Objective To investigate the effect of Kangxian Yiai Prescription(KXYA)on the mTOR/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway in a rat model of precancerous lesions of liver cancer.Methods A total of 40 male Wistar rats were divided into normal group,model group,KXYA group,and Biejia Rangan Tablets(BJRG)group,with 10 rats in each group.The rats in the normal group were given intraperitoneal injection of normal saline at a dose of 0.4 mL/100 g,and those in the other three groups were given intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine at a dose of 50 mg/kg to establish a rat model of the precancerous lesions of liver cancer.Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot were used to measure the expression level of GST-Pi,and quantitative real-time PCR and Western Blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression levels of mTOR,HIF-1α,VEGF,PKM2,and GLUT1.A one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results Compared with the normal group,the model group had a significant increase in the protein expression level of GST-Pi in liver tissue(P＜0.01),and compared with the model group,the KXYA group had a significant reduction in the protein expression level of GST-Pi(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal group,the model group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of GLUT1 and PKM2 in liver tissue(P＜0.01),and compared with the model group,the BJRG group and the KXYA group had a significant reduction in the mRNA expression level of GLUT1(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal group,the model group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of GLUT1 and PKM2 in liver tissue(P＜0.01).Compared with the normal group,the model group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of mTOR,HIF-1α,and VEGF in liver tissue(P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the BJRG group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of mTOR and VEGF(P＜0.05),and the KXYA group also had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of mTOR and VEGF(P＜0.01).Compared with the normal group,the model group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of mTOR,HIF-1α,and VEGF in liver tissue(P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the BJRG group had a significant reduction in the protein expression level of mTOR(P＜0.01),and the KXYA group had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of mTOR,HIF-1α,and VEGF(P＜0.05);compared with the BJRG group,the KXYA group had a significantly higher protein expression level of mTOR(P＜0.01).Conclusion KXYA can inhibit the precancerous lesions of liver cancer by regulating the mTOR/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway.

Objective:To observe the effects of preventative moxibustion on analgesia,substance P(SP),prostaglandin(PG)F2α and PGE2 in rats with dysmenorrhea due to cold-dampness stagnation,and to explore the analgesic mechanism. Methods:Sixty-four female Wistar non-pregnant rats were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a Western medicine group,and a preventative moxibustion group,with 16 rats in each group.Eight qualified diestrus rats were selected from each group.Except for the blank group,the other three groups established models of dysmenorrhea due to cold-dampness stagnation using an ice water bath combined with estradiol benzoate and oxytocin.On the 8th day after modeling,the preventative moxibustion group was treated with gentle moxibustion at Shenque(CV8)and Guanyuan(CV4),and the Western medicine group was given ibuprofen solution for 4 consecutive days.On the 11th day,the intervention groups(i.e.the Western medicine group and the preventative moxibustion group)were treated once again after being injected with oxytocin.The writhing score and the pain threshold of rats were determined;the serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),SP,PGF2α,and PGE2 were measured;the mRNA and protein expression levels of BDNF and its receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B(TrkB)in the spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus were detected. Results:Compared with the blank group,the writhing score increased(P<0.01),the pain threshold decreased(P<0.01),the serum levels of BDNF,SP,and PGF2α increased(P<0.01),while the PGE2 decreased(P<0.01);the protein and mRNA expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus increased(P<0.01)in the model group.Compared with the model group,the writhing score decreased,the pain threshold increased,the serum BDNF,SP,and PGF2α levels decreased significantly,the serum PGE2 level increased,and the protein and mRNA expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus decreased significantly in the preventative moxibustion group and the Western medicine group,while the inter-group differences were significant(P<0.01).Compared with the Western medicine group,the writhing score decreased,the pain threshold increased,the serum BDNF,SP,and PGF2α,levels decreased,the serum PGE2 level increased,and the protein and mRNA expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus in the preventative moxibustion group decreased significantly,while the inter-group differences were significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:Preventative moxibustion at Shenque(CV8)and Guanyuan(CV4)can improve the pain sensitization state of rats with dysmenorrhea due to cold-dampness stagnation,down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus;regulation of the serum SP,PGF2α,and PGE2 levels may be part of the mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Syringomyelia is a progressive chronic disease that leads to nerve pain, sensory dissociation, and dyskinesia. Symptoms often do not improve after surgery. Stem cells have