Evidence-Based Nursing Interventions in Care of Heart-failure Patients With Concurrent Tumors.

Context: In clinical practice, heart failure with concurrent tumors is relatively rare, and surgical intervention is the primary treatment. However, most patients have poor physical function and metabolic capacity, making them less tolerant of surgical trauma. Strengthening perioperative nursing care is therefore particularly important. Objective: The study aimed to analyze the clinical effects of and patient satisfaction with evidence-based nursing interventions on perioperative conditions and quality of life for heart-failure patients with concurrent tumors, with the goal of identifying the optimal nursing model for these patients. Design: The research team conducted a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Setting: The study took place at the First People's Hospital of Lin'an District in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Participants: Participants were 100 heart-failure patients with concurrent tumors who had been admitted to the hospital between July 2021 and July 2022. Interventions: The research team divided participants into two groups based on their admission times with 50 participants in each group: (1) a control group, who received routine nursing care, and (2) an intervention group, who received an evidence-based nursing intervention. Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) examined perioperative conditions, (2) measured changes in plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), (3) evaluated quality of life, and (4) assessed nursing satisfaction nursing satisfaction. Results: No significant differences existed in the groups' demographic and clinical characteristics, indicating comparability. Compared to the control group, the intervention group's: (1) operation time (P = .021), ascending aorta occlusion time (P = .032), turnaround time of cardiopulmonary bypass (P = .040) were significantly shorter; (2) plasma BNP levels were significantly lower at postoperative days 3 (P = .036) and 7 (P = .022); (3) scores for quality of life-physiological (P = .007), emotional (P = .008), social (P = .013), and role (P = .011) function-were significantly higher; and (4) nursing satisfaction was significantly higher (P = .004). Conclusions: The adoption of evidence-based nursing interventions in clinical settings, especially for heart-failure patients with concurrent tumors, can yield significant effects, improving patient outcomes and enhancing quality of life and nursing satisfaction.

Three new species of Mesoleptidea Viereck (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from China.

Three new species of Mesoleptidea Viereck, 1912: M. nigra Li & Sun, sp. nov., M. nigricoxalis Li & Sun, sp. nov. and M. ruficoxalis Li & Sun, sp. nov., collected from the National Forest Park of Mt Wawu and Mt Laojun, Sichuan, on the southern border of the Eastern Palaearctic part of China, are described. A key to species of Mesoleptidea known in China and Eastern Palaearctic region is provided.

Gerhardtite as a Precursor to an Efficient CO-to-Acetate Electroreduction Catalyst.

Carbon-carbon coupling electrochemistry on a conventional copper (Cu) catalyst still undergoes low selectivity among many different multicarbon (C2+) chemicals, posing a grand challenge to achieve a single C2+ product. Here, we demonstrate a laser irradiation synthesis of a gerhardtite mineral, Cu2(OH)3NO3, as a catalyst precursor to make a Cu catalyst with abundant stacking faults under reducing conditions. Such structural perturbation modulates electronic microenvironments of Cu, leading to improved d-electron back-donation to the antibonding orbital of *CO intermediates and thus strengthening *CO adsorption. With increased *CO coverage on the defect-rich Cu, we report an acetate selectivity of 56 ± 2% (compared to 31 ± 1% for conventional Cu) and a partial current density of 222 ± 7 mA per square centimeter in CO electroreduction. When run at 400 mA per square centimeter for 40 h in a flow reactor, this catalyst produces 68.3 mmol of acetate throughout. This work highlights the value of a Cu-containing mineral phase in accessing suitable structures for improved selectivity to a single desired C2+ product.

