Development and validation of a prognostic model for assessing long COVID risk following Omicron wave-a large population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Long coronavirus disease (COVID) after COVID-19 infection is continuously threatening the health of people all over the world. Early prediction of the risk of Long COVID in hospitalized patients will help clinical management of COVID-19, but there is still no reliable and effective prediction model. METHODS: A total of 1905 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection were included in this study, and their Long COVID status was followed up 4-8 weeks after discharge. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors for Long COVID. Patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (70%) and a validation cohort (30%), and factors for constructing the model were screened using Lasso regression in the training cohort. Visualize the Long COVID risk prediction model using nomogram. Evaluate the performance of the model in the training and validation cohort using the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: A total of 657 patients (34.5%) reported that they had symptoms of long COVID. The most common symptoms were fatigue or muscle weakness (16.8%), followed by sleep difficulties (11.1%) and cough (9.5%). The risk prediction nomogram of age, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, vaccination status, procalcitonin, leukocytes, lymphocytes, interleukin-6 and D-dimer were included for early identification of high-risk patients with Long COVID. AUCs of the model in the training cohort and validation cohort are 0.762 and 0.713, respectively, demonstrating relatively high discrimination of the model. The calibration curve further substantiated the proximity of the nomogram's predicted outcomes to the ideal curve, the consistency between the predicted outcomes and the actual outcomes, and the potential benefits for all patients as indicated by DCA. This observation was further validated in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We established a nomogram model to predict the long COVID risk of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and proved its relatively good predictive performance. This model is helpful for the clinical management of long COVID.

Periplocymarin alleviates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway.

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is the most important risk factor for developing chronic heart failure. Therefore, the discovery of novel agents for treating pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains urgent. In the present study, we examined the therapeutic effect and mechanism of periplocymarin (PM)-mediated protection against pathological cardiac hypertrophy using angiotensinII (AngII)-stimulated cardiac hypertrophy in H9c2 cells and transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice. In vitro, PM treatment significantly reduced the surface area of H9c2 cells and expressions of hypertrophy-related proteins. Meanwhile, PM markedly down-regulated AngII-induced translocation of p-STAT3 into the nuclei and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins. The STAT3 specific inhibitor S3I-201 or siRNA-mediated depleted expression could alleviate AngII-induced cardiac hypertrophy in H9c2 cells following PM treatment; however, PM failed to reduce the expressions of hypertrophy-related proteins and phosphorylated STAT3 in STAT3-overexpressing cells, indicating that PM protected against AngII-induced cardiac hypertrophy by modulating STAT3 signalling. In vivo, PM reversed TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy, as determined by down-regulating ratios of heart weight to body weight (HW/BW), heart weight to tibial length (HW/TL) and expressions of hypertrophy-related proteins accompanied by the inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. These results revealed that PM could effectively protect the cardiac structure and function in experimental models of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway. PM is expected to be a potential lead compound of the novel agents for treating pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Characterizing the interruption-recovery patterns of urban air pollution under the COVID-19 lockdown in China.

The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to study the effects of urban lockdown policies on the variation in pollutant concentrations and to characterize the recovery patterns of urban air pollution under the interruption of COVID-19 lockdown policies. In this paper, interruption-recovery models and regression discontinuity design were developed to characterize air pollution interruption-recovery patterns and analyze environmental impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown, using air pollution data from four Chinese metropolises (i.e., Shanghai, Wuhan, Tianjin, and Guangzhou). The results revealed the air pollutant interruption-recovery curve represented by the three lockdown response periods (Level I, Level II and Level III) during COVID-19. The curve decreased during Level I (A 25.3%-48.8% drop in the concentration of NO2 has been observed in the four metropolises compared with the same period in 2018-2019.), then recovered around reopening, but decreased again during Level III. Moreover, the interruption-recovery curve of the year-on-year air pollution difference suggests a process of first decreasing during Level I and gradually recovering to a new equilibrium during Level III (e.g., the unit cumulative difference of NO2 mass concentrations in Shanghai was 21.7, 22.5, 11.3 (µg/m3) during Level I, II, and III and other metropolises shared similar results). Our findings reveal general trends in the air quality externality of different lockdown policies, hence could provide valuable insights into air pollutant interruption-recovery patterns and clear scientific guides for policymakers to estimate the effect of different lockdown policies on urban air quality.