been widely explored for the treatment of nervous system diseases due to their immunoregulatory and neural replacement abilities. METHODS: In this study, we used a rat model of syringomyelia characterized by focal dilatation of the central canal to explore an effective transplantation scheme and evaluate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells and induced neural stem cells for the treatment of syringomyelia. RESULTS: The results showed that cell transplantation could not only promote syrinx shrinkage but also stimulate the proliferation of ependymal cells, and the effect of this result was related to the transplantation location. These reactions appeared only when the cells were transplanted into the cavity. Additionally, we discovered that cell transplantation transformed activated microglia into the M2 phenotype. IGF1-expressing M2 microglia may play a significant role in the repair of nerve pain. CONCLUSION Cell transplantation can promote cavity shrinkage and regulate the local inflammatory environment.Moreover, the proliferation of ependymal cells may indicate the activation of endogenous stem cells, which is important for the regeneration and repair of spinal cord injury.

ObjectiveTo investigate the changes of endogenous metabolites in serum of ovariectomized rats and the effect of Erxiantang on them based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（LC-MS）. MethodTwenty-four healthy female SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group， model group and Erxiantang group（7.5 g·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. Bilateral ovarian tissues were excised in the model and Erxiantang groups， and small pieces of adipose tissues were excised in the abdominal cavity of the sham-operated group bilaterally， and gastric administration was started 2 weeks after surgery， and equal volumes of distilled water were gavaged in the sham-operated and model groups. After 12 weeks of administration， blood was collected from abdominal aorta， and non-targeted metabonomics was performed on rat serum by LC-MS， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） was used to screen differential metabolites. Metabolic pathway analysis was performed based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）， and the levels of key enzymes of metabolic pathways were verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. ResultThe results of metabonomics showed that 82 differential metabolites between the model group and the sham-operated group were glycerophospholipids， fatty acyls， steroids and steroid derivatives， of which the most significant difference was glycerophospholipids. At the same time， Erxiantang could call back 65 out of 82 differential metabolites， of which 11 were statistically significant， mainly phosphatidylcholine（PC） and lysophosphatidylcholine（LysoPC） in glycerophospholipids， followed by corticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol in steroids and steroid derivatives. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that the pathways of glycerophospholipid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis in model group were changed， and were recovered after the administration of Erxiantang. ELISA results showed that compared with the sham-operated group， serum levels of cholinephosphate cytidylytransferase（CCT）， secretory phospholipase A2（sPLA2） and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase（LPCAT）， which were the key metabolic enzymes of glycerophospholipid metabolite PC and LysoPC， were significantly decreased in the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and choline phosphotransferase 1（CPT1） levels decreased but the difference was not statistically significant， compared with the model group， the levels of CCT， sPLA2 and CPT1 were significantly increased in Erxiantang group（P<0.01）. In addition， compared with the sham-operated group， the levels of cholesterol（TC）， triglyceride（TG） and low density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C） were significantly increased in the model group（P<0.01）， the high density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C） level was decreased（P<0.05）， compared with the model group， the levels of TC， TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased and the level of HDL-C was significantly increased in Erxiantang group（P<0.01）. ConclusionEndogenous metabolites and related metabolic pathways in ovariectomized rats were altered， and Erxiantang can reverse some of the different metabolites and related pathways， such as regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism by regulating metabolic enzymes CCT， sPLA2 and CPT1 to increase the levels of PC and LysoPC， and then improve the pathological changes such as lipid metabolism disorder in ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the coagulation deficit and genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree affected with Congenital dysfibrinogenemia (CD). METHODS: Peripheral venous blood samples of the proband and her family members (including 4 individuals from three generations) were subjected to routine blood test and assays of liver and kidney functions and viral hepatitis to exclude related diseases. Clauss method and DFg-PT method were used to determine the fibrinogen activity (Fg:C), and an immunoturbidimetric assay was used to determine the level of fibrinogen antigen (Fg:Ag). All of the exons (22 in total) and their flanking sequences of the FGA, FGB and FGG genes were amplified by PCR and directly sequenced. Variants in the coding regions of the three genes and transcriptional splicing sites were screened by using Mutation Surveyor^TM software. RESULTS: The Clauss method showed that Fg:C was significantly reduced in the proband and her father, whilst her mother and son were normal. With the DFg-PT method, the proband, her parents and son were all within the normal range. The Fg:C/Fg:Ag ratio of the proband and her father was lower than 0.7, whilst her mother and son were above 0.7. No significant change in the prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin clotting time and thrombin time was noted. Two genetic variants were detected, which included a homozygous missense variant in the FGA gene [c.991A>G (p.Thr331Ala)], which was predicted to be benign, and a heterozygous missense variant of the γ chain of the FGG gene [c.1211C>G (p.Ser404Phe)], which is located in a conserved region and unreported in the CLINVAR/HGMD/EXAC/1000G databases and literature. CONCLUSION This pedigree has conformed to the autosomal dominant inheritance of CD. The c.1211C>T (p.Ser404Phe) missense variant of the γ chain of the FGG gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of CD in this pedigree. The variant was unreported previously and named as "Fibrinogen Harbin II Ser404Phe".
Female ; Humans ; Afibrinogenemia/congenital* ; East Asian People ; Fibrinogen/genetics* ; Mothers ; Mutation ; Pedigree

L-theanine has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on depression.However,whether L-theanine has an excellent preventive effect on depression in children and adolescents and what its mechanism is have not been well explained.Given the complexity of the pathogenesis of depression,this study investigated the preventive effect and mechanism of L-theanine on depression in juvenile rats by combining serum and hippocampal metabolomic strategies.Behavioral tests,hippocampal tissue sections,and serum and hippocampal biochemical indexes were studied,and the results confirmed the preventive effect of L-theanine.Untargeted reversed-phase liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spec-trometry and targeted hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spec-trometry were developed to analyze the metabolism changes in the serum and hippocampus to screen for potential biomarkers related to L-theanine treatment.The results suggested that 28 abnormal me-tabolites in the serum and hippocampus that were considered as potential biomarkers returned to near-normal levels after L-theanine administration.These biomarkers were involved in various metabolic pathways,mainly including amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism.The levels of amino acids and neurotransmitters in the phenylalanine,tryptophan,and glutamic acid pathways were significantly reduced after L-theanine administration compared with chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rats.In summary,L-theanine had a significant preventive effect on depression and achieved its preventive results on depression by regulating various aspects of the body,such as amino acids,lipids,and inflammation.This research systematically analyzed the mechanism of L-theanine in preventing depression and laid the foundation for applying L-theanine to prevent depression in children and adolescents.

Objective: To observe the effects of ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV8) and Guanyuan (CV4) on the expression levels of endocrine-related molecules and their receptors in rats with primary dysmenorrhea (PD) due to cold-dampness stagnation, thus to explore their analgesic mechanisms. Methods: Thirty-two female Wistar rats were divided into a normal group, a model group, a ginger-partitioned moxibustion group, and a Western medicine group according to the random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. Except for rats in the normal group, all other rats were treated with oxytocin combined with ice-water bath to establish the rat models of PD due to cold-dampness stagnation. After successful modeling, rats in the normal group and the model group did not receive treatment; rats in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group received treatments with ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV8) and Guanyuan (CV4); rats in the Western medicine group received ibuprofen by intragastric administration. The writhing response of rats was compared among groups, and the serum levels of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), estrogen (estradiol, E2), progesterone (P), and the mRNA expression of PGF2α and E2 receptors in the uterine tissues were detected. Results: No writhing behavior was observed in the normal group; compared with the normal group, the serum PGF2α and E2 levels in the model group were increased (P<0.01), while the P level was decreased (P<0.01), and the mRNA expression levels of the uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the writhing behavior latency was prolonged, and the writhing response score was decreased in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group (P<0.01); the serum PGF2α and E2 levels in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group were decreased, while the P level was increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01); the mRNA expression levels of the uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group were decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the Western medicine group, the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group showed a prolonged writhing behavior latency, reduced writhing response score (P<0.05), and decreased serum E2 level (P<0.05), while no statistical differences in the serum PGF2α and P levels, or the mRNA expression levels of uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors (P>0.05).Conclusion: The analgesic effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion on PD due to cold-dampness stagnation may be related to regulating the mRNA expression levels of PGF2α and E2 receptors in the uterine tissues.

The original meaning of pathogenesis refers to the cardinal mechanism of the occurrence, development and change of disease, which has three characteristics: cardinal, dominant and directional. The original pathogenesis of primary osteoporosis includes aging and renal failure, which was determined through ancient Chinese medicine books and modern researches. The basic contradiction and evolutionary law of diseases from the level of original pathogenesis were identified, that contribute to the prevention and treatment of primary osteoporosis with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Objective:To explore the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder(MDD) by comparing the serum glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, levels of glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) in plasma and feces, and the content of specific intestinal flora ( Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium) between patients with MDD who were diagnosed for the first time and healthy controls. Methods:Totally 80 MDD patients hospitalized from January 1, 2020 to March 30, 2021 and 80 healthy volunteers with normal physical examination in the same period were selected. Blood and fecal samples of patients with MDD and healthy controls were collected respectively. The indicators of serum glucose and lipid metabolism were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer, the concentrations of GLP-1 in plasma and feces were detected by ELISA, and the relative contents of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in feces were detected by real-time PCR. The differences between two groups of glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, GLP-1 levels and the relative contents of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in feces were analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Independent sample t-test and analysis of variance were used for inter group comparison, and Pearson correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis. Results:Compared with the control group, the levels of serum TC, HDL, and LDL in the MDD group decreased ((3.99±0.85)mmol/L , (4.78±0.86)mmol/L; (1.18±0.29)mmol/L, (1.30±0.28)mmol/L; (2.64±0.70)mmol/L, (3.19±0.69)mmol/L; t=5.559, 2.371, 4.695, all P<0.05). The plasma and fecal GLP-1 levels of the MDD group were lower than those of the control group (plasma: (0.81±0.22)pmol/mL, (1.05±0.26)pmol/mL , t=4.509, P<0.01; feces: (2.23±0.46)pmol/mL , (2.47±0.37)pmol/mL, t=2.533, P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the relative contents of Lactobacillus(2.56±1.59, 3.51±2.21) and Bifidobacterium(2.24±1.89 , 3.17±2.08) in the MDD group decreased ( t=2.218, 2.082, both P<0.05). The level of plasma GLP-1 in the MDD group was negatively correlated with FPG, TG, and disease severity ( r=-0.281, -0.221, -0.437, P<0.05). The level of plasma GLP-1 in the control group was negatively correlated with FPG ( r=-0.580, P<0.01). The fecal GLP-1 level of the MDD group was negatively correlated with the severity of the disease ( r=-0.298, P<0.01), and the fecal GLP-1 level of the control group was positively correlated with fecal Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium ( r=0.685, 0.428, P<0.01). Conclusion:MDD patients have abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, decreased GLP-1 level and decreased relative content of intestinal Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Changes in intestinal flora affect GLP-1 levels. GLP-1 can affect glucose and lipid metabolism and depressive symptoms in patients with MDD by binding to specific receptors in intestinal tract and central nervous system.

Adrenal Castleman's disease is rare. One case of left adrenal Castleman's disease, who underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic left adrenal gland and tumor resection. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was adrenal Castleman's disease (transparent vascular type), and no tumor recurrence was found after 2 years of follow-up.