A novel methodology for evaluation of S2 wide split via estimated parameters.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Aimed at the shortcomings of using time interval ( [Formula: see text] ) between the sounds produced by the aortic valve closure (A2) and the pulmonary valve closure (P2) to detect the wide splitting of the second heart sound (S2), which are the [Formula: see text] easily influenced by the heartbeat and not easily distinguished from the fixed splitting of S2 without considering the entire respiratory phase, and from the third heart sound (S3), this study proposes a novel methodology to detect the wide splitting of S2 using an estimated split coefficient of S2 ( [Formula: see text] ) combined with an adaptive number (NAda) of S2. METHODOLOGY: The methodology is orderly summarized as follows: Stage 1 describes the segmentation-based S2 automatic location and extraction. A Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based regression model for S2 is proposed to estimate the positions of A2 and P2, then an overlapping rate (OLR)-based [Formula: see text] and the [Formula: see text] are estimated, and finally, a NAda-S2 is automatically determined to calculate the statistics of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] . In stage 3, based on the combination of estimated features, the detection of wide splitting of S2 is determined. RESULTS: The performance is evaluated using a total of 3350-period heart sounds from 72 patients, with an overall accuracy of 100%, F1=1 and a Cohen's kappa value (κ) of 1. DISCUSSION: The significant contributions are highlighted: A novel GMM-based efficient methodology is proposed for estimating the characteristics of A2 and P2. A novel OLR-based [Formula: see text] is defined to replace the current state-of-the-art criterion for evaluating the split degree of S2. Considering respiration phases combined with CR are proposed for the high-precision diagnosis of S2 wide split.

[Analysis of clinical phenotype and genetic variants among four Chinese pedigrees affected with Waardenburg syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for four Chinese pedigrees affected with Waardenburg syndrome (WS). METHODS: Four WS probands and their pedigree members who had presented at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between July 2021 and March 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Proband 1, a 2-year-and-11-month female, had blurred speech for over 2 years. Proband 2, a 10-year-old female, had bilateral hearing loss for 8 years. Proband 3, a 28-year-old male, had right side hearing loss for over 10 years. Proband 4, a 2-year-old male, had left side hearing loss for one year. Clinical data of the four probands and their pedigree members were collected, and auxiliary examinations were carried out. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to whole exome sequencing. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Proband 1, with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, blue iris and dystopia canthorum, was found to have harbored a heterozygous c.667C>T (p.Arg223Ter) nonsense variant of the PAX3 gene, which was inherited from her father. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4), and the proband was diagnosed with WS type I. Proband 2, with moderate sensorineural hearing loss on the right side and severe sensorineural hearing loss on the left side, has harbored a heterozygous frameshifting c.1018_1022del (p.Val340SerfsTer60) variant of the SOX10 gene. Neither of her parents has harbored the same variant. Based on the ACMG guidelines, it was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4+PM6), and the proband was diagnosed with WS type II. Proband 3, with profound sensorineural hearing loss on the right side, has harbored a heterozygous c.23delC (p.Ser8TrpfsTer5) frameshifting variant of the SOX10 gene. Based on the ACMG guidelines, it was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4), and the proband was diagnosed with WS type II. Proband 4, with profound sensorineural hearing loss on the left side, has harbored a heterozygous c.7G>T (p.Glu3Ter) nonsense variant of the MITF gene which was inherited from his mother. Based on the ACMG guidelines, the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4), and the proband was diagnosed with WS type II. CONCLUSION: By genetic testing, the four probands were all diagnosed with WS. Above finding has facilitated molecular diagnosis and genetic counseling for their pedigrees.