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on roadside traffic-related air pollution in Shanghai, China.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly inhibited global economic growth and impacted the environment. Some evidence suggests that lockdown strategies have significantly reduced traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) in regions across the world. However, the impact of COVID-19 on TRAP on roadside is still not clearly understood. In this study, we assessed the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on the levels of traffic-related air pollutants in Shanghai. The pollution data from two types of monitoring stations-roadside stations and non-roadside stations were compared and evaluated. The results show that NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 had reduced by ~30-40% at each station during the COVID-19 pandemic in contrast to 2018-2019. CO showed a moderate decline of 28.8% at roadside stations and 16.4% at non-roadside stations. In contrast, O3 concentrations increased by 30.2% at roadside stations and 5.7% at non-roadside stations. This result could be resulted from the declined NOx emissions from vehicles, which lowered O3 titration. Full lockdown measures resulted in the highest reduction of primary pollutants by 34-48% in roadside stations and 18-50% in non-roadside stations. The increase in O3 levels was also the most significant during full lockdown by 64% in roadside stations and 33% in non-roadside stations due to the largest decrease in NO2 precursors, which promote O3 formation. Additionally, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between NO2 and other pollutants significantly decreased, while the values between NO2 and O3 increased at roadside stations.

Hedgehog signaling contributes to basic fibroblast growth factor-regulated fibroblast migration.

Fibroblast migration is a central process in skin wound healing, which requires the coordination of several types of growth factors. bFGF, a well-known fibroblast growth factor (FGF), is able to accelerate fibroblast migration; however, the underlying mechanism of bFGF regulation fibroblast migration remains unclear. Through the RNA-seq analysis, we had identified that the hedgehog (Hh) canonical pathway genes including Smoothened (Smo) and Gli1, were regulated by bFGF. Further analysis revealed that activation of the Hh pathway via up-regulation of Smo promoted fibroblast migration, invasion, and skin wound healing, but which significantly reduced by GANT61, a selective antagonist of Gli1/Gli2. Western blot analyses and siRNA transfection assays demonstrated that Smo acted upstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-ß-catenin to promote cell migration. Moreover, RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that Hh pathway genes including Smo and Gli1 were under control of ß-catenin, suggesting that ß-catenin turn feedback activates Hh signaling. Taken together, our analyses identified a new bFGF-regulating mechanism by which Hh signaling regulates human fibroblast migration, and the data presented here opens a new avenue for the wound healing therapy.

Effect of high temperature stress on heat shock protein expression and antioxidant enzyme activity of two morphs of the mud crab Scylla paramamosain.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect rapid temperature change from moderate temperature to high temperatures on heat shock protein (HSP) expression and antioxidant enzyme activities in mud crabs. Two mud crabs, one with one spine on the outer margin of the carpus of cheliped (Sp1) and another with two spines (Sp2), were acclimated at 25 °C and then transferred to a 33 °C environment, and HSP expression and antioxidant enzyme activity were assessed. HSP70 and HSP60 were markedly up-regulated in the gills and hepatopancreas of Sp1 and Sp2 after exposure to 35 °C. Exposure to 35 °C also significantly increased superoxide dismutase and catalase activity in the gills of Sp1 and Sp2, with transient changes in hepatopancreas. Apart from changes in antioxidant enzyme activities, HSPs were highly up-regulated after exposure to 37 °C, especially for HSP70. Gill HSP70 expression in Sp2 was 6.1 folds that of the control after 24 h of exposure to 37 °C, and 9.2 folds that of Sp1. Moreover, exposure to 37 °C further up-regulated HSP70 in the hepatopancreas of Sp1, compared to that in Sp2. Hence, HSPs play important roles in thermotolerance in S. paramamosain and Sp1 might have a stronger tolerance to hyperthermal stress than Sp2.

