Search

The medicinal nature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mainly plays a role in regulating the energy and material metabolism of the body. The energy metabolism of the body is also regulated by the nervous and endocrine systems, and the hormones are an important component of the endocrine system to realize the coordinated action. Therefore, the medicinal nature of TCM is inextricably linked with the metabolism of hormones. Hyperthyroidism, qi-yin deficiency syndrome is regarded as the classic heat syndrome category in Chinese medicine, which can be used as model to reflect the mechanism and difference of qi tonifying of ginseng herbs with different medicinal natures. Steroid hormones are synthesized in the adrenal cortex, mitochondria of placental cells, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and gonads of the human body by the participation of various metabolic enzymes. Meanwhile, most of the patients with hyperthyroidism have adrenocortical dysfunction in the clinic, and the corresponding clinical symptoms are closely related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT), the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG). When hyperthyroidism occurs, the production and release of steroid hormones will be affected to a certain extent. To explore the correlation between the level of steroid hormones and hyperthyroidism, and the ameliorative effects of red ginseng and ginseng leaves of different types of the genus Ginseng on hypermetabolism of hyperthyroidism and the changes of related indexes, a method of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) was established for rapid identification and quantification of chemical components, including adrenaline, androstenedione, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, estriol, progesterone, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, corticosterone, and cortisol in rat serum. Then, multivariate analysis method, principal component analysis (PCA), and Spearman test were used to analyze the correlation among adrenaline, steroid hormones, and thyroid function. The results showed that the contents of steroid hormone in the serum of the model group of rats decrease to different degrees, compared with the control group, and increase after the administration of different types of ginsengs. Meanwhile, it was proved that the established method has high sensitivity, good reproducibility, high accuracy, and fast analysis, which can screen a large number of steroid hormones in complex samples in a short time, for accurately investigation of the effects of ginsengs on the content of 9 types of steroid hormones in hyperthyroidism rats. The abnormal levels of steroid hormones are related to thyroid hormones. Corticosterone and adrenaline can serve as key indicators for regulating steroid hormone metabolism of TCMs like ginsengs. Testosterone can be used as the biomarker for regulating steroid hormones of the cold nature herbs. Adrenaline and androstenedione can be used as biomarkers for regulating steroid hormones of the warm nature herbs. This method can conveniently, quickly, accurately, and efficiently complete the analysis of target components in samples. The average recoveries of steroid hormones in rat serum range from 88.75% to 106.94%, and the relative standard deviation is less than 1.99%. This can be used for the determination of steroid hormones in rat serum systematically, rapidly, accurately and efficiently, and provides a methodological reference for the analysis and determination of steroid hormones.

Ethane, the second most abundant gaseous hydrocarbon in vast anoxic environments, is an overlooked greenhouse gas. Microbial anaerobic oxidation of ethane can be driven by available electron acceptors such as sulfate and nitrate. However, despite nitrite being a more thermodynamically feasible electron acceptor than sulfate or nitrate, little is known about nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation. In this study, a microbial culture capable of nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation was enriched through the long-term operation of a nitrite-and-ethane-fed bioreactor. During continuous operation, the nitrite removal rate and the theoretical ethane oxidation rate remained stable at approximately 25.0 mg NO2–N L−1 d−1 and 11.48 mg C2H6 L−1 d−1, respectively. Batch tests demonstrated that ethane is essential for nitrite removal in this microbial culture. Metabolic function analysis revealed that a species affiliated with a novel genus within the family Rhodocyclaceae, designated as 'Candidatus Alkanivoras nitrosoreducens', may perform the nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation. In the proposed metabolic model, despite the absence of known genes for ethane conversion to ethyl-succinate and succinate-CoA ligase, 'Ca. A. nitrosoreducens' encodes a prospective fumarate addition pathway for anaerobic ethane oxidation and a complete denitrification pathway for nitrite reduction to nitrogen. These findings advance our understanding of nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation, highlighting the previously overlooked impact of anaerobic ethane oxidation in natural ecosystems.

The corrosion resistance of Cr reinforced HRB400 rebar in the marine environment was investigated. The addition of Cr increases the amount of Cr(OH)3 and α-FeOOH in the passivate film, resulting in a denser passivate film structure. This enhanced passivation film inhibits localized corrosion. The pitting potential and critical chloride concentration (CTL) of the steel increased with the increase in chromium content, indicating improved corrosion resistance of the steel. On the other hand, an increase in the concentration of Cl- in solution leads to a decrease in the pitting potential and resistance of the steel, which reduces the corrosion resistance. At higher Cl- concentrations, the Cl- ions form an electrochemical interface with the steel surface, resulting in a sharp decrease in the Rf value. In addition, the gradual decrease in solution pH leads to a decrease in the pitting potential and CTL of HRB400 and 1.5Cr steel. The corrosion resistance was also found to be reduced, pH reduction accelerated the intrusion of chloride ions, which led to a severe breakdown of the passivation film.

