Integrating cfDNA liquid biopsy and organoid-based drug screening reveals PI3K signaling as a promising therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The current precision medicine relies on biomarkers, which are mainly obtained through next-generation sequencing (NGS). However, this model failed to find effective drugs for most cancer patients. This study tried to combine liquid biopsy with functional drug tests using organoid models to find potential drugs for cancer patients. METHODS: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients were prospectively enrolled and blood samples were collected from patients before the start of treatment. Targeted deep sequencing of cfDNA samples was performed using a 14-gene panel. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer organoids were established and PI3K and mTOR inhibitors were evaluated on organoid models. RESULTS: A total of 195 mutations were detected across 58 cfDNA samples. The most frequently mutated genes were KRAS, TP53, PIK3CA, and BRAF, all of which exhibited higher mutation rates than tissue biopsy. Although 81% of variants had an allele frequency of less than 1%, certain mutations in KRAS, TP53, and SMAD4 had high allele frequencies exceeding 10%. Notably, among the seven patients with high allele frequency mutations, six had metastatic tumors, indicating that a high allele frequency of ctDNA could potentially serve as a biomarker of later-stage cancer. A high rate of PIK3CA mutation (31 out of 67, or 46.3%) was discovered in CRC patients, suggesting possible tumor progression mechanisms and targeted therapy opportunities. To evaluate the value of anti PI3K strategy in GI cancer, different lines of GI cancer organoids were established. The organoids recapitulated the morphologies of the original tumors. Organoids were generally insensitive to PI3K inhibitors. However, CRC-3 and GC-4 showed response to mTOR inhibitor Everolimus, and GC-3 was sensitive to PI3Kδ inhibitor Idelalisib. The CRC organoid with a PIK3CA mutation showed greater sensitivity to the PI3K inhibitor Alpelisib than wildtype organoids, suggesting potential treatment options for the corresponding patients. CONCLUSION: Liquid biopsy holds significant promise for improving precision treatment and tumor prognosis in colorectal cancer patients. The combination of biomarker-based drug prediction with organoid-based functional drug sensitivity assay may lead to more effective cancer treatment.

N6-Methyladenosine Reader YTHDF1 Promotes Stemness and Therapeutic Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Enhancing NOTCH1 Expression.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is the most common and conserved epigenetic modification in mRNA and has been shown to play important roles in cancer biology. As the m6A reader YTHDF1 has been reported to promote progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it represents a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we evaluated the clinical significance of YTHDF1 using human HCC samples and found that YTHDF1 was significantly upregulated in HCCs with high stemness scores and was positively associated with recurrence and poor prognosis. Analysis of HCC spheroids revealed that YTHDF1 was highly expressed in liver cancer stem cells (CSC). Stem cell-specific conditional Ythdf1 knockin (CKI) mice treated with diethylnitrosamine showed elevated tumor burden as compared with wild-type mice. YTHDF1 promoted CSCs renewal and resistance to the multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors lenvatinib and sorafenib in patient-derived organoids and HCC cell lines, which could be abolished by catalytically inactive mutant YTHDF1. Multiomic analysis, including RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, m6A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, ribosome profiling, and RNA sequencing identified NOTCH1 as a direct downstream of YTHDF1. YTHDF1 bound to m6A modified NOTCH1 mRNA to enhance its stability and translation, which led to increased NOTCH1 target genes expression. NOTCH1 overexpression rescued HCC stemness in YTHDF1-deficient cells in vitro and in vivo. Lipid nanoparticles targeting YTHDF1 significantly enhanced the efficacy of lenvatinib and sorafenib in HCC in vivo. Taken together, YTHDF1 drives HCC stemness and drug resistance through an YTHDF1-m6A-NOTCH1 epitranscriptomic axis, and YTHDF1 is a potential therapeutic target for treating HCC. SIGNIFICANCE: Inhibition of YTHDF1 expression suppresses stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and enhances sensitivity to targeted therapies, indicating that targeting YTHDF1 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for liver cancer.

Resveratrol prevents Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission in the diabetic kidney through the PDE4D/PKA pathway.