Lysine supplement benefits the growth performance, protein synthesis, and muscle development of Megalobrama amblycephala fed diets with fish meal replaced by rice protein concentrate.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of lysine supplement on the growth performance of blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala fed diets with fish meal (FM) replaced by rice protein concentrate (RPC) with the potential mechanisms characterized. Fish were fed three diets, including the FM diet (containing FM), the RPC diet (FM replaced by RPC), and the MRPC diet (the RPC diet supplemented with lysine) for 8 weeks. Weight gain, protein efficiency ratio, and nitrogen and energy utilization of fish fed the FM diet were all significantly higher than those of the RPC treatment, but they showed no statistical difference with those of the MRPC group. Fish fed the RPC diet showed shorter villi length of the distal intestine than that of the other treatments. No significance was found in whole-body composition and intestinal and hepatic cell proliferation among all the treatments. However, fish fed the RPC diet obtained relatively low transcriptions of growth hormone (GH), GH receptor, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), target of rapamycin (TOR), ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1, myoblast determination protein, myogenic factor 5, and myostatin a (MSTNa) but high levels of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 2 (4E-BP2) than those of the other groups. Furthermore, little difference was found in the transcriptions of 4E-BP2, myogenin, muscle-specific regulatory 4, and MSTNb in muscle. Overall, these results showed that dietary supplement of lysine benefits the growth performance of blunt snout bream fed FM-free diets through the mediation of the GH-IGF-I axis, TOR signaling pathway, myogenic regulatory factors, and MSTN.

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Sulfonyloxylation of Electron-Rich Arenes with p-Toluenesulfonic Acid and Sulfonyloxylation of Aryl(mesityl)iodonium Sulfonates.

Copper-catalyzed regioselective C-H sulfonyloxylation of electron-rich arenes with p-toluenesulfonic acid has been developed. Electron-rich benzene derivatives and heteroarenes can undergo this C-H sulfonyloxylation reaction to generate aryl tosylates. Furthermore, sulfonyloxylation of aryl(mesityl)iodonium sulfonates has also been investigated. Both aryl(mesityl)iodonium tosylates and triflates can react smoothly to get aryl sulfonates. The formed aryl sulfonates can be converted to phenols, as well as used as good partners of cross-coupling reactions.

[Pharmacological Effects of Different Prepared Typhonii Rhizoma].

Objective: To evaluate the different actions of crude and prepared Typhonii Rhizoma through pharmacological and statistical methods. Methods: Spontaneous activity test, sleep test, and seizure induced by dimefline in mice were used to examine the sedative and anticonvulsant effects of different prepared products of Typhonii Rhizoma. Twisting induced by acetic acid, law pain induced by formaldehyde, and ear swelling caused by xylene were applied to examine the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of those different prepared products. Then the pharmacological effects of different prepared Typhonii Rhizoma were comprehensively analyzed by principal components analysis method. Results: Typhonii Rhizoma significantly reduced the spontaneous activities of mice, prolonged the convulsions latency,decreased twisting times, licking time and ear swelling. The principal components analysis results showed that the sample order from strong to weak was Typhonii Rhizoma prepared by ginger and alum, prepared by alum,crude Typhonii Rhizoma, and those prepared by ginger. Conclusion: Crude and prepared Typhonii Rhizoma exert sedative, anticonvulsant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in different degrees.

Artificial intelligence in cardiology: a bibliometric study.

OBJECTIVES: To perform a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global publications on the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiology. METHODS: Documents related to AI in cardiology published between 2002 and 2022 were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection. R package "bibliometrix", VOSviewers and Microsoft Excel were applied to perform the bibliometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4332 articles were included. United States topped the list of countries publishing articles, followed by China and United Kingdom. The Harvard University was the institution that contributed the most to this field, followed by University of California System and University of London. Disease risk prediction, diagnosis, treatment, disease detection, and prognosis assessment were the research hotspots for AI in cardiology. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing cooperation between different countries and institutions is a critical step in leading to breakthroughs in the application of AI in cardiology. It is foreseeable that the application of machine learning and deep learning in various areas of cardiology will be a research priority in the coming years.

