ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Weichang'an prescription-containing serum on ferroptosis of human gastric cancer cells and explore the possible mechanism. MethodsSD rats were administrated with 18， 36， 72 g·kg^-1·d^-1 Weichang'an prescription by gavage for preparation of serum samples containing different doses of Weichang'an prescription， which were then used to treat MKN-45 cells. The cell proliferation was examined by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. In addition， inhibitors of apoptosis， necroptosis， and ferroptosis were added， and the survival of the cells treated with the serum samples was observed. The fluorescent probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate （DCF-DA） and the lipid peroxidation sensor C11-BODIPY were employed to detect the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS） and lipid peroxidation， respectively. The levels of ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were employed to determine the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B1 （AKR1B1）， glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 （ACSL4）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）. ResultsCompared with the blank group， Weichang'an prescription-containing serum decreased the viability of MKN-45 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Compared with the Weichang'an prescription group， the apoptosis inhibitor+Weichang'an prescription group and the ferroptosis inhibitor+Weichang'an prescription group showed increased cell viability （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， Weichang'an prescription elevated the levels of ROS， lipid peroxidation， and intracellular Fe²⁺ and MDA （P<0.05， P<0.01） and lowered the level of GSH （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the blank group， Weichang'an prescription down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2， AKR1B1， and GPX4 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of ACSL4 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the blank group， Weichang'an prescription down-regulated the protein levels of p-STAT3 and p-ERK （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. ConclusionThe Weichang'an prescription-containing serum can promote the ferroptosis and inhibit the proliferation of MKN-45 cells by regulating the STAT3 and MAPK pathways.

Objective To investigate the relationship between cyclin A2 (CCNA2) and the prognosis of colon cancer, and its possible mechanism from the perspective of immune infiltration. Methods We downloaded the transcriptome data of colon cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Clinicopathological feature analysis and survival analysis were performed based on the expression levels of CCNA2. A total of 75 specimens of colon cancer and normal tissues were collected, and the expression level of CCNA2 was analyzed using immunohistochemical methods. Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore its relationship with clinicopathological features. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to assess the potential molecular functions of CCNA2 in colon cancer. CIBERSORT algorithm was applied to calculate the correlation between CCNA2 and immune-cell infiltration in colon cancer. Results Database and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that CCNA2 was expressed at a significantly higher level in colon cancer tissues than normal tissues (P<0.001). The overall survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free interval were all longer in the group with high CCNA2 expression than the group with low expression (all P<0.05). In tumor tissues, the expression level of CCNA2 decreased with increased pathological and TNM stages (P<0.05). The expression level of CCNA2 in normal tissues was consistently lower than that in colon cancer tissues across all clinical stages (all P<0.001). GSEA suggested that Wnt/β-catenin, KRAS, and other signaling pathways were enriched when CCNA2 was lowly expressed. CIBERSORT analysis revealed an increase in the infiltration of immune cells such as regulatory T cells and macrophages M0 when CCNA2 expression was low. Conclusion CCNA2 is highly expressed in colon cancer and closely associated with grade of pathology and TNM stage. It may recruit regulatory T cells through the KRAS and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, thereby reducing immune-cell infiltration and promoting colon cancer progression, leading to poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective. METHODS: Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQ₊TGW groups according to a random number table. Histopathological changes in vivo were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Ratios of immune cells and cytokines in mice, as well as PAM212 cell proliferation in vitro were assessed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: TGW significantly ameliorated the severity of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse skin lesions and restrained the activation of CD45⁺ cells, neutrophils and T lymphocytes (all P<0.01). Moreover, TGW significantly attenuated keratinocytes (KCs) proliferation and downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor α, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, it reduced the number of γ δ T17 cells in skin lesion of mice and draining lymph nodes (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS TGW improved psoriasis-like inflammation by inhibiting KCs proliferation, as well as the associated immune cells and cytokine expression. It inhibited IL-17 secretion from γ δ T cells, which improved the immune-inflammatory microenvironment of psoriasis.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Tripterygium ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Keratinocytes ; Skin Diseases/metabolism* ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Imiquimod/metabolism* ; Dermatitis/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Skin/metabolism*

