Comparison of the Effects of Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) and Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF) on Liver Function in Patients with Hepatitis B: A Meta-analysis.

Objective: This is a meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) so as to provide a reference for clinical medication. Methods: Relevant literature about TDF and TAF in the treatment of CHB was searched in the literature databases, and two researchers two researchers conducted independent cross-screening conducted independent cross-screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The authors, publication time, research subjects. The literature quality was evaluated by, and outcome measures of the selected literature were extracted. The literature quality was evaluated using the Jadad scale and Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: After screening, 5 references were included, with a total of 5324 subjects. Patients who were treated with TDF and TAF were included in the TDF group and TAF group, respectively. The meta-analysis showed no significant difference in viral suppression between groups after 12 months of treatment (P > .05). Still, the alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization rate was higher, and the incidence of adverse reactions was lower in TAF group versus TDF group at 12 months after treatment (P < .05). Conclusions: Both TAF and TDF are effective in the treatment of CHB, but the former is preferred due to its higher safety profile.

Application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in diabetic foot ulcers: A meta-analysis.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) for many years, but its clinical efficacy is still controversial. Therefore, this study explored the efficacy of HBOT applied to DFU by means of meta-analysis. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang databases were searched, from database inception to October 2023, and published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of HBOT in DFU were collected. Two investigators independently screened the collected literature, extracted relevant data and assessed the quality of the literature. Review Manager 5.4 software was applied for data analysis. Twenty-nine RCTs with 1764 patients were included. According to the combined results, when compared with conventional treatment, HBOT significantly increased the complete healing rate of DFUs (46.76% vs. 24.46%, odds ratio [OR]: 2.83, 95% CI: 2.29-3.51, p < 0.00001) and decreased the amputation rate (26.03% vs. 45.00%, OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.18-0.95, p = 0.04), but the incidence of adverse events was significantly higher in patients (17.37% vs. 8.27%, OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.35-4.57, p = 0.003), whereas there was no significant difference in the mortality (6.96% vs. 12.71%, OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.21-1.28, p = 0.16). Our results suggest that HBOT is effective in increasing the complete healing rate and decreasing the amputation rate in patients with DFUs, but increases the incidence of adverse events, while it has no significant effect on mortality.

ADFCNN: Attention-Based Dual-Scale Fusion Convolutional Neural Network for Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been successfully applied to motor imagery (MI)-based brain-computer interface (BCI). Nevertheless, single-scale CNN fail to extract abundant information over a wide spectrum from EEG signals, while typical multi-scale CNNs cannot effectively fuse information from different scales with concatenation-based methods. To overcome these challenges, we propose a new scheme equipped with attention-based dual-scale fusion convolutional neural network (ADFCNN), which jointly extracts and fuses EEG spectral and spatial information at different scales. This scheme also provides novel insight through self-attention for effective information fusion from different scales. Specifically, temporal convolutions with two different kernel sizes identify EEG µ and ß rhythms, while spatial convolutions at two different scales generate global and detailed spatial information, respectively, and the self-attention mechanism performs feature fusion based on the internal similarity of the concatenated features extracted by the dual-scale CNN. The proposed scheme achieves the superior performance compared with state-of-the-art methods in subject-specific motor imagery recognition on BCI Competition IV dataset 2a, 2b and OpenBMI dataset, with the cross-session average classification accuracies of 79.39% and significant improvements of 9.14% on BCI-IV2a, 87.81% and 7.66% on BCI-IV2b, 65.26% and 7.2% on OpenBMI dataset, and the within-session average classification accuracies of 86.87% and significant improvements of 10.89% on BCI-IV2a, 87.26% and 8.07% on BCI-IV2b, 84.29% and 5.17% on OpenBMI dataset, respectively. What is more, ablation experiments are conducted to investigate the mechanism and demonstrate the effectiveness of the dual-scale joint temporal-spatial CNN and self-attention modules. Visualization is also used to reveal the learning process and feature distribution of the model.

Ruscogenin timing administration mitigates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury through regulating circadian genes and activating Nrf2 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Ruscogenin (Rus), a steroidal sapogenin extracted from Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker-Gawl., has the effect of alleviating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), acute lung injury. At present, the chronopharmacological effects of Rus are still unknown. PURPOSE: This study explored the alleviating effect and mechanism of Rus timing administration on mice cerebral IRI. METHODS: The animals in different groups were administrated Rus (10 mg/kg) by gavage at four time points (23:00-01:00, 05:00-07:00, 11:00-13:00, 17:00-19:00) respectively for 3 days. On the 4th day, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery was operated during 5:00-7:00. Behavioral tests were executed and the brain was collected for infarct volume, qPCR and immunoblot detection. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were detected by qPCR. Glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in serum and cerebral cortex were detected. The clock genes were tested by western blot. Based on these results, 17:00-19:00 was selected to administrate Rus for further mechanism study and Nrf2 blocker group was administrated all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) at 14:00 for 3 days. RESULTS: Administration of Rus reduced cerebral infarcted volume, ameliorated the behavior score and upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of Per1, Bmal1, Clock, Rev-erbα, transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Administration of Rus during 17:00-19:00 had better preventive effect than other three time points. Combined administration of ATRA blunted the preventive effect of Rus. CONCLUSION: The preventive effect of Rus is affected by the time of administration, which was regulated by Nrf2 pathway. Taken together, we provide solid evidence to suggest that different administration time point affect the effectiveness of Rus in alleviating IRI.

Efficacy Comparison Between Toric Posterior Chamber Phakic IOL and Posterior Chamber Phakic IOL Plus Modified Steep Meridian Corneal Relaxing Incision for Moderate to High Astigmatism Corrections.

PURPOSE: To compare posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (Implantable Collamer Lens [STAAR Surgical]) (ICL) plus modified steep meridian corneal relaxing incision (MS-CRI) to toric posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (Toric Implantable Collamer Lens [STAAR Surgical]) (TICL) implantation for the correction of moderate to high astigmatism. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized clinical trial, patients with myopia who had moderate to high astigmatism (200 eyes) were enrolled and divided into TICL (n = 100) and MSCRI (n = 100) groups. All patients underwent examinations for uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and subjective refraction before surgery and at the 1- and 6-month follow-up visits. Vector astigmatism analysis was evaluated using the Alpins method. RESULTS: The mean UDVA and CDVA demonstrated significant improvement after surgery in both groups. During the 6-month follow-up, the MS-CRI group showed a slight regression tendency (P < .001) and the TICL group was stable for the astigmatism correction (P = .510). At 6 months postoperatively, the mean magnitudes of the surgically induced astigmatism were 1.46 ± 0.53 and 1.10 ± 0.48 diopters (P < .001). The correction index of the TICL group was closer to 1 compared to that of the MS-CRI group (0.95 vs 0.76). Approximately 99% of eyes in the TICL group had angle of error within ±15°, whereas 89% eyes in the MS-CRI group were within that range. A significant relationship between the magnitudes of target induced astigmatism and correction index was noted in the MS-CRI group (P < .001), but not in the TICL group (P = .592). CONCLUSIONS: TICL implantation could achieve better visual outcomes for correcting moderate to high astigmatism compared to ICL implantation plus MS-CRI. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(8):539-545.].

[Properties of new exotic traditional Chinese medicinal Vernonia amygdalina leaves:a literature research].