Extracellular vesicles reshape the tumor microenvironment to improve cancer immunotherapy: Current knowledge and future prospects.

Tumor immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but limitations remain, including low response rates and immune complications. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as a new class of therapeutic agents for various diseases. Recent research shows that changes in the amount and composition of EVs can reshape the tumor microenvironment (TME), potentially improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy. This exciting discovery has sparked clinical interest in using EVs to enhance the immune system's response to cancer. In this Review, we delve into the world of EVs, exploring their origins, how they're generated, and their complex interactions within the TME. We also discuss the crucial role EVs play in reshaping the TME during tumor development. Specifically, we examine how their cargo, including molecules like PD-1 and non-coding RNA, influences the behavior of key immune cells within the TME. Additionally, we explore the current applications of EVs in various cancer therapies, the latest advancements in engineering EVs for improved immunotherapy, and the challenges faced in translating this research into clinical practice. By gaining a deeper understanding of how EVs impact the TME, we can potentially uncover new therapeutic vulnerabilities and significantly enhance the effectiveness of existing cancer immunotherapies.

Retrogradation behaviors of damaged wheat starch with different water contents.

The retrogradation behaviors of five damaged wheat starches (DS) after milling 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min with different water contents (33, 50, 60 %) were evaluated. Milling treatment increased DS content and developed an agglomeration of small particles. After 7 days of storage, the recrystallinity and long-range ordered structure of starch pastes were increased with the contents of DS and water. This process led to a lower setback viscosity and poor leaching of amylose. LF-NMR indicated a conversion from tightly bound water and free water to weakly bound water. During storage, DS12 with 60 % water content had the highest retrogradation tendency where the retrogradation enthalpy increased by 1.5 J/g and 2.2 J/g compared with DS0 with 60 % and DS12 with 33 % water content. DS with higher water content promoted the water mobility and made the starch molecular chains migrated conveniently. These changes facilitated the recrystallinity process during retrogradation period.

Enhancing vitamin D3 bioaccessibility: Unveiling hydrophobic interactions in soybean protein isolate and vitamin D3 binding via an infant in vitro digestion model.

In the domain of infant nutrition, optimizing the absorption of crucial nutrients such as vitamin D3 (VD3) is paramount. This study harnessed dynamic-high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) on soybean protein isolate (SPI) to engineer SPI-VD3 nanoparticles for fortifying yogurt. Characterized by notable binding affinity (Ka = 0.166 × 105 L·mol-1) at 80 MPa and significant surface hydrophobicity (H0 = 3494), these nanoparticles demonstrated promising attributes through molecular simulations. During simulated infant digestion, the 80 MPa DHPM-treated nanoparticles showcased an impressive 74.4% VD3 bioaccessibility, delineating the pivotal roles of hydrophobicity, bioaccessibility, and micellization dynamics. Noteworthy was their traversal through the gastrointestinal tract, illuminating bile salts' crucial function in facilitating VD3 re-encapsulation, thereby mitigating crystallization and augmenting absorption. Moreover, DHPM treatment imparted enhancements in nanoparticle integrity and hydrophobic properties, consequently amplifying VD3 bioavailability. This investigation underscores the potential of SPI-VD3 nanoparticles in bolstering VD3 absorption, thereby furnishing invaluable insights for tailored infant nutrition formulations.

Insight into the promoted recrystallization and water distribution of bread by removing starch granule - surface and - associated proteins during storage.

The influence of starch granule surface proteins (SGSPs) and starch granule-associated proteins (SGAPs) on bread retrogradation was investigated in a reconstituted dough system. The removal of both SGSPs and SGAPs resulted in poor bread qualities, decreasing specific volume and crumb porosity, leading to more baking loss and compact crumb structure. Particularly, removing SGSPs was effective in promoting the bread retrogradation. After 7 days of storage, the hardness of bread without SGSPs showed an increase of 353.34 g than the bread without SGAPs. Proton population and relaxation times exhibited that the absence of SGSPs significantly decreased the content of bound water from 11.51 % to 7.03 %, indicating lower water-holding capacity due to the loosen gelling structure. Compared to the control group, bread without SGSPs accelerated the starch recrystallinity by a reduction in soluble starch content, thereby increasing the retrogradation enthalpy and relative crystallinity through promoting the molecular reassociation in starch.