Sepsis is a multi-organ dysfunction syndrome caused by infection and immune dysfunction, with a high mortality rate. It affects multiple important organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain. Establishing corresponding animal models of organ dysfunction syndrome is an essential step in clarifying its pathogenesis, researching potential effective drugs, and evaluating the effectiveness and safety of treatment plans. This article first summarizes classic modeling methods for sepsis related organ injury, including the destruction of intestinal barrier tissue integrity and the implantation of pathogens or toxic drugs. The former mainly includes cecal ligation and puncture, ascending colon stent implantation, and cecal ligation incision. The latter is divided into intraperitoneal injection, intravenous injection, and intratracheal administration based on the clinical infection route being simulated. Cecal ligation and puncture and lipopolysaccharide intraperitoneal injection are the most commonly used methods. Secondly, this article summarizes the common modeling methods and evaluation methods for animal models of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, acute lung injury, acute kidney injury, acute liver injury, and brain dysfunction. It points out that almost all organ injuries use classic modeling methods, and different organ injury models have additional modifications according to their different pathogenesis. For example, in addition to the classic modeling methods, lipopolysaccharide instillation in the trachea is more effective in modeling acute lung injury as it better simulates lung barrier dysfunction. Cecal ligation and puncture followed by Pseudomonas instillation in the trachea in a secondary challenge model better represents sepsis-induced acute kidney injury. Intraperitoneal injection of galactosamine is a mature modeling method of sepsis-induced acute liver injury. Intracerebral injection of lipopolysaccharide is a feasible model of sepsis-associated encephalopathy. In addition to the different modeling methods, there are differences in the administration time, dosage and experimental time points according to the different experimental purposes. This article reviews the research progress of animal experimental models for sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, acute lung injury, acute kidney injury, acute liver injury, and brain dysfunction, aiming to provide a reference for the selection of animal experimental models and optimization of experimental design.

Objective To visually analyze the Chinese and English literature in the research field of Cistanches Herba through bibliometrics;To understand the research status and hotspots of Cistanches Herba;To provide reference for the related research.Methods Literature related to Cistanches Herba in CNKI and Web of Science core databases from January 1,2002 to December 31,2022 was retrieved.VOSviewer 1.6.18 was used for co-occurrence clustering and temporal overlay analysis of authors and keywords,while CiteSpace 6.1.R2 was used for keyword burst analysis.Results Totally 1 631 articles were included,including 1 481 Chinese articles and 150 English articles,and the overall number of publications was on the rise.This field has formed research teams represented by Guo Yuhai from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University,Tu Pengfei from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,and Chen Jun and Xu Rong from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.High frequency keywords included Cistanches Herba,echinoside,phenylethanolside,high performance liquid chromatography,cistanche polysaccharide,artificial cultivation,anti-fatigue,etc.Conclusion The research in this field mainly focuses on TCM therapy,clinical study,etiology and pathogenesis.Network pharmacology,molecular biology,data mining and so on may become the focus of future research of Cistanches Herba.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall (EHC), a Xizang medicinal plant traditionally used for treating liver diseases, can improve imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the effects of topical EHC use in vivo on the skin pathology of imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The protein levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in mouse skin samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells with or without EHC treatment were used to evaluate the expression of keratinocyte-derived intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and chemokine CXC ligand 9 (CXCL9) using Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor MG132 were utilized to validate the EHC-mediated mechanism underlying degradation of ICAM-1 and CXCL9. RESULTS: EHC improved inflammation in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and reduced the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17A in psoriatic lesions. Treatment with EHC also suppressed ICAM-1 and CXCL9 in epidermal keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies revealed that EHC suppressed keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9 by promoting ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated protein degradation rather than transcriptional repression. Seven primary compounds including ehletianol C, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, herpetrione, herpetin, herpetotriol, herpetetrone and herpetetrol were identified from the EHC using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION Topical application of EHC ameliorates psoriasis-like skin symptoms and improves the inflammation at the lesion sites. Please cite this article as: Zhong Y, Zhang BW, Li JT, Zeng X, Pei JX, Zhang YM, Yang YX, Li FL, Deng Y, Zhao Q. Ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall ameliorates psoriasis-like skin inflammation and promotes degradation of keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(6): 584-592.
