ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Shentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation （LDH） with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome， and its effect on nucleus pulposus reabsorption and immune-inflammatory factors， exploring its therapeutic mechanism from the perspective of reabsorption. MethodsA total of 120 patients with LDH from the Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine， treated between June 2020 and January 2023， were randomly divided into the control group （52 cases， with 8 dropouts） and the observation group （49 cases， with 11 dropouts） according to a random number table. The control group received routine treatment， while the observation group was treated with Shentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang in addition to routine treatment. Visual Analogue Scale （VAS）， Oswestry Disability Index （ODI）， Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） score， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score were measured before treatment and after 3 courses of treatment. Venous blood samples were collected for the determination of serological indexes. MR examination was performed during the 6-month follow-up to calculate the absorption rate. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in VAS， ODI， TCM syndrome score， serum tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， matrix metalloproteinase （MMP）-9， and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） levels， and a significant increase in JOA score compared with pre-treatment values （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， the observation group showed significantly lower VAS， ODI， TCM syndrome score， serum TNF-α， MMP-9， and VEGF levels， and a significantly higher JOA score （P<0.05）. The proportion of nucleus pulposus reabsorption in the observation group was 57.14% （28/49）， significantly higher than 21.15% （11/52） in the control group （χ²=6.161， P<0.05）. ConclusionShentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang can effectively relieve pain， improve lumbar function， and alleviate TCM clinical symptoms in LDH patients with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. Imaging findings suggest that the treatment promotes the reabsorption of nucleus pulposus protrusion， while laboratory testing shows reduced serum levels of TNF-α， MMP-9， and VEGF， which contribute to the rehabilitation of patients.

Pathological vascular remodeling is a hallmark of various vascular diseases. Previous research has established the significance of andrographolide in maintaining gastric vascular homeostasis and its pivotal role in modulating endothelial barrier dysfunction, which leads to pathological vascular remodeling. Potassium dehydroandrographolide succinate (PDA), a derivative of andrographolide, has been clinically utilized in the treatment of inflammatory diseases precipitated by viral infections. This study investigates the potential of PDA in regulating pathological vascular remodeling. The effect of PDA on vascular remodeling was assessed through the complete ligation of the carotid artery in C57BL/6 mice. Experimental approaches, including rat aortic primary smooth muscle cell culture, flow cytometry, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay, Boyden chamber cell migration assay, spheroid sprouting assay, and Matrigel-based tube formation assay, were employed to evaluate the influence of PDA on the proliferation and motility of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Molecular docking simulations and co-immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to examine protein interactions. The results revealed that PDA exacerbates vascular injury-induced pathological remodeling, as evidenced by enhanced neointima formation. PDA treatment significantly increased the proliferation and migration of SMCs. Further mechanistic studies disclosed that PDA upregulated myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) expression in SMCs and interacted with T-cadherin (CDH13). This interaction augmented proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix deposition, culminating in pathological vascular remodeling. Our findings underscore the critical role of PDA in the regulation of pathological vascular remodeling, mediated through the MyD88/CDH13 signaling pathway.
Mice ; Rats ; Animals ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/metabolism* ; Vascular Remodeling ; Cell Proliferation ; Vascular System Injuries/pathology* ; Carotid Artery Injuries/pathology* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Cell Movement ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Signal Transduction ; Succinates/pharmacology* ; Potassium/pharmacology* ; Cells, Cultured ; Diterpenes ; Cadherins

Aim To investigate the dynamic time-course changes in neuronal cytoskeleton after acute ischemia and reperfusion in rats. Methods Reperfusion was performedin rats by blocking the middle cerebralarteryfor 90 min, then therats wereobserved and collected at different time points. The brain damage wasobserved by Nissl staining,and neurobehavioural function was evaluated with neurological deficit score and forelimb placement test. The cellular changes in the alternations of cytoskeletal elements including microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neurofilament heavy chain (NF-H) were observed by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot. Impaired axons, dendrites and cytoskeletal alternations were detected by electron microscope. Results Brain damage and neurobehavioural function were gradually aggravated with the prolongation of reperfusion. Brain damage appeared earlier and more severe in striatum than in cortex. Moreover, decreased MAP2-related and increased NF-H-related immunoreactive intensities were found in the ischemic areas. Impaired cytoskeletal arrangement and reduced dense were indicated. Damaged cytoskeletal components such as microtubules and neurofilament arrangement, decreased axonal filament density, and swelled dendrites were observed after cerebral ischemia reperfusion by ultrastructural observations. Conclusions Different brain regions have diverse tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Major elements of neuronal cytoskeleton show dynamic responses to ischemia and reperfusion, which may further contribute to brain damage and neurological impairment following MCAO and reperfusion.