Efficacy of Mobile-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Lowering Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Multicenter, Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, low adherence to medication and lifestyle management has limited the benefits of lowering lipid levels. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proposed as a promising solution. OBJECTIVE: This trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mobile-based CBT interventions in lowering LDL-C levels in patients with ASCVD. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial enrolled 300 patients with ASCVD, who were randomly assigned to the mobile-based CBT intervention group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1. The intervention group received CBT for ASCVD lifestyle interventions delivered by WeChat MiniApp: "CBT ASCVD." The control group only received routine health education during each follow-up. The linear regression and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effects of a mobile-based CBT intervention on LDL-C, triglyceride, C-reactive protein, the score of General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), quality of life index (QL-index), and LDL-C up-to-standard rate (<1.8 mmol/L) at the first, third, and sixth months. RESULTS: Finally, 296 participants completed the 6-month follow-up (CBT group: n=148; control group: n=148). At baseline, the mean LDL-C level was 2.48 (SD 0.90) mmol/L, and the LDL-C up-to-standard rate (<1.8 mmol/L) was 21.3%. Mobile-based CBT intervention significantly increased the reduction of LDL-C change (%) at the 6-month follow-up (ß=-10.026, 95% CI -18.111 to -1.940). In addition, this benefit remained when baseline LDL-C <1.8 mmol/L (ß=-24.103, 95% CI -43.110 to -5.095). Logistic regression analysis showed that mobile-based CBT intervention moderately increased the LDL-C up-to-standard rates (<1.8 mmol/L) in the sixth month (odds ratio 1.579, 95% CI 0.994-2.508). For GSE and QL-index, mobile-based CBT intervention significantly increased the change of scores (%) at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up (all P values <.05). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ASCVD, mobile-based CBT is effective in reducing LDL-C levels (even for those who already had a standard LDL-C) and can improve self-efficacy and quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100046775; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=127140.

Medication overuse headache associated with decreased dopamine transporter availability in the medial but not in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex: a 11CFT PET/MR study.

BACKGROUNDS: Dysfunction of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system in medication overuse headache (MOH) is unknown. This study aimed to determine dopamine transporter (DAT) availability, which is sensitive to dopamine levels, in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system in MOH patients. METHODS: This case-control study investigated eligible MOH patients admitted to the International Headache Centre in the neurological department of Chinese PLA General Hospital between July 2018 and August 2019. All subjects underwent an integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) brain scans with 11CFT, a radioligand that binds to DAT. Standardised uptake value ratio (SUVr) images were compared voxelwise between MOH patients and healthy controls (HCs). SUVr values from significantly changed regions were extracted, and partial correlation analyses with clinical measures were conducted. RESULTS: We examined 17 MOH patients and 16 HCs. MOH patients had lower SUVr levels in the medial rather than lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) than HCs (T = -5.0317, PGRF < 0.01), which showed no correlation with clinical features. CONCLUSIONS: MOH is characterised by decreased DAT availability in the medial OFC, which might reflect compensatory downregulation due to low dopamine signalling within the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and provide a new perspective to understand the pathogenesis of MOH.

Pre-attack and pre-episode symptoms in cluster headache: a multicenter cross-sectional study of 327 Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: There have been a few studies regarding the pre-attack symptoms (PAS) and pre-episode symptoms (PES) of cluster headache (CH), but none have been conducted in the Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and features of PAS and PES in Chinese patients, as well as to investigate their relationships with pertinent factors. METHODS: The study included patients who visited a tertiary headache center and nine other headache clinics between January 2019 and September 2021. A questionnaire was used to collect general data and information about PAS and PES. RESULTS: Among the 327 patients who met the CH criteria (International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition), 269 (82.3%) patients experienced at least one PAS. The most common PAS were head and facial discomfort (74.4%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis depicted that the number of triggers (OR = 1.798, p = 0.001), and smoking history (OR = 2.067, p = 0.026) were correlated with increased odds of PAS. In total, 68 (20.8%) patients had PES. The most common symptoms were head and facial discomfort (23, 33.8%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the number of triggers were associated with increased odds of PES (OR = 1.372, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: PAS are quite common in CH patients, demonstrating that CH attacks are not comprised of a pain phase alone; investigations of PAS and PES could help researchers better understand the pathophysiology of CH.

Electric hearing and tinnitus suppression by noninvasive ear stimulation.

While noninvasive brain stimulation is convenient and cost effective, its utility is limited by the substantial distance between scalp electrodes and their intended neural targets in the head. The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is a thin flap of skin deep in an orifice of the head that may serve as a port for improved efficiency of noninvasive stimulation. Here we chose the cochlea as a target because it resides in the densest bone of the skull and is adjacent to many deep-brain-stimulation structures. We also tested the hypothesis that noninvasive electric stimulation of the cochlea may restore neural activities that are missing in acoustic stimulation. We placed an electrode in the ear canal or on the tympanic membrane in 25 human adults (10 females) and compared their stimulation efficiency by characterizing the electrically-evoked auditory sensation. Relative to ear canal stimulation, tympanic membrane stimulation was four times more likely to produce an auditory percept, required eight times lower electric current to reach the threshold and produced two-to-four times more linear suprathreshold responses. We further measured tinnitus suppression in 14 of the 25 subjects who had chronic tinnitus. Compared with ear canal stimulation, tympanic membrane stimulation doubled both the probability (22% vs. 55%) and the amount (-15% vs. -34%) of tinnitus suppression. These findings extended previous work comparing evoked perception and tinnitus suppression between electrodes placed in the ear canal and on the scalp. Together, the previous and present results suggest that the efficiency of conventional scalp-based noninvasive electric stimulation can be improved by at least one order of magnitude via tympanic membrane stimulation. This increased efficiency is most likely due to the shortened distance between the electrode placed on the tympanic membrane and the targeted cochlea. The present findings have implications for the management of tinnitus by offering a potential alternative to interventions using invasive electrical stimulation such as cochlear implantation, or other non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation methods.

A novel intelligent system based on adjustable classifier models for diagnosing heart sounds.

A novel intelligent diagnostic system is proposed to diagnose heart sounds (HSs). The innovations of this system are primarily reflected in the automatic segmentation and extraction of the first complex sound [Formula: see text] and second complex sound [Formula: see text]; the automatic extraction of the secondary envelope-based diagnostic features [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] from [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]; and the adjustable classifier models that correspond to the confidence bounds of the Chi-square ([Formula: see text]) distribution and are adjusted by the given confidence levels (denoted as [Formula: see text]). The three stages of the proposed system are summarized as follows. In stage 1, the short time modified Hilbert transform (STMHT)-based curve is used to segment and extract [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. In stage 2, the envelopes [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for periods [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are obtained via a novel method, and the frequency features are automatically extracted from [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] by setting different threshold value ([Formula: see text]) lines. Finally, the first three principal components determined based on principal component analysis (PCA) are used as the diagnostic features. In stage 3, a Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based component objective function [Formula: see text] is generated. Then, the [Formula: see text] distribution for component k is determined by calculating the Mahalanobis distance from [Formula: see text] to the class mean [Formula: see text] for component k, and the confidence region of component k is determined by adjusting the optimal confidence level [Formula: see text] and used as the criterion to diagnose HSs. The performance evaluation was validated by sounds from online HS databases and clinical heart databases. The accuracy of the proposed method was compared to the accuracies of other state-of-the-art methods, and the highest classification accuracies of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], 99.67[Formula: see text] and 99.91[Formula: see text] in the detection of MR, MS, ASD, NM, AS, AR and VSD sounds were achieved by setting [Formula: see text] to 0.87,0.65,0.67,0.65,0.67,0.79 and 0.87, respectively.

Genetic and Phenotypic Variability in Chinese Patients With Branchio-Oto-Renal or Branchio-Oto Syndrome.

Background: Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR) and branchio-oto syndrome (BOS) are rare autosomal dominant disorders defined by varying combinations of branchial, otic, and renal anomalies. Here, we characterized the clinical features and genetic etiology of BOR/BOS in several Chinese families and then explored the genotypes and phenotypes of BOR/BOS-related genes, as well as the outcomes of auditory rehabilitation in different modalities. Materials and Methods: Probands and all affected family members underwent detailed clinical examinations. Their DNA was subjected to whole-exome sequencing to explore the underlying molecular etiology of BOR/BOS; candidate variants were validated using Sanger sequencing and interpreted in accordance with the American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. In addition, a literature review concerning EYA1 and SIX1 alterations was performed to explore the genotypes and phenotypes of BOR/BOS-related genes. Results: Genetic testing identified the novel deletion (c.1425delC, p(Asp476Thrfs*4); NM_000,503.6), a nonsense variant (c.889C > T, p(Arg297*)), and two splicing variants in the EYA1 gene (c.1050+1G > T and c.1140+1G > A); it also identified one novel missense variant in the SIX1 gene (c.316G > A, p(Val106Met); NM_005,982.4). All cases exhibited a degree of phenotypic variability between or within families. Middle ear surgeries for improving bone-conduction component hearing loss had unsuccessful outcomes; cochlear implantation (CI) contributed to hearing gains. Conclusion: This is the first report of BOR/BOS caused by the SIX1 variant in China. Our findings increase the numbers of known EYA1 and SIX1 variants. They also emphasize the usefulness of genetic testing in the diagnosis and prevention of BOR/BOS while demonstrating that CI for auditory rehabilitation is a feasible option in some BOR/BOS patients.

The genus Alcochera Frster (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ctenopelmatinae) in China with a key to world species.

Two new species of Alcochera (Ichneumonidae, Ctenopelmatinae, Mesoleiini), Alcochera flavoclypeata Sheng Sun, sp. nov. collected from Labagoumen Natural Reserve, Huairou, Beijing, and A. truncata Sheng Sun, sp. nov. from Wugongshan Natural Reserve, are described and illustrated. An updated taxonomic key to world species of Alcochera is provided.

Anti-inflammatory activity of different isolated sites of Chloranthus serratus in complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritic rats.

Chloranthus serratus is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating arthritis and bruises. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-arthritic activities and possible associated mechanisms of different isolated sites of Chloranthus serratus (DISC) in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rats. The therapeutic effects of the extracts were assessed through changes in body weights, swelling rates, arthritis indexes (AI) and organ indexes. The levels of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase were determined using one-step method, TBA method and hydroxylamine method, respectively; the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, prostaglandin E2, macrophage inhibitor factor-1, VEGF, immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM and IFN-γ in serum were determined using ELISA. Pathological changes and positive expression of VEGF in the ankle joints were investigated using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. DISC treatment increased the weight gains and thymus indexes, and decreased the swelling rates, spleen indexes and AI in AA rats. The water isolated site (WA) and ethyl acetate isolated site (EA) significantly reversed complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced changes in the levels of NO, IL-6, TNF-α, IgG and IFN-γ, while the n-butanol isolated site (NB) only reversed the changes in IL-6 and IgG contents. Some changes in the chloroform isolated site group showed the same trend as those in the model group. The extracts relieved synovial hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration and articular surface defects, and reduced the positive expression rate of VEGF in the synovial tissues of the AA rats to varying degrees. The WA exhibited the most marked effects, followed by the EA and NB, indicating that WA had optimal therapeutic effects on CFA-induced arthritic rats, which may be mediated by the oxidative stress and inhibition of inflammatory factors. C. serratus may serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Task-dependent effects of nicotine treatment on auditory performance in young-adult and elderly human nonsmokers.

Electrophysiological studies show that nicotine enhances neural responses to characteristic frequency stimuli. Previous behavioral studies partially corroborate these findings in young adults, showing that nicotine selectively enhances auditory processing in difficult listening conditions. The present work extended previous work to include both young and older adults and assessed the nicotine effect on sound frequency and intensity discrimination. Hypotheses were that nicotine improves auditory performance and that the degree of improvement is inversely proportional to baseline performance. Young (19-23 years old) normal-hearing nonsmokers and elderly (61-80) nonsmokers with normal hearing between 500 and 2000 Hz received nicotine gum (6 mg) or placebo gum in a single-blind, randomized crossover design. Participants performed three experiments (frequency discrimination, frequency modulation identification, and intensity discrimination) before and after treatment. The perceptual differences were analyzed between pre- and post-treatment, as well as between post-treatment nicotine and placebo conditions as a function of pre-treatment baseline performance. Compared to pre-treatment performance, nicotine significantly improved frequency discrimination. Compared to placebo, nicotine significantly improved performance for intensity discrimination, and the improvement was more pronounced in the elderly with lower baseline performance. Nicotine had no effect on frequency modulation identification. Nicotine effects are task-dependent, reflecting possible interplays of subjects, tasks and neural mechanisms.

Anti-inflammatory activity of the water extract of Chloranthus serratus roots in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells mediated by the Nrf2/HO-1, MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Chloranthus serratus is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating arthritis and bruises. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the dose-effect relationship and molecular mechanisms of the water extract of C. serratus roots (WECR) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method. One-step method, DCFH-DA fluorescence probe method and immunofluorescence method were used to detect nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p65 nuclear transcription, respectively. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Western blotting was taken to determine the contents of the relevant proteins in the nuclear transcription factor E2 related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. RESULTS: The concentrations of 3, 30 and 300 µg/mL were optimized as low, medium and high concentrations of the WECR, respectively, and 1 µg/mL was selected as the optimal concentration of LPS to activate macrophages. The dose of the positive drug dexamethasone was 0.13 mg/mL. The WECR could not only inhibit LPS-induced cell differentiation and the overexpression of NO, IL-6, TNF-α, PGE2 and ROS but also promote the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1, and down-regulate the phosphorylation levels of ERK, JNK, p38 and p65. After the WECR treatment, the expression levels of iNOS and COX-2 mRNA and nuclear translocation of p65 were all inhibited. CONCLUSIONS: The WECR exerts its anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the MAPK and NF-κB pathways, activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and down-regulating inflammatory factor levels in a dose-dependent manner.

Oxidative stress-mediated hepatotoxicity in rats induced by ethanol extracts of different parts of Chloranthus serratus.

CONTEXT: Chloranthus serratus (Thunb.) Roem. et Schult. (Chloranthaceae) is an herb widely used as a folk medicine treating inflammatory diseases, although it is toxic. OBJECTIVE: To investigate hepatotoxicity and related mechanisms induced by ethanol extracts of different parts of C. serratus in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control (Con), ethanol extract of roots (ER), stems (ES), and leaves (EL) groups, and acute oral toxicity studies were conducted. The rats received doses of 4.14, 3.20, and 1.16 g/kg/d extracts for 14 days, respectively. Liver index, liver function and oxidative stress biomarkers, liver pathology, ultrastructure, TNF-α, ICAM-1, and Nrf2/HO-1 proteins expression levels were determined. RESULTS: The LD50 of ER, ES, and EL were higher than 10.35, 8.05, and 2.90 g/kg/p.o., respectively. The liver indexes in the extract groups increased significantly. EL dramatically increased TP, GLB, AST, ALT, ALP, TBA, MDA, ICAM-1, and TNF-α levels (p < 0.01), and induced the most obvious pathological and ultrastructural changes. ES and EL obviously decreased the T-SOD, GSH, CAT, and CHOL levels. Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins expression was reduced significantly in ES (0.77 ± 0.06, 2.33 ± 0.20) and EL (0.23 ± 0.04, 2.14 ± 0.16) groups, and reduced slightly in ER (1.08 ± 0.10; 3.39 ± 0.21) group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: ES and EL induce stronger hepatotoxicity than ER through oxidative stress and the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, and the root is a better medicinal part, which provides a basis for clinical research, safe applications, and reasonable development of C. serratus.

First record of the genus Microstenus Szépligeti (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) from China, with description of one new species and a key to world species.

The genus Microstenus Szépligeti, 1916 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) is newly recorded from China based on a new species, Microstenus rufithorax Sheng, Li Sun, sp. nov., collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oriental part of China. Illustrations of the new species are provided. A key to the world species of this genus is also provided.

Anti-inflammatory effects of the root, stem and leaf extracts of Chloranthus serratus on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

Context: Chloranthus serratus [(Thunb.) Roem. et Schult, (Chloranthaceae)] is a folk medicine used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate anti-arthritic effects of the ethanol extracts of the roots (ER), stems (ES) and leaves (EL) of C. serratus on adjuvant arthritis rats and related mechanisms.Materials and methods: The rats were immunized by intradermal injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA, 0.18 mL) into the right hind feet, and received intragastric administrations of the ER, ES and EL (2.07, 1.61 and 0.58 g/kg/d, respectively) for 14 days. The anti-arthritic activity was assessed by swelling rates, serum indicators, antioxidant capacity, histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses.Results: The LD50 of the ER, ES and EL was higher than 10.35, 8.05 and 2.90 g/kg/p.o., respectively. Extract treatments decreased swelling rates, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß), migration inhibitory factor 1 (MIF-1), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels and positive expression of VEGF in the arthritic rats (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). The ER significantly decreased NO (3.91 ± 0.61 µmol/L), IL-6 (75.67 ± 16.83 pg/mL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (2.28 ± 0.32 nmol/mL) contents and clearly increased IFN-γ (2082 ± 220.93 pg/mL) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (601.98 ± 38.40 U/mL) levels. The ES and EL did not reverse the changes in some indicators. All the extracts alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration and synovial cell proliferation. Among them, the ER was the most pronounced.Discussion and conclusions: ER exerts the most promising effects, as shown by inhibiting the releases of inflammatory cytokines and enhancing antioxidant capacity, which provides a scientific basis for further research on C. serratus and its clinical applications.

miR-410-5p promotes the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy by suppressing PIM1-induced anti-apoptosis.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus that can cause many severe symptoms, such as heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden death. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac dysfunction in DCM remain elusive. In this study, we found that miR-410-5p was increased in the myocardial tissue of a diabetes mellitus (DM) rat model. Further studies confirmed that inhibition of miR-410-5p reduced cell apoptosis by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax axis. Through bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays, we observed that miR-410-5p directly targets PIM1. Moreover, knockdown of miR-410-5p by antagomir-410-5p improved diabetes-induced cardiac function and myocardial tissue structure. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that miR-410-5p might be involved in the progression of DCM by targeting PIM1 and might be a promising therapeutic target for DCM in the future.

Rates and Predictors of Relapse in Medication Overuse Headache: A Clinic-Based Study from China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to further assess the rates and risk factors for relapse in medication overuse headache (MOH) patients in China. METHODS: The patients were admitted to neurology outpatient clinics at Chinese PLA General Hospital (primarily for headache) and diagnosed with MOH. They responded well to 2 months of preventive treatment and completed a 1-year consultation. General information was collected, including demographic characteristics (age, height, weight, and education level), the clinical features of the headache and the use of pain relievers (type, frequency and duration). Differences in each factor between the group with relapse and the group without relapse were analyzed by the chi-square test or Wilcoxon test. Variables with a p < 0.05 were included as independent variables in nonconditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 129 patients were recruited for this retrospective study. The relapse rate of the MOH patients at the 1-year follow-up was 24.8%. The relapse rate was significantly higher in the patients with migraine (29/97, 29.9%) than in the patients with tension-type headache (3/32, 9.4%) and in the patients with low education levels (middle school or lower; 24/77, 31.6%) than in those with high education levels (high school or higher; 8/52, 15.4%). Nonconditional logistic regression analysis showed that the type of primary headache was an independent risk factor for MOH relapse (OR 3.719, p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: The relapse rate of MOH patients at the 1-year follow-up was 24.8% in China. The type of primary headache is an independent risk factor for MOH relapse, and patients with migraine as the primary headache are more prone to relapse.