Abstract Background Gastrointestinal dysfunction is one of the common complaints for patient post-surgery. Acupuncture has been employed to improve gastrointestinal function and sleeping quality and has confirmed clinical efficacy for emotional problems. This study aims to evaluate the clinical effect of electroacupuncture for postoperative rapid recovery. Methods This study design is a two-arm, parallel, double-blinded randomized controlled trial. 104 subjects, aged from 40 to 89 years old, diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery, will be divided into Interventional Group and Control Group. Patients of both groups receive perioperative care under the guidance of ERAS guidance. The Interventional Group receives electroacupuncture treatment starting from the first day post-surgery for a consecutive 5 days, whereas the Control Group receives placebo electroacupuncture treatment. The primary outcome will be the first flatus time whereas the secondary outcomes will be the first sign of borborygmus, recovery of defecation, laboratory tests and questionnaires including Self-rating anxiety scale, Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test, TCM rating scale of Gastrointestinal symptoms and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scales. Discussion This study aims to provide timely intervention for post-laparoscopic patients with gastrointestinal tumour using the ERAS concept combined with electroacupuncture, observe the efficacy of this therapy in treating PGID, and contribute reliable scientific evidence for postoperative rapid recovery. Trial registration Chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR2300078710. Registered on 15th December 2023.

The application of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) to TA4 pure titanium (Ti) results in a fine-grained microstructure. This technique presents an substitute for alloying, delivering enhanced mechanical properties without reducing biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. This study employs scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to explore the microstructure evolution and the toughening mechanism of TA4 pure Ti after deformation. ECAP performed at 573 K endows TA4 pure Ti with a uniformly fine-grained microstructure, leading to a significant enhancement in its mechanical properties, exemplified by a yield strength of ∼731.9 ± 2.7 MPa and an elongation of ∼30.8± 1.3 %. While the {0001} basal slip primarily governs the ECAP deformation, the non-basal slip plays an increasingly important role with the increase of passes. The increase of yield strength can be attributed to grain refinement and the modification of the {0001} basal texture. Meanwhile, the improvement of plasticity is related to the strengthening of the {101‾ 0} prismatic texture. These findings offer fresh insights and methodologies for the design and manufacture of high-performance biomedical pure Ti.

BackgroundInsomnia is one of the most common symptoms among breast cancer patients, which can be present throughout all stages of breast cancer. As a non-pharmacological alternative treatment, acupuncture has been suggested to improve sleep situations in patients with cancer suffering from insomnia. However, there is a lack of well-designed, high-quality clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of breast cancer-related insomnia. This study is conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for breast cancer-related insomnia.MethodsThis study was designed as a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial. A total of 264 eligible patients with breast cancer-related insomnia will be randomized into an acupuncture group and a sham acupuncture group in a 1:1 ratio. In the trial, patients in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups will receive 12 sessions over a consecutive 4-week period. The primary outcome will be the treatment response rate of Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at week 4; secondary outcomes include treatment remission rate of ISI, Sleep Efficiency (SE) obtained by the use of Sleep diary, treatment response rate of ISI at 8th and 16th weeks of follow-up, the mean changes of ISI, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (QLQ-C30), sleep parameters recorded in Actigraphy and weekly usage of remedial drugs. Adverse events will be recorded throughout the study. All analyses will be based on the ITT principle and performed with SAS 9.4 statistical software.DiscussionThis trial will evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture for breast cancer-related insomnia. If proven effective, acupuncture will provide an effective option for patients with breast cancer-related insomnia, which will play a positive role in helping patients reduce their use of sleeping medications.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05510700.

Background Severe pneumonia (SP) stands as one of the most prevalent critical illnesses encountered in clinical practice, characterised by its rapid onset and progression, numerous complications and elevated mortality rates. While modern medical interventions primarily focus on symptomatic management such as anti-infective therapy and mechanical ventilation, challenges including high drug resistance and suboptimal therapeutic outcomes for certain patients persist. Dry cupping as an ancient practice with over a millennium of clinical use in China is renowned for its convenience and perceived clinical efficacy in various illnesses. Nevertheless, the lack of well-designed studies assessing its effects remains a notable gap in the literature. This protocol describes a placebo-controlled, randomised, single-blind study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dry cupping as an adjuvant treatment for SP.Methods and analysis 66 patients diagnosed with SP, aged 18–80 years, will be randomly divided into two groups: intervention group, receiving 10 times of dry cupping treatment; control group, receiving placebo dry cupping therapy. Both applications are used in bilateral Fei Shu (BL13), Pi Shu (BL21) and Shen Shu (BL22) cupping. The application will be conducted once a day for 10 days. Participants will be assessed before treatment (D0), after the first intervention (D1), after the fifth intervention (D5) and after treatment ended (D10). The assessments include blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, traditional Chinese medicine symptom score, inflammatory response, mechanical ventilation time and oxygen condition.Ethics and dissemination This protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Seventh People’s Hospital (2023-7th-HIBR-070). The results of the study will be disseminated to participants through social networks and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal and scientific meetings.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300076958.