Br, O-Modified Cu(111) Interface Promotes CO2 Reduction to Multicarbon Products.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to multicarbon (C2+) products with added value represents a promising strategy for achieving a carbon-neutral economy. Precise manipulation of the catalytic interface is imperative to control the catalytic selectivity, particularly toward C2+ products. In this study, a unique Cu/UIO-Br interface is designed, wherein the Cu(111) plane is co-modified simultaneously by Br and O from UIO-66-Br support. Such Cu/UIO-Br catalytic interface demonstrates a superior Faradaic efficiency of ≈53% for C2+ products (ethanol/ethylene) and the C2+ partial current density reached 24.3 mA cm-2 in an H-cell electrolyzer. The kinetic isotopic effect test, in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations have been conducted to elucidate the catalytic mechanism. The Br, O co-modification on the Cu(111) interface enhanced the adsorption of CO2 species. The hydrogen-bond effect from the doped Br atom regulated the kinetic processes of *H species in CO2RR and promoted the formation of *COH intermediate. The formed *COH facilitates the *CO-*COH coupling and promotes the C2+ selectivity finally. This comprehensive investigation not only provides an in-depth study and understanding of the catalytic process but also offers a promising strategy for designing efficient Cu-based catalysts with exceptional C2+ products.

Effect of probiotics on children with autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Researches have found that alteration of intestinal flora may be closely related to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, whether probiotics supplementation has a protective effect on ASD remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to analyze the outcome of probiotics in the treatment of ASD children. METHODS: The Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase were searched until Sep 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) relevant to the probiotics and placebo treatment on ASD children were screened. Quality assessment of the included RCTs was evaluated by the Cochrane collaboration's tool. The primary outcomes were ASD assessment scales, including ABC (aberrant behavior checklist) and CBCL (child behavior checklist) for evaluating the behavior improvement, SRS (social responsiveness scale) for social assessment, DQ (developmental quotient) for physical and mental development and CGI-I (clinical global impression improvement) for overall improvement. The secondary outcome was total 6-GSI (gastrointestinal severity index). RESULTS: In total, 6 RCTs from 6 studies with 302 children were included in the systemic review. Total 6-GSI (MD=-0.59, 95%CI [-1.02,-0.17], P < 0.05) decreased significantly after oral administration of probiotics. Whereas, there was no statistical difference in ABC, CBCL, SRS, DQ and CGI-I between probiotics and placebo groups in ASD children. CONCLUSION: Probiotics treatment could improve gastrointestinal symptoms, but there was no significant improvement in ASD.

Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Chinese Urban Area: A Case-Control Study.

Background: As a prodromal stage of dementia, significant emphasis has been placed on the identification of modifiable risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research has indicated a correlation between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function in older adults. However, few studies have examined such an association among the MCI population inChina. Objective: We aimed to explore the association between air pollution exposure and MCI risk from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. Methods: We measured four pollutants from 2015 to 2018, 3 years before the cognitive assessment of the participants. Logistic regression models were employed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to assess the relationship between air pollutants and MCI risk. Results: Among 4,205 older participants, the adjusted ORs of MCI risk for the highest quartile of PM2.5, PM10, O3, and SO2 were 1.90 (1.39, 2.62), 1.77 (1.28, 2.47), 0.56 (0.42, 0.75), and 1.18 (0.87, 1.61) respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Stratified analyses indicated that such associations were found in both males and females, but were more significant in older participants. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the growing evidence suggesting that air pollution increases the risk of mild cognitive decline, which has considerable guiding significance for early intervention of dementia in the older population. Further studies in other populations and broader geographical areas are warranted to validate these findings.