The leaves of Vernonia amygdalina Delile of the family Asteraceae(also known as "bitter leaf"), rich in biological activities, are used as both medicine and food for a long time in West tropical Africa. They have been introduced into Southeast Asia and Fujian and Guangdong provinces of China in recent years. However, little is known about the properties of the plant in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), which limits its combination with other Chinese medicinal herbs. In this study, 473 articles on V. amygdalina leaves were selected from PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP to summarize their components, pharmacological effects and clinical research. V. amygdalina leaves presented anti-microbial, hypoglycemic, anti-hypertensive, lipid-lowering, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other pharmacological effects. On the basis of the theory of TCM properties, the leaves were inferred to be cold in property and bitter and sweet in flavor, acting on spleen, liver, stomach and large intestine and with the functions of clearing heat, drying dampness, purging fire, removing toxin, killing insects and preventing attack of malaria. They can be used to treat dampness-heat diarrhea, interior heat and diabetes, malaria, insect accumulation and eczema(5-10 g dry leaves by decoction per day and an appropriate amount of crushed fresh leaves applying to the affected area for external use). Due to the lack of TCM properties, V. amygdalina leaves are rarely used medicinally in China. The determination of medicinal properties of the leaves is conducive to the introduction of new exotic medicinal herbs and the development of new TCM resources, which facilitated further clinical application and research and development of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Vitamin D deficiency triggers intrinsic apoptosis by impairing SPP1-dependent antiapoptotic signaling in chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis.

Chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis (CHOM) is a common bone disease characterized by the development of sequestra after bacterial infection. Emerging evidence has shown that vitamin D (VD) deficiency raises the risk of osteomyelitis, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here, we establish a CHOM model in VD diet-deficient mice by intravenous inoculation of Staphylococcus aureus. Whole-genome microarray analyses using osteoblast cells isolated from sequestra reveal significant downregulation of SPP1 (secreted phosphoprotein 1). Molecular basis investigations show that VD sufficiency activates the VDR/RXR (VD receptor/retinoid X receptor) heterodimer to recruit NCOA1 (nuclear receptor coactivator 1) and transactivate SPP1 in healthy osteoblast cells. Secreted SPP1 binds to the cell surface molecule CD40 to activate serine/threonine-protein kinase Akt1, which then phosphorylates forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a), blocking FOXO3a-mediated transcription. By contrast, VD deficiency impairs the NCOA1-VDR/RXR-mediated overexpression of SPP1, leading to the inactivation of Akt1 and the accumulation of FOXO3a. FOXO3a then upregulates the expression of the apoptotic genes BAX (Bcl2-associated X-protein), BID (BH3 interacting death domain), and BIM (Bcl2-interacting mediator of cell death), to induce apoptosis. Administration of the NCOA1 inhibitor gossypol to the CHOM mice also promotes the occurrence of sequestra. VD supplementation can reactivate the SPP1-dependent antiapoptotic signaling and improve the outcomes of CHOM. Collectively, our data reveal that VD deficiency promotes bone destruction in CHOM by the removal of SPP1-dependent antiapoptotic signaling.

Characterization of Roasting Time on Sensory Quality, Color, Taste, and Nonvolatile Compounds of Yuan An Yellow Tea.

Roasting is crucial for producing Yuan An yellow tea (YAYT) as it substantially affects sensory quality. However, the effect of roasting time on YAYT flavor quality is not clear. To investigate the effect of roasting time on the sensory qualities, chemical components, odor profiles, and metabolic profile of YAYTs produced with 13 min roasting, 16 min roasting, 19 min roasting, 22 min roasting, and 25 min roasting were determined. The YAYTs roasted for 22 min got higher sensory scores and better chemical qualities, such as the content of gallocatechin (GC), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), free amino acids, solutable sugar, meanwhile the lightness decreased, the hue of tea brew color (b) increased, which meant the tea brew got darker and yellower. YAYTs roasted for 22 min also increased the contents of key odorants, such as benzaldehyde, nonanal, ß-cyclocitral, linalool, nerol, α-cedrol, ß-ionone, limonene, 2-methylfuran, indole, and longiborneol. Moreover, non-targeted metabolomics identified up to 14 differentially expressed metabolites through pair-wise comparisons, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, and critical metabolites, which were the main components corresponding to YAYT roasted for 22 min. In summary, the current results provide scientific guidance for the production of high quality YAYT.

