Chain mediation model of consultation empathy, resilience and resignation coping on depression: a cross-sectional study among patients with COVID-19 in China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the mediating role of resilience and resignation coping in the relationship between consultation empathy and depression in patients with COVID-19. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 215 patients were recruited for this study. OUTCOME MEASURES: A total of 215 patients completed the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. PROCESS 4.1 model 6 was used to analyse the moderated mediating effects. RESULTS: Consultation empathy had a positive correlation with resilience (r=0.34, p<0.001), and a negative correlation with resignation (r=-0.288, p<0.001) and depression (r=-0.379, p<0.001). Resilience had a negative correlation with resignation (r=-0.463, p<0.001) and depression (r=-0.605, p<0.001). Resignation had a positive correlation (r=0.547, p<0.001) with depression. In the moderated mediating model, consultation empathy had significant indirect predictive effects on depression through resilience (95% CI -0.093 to -0.030) or resignation (95% CI -0.043 to -0.005). Consultation empathy had significant indirect predictive effects on depression through both resilience and resignation (95% CI -0.030 to -0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Consultation empathy not only predicted depression directly, but also indirectly predicted depression through the chain mediating effects of resilience and resignation coping.

Stub1 ameliorates ER stress-induced neural cell apoptosis and promotes locomotor recovery through restoring autophagy flux after spinal cord injury.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy flux blockade significantly contribute to neuronal pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI). Yet, the molecular interplay between these two distinctive pathways in mediating the pathology of SCI remains largely unexplored. Currently, we aimed at exploring the crucial role of Stub1 in maintaining ER homeostasis and regulating autophagic flux after SCI. Our results demonstrate that Stub1 reduces ER stress induced neuronal apoptosis, promotes axonal regeneration, inhibits glial scar formation and fosters functional recovery by restoring autophagic flux following SCI. Stub1 enhances autophagic flux following SCI by alleviating the permeabilization of lysosomal membrane through activating TFEB. Importantly, we showed that Stub1 promotes the activation of TFEB by targeting HDAC2 for ubiquitination and degradation. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effect of Stub1 on SCI was abrogated by chloroquine administration, underscoring the essential role of Stub1-mediated enhancement of autophagic flux in its protective effects against SCI. Collectively, our data highlights the vital role of Stub1 in regulating ER stress and autophagy flux after SCI, and propose its potential as a promising target for neuroprotective interventions in SCI.

A shear-thinning, ROS-scavenging hydrogel combined with dental pulp stem cells promotes spinal cord repair by inhibiting ferroptosis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious clinical disease. Due to the deformability and fragility of the spinal cord, overly rigid hydrogels cannot be used to treat SCI. Hence, we used TPA and Laponite to develop a hydrogel with shear-thinning ability. This hydrogel exhibits good deformation, allowing it to match the physical properties of the spinal cord; additionally, this hydrogel scavenges ROS well, allowing it to inhibit the lipid peroxidation caused by ferroptosis. According to the in vivo studies, the TPA@Laponite hydrogel could synergistically inhibit ferroptosis by improving vascular function and regulating iron metabolism. In addition, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were introduced into the TPA@Laponite hydrogel to regulate the ratios of excitatory and inhibitory synapses. It was shown that this combination biomaterial effectively reduced muscle spasms and promoted recovery from SCI.

Catalpol as a Component of Rehmannia glutinosa Protects Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Neuronal Apoptosis.

Disturbance of the internal environment in the spinal cord after spinal cord injury (SCI) is an important cause of the massive death of neurons in the injury area and one of the major problems that lead to the difficult recovery of motor function in patients. Rehmannia glutinosa, a famous traditional Chinese medicine, is commonly used in neurodegenerative diseases, whereas an iridoid glycoside extract of catalpol (CAT), with antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and neuroprotective pharmacological effects. However, the neuroprotective and anti-apoptosis mechanism of CAT in SCI remains unclear. In our study, we found that CAT has a restorative effect on the lower limb motor function of rats with SCI by establishing a rat model of SCI and treating CAT gavage for 30 days. Our study further found that CAT has the effect of inhibiting apoptosis and protecting neurons, and the action pathway may reduce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by inhibiting CHOP and GRP78 expression and then reduce apoptosis and protect neurons through the Caspase3/Bax/Bcl-2 pathway. In conclusion, we demonstrated that CAT can treat SCI by inhibiting ER stress-mediated neuronal apoptosis and has the potential to be a clinical drug for the treatment of SCI.

[Comparative study on HPLC fingerprints between crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus].

To establish high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints for crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,and to evaluate their quality through the similarity calculation and chemical pattern recognition. The separation was performed with Syncronis C_(18) column(4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm), with acetonitrile(A) and 0.1% phosphoric acid solution(B) as the mobile phase for gradient elution, and a detection wavelength of 280 nm. HPLC was used to detect 22 batches of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,and the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2012 Edition) was used to evaluate the similarity among 22 batches. The research on pattern recognition was conducted with cluster analysis(CA), principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least squares discriminate analysis(PLS-DA). HPLC fingerprints of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus were established, with similarity ranging from 0.9 to 1.0. The crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus can be obviously distinguished by using CA, PCA and PLS-DA. According to the results of PLS-DA,11 constituents including hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, specnuezhenide and oleuropein were the main marker components leading to the difference. The established fingerprint method is stable and reliable, and can provide method basis for quality control of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus. Chemical pattern recognition is proved to be helpful in comprehensive quality control and evaluation of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus before and after the process.

Long non-coding RNA ASMTL-AS1 inhibits tumor growth and glycolysis by regulating the miR-93-3p/miR-660/FOXO1 axis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is emerging as an essential player in cancer progression. However, its biological function and clinical implication in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remain poorly understood. In the current study, we found that a novel lncRNA, ASMTL antisense RNA 1 (ASMTL-AS1), was significantly downregulated in PTC. And its downregulation was positively linked to larger tumor size, advanced clinical stage and unfavorable outcome. Overexpression of ASMTL-AS1 evidently inhibited PTC cell proliferation and glycolysis, while knockdown of ASMTL-AS1 resulted in the opposite effect. Regarding the mechanism, ASMTL-AS1 was capable of sponging miR-93-3p and miR-660 to elevate FOXO1 expression, leading to repressing glycolysis and tumorigenesis. In turn, FOXO1 could also increase ASMTL-AS1 expression via directly binding to ASMTL-AS1 promoter, which formed a positive feedback regulation loop. Importantly, the regulatory axis of ASMTL-AS1/miR-93-3p/miR-660/FOXO1 was also identified in vivo. Collectively, our data clearly indicate that ASMTL-AS1 functions as a novel tumor suppressor in PTC through regulation of miR-93-3p/miR-660/FOXO1 pathway. Targeting ASMTL-AS1 and its downstream pathway may be an effective therapeutic approach for patients with PTC.

Mechanism-based anti-anxiety effects of polysaccharides extracted from shudihuang (radix rehmanniae preparata) by two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis in rat hippocampus proteins.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mechanism-based anti-anxiety effects of Shudihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata) polysaccharides (RRPPs) through two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis with mass spectrometry (MS) of hippocampus proteins in rats treated with monosodium L-glutamate (MSG). METHODS: MSG (4 g/kg) or normal saline (NS) was injected subcutaneously into infant male rats on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 after birth. MSG-treated rats at 8 weeks old were given NS, diazepam, or RRPPs daily for seven consecutive days by intragastric administration, while NS-treated rats given the same volume of NS. Elevated plus maze (EPM) and light/dark transition (LDT) tests were used to observe anti-anxiety effects of RRPPs at 1 h after the last administration. After EPM and LDT tests, hippocampus tissues were excised on ice rapidly from the brains of rats. Thereafter, 2-DE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) were used for detecting differential proteins in hippocampus of rats so as to explore the potential mechanisms. RESULTS: RRPPs (200, 400 mg/kg) could significantly inhibit MSG-induced decrease of time and entries percentages in open zones in EPM test and numbers of light-dark transition in LDT test. Further analysis of 2-DE and MALDI-TOF/MS indicated that beta-synuclein, protein DJ-1, peroxiredoxin-2, peroxiredoxin-6, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH-1) and iron-sulfur proteins were all found to be down-regulated significantly in MSG-treated rats, while such down-regulation was significantly inhibited after treatment with RRPPs. CONCLUSION: RRPPs showed anti-anxiety effects and potential mechanisms might be related to inhibiting MSG-induced down-regulation of beta-synuclein, DJ-1, peroxiredoxin-2, peroxiredoxin-6, DDAH-1 and iron-sulfur proteins in hippocampus of rats.

[Fingerprint research on immunosuppressive fraction of Rehmanniae Radix by HPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To study the HPLC fingerprint of immunosuppressive fraction of Rehmanniae Radix, the genuine medicinal materials in Henan province. METHODS: By HPLC method,Dikma Platisil-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) was used with acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid as mobile phase by gradient elution. The detection wavelength was 210 nm, flow rate was 1.0 mL/min and column temperature was set at 30 degrees C. RESULTS: Compared the 10 batches sample of the fingerprint similarity, 18 common peaks were marked and five peaks were identified. The similarities were more than 0.9. CONCLUSION: HPLC fingerprint of immunosuppressive fraction of Rehmanniae Radix is established, which lays the foundation for further pharmacodynamics research on Rehmanniae Radix.

[Outcomes and defecation after one-stage transanal endorectal pull-through procedure for Hirschsprung disease].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and defecation after one-stage transanal endorectal pull-through(TOSEPT) for Hirschsprung disease. METHODS: Clinical data of 56 patients with Hirschsprung disease undergoing TOSEPT in the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College between 2005 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. According to age at operation, the patients were divided into newborn group(n=21, surgery performed within 1 month after birth) and non-newborn group(n=35). Recovery period was defined as the period required for normal defecation pattern after operation. Intraoperative and postoperative parameters were compared. RESULTS: The mean operative time was(121.5±39.2) minutes. The mean length of bowel resection was(17.6±4.2) cm. The mean intraoperative blood loss was(34.6±5.2) ml. The mean postoperative hospital stay was(7.2±3.6) days. Postoperative complication occurred in 6 patients(4 had enteritis and 2 had recurrent constipation) in whom 1 were considered as failure of TOSEPT because of redo-surgery or persistent problems in defecation. The remaining 53 patients had normal defecation pattern after(9.2±5.8) weeks of postoperative recovery period. Neonatal cases had significantly shorter operative time and postoperative hospital stay, and longer postoperative recovery period than non-neonatal cases(P<0.05). There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complication rate between the two groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TOSEPT is effective and safe in the management of patients with Hirschsprung disease. However, a postoperative recovery period is required for a normal defecation pattern. Although neonatal cases have significantly shorter operative time and postoperative hospital stay than non-neonatal cases, but longer postoperative recovery period should be consider when evaluating the outcome of TOSEPT.

[Study on the triterpenoids from the fruits of Ligustrum lucidum].

OBJECTIVE: To study the triterpenoids from the fruits of Ligustrum lucidum. METHODS: The constituents were extracted with 95% EtOH, partitioned with different solvents, isolated and purified by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and PHPLC column chromatography. The structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. RESULTS: Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified as methyl oleanolate (1), 3-O-acetylursolic acid (2), 3-ketooleanolic acid (3), 19alpha-hydroxyl ursolic acid (4), lupeol (5), 3-O-acetyl oleanolic acid (6), oleanolic acid (7), betulin (8), ursolic acid (9), fouquierol (10), 19alpha-hydroxyl acetylursolic acid (11), 3-O-cis-P-coumaroyl maslinic acid (12) and 3-O-trans-P-coumaroyl maslinic acid (13). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 - 4 are obtained from this plant for the first time.

[Experimental research about the effect of Rehmannia glutinosa on the drug effect fingerprints of the rabbit's blood serum of Yin deficiency and heat flourishing syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study about the effect of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch on the drug effect fingerprints of the rabbit's blood serum of yin deficiency and heat flourishing syndrome. METHODS: The infusion of furosemide and escherichia coli endotoxin were used to replicate rabbit' s yin deficiency and heat flourishing syndrome animal model; high performance liquid chromatography gradient elution was adopped to study the change of the rabbit serum drug effect fingerprint in copying between before and after model-making and administration. RESULTS: Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch mainly affected metabolism level of the inner substance with the function of nourishing yin clearing heat. CONCLUSION: The serum HPLC fingerprint established is capable to reflect the function of nourishing yin clearing heat of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch; the further study on its drug effect fingerprint will help to clarify its activity and metabolism of action.