Quanzhen Yiqi decoction attenuates inflammation in mice with smoking-induced COPD by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome.

OBJECTIVE: Quanzhen Yiqi decoction (QZYQ) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: Mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) 6 days/week (40 cigarettes/day) for 24 weeks and then intragastrically administered QZYQ (4.72, 9.45, or 18.89 g/kg) or dexamethasone (DEX, 0.6 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. We examined the lung function and collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for inflammatory cell and cytokine quantification. The pathological lung changes, ROS and oxidative biomarkers were measured. We used immunohistochemistry and western blotting to evaluate the levels of Nrf2/HO-1, NLRP3/ASC/Caspase1/IL-1ß/IL-18. RESULTS: The CS group showed significant increases in the forced vital capacity, lung resistance, and chord compliance and a lower FEV50/FVC compared with the control, and QZYQ improved these changes. In addition, QZYQ effectively reduced emphysema, immune cell infiltration, and airway remodeling. QZYQ stimulated HO-1 expression and reduced oxidative stress through the Nrf2 pathway. QZYQ inhibited the production of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 to inhibit IL-1ß and IL-18. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that QZYQ can improve the function and histology of the lungs and reduce inflammatory cell recruitment. QZYQ inhibits ROS production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation by upregulating Nrf2 to reduce lung injury. The anti-inflammatory effects of QZYQ are similar to those of DEX.

Effectiveness of oestrogen pretreatment in patients with expected poor ovarian response (POSEIDON groups 3 and 4) undergoing GnRH antagonist protocol: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Women characterised by diminished ovarian reserve are considered to have poor ovarian response (POR) according to Patient-Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number (POSEIDON) criteria. Patients in this population often have a poor prognosis for treatment with assisted reproductive technology. In previous studies, oestrogen pretreatment before ovarian stimulation has been shown to have a beneficial effect. However, recent studies presented conflicting conclusions. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of oestrogen pretreatment in patients with expected POR (POSEIDON groups 3 and 4) undergoing gonadotrophin releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective superiority randomised parallel controlled trial will be conducted at a tertiary university-affiliated hospital. A total of 316 patients will be randomly divided into two groups at a ratio of 1:1. In the intervention group, oral oestrogen pretreatment will be administered from day 7 after ovulation until day 2 of the next menstrual cycle. Afterwards, a flexible GnRH-ant protocol will be initiated. The control group will receive no additional intervention beyond routine ovarian stimulation. The primary outcome is the number of oocytes retrieved. Secondary outcomes include the total number of retrieved metaphase II oocytes, average daily dose of gonadotropin, total gonadotropin dose and duration of ovarian stimulation, cycle cancellation rate, top quality embryos rate, blastocyst formation rate, embryo implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, early miscarriage rate and endometrial thickness on trigger day. All data will be analysed according to the intention-to-treat and per-protocol principles. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethical approval has been confirmed by the reproductive ethics committee of the affiliated hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SDUTCM/2022.9.20). In addition, written informed consent will be obtained from all the participants before the study. The results will be disseminated via publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2200064812.

Intracavitary physiotherapy combined with acupuncture mediated AMPK/mTOR signalling to improve endometrial receptivity in patients with thin endometrium.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of intracavitary physiotherapy combined with acupuncture to improve the receptivity of thin endometrium. METHODS: From October 2020 to April 2021, 40 patients diagnosed with thin endometrium and preparing for hormone replacement cycle freeze-thaw embryo transfer in our centre for Reproduction were included, 40 patients were randomized to treatment group and control group. 20 patients with normal endometrium during the same period were selected as the normal group.All patients underwent freeze-thaw embryo transfer using hormone replacement cycles.The treatment group added endovascular physiotherapy combined with acupuncture. RESULTS: The endometrial receptivity of the patients with thin endometrium was significantly lower than that of the normal group(P < 0.01). Endovascular therapy combined with acupuncture can significantly increase endometrial thickness in patients with thin endometrium and the proportion of patients with type A endometrium, reduce bilateral Uterine arterial pulsatilityindex (PI), Uterine arterial resistance index (RI), and peaksystolicvelocity/diastolicvelocity (S/D), upregulate the expression of HOXA10 protein and mRNA in endometrium tissue, and improve the rate of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy(P < 0.01).there was no significant difference between the treatment group and the normal group (P > 0.05). This may be related to the regulation of the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway by intracavitary physiotherapy combined with acupuncture, downregulation of the expression of the AMPK gene and protein and upregulation of the expression of the mTOR gene and protein. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Abnormal energy metabolism is present in the endometrium of patients with thin endometrium, which affects the autophagy process and leads to a decrease in the receptivity of thin endometrium. 2. Intracavitary physiotherapy combined with acupuncture mediated the AMPK/mTOR pathway to improve energy metabolism, promote the autophagy process, improve endometrial morphology and ultrasonic indicators of patients, upregulate the expression of endometrial receptivity-related HOXA10 genes and proteins, and improve the embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate.

Preventive treatment with ginsenoside Rb1 ameliorates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats and involves store-operated calcium entry inhibition.

CONTEXT: Ginsenoside Rb1, the main active ingredient of ginseng, exhibits ex vivo depression of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and related vasoconstriction in pulmonary arteries derived from pulmonary hypertension (PH) rats. However, the in vivo effects of ginsenoside Rb1 on PH remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the possibility of using ginsenoside Rb1 as an in vivo preventive medication for type I PH, i.e., pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and potential mechanisms involving SOCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (170-180 g) were randomly divided into Control, MCT, and MCT + Rb1 groups (n = 20). Control rats received only saline injection. Rats in the MCT + Rb1 and MCT groups were intraperitoneally administered single doses of 50 mg/kg monocrotaline (MCT) combined with 30 mg/kg/day ginsenoside Rb1 or equivalent volumes of saline for 21 consecutive days. Subsequently, comprehensive parameters related to SOCE, vascular tone, histological changes and hemodynamics were measured. RESULTS: Ginsenoside Rb1 reduced MCT-induced STIM1, TRPC1, and TRPC4 expression by 35.00, 31.96, and 32.24%, respectively, at the protein level. SOCE-related calcium entry and pulmonary artery contraction decreased by 162.6 nM and 71.72%. The mean pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricle systolic pressure, and right ventricular mass index decreased by 19.5 mmHg, 21.6 mmHg, and 39.50%. The wall thickness/radius ratios decreased by 14.67 and 17.65%, and the lumen area/total area ratios increased by 18.55 and 15.60% in intrapulmonary vessels with 51-100 and 101-150 µm o.d. CONCLUSION: Ginsenoside Rb1, a promising candidate for PH prevention, inhibited SOCE and related pulmonary vasoconstriction, and relieved MCT-induced PAH in rats.

A comparison of pregnancy rate between natural cycle and hormone replacement cycle in patients who underwent frozen embryo transfer using 2 consecutive hormone replacement regiments: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study.

For frozen embryo transplantation patients who failed to use hormone replacement cycle (HRC) transplantation for 2 consecutive times, the third time of transplantation was divided into 2 groups: HRC and natural cycle (NC), and the pregnancy rate of the 2 groups, especially the clinical pregnancy rate, was compared.Retrospective study of 174 patients in the reproductive medicine center of an affiliated hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2015 and September 2018.The 174 patients were all infertile with regular menstruation. They had undergone 2 consecutive failed cycles of endometrial preparation with hormone replacement therapy and prepare for the third frozen embryo transplantation.A third cycle of treatment was planned using either NC or HRC for endometrial preparation. All the embryos were obtained during the same oocyte retrieval cycle. Patients were divided into groups based on the method of endometrial preparation: 98 were classified as NC and 76 as HRC.The pregnancy outcomes for the 2 groups were compared. Confounding factors that may affect clinical pregnancy rates were analyzed.We found that on the day of endometrial transformation, estrogen levels and endometrial thickness in the NC group were significantly higher than those in the HRC group. There were no significant differences in the rates of biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, cumulative pregnancy, miscarriage, multiple pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, or live birth between the 2 groups. It is concluded by binary regression analysis that the different endometrial preparation protocol have no significant effect on the CPR.NC is as effective as HRC after 2 previous cycles of HRC. Because this was a retrospective study design, selection bias is possible, although the baseline characteristics of the 2 groups of patients were matched.

A comparison of the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative therapies for premature ovarian insufficiency: A protocol for network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the increase in the incidence of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) over the years, the ovarian function has become one of the integral aspects of research in reproductive medicine today. POI seriously affects the physical and mental health of women, especially reproductive health. Studies show both complementary and alternative therapies to be effective in treating POIs. However, consistency in conclusions is still far-fetched. In light of this, we will carry out a study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of complementary and alternative therapies for POIs. We therefore develop a study protocol for a proposed network meta-analysis (NMA) and systematic review on POI. METHODS: The following electronic bibliographic database will be searched: VIP database, Wanfang database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science from inception till 31 December 2019. A search at the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform will also be done. Subsequently, the searched data will undergo independent screening, retrieving, and risk of bias assessment by 2 reviewers. Analysis will be performed on included studies using the NMA technique. Next, the primary outcomes will be compared using ADDIS 1.16.5 and Stata 15.0. RESULTS: The safety and effectiveness of alternative and complementary therapies used in the treatment of POI will be compared and evaluated. CONCLUSION: This work will provide high-quality evidence for clinicians in the field to build on for best practices in effective interventions (complementary and alternative therapies) for POI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This NMA is a secondary research which based on some previously published data. Therefore, the ethical approval was not necessary. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020163873.

[Effect of allitridum on remodeling of the transient outward potassium current of ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats].

We aimed to study the effect of allitridum (All) on the transient outward potassium current (Ito) of ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Totally 30 male SHRs were randomly divided into three groups: low-dose All group (7.5 mg·kg(-1)), high-dose All group (15.0 mg·kg(-1)) and normal saline group. The other 10 sex and age matched Wistar-kyoto rats (WKY) were also taken as control group (WKY group). All animals received i.p. administration for 8 weeks. The dual enzymatic method was used to separate single ventricular myocyte from animals. Patch-clamp technique was used to record Ito and analyze the effect of All on the current. It was shown that the left ventricular hypertrophy of SHR was reversed significantly by All. Furthermore, the density of Ito was recovered in both high and low dose All groups. The peak current densities of Ito were enhanced from 18.23±3.64 to 25.17±2.86 pA/pF (P<0.01) and 36.47±5.42 pA/pF (P<0.01) at +50 mV by All 7.5 mg·kg(-1) and 15.0 mg·kg(-1), respectively, which was not significantly different with WKY group. The effect was associated with positive shift of the steady-state, close-state inactivation, and shortened recovery from inactivation of Ito. It is concluded that All decreases the remodeling of Ito of ventricular hypertrophic myocytes of SHR.

Ginsenoside Rb1 attenuates agonist-induced contractile response via inhibition of store-operated calcium entry in pulmonary arteries of normal and pulmonary hypertensive rats.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by sustained vasoconstriction, enhanced vasoreactivity and vascular remodeling, which leads to right heart failure and death. Despite several treatments are available, many forms of PH are still incurable. Ginsenoside Rb1, a principle active ingredient of Panax ginseng, exhibits multiple pharmacological effects on cardiovascular system, and suppresses monocrotaline (MCT)-induced right heart hypertrophy. However, its effect on the pulmonary vascular functions related to PH is unknown. METHODS: We examined the vasorelaxing effects of ginsenoside Rb1 on endothelin-1 (ET-1) induced contraction of pulmonary arteries (PAs) and store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) from chronic hypoxia (CH) and MCT-induced PH. RESULTS: Ginsenoside Rb1 elicited concentration-dependent relaxation of ET-1-induced PA contraction. The vasorelaxing effect was unaffected by nifedipine, but abolished by the SOCE blocker Gd(3+). Ginsenoside Rb1 suppressed cyclopiazonic acid (CPA)-induced PA contraction, and CPA-activated cation entry and Ca(2+) transient in PASMCs. ET-1 and CPA-induced contraction, and CPA-activated cation entry and Ca(2+) transients were enhanced in PA and PASMCs of CH and MCT-treated rats; the enhanced responses were abolished by ginsenoside Rb1. CONCLUSION: Ginsenoside Rb1 attenuates ET-1-induced contractile response via inhibition of SOCE, and it can effectively antagonize the enhanced pulmonary vasoreactivity in PH.