LongShengZhi alleviated cardiac remodeling via upregulation microRNA-150-5p with matrix metalloproteinase 14 as the target.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: LongShengZhi capsule (LSZ), a traditional Chinese medicine, is used for treatment of patients with vascular diseases. LSZ reduced doxorubicin-induced heart failure by reducing production of reactive oxygen species and inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was to explore whether LSZ could alleviate cardiac remodeling via upregulation of microRNA (miR)-150-5p and the downstream target. Cardiac remodeling was induced by Ang II in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: LSZ attenuated Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in rats, and in primary cardiomyocytes (CMs) and primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). MiR-150-5p was downregulated in Ang II-induced rat heart, CMs and CFs, and these decreases were reserved by LSZ. In vivo overexpression of miR-150-5p by transfection of miR-150-5p agomiR protected Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in rats. Meanwhile, its overexpression also reversed Ang II-induced upregulation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and ß-myosin heavy chain (ß-MHC) in rat hearts and primary CMs, as well as upregulation of collagen I, collagen III and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) in rat hearts and primary CFs. Matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) was validated as the target gene of miR-150-5p, which was overexpressed in Ang II-induced rat heart, rat primary CMs and primary CFs. Notably, overexpression of MMP14 induced cardiac remodeling, and reversed the protective role of miR-150-5p in downregulating Ang II-induced upregulation of hypertrophy and fibrosis markers in vitro. CONCLUSION: Collectively, LSZ protects Ang II-induced cardiac dysfunction and remodeling via upregulation of miR-150-5p to target MMP14. Administration of LSZ, upregulation of miR-150-5p or targeting of MMP14 may be strategies for cardiac remodeling therapy.

Khasianine ameliorates psoriasis-like skin inflammation and represses TNF-α/NF-κB axis mediated transactivation of IL-17A and IL-33 in keratinocytes.

ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Khasianine is recently identified as a bioactive compound from Solanum nigrum L. (SNL) which is a traditional Chinese herb (named LongKui in China) and has been clinically applied for treating psoriasis in China but with limited knowledge about the active ingredients. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study tried to explore the bioactivity of Khasianine and showed that Khasianine possessed highly anti-inflammatory bioactivity which rapidly alleviated psoriasis-like mice skin inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imiquimod induced psoriasis-like mouse model, and human keratinocytes were employed in this study. In vivo, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed to evaluate the pathological improvement in psoriatic lesions after Khasianine treatment. In vitro, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) treated HaCaT cells with or without Khasianine, were used to analyze the expression and cellular location of NF-κB p65, the expression of IL-17A and IL-33, and the binding intensity of NF-κB p65 on the promoter of IL-17A and IL-33 to understand the molecular mechanism of Khasianine mediated anti-inflammatory effect. RESULTS: Khasianine reduced infiltration of CD4+ T helper cells (Th cells) and macrophages in mice psoriatic lesions. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that Khasianine reduced TNF-α levels in lesions and suppressed NF-κB p65 activation as well as expression of IL-17A and IL-33 in mice epidermal keratinocytes. Further studies in human keratinocytes demonstrated that Khasianine inhibited TNF-α-induced transcriptional activation (transactivation) of NF-κB p65 such as evicting NF-κB p65 binding from the promoter regions of IL-17A and IL-33 and preventing NF-κB nuclear translocation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that Khasianine is a potent anti-inflammatory compound with the bioactivity of NF-κB inhibition and is a promising candidate for psoriasis topical therapy.