AIM:To explore the protective effect of Xiaoxuming decoction(XXMD)on synaptic plasticity in the context of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury following ischemic stroke.METHODS:An oxygen-glucose depriva-tion/reoxygenation(OGD/R)model was employed in vitro using mouse hippocampal neurons(HT22 cells)to simulate ischemia-reperfusion injury.Cell viability was assessed using a CCK-8 assay to determine the optimal XXMD concentra-tion.The HT22 cells were divided into two groups:control and model(OGD/R).Cellular morphological changes were ob-served using an inverted microscope.The levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in the supernatant were quantified by ELISA.Ultrastructural changes were examined by transmission electron microscopy.Immunofluorescence staining was used to de-tect neuron markers NeuN and synaptic proteins NF200 and MAP2.The protein levels of NF200 and MAP2 were analyzed by Western blot.RESULTS:The highest cell survival rate occurred at an XXMD concentration of 100 mg/L(P<0.05).Compared with control group,the cells in model group exhibited round shape and shrinkage,mitochondrial swelling or vacuolization,and a marked decrease in survival rate.There were significant increases in IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α levels(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence intensity and protein levels of NeuN,NF200 and MAP2 were notably reduced(P<0.05).Treatment with XXMD improved cell morphology,ultrastructure and survival rate(P<0.05),and decreased in-flammatory factor levels(P<0.05).Compared with model group,the cells in OGD/R+XXMD group showed significantly increased immunofluorescence intensity and protein levels of NeuN,NF200 and MAP2(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Xiaoxuming decoction may mitigate OGD/R-induced injury,potentially by inhibiting inflammatory responses and enhanc-ing synaptic plasticity.

Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid that was initially used as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent in clinical treatment of enteritis,peptic ulcers,chronic gastritis,pneumonia,and other diseases.In recent years,in-depth study of the pharmacological effects of berberine has provided increasing evidence that berberine has neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke.In this review,we introduce the effect of berberine on risk factors of ischemic stroke and discuss the neuroprotective effects of berberine on various mechanisms of ischemic stroke in detail to provide a reference for clinical and basic research in this field.

Objective To explore the effects of different acupoints,different target organs,and different interventions on acupoint efficacy based on ACU&MOX-DATA platform;To illustrate and visualize whether the above factors have the characteristics of"specific effect"or"common effect"of acupoint efficacy.Methods The multi-source heterogeneous data were integrated from the original omics data and public omics data.After standardization,differential gene analysis,disease pathology network analysis,and enrichment analysis were performed using Batch Search and Stimulation Mode modules in ACU&MOX-DATA platform under the conditions of different acupoints,different target organs,and different interventions.Results Under the same disease state and the same intervention,there were differences in effects among different acupoints;under the same disease state,the same acupoint and intervention,the responses produced by different target organs were not completely consistent;under the same disease state and acupoint,there were differences in effects among different intervention measures.Conclusion Based on the analysis of ACU&MOX-DATA platform,it is preliminary clear that acupoints,target organs,and interventions are the key factors affecting acupoint efficacy.Meanwhile,the above results have indicated that there are specific or common regulatory characteristics of acupoint efficacy.Applying ACU&MOX-DATA platform to analyze and visualize the critical scientific problems in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion can provide references for deepening acupoint cognition,guiding clinical acupoint selection,and improving clinical efficacy.

Near infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)technology combined with chemometrics algorithms has been widely used in quantitative and qualitative analysis of food and medicine.However,traditional chemometrics methods,especially linear classification methods,often yield unsatisfactory results when addressing multi-class classification problems.Convolutional neural network(CNN)is adept at extracting deep-level features from data and suitable for handling non-linear relationships.The modeling performance of CNN depends on the size and diversity of sample,while the collection and preprocessing of NIRS sample data is often time-consuming and labor-intensive.This study proposed a NIRS qualitative analysis method based on data augmentation strategies and CNN.The data augmentation strategy included two steps.Firstly,applying Bootstrap resampling and generative adversarial network(GAN)methods to augment three NIRS datasets(Medicine,coffee and grape).Secondly,combining the original samples(Y)with the Bootstrap augmented samples(B)and GAN augmented samples(G)to obtain three augmented datasets(Y-B,Y-G and Y-B-G).Based on this,a CNN model structure suitable for these datasets was designed,consisting of 2 one-dimensional convolutional layers,1 max-pooling layer,and 1 fully connected layer.The results showed that compared to the optimal models of partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA),support vector machine(SVM),and back propagation neural network(BP),the CNN model based on Y-B dataset achieved average accuracy improvements of 3.998%,9.364%,and 4.689%for medicine(Binary classification);the CNN model based on the Y-B-G dataset achieved average accuracy improvements of 6.001%,2.004%,and 7.523%for coffee(7-class classification);and the CNN model based on the Y-B dataset achieved average accuracy improvements of 33.408%,51.994%,and 34.378%for grapes(20-class classification).It was evident that the models established based on data augmentation strategies and CNN demonstrated better classification accuracy and generalization performance with different datasets and classification categories.