To explore the role of PDE4D in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and investigate whether resveratrol protects against DN via inhibiting PDE4D. Diabetic db/db mouse and glomerular mesangial cell line (GMCs) were used to investigate the role of PDE4D and the protective effect of resveratrol on renal fibrosis under high glucose (HG) environment. Resveratrol alleviated the progress of DN via inhibiting mitochondrial fragmentation and restoring the expression of PDE4D, PKA, phosphorylated Drp1-Ser637 and Drp1 in kidney of db/db mice. In HG-exposed GMCs, resveratrol treatment decreased the expression of PDE4D, increased PKA level, and inhibited Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission. In contrast, PDE4D over-expression blunted the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on Drp1 expression and mitochondrial fission. Moreover, PKA inhibitor H89 blunted the effects of resveratrol on phosphorylated Drp1-Ser637 expression and mitochondrial fission in HG-treated GMCs. Inhibition of mitochondrial fission with Drp1 inhibitor Mdivi-1 alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction in GMCs under HG. These findings indicate PDE4D plays an important role in the process of DN. Resveratrol attenuates the development of DN by preventing mitochondrial fission through inhibiting PDE4D, which regulates the expression of phosphorylated Drp1-Ser637 directly.

Metabolomics Analysis of Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Induced Neuroprotection on Mice with Ischemic Stroke.

The brain metabolic changes caused by the interruption of blood supply are the initial factors of brain injury in ischemic stroke. Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment has been shown to protect against ischemic stroke, but whether its neuroprotective mechanism involves metabolic regulation remains unclear. Based on our finding that EA pretreatment significantly alleviated ischemic brain injury in mice by reducing neuronal injury and death, we performed a gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS) to investigate the metabolic changes in the ischemic brain and whether EA pretreatment influenced these changes. First, we found that some glycolytic metabolites in the normal brain tissues were reduced by EA pretreatment, which may lay the foundation of neuroprotection for EA pretreatment against ischemic stroke. Then, 6[Formula: see text]h of cerebral ischemia-induced brain metabolic changes, especially the enhanced glycolysis, were partially reversed by EA pretreatment, which was manifested by the brain levels of 11 of 35 up-regulated metabolites and 18 of 27 down-regulated metabolites caused by cerebral ischemia significantly decreasing and increasing, respectively, due to EA pretreatment. A further pathway analysis showed that these 11 and 18 markedly changed metabolites were mainly involved in starch and sucrose metabolism, purine metabolism, aspartate metabolism, and the citric acid cycle. Additionally, we found that EA pretreatment raised the levels of neuroprotective metabolites in both normal and ischemic brain tissues. In conclusion, our study revealed that EA pretreatment may attenuate the ischemic brain injury by inhibiting glycolysis and increasing the levels of some neuroprotective metabolites.

Bibliometric Study of Adaptogens in Dermatology: Pharmacophylogeny, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Mechanisms.

Background: Adaptogens are a class of medicinal plants that can nonspecifically enhance human resistance. Most of the plant adaptogens have relevant applications in dermatology, but there are still few studies related to their particular action and co-operative mechanisms in topical skin application. Methods: Plant adaptogens related articles and reviews that published between 1999 and 2022 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Various bibliographic elements were collected, including the annual number of publications, countries/regions, and keywords. CiteSpace, a scientometric software, was used to conduct bibliometric analyses. Also, the patsnap global patent database was used to analyze the patent situation of plant adaptogens in the field of cosmetics up to 2021. Results: We found that the effects of plant adaptogens on skin diseases mainly involve atopic dermatitis, acne, allergic contact dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and androgenetic alopecia, etc. And the effects on skin health mainly involve anti-aging and anti-photoaging, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, whitening, and anti-hair loss, etc. Also, based on the results of patent analysis, it is found that the effects of plant adaptogens on skin mainly focus on aging retardation. The dermatological effects of plant adaptogens are mainly from Fabaceae Lindl., Araliaceae Juss. and Lamiaceae Martinov., and their mainly efficacy phytochemical components are terpenoids, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Conclusion: The plant adaptogens can repair the skin barrier and maintain skin homeostasis by regulating the skin HPA-like axis, influencing the oxidative stress pathway to inhibit inflammation, and regulating the extracellular matrix (ECM) components to maintain a dynamic equilibrium, ultimately achieving the treatment of skin diseases and the maintenance of a healthy state.

Theaflavins in Black Tea Mitigate Aging-Associated Cognitive Dysfunction via the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.

Aging-associated cognitive dysfunction has a great influence on the lifespan and healthspan of the elderly. Theaflavins (TFs), a mixture of ingredients formed from enzymatic oxidation of catechins during the manufacture of tea, have a positive contribution to the qualities and antiaging activities of black tea. However, the role of TFs in mitigating aging-induced cognitive dysfunction and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we find that TFs effectively improve behavioral impairment via the microbiota-gut-brain axis: TFs maintain gut homeostasis by improving antioxidant ability, strengthening the immune response, increasing the expression of tight junction proteins, restructuring the gut microbiota, and altering core microbiota metabolites, i.e., short-chain fatty acids and essential amino acids (SCFAs and AAs), and upregulating brain neurotrophic factors. Removing the gut microbiota with antibiotics partly abolishes the neuroprotective effects of TFs. Besides, correlation analysis indicates that the decrease in gut microbiota, such as Bacteroidetes and Lachnospiraceae, and the increase in microbiota metabolites' levels are positively correlated with behavioral improvements. Taken together, our findings reveal a potential role of TFs in mitigating aging-driven cognitive dysfunction via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The intake of TFs can be translated into a novel dietary intervention approach against aging-induced cognitive decline.

Evaluation of physicochemical properties, bacterial community, and product fertility during rice straw composting supplemented with different nitrogen-rich wastes.

This study evaluated the compostability of rice straw as the main feedstock (75 % in dry weight), supplemented with three different nitrogen-rich wastes, namely food waste (FW), dairy manure (DM), and sewage sludge (SS). Organic matter (OM) degradation, maturity and fertility of the end-product, and bacterial community structure during the composting processes were compared. All composting processes generated mature end-product within 51 days. Notably, FW addition was more effective to accelerate rice straw OM degradation and significantly improved end-product fertility with a high yield of Chinese cabbage. The succession of the bacterial community was accelerated with FW supplementation. Genera Geobacillus, Chryseolinea, and Blastocatella were significantly enriched during the composting of rice straw with FW supplementation. Finally, temperature, total nitrogen, moisture, pH, and total carbon were the key factors affecting microorganisms. This study provides a promising alternative method to enhance the disposal of larger amounts of rice straw in a shorter time.

Chemical and metabolic profiling of Codonopsis Radix extract with an integrated strategy using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Codonopsis radix was commonly used as food materials or herbal medicines in many countries. However, the comprehensive analysis of chemical constituents, and in vivo xenobiotics of Codonopsis radix remain unclear. In the present study, an integrated strategy with feature-based molecular networking using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was established to systematically screen the chemical constituents and the in vivo xenobiotics of Codonopsis radix. A step-by-step manner based on a composition database, visual structure classification, discriminant ions, and metabolite software prediction was proposed to overcome the complexities due to the similar structure of chemical constituents and metabolites of Codonopsis radix. As a result, 103 compounds were tentatively characterized, 20 of which were identified by reference standards. Besides, a total of 50 xenobiotics were detected in vivo, including 26 prototypes and 24 metabolites, while the metabolic features of the pyrrolidine alkaloids were elucidated for the first time. The metabolism reactions of pyrrolidine alkaloids and sesquiterpene lactones included oxidation, methylation, hydration, hydrogenation, demethylation, glucuronidation, and sulfation. This study provided a generally applicable approach to the comprehensive investigation of the chemical and metabolic profile of traditional Chinese medicine and offered reasonable guidelines for further screening of quality control indicators and pharmacodynamics mechanism of Codonopsis radix.

Simultaneous determination of multiple constituents of Qi-Lin pill by UPLC-MS/MS: Applications to pharmacokinetics and testicular tissue distribution in rats.

Qi-Lin pill (QLP) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP) that has been used for the treatment of the oligoasthenozoospermia in China. Recently, some articles described the pharmacological effects of QLP and multiple ingredients in QLP contribute to its effects. However, the pharmacokinetic and target tissue distribution data of QLP are still unknown. In the present study, according to the Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidance of FDA, a sensitive and selective UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of multiple constituents in rat plasma and testicular tissue, including morusimic acid A, codonopyrridium B, magnoflorine, emodin, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside (THSG), ecliptasaponin A, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, gallic acid, danshensu, salvianolic acid A, catechin, isosinensetin, nobiletin, formononetin, calycosin, icariside II, icariin and epimedin C. For 19 analytes, the LLOQs reached 0.01-4 ng/mL. And all calibration curves showed favorable linearity (r ≥ 0.9903) in linear ranges. The intra-day and inter-day precision (relative standard deviation) for all analytes was less than 14.92 %, and the accuracies (as relative error) were in the range of - 6.44 % to 6.22 %. Extraction recoveries and matrix effects of analytes and IS were acceptable. All analytes were stable during the assay and storage in plasma samples. The method was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetics and testis distribution of multiple chemical constituents in QLP after a single oral dose. As a result, high exposure of danshensu, gallic acid, paeoniflorin and albiflorin were observed in rat plasma and testicular tissue. Among the flavonoids, isosinensetin and nobiletin had high exposure in testicular tissue. Moreover, alleviation of progesterone reduction was evaluated in H2O2-induced R2C leydig cells, and danshensu, gallic acid, paeoniflorin, albiflorin and nobiletin showed potent activity. Therefore, these five components were considered to be the effective components of QLP due to their relatively high exposure in vivo and biological activity. This finding also provided relevant information on action mechanism of QLP in the treatment of oligoasthenozoospermia.

Jujuboside A ameliorates tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic mice through down-regulating the YY1/TGF-ß1 signaling pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus, which is characterized in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF). The current study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Jujuboside A (Ju A) on TIF in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) mice, and explore its underlying anti-fibrosis mechanism. A mouse T2DM model was established using high fat diet (HFD) feeding combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Then, diabetic mice were treated with Ju A (10, 20 and 40 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 12 weeks. Results showed that administration of Ju A not only down-regulated fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, but also improved hyperlipidemia and renal function in diabetic mice. Moreover, the reduced ECM accumulation was observed in the renal cortex of Ju A treated diabetic mice, while the TIF progression was also attenuated by Ju A through blocking the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). Further mechanism studies showed that Ju A treatment effectively down-regulated the protein expression and subsequent nuclear translocation of Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in the renal cortex of diabetic mice, and reduced the levels of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in the serum and renal cortex of Ju A treated mice. According to invitro studies, the up-regulated YY1/TGF-ß1 signaling pathway was restored by Ju A in high glucose (HG) cultured HK-2 cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that Ju A can ameliorate the TIF of DN through down-regulating the YY1/TGF-ß1 signaling pathway.

Flavonoid and chromone-rich extract from Euscaphis Konishii Hayata leaf attenuated alcoholic liver injury in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Euscaphis konishii Hayata is a traditional medicinal plant in China, and its leaves are usually used to make dishes for hepatic or gastrointestinal issues by Chinese She nationality. Pharmacological analysis showed that E. konishii leaves contain high levels of flavonoids and chromones with favorable anti-hepatoma effect. AIM OF THE STUDY: The extract from E. konishii leaves was detected to evaluate its chemical composition, and the alcoholic liver injury mice model was adopted to elucidate its hepatoprotective effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total leaf extract from E. konishii was separated by polyamide column to get the flavonoid and chromone-rich extract (FCE). Single compounds from FCE was purified by gel and Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The chemical component of FCE was confirmed and quantified by HPLC-MS. The OH·, O2-, DPPH and ABTS + free radical assays were adopted to estimate the antioxidant activity of FCE in vitro. The alcohol-fed model mice were established to assess the hepatoprotective capacity of FCE in vivo, through biochemical determination, histopathological analysis, mitochondrial function measurement, quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) detection and Western blot determination. RESULTS: 8 flavonoids and 2 chromones were recognized in the FCEextract by both NMR and HPLC-MS. FCE represented strong free radicals scavenging activity in vitro. With oral administration, FCE (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) dose-dependently decreased the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in alcohol-fed mice. FCE gradually reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the alcohol-treated liver tissues. FCE also alleviated the hepatic inflammation, inhibited the hepatocyte apoptosis and lessened the alcohol-induced histological alteration and lipid accumulation in the liver tissues. FCE administration inhibited the overexpression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones signaling and unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways to defense the ER-induced apoptosis. Pretreatment with FCE also restored the mitochondrial membrane potentials andadenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, which in turn suppressed the Cytochrome C release and mitochondria-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: FCE conferred great protection against alcoholic liver injury, which might be associated with its viability through suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress and hepatocyte apoptosis.

Biocatalytical Acyl-Modification of Puerarin: Shape Gut Microbiota Profile and Improve Short Chain Fatty Acids Production in Rats.

Gut microbiota balance and metabolites have become a potentially mechanism in maintaining health. The specific aim of this study was to compare the modulation of puerarin and puerarin acid esters on gut microbial composition and metabolites. Male mice were fed a control diet or diets supplemented with puerarin, puerarin propanoate ester, puerarin hexanoate ester, puerarin myristate ester for 24 h, respectively. The result revealed that puerarin acid esters with different chain lengths showed different activities to create more own impacted bacterial. Puerarin propanoate and puerarin hexanoate ester significantly improved the diversity of microbiota and promoted the relative abundance of beneficial gut microbiota such as Lactobacillus, Barnesiella, Clostridium IV, Prevotella. Additionally, the puerarin propanoate ester group showed the capacity to deliver specific propionic acid to the colon. But esters with medium-long chain lengths had more opportunity to alter gut microbiota for enhancing the short chain fatty acids production. As a whole, puerarin acid esters with different chain lengths supplements shaped different gut microbial and short chain fatty acids metabolism, which could improve human health.

Ailanthus Altissima-derived Ailanthone enhances Gastric Cancer Cell Apoptosis by Inducing the Repression of Base Excision Repair by Downregulating p23 Expression.

Chemotherapy plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment of GC, but currently available chemotherapeutic drugs are not ideal. The application of medicinal plants is an important direction for new drug discovery. Through drug screening of GC organoids, we determined that ailanthone has an anticancer effect on GC cells in vitro and in vivo. We also found that AIL can induce DNA damage and apoptosis in GC cells. Further transcriptome sequencing of PDX tissue indicated that AIL inhibited the expression of XRCC1, which plays an important role in DNA damage repair, and the results were also confirmed by western blotting. In addition, we found that AIL inhibited the expression of P23 and that inhibition of P23 decreased the expression of XRCC1, indicating that AIL can regulate XRCC1 via P23. The results of coimmunoprecipitation showed that AIL can inhibit the binding of P23 and XRCC1 to HSP90. These findings indicate that AIL can induce DNA damage and apoptosis in GC cells. Meanwhile, AIL can decrease XRCC1 activity by downregulating P23 expression to inhibit DNA damage repair. The present study sheds light on the potential application of new drugs isolated from natural medicinal plants for GC therapy.

Sarsasapogenin restores podocyte autophagy in diabetic nephropathy by targeting GSK3ß signaling pathway.

Podocyte injury following abnormal podocyte autophagy plays an indispensable role in diabetic nephropathy (DN), therefore, restoration of podocyte autophagy is considered as a feasible strategy for the treatment of DN. Here, we investigated the preventive effects of sarsasapogenin (Sar), the main active ingredient in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, on the podocyte injury in diabetic rats, and tried to illustrate the mechanisms underlying the effects in high glucose (HG, 40 mM)-treated podocytes (MPs). Diabetes model was established in rats with single streptozocin (60 mg· kg-1) intraperitoneal administration. The rats were then treated with Sar (20, 60 mg· kg-1· d-1, i.g.) or a positive control drug insulin (INS) (40 U· kg-1· d-1, i.h.) for 10 weeks. Our results showed that both Sar and insulin precluded the decreases of autophagy-related proteins (ATG5, Beclin1 and LC3B) and podocyte marker proteins (podocin, nephrin and synaptopodin) in the diabetic kidney. Furthermore, network pharmacology was utilized to assess GSK3ß as the potential target involved in the action of Sar on DN and were substantiated by significant changes of GSK3ß signaling in the diabetic kidney. The underlying protection mechanisms of Sar were explored in HG-treated MPs. Sar (20, 40 µM) or insulin (50 mU/L) significantly increased the expression of autophagy- related proteins and podocyte marker proteins in HG-treated MPs. Furthermore, Sar or insulin treatment efficiently regulatedphosphorylation at activation and inhibition sites of GSK3ß. To sum up, this study certifies that Sar meliorates experimental DN through targeting GSK3ß signaling pathway and restoring podocyte autophagy.

High crystalline magnetic covalent organic framework with three-dimensional grapevine structure for ultrasensitive extraction of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food and environmental samples.

Developing and establishing an efficient pre-treatment approach for the precise extraction of nitrated-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs) from real-life samples is critical for ensuring their safety. In this study, a novel crystalline magnetic covalent organic framework with a grapevine structure not a single core-shell, Fe3O4@TAPT-DMTA-COF, was fabricated via chemical bonding. Unchanging the reticulated structure and high crystallinity of TAPT-DMTA-COF, the combination made this material possess not only simple operation via magnetic decantation but also remarkable chemical stability. Fe3O4@TAPT-DMTA-COF had a large surface area (1578.45 m2/g), and rich electronegative triazine-groups, which makes it become a superior magnetic enrichment material for trace N-PAHs. For N-PAHs analysis, low limits of detection (LODs) (1.43-17.24 ng/L), excellent relative standard deviations (RSDs ≤ 11.52%), and wide linearity (10-5000 ng/L) were obtained. Real-life applications based on this composite have been successfully explored by capturing the N-PAHs emitted from food and environmental samples.

[Role of fecal calprotectin in the diagnosis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: a Meta analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of fecal calprotectin (FC) in the diagnosis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) through a Meta analysis. METHODS: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Weipu Periodical Database, Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched for related studies published up to May 2020, with manual search as supplementation. The QUADAS criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the articles included. Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Stata 15.0 software were used to perform the Meta analysis, including the evaluation of specificity, sensitivity, likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. The sensitivity analysis and heterogeneity testing were performed, and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and Fagan diagram were plotted. RESULTS: A total of 15 articles were enrolled, involving 1 719 neonates. Among these articles, 4 had low quality, 2 had high quality, and the rest had medium quality. There was high heterogeneity between studies, and there was no threshold effect or publication bias. The random effects model analysis showed that FC had a pooled specificity of 0.80 (95%CI:0.78-0.82) and a sensitivity of 0.86 (95%CI:0.83-0.89) in the diagnosis of NEC, with a negative likelihood ratio of 0.19 (95%CI:0.14-0.26), a positive likelihood ratio of 4.71 (95%CI:3.57-6.23), and a diagnostic odds ratio of 29.56 (95%CI:17.98-48.61). The area under the SROC curve was 0.9131 and the Q* index was 0.8456. The Fagan diagram showed that the post-test probability of NEC indicated by negative FC was 13%, while that indicated by positive FC was 86%. The Meta regression analysis showed that the heterogeneity came from other non-threshold factors. CONCLUSIONS: FC has high potential and efficiency in the early diagnosis of NEC. FC measurement can be used for the diagnosis of NEC, but it should be combined with clinical manifestations and other related laboratory examinations.

Alkaloids and phenylpropanoid from Rhizomes of Arundo donax L.

A new bis-indole alkaloid, named arundaline (1), a new phenylpropanoid, named arundalcohol (2), and four known alkaloids, N-acetyltryptamine (3), trans-N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin (4), trans-N-feruloylserotonin (5), and tuberosine B (6), were isolated from 70% aqueous ethanol extracts of the rhizomes of Arundo donax L. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and comparison of the data with literature values. Compounds 3-6 were isolated from the genus Arundo for the first time.

Significance of Patient Participation in Nursing Care.

Patient participation, an international requirement according to the World Health Organization and other international bodies, is a must in nursing care. It involves patient engagement in making their own treatment decisions, participating in the development and evaluation of services and taking part in policy development. Patient participation on the individual, organizational and policy development levels has been discussed. Facilitators of and barriers to active patient participation, as well as ways to enhance it, were also included in this review. Poor communication, a paternalistic approach, time constraints, lack of encouragement and lack of information-sharing are some of the challenges associated with poor patient participation in nursing care. Facilitators of patient participation include empowering patients, involving them in making decisions and policy making, understanding their perspective about their role in their care and empowerment through leadership. Patient participation in nursing care has numerous benefits including effective healthcare services, improved patient safety, enhanced quality of care, fewer medication errors, more medication adherence and assessment of the care services received.

Sirt1 inhibits renal tubular cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition through YY1 deacetylation in diabetic nephropathy.

Silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1) is a deacetylase, which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our previous study shows that Yin yang 1 (YY1), a widely expressed zinc finger DNA/RNA-binding transcription factor, is a novel regulator of renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy. Since the activity of YY1 is regulated via acetylation and deacetylation modification, this study aimed to explore whether Sirt1-induced deacetylation of YY1 mediated high glucose (HG)-induced renal tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and renal fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. We first confirmed that Sirt1 expression level was significantly decreased in the kidney of db/db mice and in HG-treated HK-2 cells. Diabetes-induced Sirt1 reduction enhanced the level of YY1 acetylation and renal tubular EMT. Then, we manipulated Sirt1 expression in vivo and in vitro by injecting resveratrol (50 mg·kg-1·d-1. ip) to db/db mice for 2 weeks or application of SRT1720 (2.5 µM) in HG-treated HK-2 cells, we found that activation of Sirt1 reversed the renal tubular EMT and YY1 acetylation induced by HG condition. On the contrary, Sirt1 was knocked down in db/m mice or EX527 (1 µM) was added in HK-2 cells, we found that inhibition of Sirt1 exacerbated renal fibrosis in diabetic mice and enhanced level of YY1 acetylation in HK-2 cells. Furthermore, knockdown of YY1 inhibited the ameliorating effect of resveratrol on renal tubular EMT and renal fibrosis in db/db mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Sirt1 plays an important role in renal tubular EMT of DN through mediating deacetylation of YY1.

Efficacy observation of long-retaining scalp acupuncture plus interactive training for upper-extremity dysfunction after cerebral stroke / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the efficacy of long-retaining scalp acupuncture plus interactive training in improving upper- extremity dysfunction in cerebral stroke patients. Methods: Ninety-five patients with upper-extremity dysfunction after cerebral stroke were randomized into two groups, with 48 cases in the treatment group and 47 cases in the control group. Conventional internal medicine treatment was offered to both groups. In both groups, Anterior Oblique Line of Vertex-temporal (MS 6, the middle 2/5) and Posterior Oblique Line of Vertex-temporal (MS 7, the middle 2/5) were selected from the same side of the brain lesion (the side apposing to the hemiplegic limb) for scalp acupuncture treatment. In the treatment group, the scalp acupuncture needles were retained for 7 h, in combination with interactive training, while the needles were also retained for 7 h in the control group but without interactive training. Prior to treatment and at 2-week and 4-week treatment, the two groups were scored using the functional test for the hemiplegic upper extremity-Hong Kong (FTHUE-HK) and simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment-upper extremity (FMA-UE). Results: The total effective rate was 97.9％ in the treatment group, higher than 74.5％ in the control group (P<0.01). The FTHUE-HK score was higher at 2-week and 4-week treatment than before treatment in both groups, presenting statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.001); the FTHUE-HK score was higher at 4-week treatment than at 2-week treatment in both groups, presenting statistically significant intra-group differences (both P<0.001). At 2-week and 4-week treatment, the FTHUE-HK score was higher in the treatment group than in the control group, showing significant between-group differences (both P<0.05). During the whole treatment process, the treatment group had higher FTHUE-HK scores compared with the control group, but there was no statistical significance comparing the change of the score between the two groups at 2-week treatment (P>0.05), while the between-group difference in the change of the score was statistically significant at 4-week treatment (P<0.05). The FMA-UE score was higher at 2-week and 4-weeks treatment than before treatment in both groups, presenting statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.001); the FMA-UE score was higher at 4-week treatment than at 2-week treatment in both groups, presenting statistically significant intra-group differences (both P<0.001). At 2-week and 4-week treatment, the FMA-UE was higher in the treatment group than in the control group, and the between-group differences were statistically significant (both P<0.01). The FMA-UE score rose gradually with the increase of treatment session, and there was statistical significance comparing the change of the score between the two groups at 2-week and 4-week treatment, respectively (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Long-retaining scalp acupuncture plus interactive training results in more significant efficacy than long-retaining scalp acupuncture alone in improving the upper-limb dysfunction after cerebral stroke and the advantage becomes more notable after 2-week consecutive treatment.