Integration of network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the molecular mechanism of Cordycepin in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Cordycepin is a nucleoside adenosine analog and an active ingredient isolated from the liquid fermentation of Cordyceps. This study sought to explore the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Cordycepin against Alzheimer's disease using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: TCMSP, SYMMAP, CTD, Super-pred, SEA, GeneCards, DisGeNET database, and STRING platform were used to screen and construct the target and protein interaction network of Cordycepin for Alzheimer's disease. The results of Gene Ontology annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were obtained based on the DAVID database. The Omicshare database was also applied in GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of the key targets. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and the potential effective targets for AD were screened based on the degree values. The correlation between the potential targets of Cordycepin in the treatment of AD and APP, MAPT, and PSEN2 was analyzed using (GEPIA) databases. We obtained potential targets related to aging using the Aging Altas database. Molecular docking analysis was performed by AutoDock Vina and Pymol software. Finally, we validated the significant therapeutic targets in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Results: A total of 74 potential targets of Cordycepin for treating Alzheimer's disease were identified. The potential targets of Cordycepin for the treatment of AD mainly focused on Lipid and atherosclerosis (hsa05417), Platinum drug resistance (hsa01524), Apoptosis (hsa04210), and Pathways in cancer (hsa05200). Our findings suggest that the therapeutic effect of Cordycepin on AD is primarily associated with these biological processes. We obtained 12 potential therapeutic targets for AD using the degree value in Cytoscape. Interestingly, AKT1, MAPK8, BCL2L1, FOXO3, and CTNNB1 were not only significantly associated with pathogenic genes (APP, MAPT, and PSEN2) but also with longevity in Alzheimer's Disease. Thus we speculated that the five target genes were potential core targets mediating the therapeutic effect of Cordycepin against AD. Moreover, molecular docking results analysis showed good binding affinity between Cordycepin and the five core targets. Overall, MAPK8, FOXO3 and CTNNB1 may have significant clinical and treatment implications. Conclusion: Network pharmacology demonstrated that Cordycepin exerts a therapeutic effect against Alzheimer's disease via multiple targets and signaling pathways and has huge prospects for application in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Correlation of Platelet and Coagulation Function with Blood Stasis Syndrome in Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of platelet and coagulation function with blood stasis syndrome (BSS) in coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: The protocol for this meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42019129452). PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched from inception to 1st June, 2020. Trials were considered eligible if they enrolled BSS and non-BSS (NBSS) patients with CHD and provided information on platelet and coagulation function. The platelet function, coagulation function, and fibrinolytic activity were compared between the BSS and NBSS groups. Forest plots were generated to show the SMDs or ESs with corresponding 95% CIs for each study. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The systematic search identified 1,583 articles. Thirty trials involving 10,323 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, platelet aggregation rate, platelet P selectin, fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha (6-keto-PGF1 α), and TXB2/6-keto-PGF1 α were higher in the BSS group than in the NBSS group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Activated partial thromboplastin time was lower in the BSS group than in the NBSS group in the acute phase of CHD (P<0.01). The R and K values in thromboelastography and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and t-PA/PAI-1 were lower in the BSS group than in the NBSS group (all P<0.01). No difference was found in the results of platelet count, plateletcrit, maximum amplitude, von Willebrand factor, prothrombin time, thrombin time, international normalized ratio, etc. between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Increased platelet function, hypercoagulability, and decreased fibrinolytic activity were found among CHD patients with BSS.

Transcriptomic responses to aluminum stress in tea plant leaves.

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is a well-known Al-accumulating plant, showing a high level of aluminum (Al) tolerance. However, the molecular mechanisms of Al tolerance and accumulation are poorly understood. We carried out transcriptome analysis of tea plant leaves in response to three different Al levels (0, 1, 4 mM, for 7 days). In total, 794, 829 and 585 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in 4 mM Al vs. 1 mM Al, 0 Al vs. 1 mM Al, and 4 mM Al vs. 0 Al comparisons, respectively. Analysis of genes related to polysaccharide and cell wall metabolism, detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cellular transport, and signal transduction were involved in the Al stress response. Furthermore, the transcription factors such as zinc finger, myeloblastosis (MYB), and WRKY played a critical role in transcriptional regulation of genes associated with Al resistance in tea plant. In addition, the genes involved in phenolics biosynthesis and decomposition were overwhelmingly upregulated in the leaves treated with either 0 Al and 4 mM Al stress, indicating they may play an important role in Al tolerance. These results will further help us to understand mechanisms of Al stress and tolerance in tea plants regulated at the transcriptional level.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Populus szechuanica, a medicinal plant for child anesthesia application.

