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Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular disorders, including acute coronary syndrome, unstable angina, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, peripheral arterial occlusion, ischemic stroke, deep-vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, and fibrinolytics can reduce the risks of these clinical events. Especially, the blood coagulation factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor is a proven anticoagulant. Promoting blood circulation, using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), for the treatment of these diseases has been safely used for thousands of years in clinical practice. Therefore, highly safe and effective anticoagulant ingredients, including FXa inhibitors, could be found in TCM for activating the blood circulation. One FXa inhibitor, a pentacyclic triterpene (compound 1, betulinic acid) characterized by IR, MS and NMR analyses, was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Lycopus lucidus by bioassay-directed fractionation. Compound 1 exhibited an inhibitory effect on FXa with IC50 25.05 μmol/L and reduced the thrombus weight in an animal model at 25-100 mg/kg. These results indicate that betulinic acid could be the potential for anticoagulant therapy.

Aim: To demonstrate the outcomes of translacrimal canalicular drainage using a lacrimal probe and intranasal drainage by D-silicone intubation for acute dacryocystitis (AD)., Methods: This retrospective study included 23 patients with AD and had undergone abscess decompression with the use of lacrimal probe and intranasal drainage by D-silicone intubation between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients received abscess decompression and systemic antibiotic-corticosteroid from the time of diagnosis. D-silicone tube was inserted within 10d after diagnosis and removed 3-6mo after intubation. The procedure and outcomes of this method were evaluated., Results: All patients showed improvement of signs and symptoms of AD within 72h. No intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed. No recurrence of lacrimal sac abscesses occurred after D-silicone tube removed., Conclusion: Lacrimal probe and D-silicone intubation appear to be a feasible, minimally invasive, safe, and effective method, which could be a reasonable choice in the treatment of AD., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: He JJ, None; Gong JW, None; Zhou JN, None; Jiang J, None., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

Bats, notable as the only flying mammals, serve as natural reservoir hosts for various highly pathogenic viruses in humans (e.g., SARS-CoV and Ebola virus). Furthermore, bats exhibit an unparalleled longevity among mammals relative to their size, particularly the Myotis bats, which can live up to 40 years. However, the mechanisms underlying these distinctive traits remain incompletely understood. In our prior research, we demonstrated that bats exhibit dampened STING-interferon activation, potentially conferring upon them the capacity to mitigate virus- or aging-induced inflammation. To substantiate this hypothesis, we established the first in vivo bat-mouse model for aging studies by integrating Myotis davidii bat STING ( Md STING) into the mouse genome. We monitored the genotypes of these mice and performed a longitudinal comparative transcriptomic analysis on Md STING and wild-type mice over a 3-year aging process. Blood transcriptomic analysis indicated a reduction in aging-related inflammation in female Md STING mice, as evidenced by significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, immunopathology, and neutrophil recruitment in aged female Md STING mice compared to aged wild-type mice in vivo . These results indicated that Md STING knock-in attenuates the aging-related inflammatory response and may also improve the healthspan in mice in a sex-dependent manner. Although the underlying mechanism awaits further study, this research has critical implications for bat longevity research, potentially contributing to our comprehension of healthy aging in humans.