lung type who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to June 2022 were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 33 patients in each group.The treatment group was given Sangxing Zhike Prescription combined with Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules,and the control group was given Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules combined with Chinese medicine placebo.The course of treatment covered 7 days.The changes in the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of the severity of cough,the scores of cough symptom,and the scores of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety in the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,one case fell off from the treatment group and 4 cases fell off from the control group,and eventually 61 cases completed the observation,of which 32 cases were in the treatment group and 29 cases were in the control group.(2)After 7 days of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 84.38%(27/32)and that of the control group was 58.62%(17/29),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the VAS scores of the severity of cough,and the scores of daytime cough,nighttime cough of the Cough Symptom Score Scale as well as the overall cough scores in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and the reduction of the VAS scores and the overall cough symptom scores in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,obvious improvement was presented in the scores of TCM symptoms of cough,throat itching,dry throat,foreign body sensation in the throat,sore throat and pharyngeal signs as well as total TCM syndrome scores in the treatment group when compared with the pre-treatment period(P＜0.01),whereas in the control group,only the scores of cough,throat itching,dry throat,and sore throat and the total TCM syndrome scores were improved compared with the pre-treatment period(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The post-treatment intergroup comparison showed that the treatment group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the scores of throat itching,foreign body sensation in the throat,and pharyngeal signs as well as total TCM syndrome scores(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)During the treatment process,no significant adverse reactions occurred in both groups,or no abnormal changes were shown in the safety indexes such as blood routine test,liver and kidney functions of the patients.Conclusion Sangxing Zhike Prescription combined with Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules exerts certain effect in treating patients with PIC of warm dryness invading the lung type,and its efficacy is significantly superior to that of Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules treatment alone with relatively high safety profile.

Objective To propose a object detection method based on an improved YOLOv8 model to solve the problems of the inspection robot in low accuracy for recognizing pointer-type or obscured meters.Methods Firstly,a YOLOv8 model was chosen as the foundation object detection model,based on which the coordinate attention(CA)mechanism was introduced to enhance the model's understanding of the spatial structure of the input data over long distances;secondly,the original complete IoU(CIoU)loss function was replaced by an efficient IoU(EIoU)loss function to accelerate the convergence of the model's detection frame;finally,the soft non-maximum suppression(Soft-NMS)function took the place of the traditional NMS method to suppress the redundant bounding box smoothly and further improve the detection accuracy.The improved YOLOv8 model(YOLOv8nxt model)was compared with the YOLOv8n model to verify its efficacy for object detection.Results The YOLOv8nxt model with a size of 6.2 M had the position loss decreased by 1.3％,mAP_0.5∶0.95 increased by 1.7％,detection accuracy raised by 0.87％and detection time prolonged by only 0.2 ms when comparted with the YOLOv8n model.Conclusion The improved YOLOv8 model-based object detection method enhances the accuracy and speed of the inspection robot's recognition of meters during movement,and can effectively solve the problems of the inspection robot in the object detection stage.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):1-8]

Objective:To study the changes in skeletal muscle and serum nutritional indicators during concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer patients,and to evaluate their correlation with short-term efficacy and long-term prognosis. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 114 patients with cervical cancer who underwent radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the Department of Oncology,Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from February 2019 to February 2023. All patients underwent a treatment regimen comprising external beam radiation (EBRT),internal radiation,and concurrent chemotherapy. Serum nutritional data of the patients were collected before radiotherapy,one week,two weeks and five weeks after the onset of radiotherapy. CT images of the patients at the time of simulation and about five weeks after the onset of radiotherapy were imported into the Pinnacle 39.10 planning system,and the skeletal muscle index (SMI) of the third lumbar vertebra (L3) were calculated for each patients. The changes of the serum nutritional indicators of the patients prior to and post EBRT were analyzed statistically. The patients are categorized into two groups according to the baseline SMI:a sarcopenic group consisting of 35 cases and a non-sarcopenic group comprising 79 cases. The therapeutic outcomes between the two groups were compared,and logistic analysis of the relevant factors affecting the occurrence of sarcopenia during radiotherapy was conducted. The survival curves were drawn using Kaplan-Meier method and disease-free survival (DFS) between the two groups was compared using Log Rank test. We used Cox univariate and multivariate regression analysis to identify prognostic factors related to DFS. Results:The serum nutritional indicators of the patient at one week,two weeks,and five weeks after the beginning of EBRT were significantly lower than those before radiotherapy (P<0.05). The SMI from the CT images of simulation at five weeks after the onset of radiotherapy was significantly lower than that before radiotherapy (P<0.001). There was a significant correlation between hemoglobin levels prior to radiotherapy and incidence of sarcopenia during radiotherapy (P=0.046). There was no significant difference in efficacy between the two groups at the end of EBRT (P>0.05). At the end of radiotherapy,the complete response (CR) rate of the non-sarcopenia group was significantly higher than that of the sarcopenia group (P=0.040). However,the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of both groups at the end of radiotherapy were 100％. The 2-year DFS of the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group were 66.7％ and 85.5％,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.016). Only four patients died during the 2-year follow-up,so OS was not reached. Baseline SMI,serum squamous cell antigen levels prior to radiotherapy,and degree of bone marrow suppression were three independent prognostic factors affecting DFS in the patients. Conclusion:Cervical cancer patients experience significant nutritional loss during chemoradiotherapy,and baseline SMI is significantly correlated with short-term efficacy and long-term prognosis and can serve as a predictive marker for patients with cervical cancer receiving chemoradiotherapy.