Populus szechuanica C.K. Schneid. is used for wind and sand fixation, farmland protection, soil and water conservation. And some varieties bud fat and inflorescence are available for medicinal use; poplar bark contains tannin and can be used as tanning material. It is also widely used in afforestation and greening in cities across China. In addition, the P. szechuanica also showed vital important application values on the child anesthesia, which could significantly reduce the occurrence of hypotension after anesthesia. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of P. szechuanica was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The chloroplast genome of P. szechuanica was 156,717 bp in length, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 84,900 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 16,527 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 27,645 bp. The overall GC content is 36.70%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.5%, 30.7%, and 41.9%, respectively. The genome contains 131 complete genes, including 86 protein-coding genes (68 protein-coding gene species), 37 tRNA genes (29 tRNA species) and 8 rRNA genes (4 rRNA species). The Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that P. szechuanica and P. koreana clustered together as sisters to other Populus species.

Human cardiac organoids for the modelling of myocardial infarction and drug cardiotoxicity.

Environmental factors are the largest contributors to cardiovascular disease. Here we show that cardiac organoids that incorporate an oxygen-diffusion gradient and that are stimulated with the neurotransmitter noradrenaline model the structure of the human heart after myocardial infarction (by mimicking the infarcted, border and remote zones), and recapitulate hallmarks of myocardial infarction (in particular, pathological metabolic shifts, fibrosis and calcium handling) at the transcriptomic, structural and functional levels. We also show that the organoids can model hypoxia-enhanced doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Human organoids that model diseases with non-genetic pathological factors could help with drug screening and development.

Prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in Chinese patients with lung cancer：a cross-sectional study.

Background: Lung cancer is very common in China. The low cure rate, limited overall survival, and continuous therapies lead the patients to experience considerable psychological distress. Traditional Chinese medicine therapy is one unique treatment method in China. Nevertheless, most patients in the existing studies on anxiety and depression were treated in western medical hospitals. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the prevalence and risk factors of these emotional disorders in lung cancer patients treated in traditional Chinese medical hospitals. These findings may assist in clinical intervention. Patients and methods: A total of 315 patients with lung cancer were enrolled. Individuals completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess their levels of anxiety and depression. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that significantly predicted anxiety and depression. Results: The anxiety and depression prevalence rates of lung cancer patients were 43.5% and 57.1%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, patients without surgery, who were young, or who received radiotherapy were more likely to experience anxiety. Patients without surgery, who were young, or who had late-stage cancer, were more likely to experience depression. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors of both anxiety and depression were lack of surgery and young and middle age (＜65, especially 45-65 years). Conclusion: Anxiety and depression were very common in lung cancer patients. Lack of surgery, young, and middle age, were independent risk factors for anxiety and depression. Therefore, medical workers should pay close attention to the emotional changes of young or middle-aged patients, or patients without the chance to undergo surgery.

Puerarin Reduces Blood Pressure in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats by Targeting eNOS.

Puerarin is an isoflavonoid isolated from the root of Pueraria lobata (Gegen in Chinese) that has been widely used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China. Here, we investigated the hypotensive effects and mechanisms of puerarin in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The qPCR array technique was used to determine the expression of hypertension-related genes. Then, the differentially expressed genes were analyzed using the STRING database. The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of rats decreased after the administration of puerarin for nine weeks. Puerarin, but not losartan, also slowed the heart rate of rats. NO and cGMP levels were improved by puerarin. Eighteen differentially expressed hypertension-related genes were identified by comparing the model group with the control group and the high-dose puerarin group with the model group. NO and cGMP levels were increased by high-dose puerarin. High-dose puerarin increased the levels of the phosphorylated eNOS protein and decreased AT1 and Cav1 levels. Based on our results, eNOS was a key target in the mechanism by which puerarin reduced blood pressure, and puerarin represents a potential antihypertensive agent.

Removal of High-Voltage Brain Stimulation Artifacts From Simultaneous EEG Recordings.

OBJECTIVE: noninvasive electrical brain stimulation (NEBS) can modulate brain dynamics and be used to induce changes in target brain areas. Because high-voltage stimulation artifacts tend to completely dominate the simultaneously recorded EEG and vary slightly trial by trial in both amplitude and phase, the majority of studies to date have simply compared poststimulation and prestimulation periods. Here, we propose the use of a modified joint blind source separation (JBSS) approach for removing stimulation artifacts when the same stimulus is applied in multiple epochs. METHODS: quadrature regression and subsequent independent vector analysis (q-IVA) was applied to simulated and real EEG datasets recorded from ten subjects who received theta-band galvanic vestibular stimulation. RESULTS: in simulations, q-IVA and JBSS approaches significantly improved the relative root-mean-squared error, correlation coefficient, and power deviation between the original and recovered EEG compared to conventional methods. In the real EEG data, after removing the artifacts with q-IVA, the power spectra during stimulation demonstrated significantly enhanced beta and gamma power compared to prestimulation, becoming similar to that seen in immediate poststimulation periods. In addition, we demonstrate that increased alpha power (8-13 Hz) in occipital regions with eye closure could be reliably detected in the cleaned EEG data after applying q-IVA. CONCLUSION: q-IVA and JBSS approaches outperform conventional artifact removal methods in both time and frequency domains. SIGNIFICANCE: our results provide a promising way to effectively isolate stimulation artifacts in EEG, paving the way for future studies attempting to uncover ongoing modulation of brain activity during NEBS.

Iron deficiency accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration through affecting the stability of DNA polymerase epsilon complex.

Iron serves as an important cofactor of iron-containing proteins that play critical roles in the maintenance of DNA stability and cell cycle progression. The disturbed iron homeostasis results in the pathogenesis of many diseases such as cancer and anemia. In this study, we found a clear correlation between iron deficiency and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Through microarray experiments, we found that a large number of genes were differentially expressed in tissues with different degrees of degeneration. Among them, an iron-containing gene, PolE, the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase epsilon (Polε), and the other two Polε subunits, including PolE2 and PolE3, were markedly downregulated, while some proteins involved in apoptosis such as Caspase-3 and -8 were significantly upregulated. By supplementation with an iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO) or knocking down either iron divalentmetal transporter 1 (DMT1) or transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) in the nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, we found that the protein levels of PolE complex members were dramatically reduced, whereas the intrinsic apoptotic pathway was activated. Interestingly, overexpression of PolE in NP cells knocked down with either DMT1 or TfR could not reverse the stability of PolE complex and apoptosis status. In summary, our study suggests that iron deficiency is an important factor in the aggravation of IDD. Proper iron supplementation may be an effective strategy to alleviate the symptoms of patients with IDD.

[Study of Jinye Baidu granule in treatment of wind-warmth lung heat disease (heat in lung-wei pattern)： a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled trial].

A randomized, double-blind, active parallel controlled trial will be conducted to include patients with acute upper respiratory infection and wind-warmth lung heat disease (heat in lung-wei pattern). Patients with serious bacterial infection (white blood cell count>1.2×1010, neutrophil>80%) will be excluded.so as to further identify Jinye Baidu Granule indications of Wind-warmth lung heat disease (heat in lung-wei pattern).According to the subjects of symptoms of fever and sore throats,Patients will be divided into three blocks： fever, swelling and sore throat, combined fever and swelling and sore throat. Subjects in three blocks will be divided into treatment group and control group with stratified blocked randomization. The treatment group will be treated with Jinye Baidu Granule, and the control group will be treated with Fufang Shuanghua granule. Primary outcome measure of patients with fever will be body temperature recovery time. Primary outcome measure of patients with swelling and sore throat will be throat symptom score. Primary outcome measures of patients combined with fever and swelling and sore throat will be body temperature recovery time and throat symptom score. Before and after all of the patients in the group were collected blood and urine routine, liver and renal function, electrocardiogram (ECG) data as the safety index while observing it adverse events. A total of 623 patients were included. Compared with control group,sore throat symptoms of patients with sore throat and pharyngeal symptoms total score have significantly different. so Jinny Baidu granule have a significant advantage in the treatment of sore throat. All of the experiments showed that the safety of the drug was good. Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, digestive tract symptoms may occur only occasionally. We should pay attention to the changes when using in patients with spleen deficiency cold to avoid adverse reaction.