Chinese Medicine as Supporting Therapy for Psoriasis: Past, Present, and Future.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease and an important health concern. Western medicine and therapies are the main treatment strategies for psoriasis vulgaris (PV); however, the overall prognosis of patients with PV is still poor. Therefore, PV prevention is especially crucial. Chinese medicine (CM) has a long history of treating psoriasis, and it has unique wisdom in different cognitive angles and treatment modes from modern medicine. In this review, we first summarized the herbs and ancient CM formulas that have therapeutic effects on PV. Second, the research status and obstacles to the current development of CM in modern medicine were reviewed. Finally, the future of CM in the context of precision medicine and integrated medicine was discussed. After a detailed reading of the abundant literature, we believe that CM, through thousands of years of continuous development and clinical practice, has achieved high effectiveness and safety for PV treatment, despite its surrounding controversy. Moreover, precise analyses and systematic research methods have provided new approaches for the modernization of CM in the future. The treatment of PV with CM is worth popularizing, and we hope it can benefit more patients.

Functions and mechanisms of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in central nervous system trauma.

Central nervous system (CNS) trauma, including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, has a high rate of disability and mortality, and effective treatment is currently lacking. Previous studies have revealed that neural inflammation plays a vital role in CNS trauma. As the initial enzyme in neuroinflammation, cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) can hydrolyze membranous phosphatides at the sn-2 position in a preferential way to release lysophospholipids and ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acid dominated by arachidonic acid, thereby inducing secondary injuries. Although there is substantial fresh knowledge pertaining to cPLA2, in-depth comprehension of how cPLA2 participates in CNS trauma and the potential methods to ameliorate the clinical results after CNS trauma are still insufficient. The present review summarizes the latest understanding of how cPLA2 participates in CNS trauma, highlighting novel findings pertaining to how cPLA2 activation initiates the potential mechanisms specifically, neuroinflammation, lysosome membrane functions, and autophagy activity, that damage the CNS after trauma. Moreover, we focused on testing a variety of drugs capable of inhibiting cPLA2 or the upstream pathway, and we explored how those agents might be utilized as treatments to improve the results following CNS trauma. This review aimed to effectively understand the mechanism of cPLA2 activation and its role in the pathophysiological processes of CNS trauma and provide clarification and a new referential framework for future research.

Qili Qiangxin, a compound herbal medicine formula, alleviates hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced apoptotic and autophagic cell death via suppression of ROS/AMPK/mTOR pathway in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: Qili Qiangxin (QLQX), a compound herbal medicine formula, is used effectively to treat congestive heart failure in China. However, the molecular mechanisms of the cardioprotective effect are still unclear. This study explores the cardioprotective effect and mechanism of QLQX using the hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R)-induced myocardial injury model. METHODS: The main chemical constituents of QLQX were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light-scattering detection. The model of H/R-induced myocardial injury in H9c2 cells was developed to simulate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Apoptosis, autophagy, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured to assess the protective effect of QLQX. Proteins related to autophagy, apoptosis and signalling pathways were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: Apoptosis, autophagy and the excessive production of ROS induced by H/R were significantly reduced after treating the H9c2 cells with QLQX. QLQX treatment at concentrations of 50 and 250 µg/mL caused significant reduction in the levels of LC3II and p62 degradation (P < 0.05), and also suppressed the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway. Furthermore, the AMPK inhibitor Compound C (at 0.5 µmol/L), and QLQX (250 µg/mL) significantly inhibited H/R-induced autophagy and apoptosis (P < 0.01), while AICAR (an AMPK activator, at 0.5 mmol/L) increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy and abolished the anti-apoptotic effect of QLQX. Similar phenomena were also observed on the expressions of apoptotic and autophagic proteins, demonstrating that QLQX reduced the apoptosis and autophagy in the H/R-induced injury model via inhibiting the AMPK/mTOR pathway. Moreover, ROS scavenger, N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, at 2.5 mmol/L), significantly reduced H/R-triggered cell apoptosis and autophagy (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, NAC treatment down-regulated the ratio of phosphorylation of AMPK/AMPK (P < 0.01), which showed a similar effect to QLQX. CONCLUSION: QLQX plays a cardioprotective role by alleviating apoptotic and autophagic cell death through inhibition of the ROS/AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway.