Construction and validation of a nomogram for predicting lateral lymph node metastasis in pediatric and adolescent with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Limited research has been conducted to specifically investigate the identification of risk factors and the development of prediction models for lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM) in pediatric and adolescent differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) populations, despite its significant association with unfavorable prognosis. METHODS: This study entails a retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics exhibited by pediatric and adolescent patients who have been diagnosed with DTC. The data utilized for this analysis was sourced from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, spanning the time frame from 2000 to 2020. Furthermore, the study incorporates patients who were treated at the Departments of Breast and Thyroid Surgery in the Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, during the period from 2010 to 2020. RESULTS: A cohort of 2631 patients from the SEER database, along with an additional 339 patients from our departments who met the specified inclusion criteria, were included in this study. Subsequently, four clinical variables, namely age, tumor size, multifocality, and extrathyroidal invasion, were identified as being significantly associated with lateral LNM in pediatric and adolescent DTC patients. These variables were then utilized to construct a nomogram, which demonstrated effective discrimination with a concordance index (C-index) of 0.731. Furthermore, the performance of this model was validated through both internal and external assessments, yielding C-index values of 0.721 and 0.712, respectively. Afterward, a decision curve analysis was conducted to assess the viability of this nomogram in predicting lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: The current investigation has effectively constructed a nomogram model utilizing visualized multipopulationsal data. Our findings demonstrate a significant association between various clinical characteristics and lateral LNM in pediatric and adolescent DTC patients. These outcomes hold substantial significance for healthcare practitioners, as they can employ this model to inform individualized clinical judgments for the pediatric and adolescent cohorts.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate promotes wound healing response in diabetic mice by activating keratinocytes and promoting re-epithelialization.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder that causes numerous complications including impaired wound healing and poses a significant challenge for the management of diabetic patients. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a natural polyphenol that exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative benefits in skin wounds, however, the direct effect of EGCG on epidermal keratinocytes, the primary cells required for re-epithelialization in wound healing remains unknown. Our study aims to examine the underlying mechanisms of EGCG's ability to promote re-epithelialization and wound healing in T2D-induced wounds. Murine models of wound healing in T2D were established via feeding high-fat high-fructose diet (HFFD) and the creation of full-thickness wounds. Mice were administered daily with EGCG or vehicle to examine the wound healing response and underlying molecular mechanisms of EGCG's protective effects. Systemic administration of EGCG in T2D mice robustly accelerated the wound healing response following injury. EGCG induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and promoted cytokeratin 16 (K16) expression to activate epidermal keratinocytes and robustly promoted re-epithelialization of wounds in diabetic mice. Further, EGCG demonstrated high binding affinity with Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), thereby inhibiting KEAP1-mediated degradation of NRF2. Our findings provide important evidence that EGCG accelerates the wound healing response in diabetic mice by activating epidermal keratinocytes, thereby promoting re-epithelialization of wounds via K16/NRF2/KEAP1 signaling axis. These mechanistic insights into the protective effects of EGCG further suggest its therapeutic potential as a promising drug for treating chronic wounds in T2D.

Screening of anti-thrombin active components from Ligusticum chuanxiong by affinity-ultrafiltration coupled with HPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MSn.

INTRODUCTION: Ligusticum chuanxiong ('chuanxiong') is a traditional Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, which is often used to treat thrombotic diseases. However, its potential anticoagulant active ingredients have been unexplored. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to establish an affinity ultrafiltration mass spectrometry (AUF-MS) method for rapid screening of anti-thrombin active components of chuanxiong and to verify it in vitro. METHOD: In this study, the chemical constituents of different parts of chuanxiong were determined. A method for rapid screening of anticoagulant active ingredients by AUF-MS was established using thrombin as an affinity receptor target. Subsequently, the anticoagulant effect of such ligands was verified by in vitro anticoagulation experiments such as chromogenic substrate method and in vitro coagulation assay. Then the possible interaction mechanism between these ligands and thrombin was further studied by molecular docking. RESULTS: Twenty-one components were detected from different parts of chuanxiong. And three potential anti-thrombin active components were screened: ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid A by AUF coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MSn ). The in vitro activity experiments and molecular docking revealed that these potential ligands exhibited strong binding ability and inhibitory activities on thrombin. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that chuanxiong is a traditional Chinese medicine with excellent anticoagulation effects. Meanwhile, the integrated strategy based on AUF-MS, in vitro experiments and molecular docking also provided a powerful tool for further exploration of active ingredients responsible for the anticoagulant activity in chuanxiong.

Baihe Jizihuang Tang Ameliorates Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Induced Depression-Like Behavior: Integrating Network Pharmacology and Brain-Gut Axis Evaluation.

Baihe Jizihuang Tang (BHT) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, which can also be used as a nutritional food with medicinal value. Herein, we aimed to clarify the antidepressive effects and molecular mechanism of BHT. Network pharmacological analysis; chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model assessment; behavioral tests; analysis of hippocampal neurotransmitter levels, hippocampal pathological structure, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; western blot analysis; 16s RNA sequencing; ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/mass spectrometry (MS); and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/ultraviolet (UV) analysis were used. We found 8 potentially active components and 12 targets from the database. KEGG analysis suggested that BHT significantly affected BDNF/tyrosine receptor kinase B levels, glutamate binding, synaptic transmission based on neurotransmitter signal, and the response to glucocorticoid signaling pathways. Consistently, 7 chemical components were identified using UPLC/quadrupole time-of-flight/MS; among them, regalosides A, B, C, and E were unique components of lily of TCM, and their content in BHT was significantly different: regaloside A > B > E > C. BHT could nourish hippocampal neurons, affect neurotransmitter metabolism, reduce HPA axis hyperactivity, improve deficits in hippocampal tissue structure, and change depressive behavior. Moreover, BHT regulated BDNF expression in the hippocampus and improved intestinal flora deficits in CUMS rats by changing the content of Bifidobacterium, Rothia, Glutamicibacter, and Lactobacillus at the genus level. Collectively, BHT attenuated CUMS-induced depression-like behavior by regulating BDNF and intestinal flora disorder through the brain-gut axis. Therefore, including BHT in the medication list may constitute a potential strategy for preventing depression.

In silico analysis of the potential mechanism of a preventive Chinese medicine formula on coronavirus disease 2019.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: With the spread of Coronavirus Disease (2019) (COVID-19), combination with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used as a prevention and therapy strategy in China. Xin guan No.1 (XG-1) prescription is a preventive formula recommended by the Hunan Provincial Administration of TCM to prevent the pandemic of COVID-19. AIM OF THE STUDY: To explore the potential preventive mechanisms of XG-1 against COVID-19 in the combination of network pharmacology approach, single-cell RNA expression profiling analysis, molecular docking and retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) database was used to determine the meridian tropism, active components and target genes of XG-1. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis were conducted by R Cluster Profiler package (3.14.3). Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of human lung (GSE122960) was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed by R Seurat package (3.1.2). Cytoscape (3.7.2) was used to construct the interaction network. The main ingredients in XG-1 were identified by HPLC- Q-TOF- MS and used for molecular docking with COVID-19 3CL hydrolytic enzyme and angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2). A retrospective study of 47 close contact participants from Dongtang Community of Hunan Province was conducted to evaluated the preventive effect of XG-1. RESULTS: According to the network pharmacology analysis, XG-1 formula was closely related to lung-, spleen- and stomach-meridians and include a total of 206 active components and 853 target genes. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment revealed that XG-1 mainly regulated cellular amino acid metabolism process and neuroactive ligand-receptors interaction. The scRNA-seq profiling showed that angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was principally expressed in alveolar type 2 epithelial cells (AT2). 153 genes were up-regulated in AT2 cells expressing ACE2 and 12 genes were obtained by intersecting with XG-1 target genes, of which 3 were related to immunity. Five main chemical ingredients were detected in XG-1 sample by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The molecular docking showed that Rutin, Liquiritin and Astragaloside Ⅳ had a good affinity with COVID-19 3CL hydrolytic enzyme and ACE2. Compared with participants who didn't take XG-1, preventive treatment with XG-1gradules resulted in a significant lower rate of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that XG-1 exerts a preventive effect in close contacts against COVID-19. The underlying mechanism may be related to modulate immunity response through multiple components, pathways, and several target genes co-expressed with ACE2. These findings provide preliminary evidences and methodological reference for the potential preventive mechanism of XG-1 against COVID-19.

Effects of different drying methods on the chemical constituents of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. based on UHPLC-MS analysis and antidepressant activity of the main chemical component regaloside A.

The Lilium lancifolium Thunb. is a herb with multiple functions in both medicine and food in China, and its extracts have shown antidepressant effects. In this study, fresh bulbs of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. were processed to study the effects of different drying processes on changes in its main chemical components. We found that different drying methods can affect the chemical constituents of the herb. Among these components, Regaloside A has been found as the characteristic component. Here, Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and Western blotting were used to evaluate the neuroprotective antidepressant effects of Regaloside A. The results showed the cell survival rate was improved, the phosphorylation levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine kinase receptor B, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase, protein kinase B, and mammalian target of rapamycin were increased after Regaloside A treatment. In general, different drying methods have a significant influence on the chemical composition of the herb, and Regaloside A may be the main chemical component of the herb. It can alleviate the damage of corticosterone in SH-SY5Y cells, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase receptor B may play an important role in the neuroprotective antidepressant effects of Regaloside A.

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy Reveals the Effects of Hedysarum multijugum Maxim.-Radix Salviae Compound on Oxidative Capacity and Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in Rats with Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of the Hedysarum multijugum Maxim.-Radix Salviae compound (Huangqi-Danshen Compound (HDC)) on oxidative capacity and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy by a network pharmacology-based strategy. METHODS: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)@Taiwan, TCM Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), TCM Integrated Database (TCMID), and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technology were used to obtain and screen HDC's active components, and the PharmMapper database was used to predict HDC human target protein targets. The DCM genes were collected from the GeneCards and OMIM databases, and the network was constructed and analyzed by Cytoscape 3.7.1 and the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Finally, HDC was used to intervene in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) model rats, and important biological processes and signaling pathways were verified using techniques such as immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: A total of 176 of HDC's active components and 442 potential targets were obtained. The results of network analysis show that HDC can regulate DCM-related biological processes (such as negative regulation of the apoptotic process, response to hypoxia, the steroid hormone-mediated signaling pathway, cellular iron ion homeostasis, and positive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling) and signaling pathways (such as the HIF-1 signaling pathway, the estrogen signaling pathway, insulin resistance, the PPAR signaling pathway, the VEGF signaling pathway, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway). Animal experiments show that HDC can reduce fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (P < 0.05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that HDC can regulate the protein expression of apoptosis-related signaling pathways in DCM rats (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was initially revealed that HDC improves DCM through its antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. HDC may play a therapeutic role by improving cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DCM rats.

HS-GC-IMS-Based metabonomics study of Baihe Jizihuang Tang in a rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) obtained from the feces of a Baihe Jizihuang Tang (BHT)-treated rat depression model. Rats were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and the differences in VOCs were analyzed by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), NIST software, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Eleven biomarkers were identified on the basis of VOC migration time, and their relative peak intensities were analyzed. A metabonomic model was established using multivariate statistical analysis. The study demonstrated the metabonomics of CUMS rats and the intervention effect of BHT and also highlighted the potential therapeutic effects of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Jingfang for the clinical treatment of complex diseases, which was in line with the holistic and systemic approaches of TCM. This study augments the use of metabonomics based on HS-GC-IMS in research studies. Using this method, there is no need to pre-process samples by extraction or derivatization, and the VOC component of the sample can be detected directly and rapidly. In conclusion, this study establishes a simple, convenient, and fast technique, which can help identify clinical biomarkers for rapid medical diagnosis.