Animals ; Mice ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Imiquimod/adverse effects* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Ligands ; Psoriasis/chemically induced* ; Keratinocytes ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Chemokines/metabolism* ; Interferon-gamma/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of artificial intelligence (AI) cytology combined with DNA-image cytometry (DNA-ICM) auxiliary diagnostic system for the identification of benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites. Methods Liquid-based cytology technology (LCT), DNA-ICM, AI, and AI combined with DNA-ICM were used to identify benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites specimens in 360 cases, and their sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Kappa value, Youden index and AUC were statistically analyzed. Results The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of AI combined with DNA-ICM in detecting benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites were 95.23%, 94.12%, and 94.44%, respectively, which were higher than those of the three other separate detection methods (all P < 0.05). The kappa values of LCT, DNA-ICM, and AI were 0.646, 0.642, and 0.586; their Youden index values were 0.693, 0.687, and 0.676, and their AUC values were 0.846, 0.843, and 0.838, respectively. The Kappa value of AI combined with DNA-ICM was 0.869, the Youden index was 0.893, and AUC was 0.947, which were all higher than those of the three detection methods alone. Conclusion Among the three separate detection methods, LCT has the highest reliability, authenticity, and diagnostic value, and it can be used as a common method for the clinical identification of benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites. The diagnostic performance of AI combined with DNA-ICM auxiliary diagnosis system in identifying benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites is better than those of the three separate detection methods and can be used as a reliable method for the clinical identification of benign and malignant pleural effusion and ascites.

Objective:To investigate the value of number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs) in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and the construction of nomogram prodiction model.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 924 patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy uploaded to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database of the National Cancer Institute from 2004 to 2015 were collected. There were 1 624 males and 300 females, aged 63 (range, 23?85)years. All 1 924 patients were randomly divided into the training dataset of 1 348 cases and the validation dataset of 576 cases with a ratio of 7:3 based on random number method in the R software (3.6.2 version). The training dataset was used to constructed the nomogram predic-tion model, and the validation dataset was used to validate the performance of the nomogrram prediction model. The optimal cutoff values of number of NLNs and number of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) were 8, 14 and 10, 14, respectively, determined by the X-tile software (3.6.1 version), and then data of NLNs and ELNs were converted into classification variables. Observation indicators: (1) clinicopathological characteristics of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset; (2) survival of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset; (3) prognostic factors analysis of patients in the training dataset; (4) survival of patients in subgroup of the training dataset; (5) prognostic factors analysis in subgroup of the training dataset; (6) construction of nomogram prediction model and calibration curve. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. The COX proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on the results of multivariate analysis, the nomogram prediction model was constructed. The prediction efficacy of nomogram prediction model was evaluated using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve and the Harrell′s c index. Errors of the nomogram prediction model in predicting survival of patients for the training dataset and the validation dataset were evaluated using the calibration curve. Results:(1) Clinicopathological characteristics of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset. There was no significant difference in clinicopatholo-gical characteristics between the 1 348 patients of the training dataset and the 576 patients of the validation dataset ( P>0.05). (2) Survival of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset. All 1 924 patients were followed up for 50(range, 3?140)months, with 3-year and 5-year cumulative survival rate as 59.4% and 49.5%, respectively. The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 in the training dataset was 46.7%, 62.0% and 66.0%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 38.1%, 52.1% and 59.7%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=33.70, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 in the validation dataset was 51.1%, 54.9% and 71.2%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 39.3%, 42.5% and 55.7%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the validation dataset ( χ2=14.49, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of ELNs as <10, 10?14 and >14 in the training dataset was 53.9%, 60.0% and 62.7%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 44.7%, 49.1% and 56.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=9.88, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of ELNs as <10, 10?14 and >14 in the validation dataset was 56.2%, 47.9% and 69.3%, respectively, and the 5-year cumula-tive survival rate was 44.9%, 38.4% and 51.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the validation dataset ( χ2=9.30, P<0.05). (3) Prognostic factors analysis of patients in the training dataset. Results of multivariate analysis showed that gender, neoadjuvant pathological (yp) T staging, ypN staging (stage N1, stage N2, stage N3) and number of NLNs (8?14, >14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy ( hazard ratio=0.65, 1.44, 1.96, 2.41, 4.12, 0.69, 0.56, 95% confidence interval as 0.49?0.87, 1.17?1.78, 1.59?2.42, 1.84?3.14, 2.89?5.88, 0.56?0.86, 0.45?0.70, P<0.05). (4) Survival of patients in subgroup of the training dataset. Of the patients with NLNs in the training dataset, the 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 was 61.1%, 71.6% and 76.8%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 50.7%, 59.9% and 70.1%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=12.66, P<0.05). Of the patients with positive lymph nodes in the training dataset, the 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 was 26.1%, 42.9% and 44.7%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 20.0%, 36.5% and 39.3%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=20.39, P<0.05). (5) Prognostic factors analysis in subgroup of the training dataset. Results of multivariate analysis in patients with NLNs in the training dataset showed that gender, ypT staging and number of NLNs (>14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadju-vant therapy ( hazard ratio=0.67, 1.44, 0.56, 95% confidence interval as 0.47?0.96, 1.09?1.90, 0.41?0.77, P<0.05). Results of multi-variate analysis in patients with positive lymph nodes in the training dataset showed that race as others, histological grade as G2, ypN staging as stage N3 and number of NLNs (8?14, >14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy ( hazard ratio=2.73, 0.70, 2.08, 0.63, 0.59, 95% confidence interval as 1.43?5.21, 0.54?0.91, 1.44?3.02, 0.46?0.87, 0.44?0.78, P<0.05). (6) Construction of nomogram prediction model and calibration curve. Based on the multivariate analysis of prognosis in patients of the training dataset ,the nomogram prediction model for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadju-vant treatment was constructed based on the indicators of gender, ypT staging, ypN staging and number of NLNs. The AUC of nomogram prediction model in predicting the 3-, 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was 0.70, 0. 70 and 0.71, 0.71, respectively. The Harrell′s c index of nomogram prediction model of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was 0.66 and 0.63, respectively. Results of calibration curve showed that the predicted value of the nomogram prediction model of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was in good agreement with the actual observed value. Conclusion:The number of NLNs is an independent influencing factor for the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients after neoadjuvant therapy, and the nomogram prediction model based on number of NLNs can predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients after neoadjuvant therapy.

Objective To improve the quality of prescriptions and promote the rational drug application of Dingqing Tablets by investigating the outpatient prescriptions in a tertiary A hospital. Methods A total of 4 796 prescriptions of outpatient pharmacy patients from August 1, 2020 to August 1, 2021 were extracted from the hospital information system by the hospital information software, focusing on the analysis of indications, usage and dosage, drug interaction, etc. Results 10 departments including hematology department and geriatrics department were used Dingqing Tablets, and the irrationality was mainly manifested in the superposition of drug flavors and drug interactions. Conclusion Dingqing tablets were widely used in clinic and had remarkable curative effect. However, there are certain risks in the use of Dingqing tablets. It is necessary to add medication education and supervision to promote the safe and rational use of drugs in clinic.

Cognitive impairment caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is associated with white matter injury (WMI), possibly through the alteration of autophagy. Here, the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) dysfunction in white matter (WM) and its relationship with cognitive impairment were investigated in rats subjected to two vessel occlusion (2VO). The results showed that cognitive impairment occurred by the 28th day after 2VO. Injury and autophagy activation of mature oligodendrocytes and neuronal axons sequentially occurred in WM by the 3rd day. By the 14th day, abnormal accumulation of autophagy substrate, lysosomal dysfunction, and the activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR) pathway were observed in WM, paralleled with mature oligodendrocyte death. This indicates autophagy activation was followed by ALP dysfunction caused by autophagy inhibition or lysosomal dysfunction. To target the ALP dysfunction, enhanced autophagy by systemic rapamycin treatment or overexpression of Beclin1 (BECN1) in oligodendrocytes reduced mature oligodendrocyte death, and subsequently alleviated the WMI and cognitive impairment after CCH. These results reveal that early autophagy activation was followed by ALP dysfunction in WM after 2VO, which was associated with the aggravation of WMI and cognitive impairment. This study highlights that alleviating ALP dysfunction by enhancing oligodendrocyte autophagy has benefits for cognitive recovery after CCH.