Objective To study the clinical characteristics of children with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody(ANCA)-associated vasculitis(AAV).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 25 children diagnosed with AAV at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2010 to June 2022.Results Among the AAV children,there were 5 males and 20 females,with a median age of onset of 11.0 years.Involvement of the urinary system was seen in 18 cases(72%);respiratory system involvement in 10 cases(40%);skin involvement in 6 cases(24%);eye,ear,and nose involvement in 5 cases(20%);joint involvement in 4 cases(16%);digestive system involvement in 2 cases(8%).Eleven cases underwent kidney biopsy,with 5 cases(46%)showing focal type,2 cases(18%)showing crescentic type,2 cases(18%)showing mixed type,and 2 cases(18%)showing sclerotic type.Immune complex deposits were present in 5 cases(45%).Seven cases reached chronic kidney disease(CKD)stage Ⅴ,with 2 cases resulting in death.Two cases underwent kidney transplantation.At the end of the follow-up period,2 cases were at CKD stage Ⅱ,and 1 case was at CKD stage Ⅲ.Of the 16 cases of microscopic polyangiitis(MPA)group,13(81%)involved the urinary system.Of the 9 cases of granulomatosis with polyangiitis(GPA),6 cases(66%)had sinusitis.Serum creatinine and uric acid levels were higher in the MPA group than in the GPA group(P<0.05),while red blood cell count and glomerular filtration rate were lower in the MPA group(P<0.05).Conclusions AAV is more common in school-age female children,with MPA being the most common clinical subtype.The onset of AAV in children is mainly characterized by renal involvement,followed by respiratory system involvement.The renal pathology often presents as focal type with possible immune complex deposits.Children with MPA often have renal involvement,while those with GPA commonly have sinusitis.The prognosis of children with AAV is poor,often accompanied by renal insufficiency.

Objective To study the correlation of anti-C1q antibodies with active systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)and lupus nephritis(LN)in children,as well as their diagnostic value for active SLE and LN.Methods A retrospective selection of 90 hospitalized children with SLE at the Children's Medical Center of Second Xiangya Hospital,Central South University from January 2016 to March 2019 as the SLE group,all of whom were tested for anti-C1q antibodies.A control group was formed by collecting 70 hospitalized children with other autoimmune diseases(OAD)during the same period.The differences in anti-C1q antibody levels were compared between two groups.The correlation of anti-C1q antibodies with various indicators of SLE and LN was analyzed,and the diagnostic value of anti-C1q in SLE and LN was evaluated.Results The serum levels of anti-C1q antibodies in the SLE group were higher than those in the OAD group(P<0.05).The SLE disease activity index score was positively correlated with anti-C1q antibodies(rs=0.371,P<0.001)and positively correlated with anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies(rs=0.370,P<0.001).The sensitivity and specificity of anti-C1q antibodies for diagnosing active SLE were 89.90%and 53.90%,respectively,with an area under the curve of 0.720(P<0.05)and a critical value of 5.45 U/mL.The sensitivity and specificity of anti-C1q antibody levels for diagnosing active LN were 58.50%and 85.00%,respectively,with an area under the curve of 0.675(P<0.05)and a critical value of 22.05 U/mL.Conclusions Anti-C1q antibodies can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for evaluating the activity of SLE or predicting the activity of LN in children.

Objective To investigate the effect of artemisinin(ART)on the malignant biological behavior of colorectal cancer(CRC)cells stimulated by glucose and its mechanism.Methods The concentration gradients of 0,5,10,20,40 and 60 μmol/L of ART were used to treat the human colorectal cancer cell line SW480,and then the cell viability was detected by CCK-8.Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.Transwell was used to detect the cell migration and invasion.Western blot was used to detect the apoptosis,epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)and Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)related proteins expression.Results Compared with the 0 μmol/L of ART,the viability of SW480 cells decreased under 5,10,20,40,60 μmol/L of ART treatment(P<0.05),and IC50 was 36.91 μmol/L.Therefore,the cells treated with 10,20 and 40 μmol/L of ART were as the low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose ART groups,the cells treated with 0 μmol/L of ART were as the control group,and the cells treated with 40 μmol/L of ART and 10 μmol/L of Coumermycin A1 were as the Coumermycin A1 group.Compared with the control group,the cell scratch wound healing rate,invasion ability,and expression levels of Bcl-2,N-cadherin,Vimentin,p-JAK2,and p-STAT3 in the low-dose ART group,the medium-dose ART group,and the high-dose ART group decreased obviously(P<0.05),while the apoptosis rate,and expression levels of Bax,Caspase-3 and E-cadherin increased(P<0.05).Compared with the high-dose ART group,the cell scratch wound healing rate,invasion ability,and expression levels of Bcl-2,N-cadherin,Vimentin,p-JAK2,and p-STAT3 in the Coumermycin A1 group increased obviously(P<0.05),while the apoptosis rate,and expression levels of Bax,Caspase-3 and E-cadherin decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion ART may inhibit the viability,migration,invasion and EMT of glucose-stimulated CRC cells and promote apoptosis by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.