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To improve the convergence speed of immune algorithm, a modified immune algorithm based on the vector distance (VDIA) is developed, which utilizes antibody density based on the vector distance, expected reproductive rate as well 'as immune memory strategy. Simulation results demonstrate that the modified algorithm can not only con- verge fast but also obtain a rather large convergence probability, espesilly in higher dimensional space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fu fang Zhen Zhu Tiao Zhi (FTZ) is a patented preparation of Chinese herbal medicine that has been used as a natural medicine to treat several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. However, its effects on cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of FTZ in treating cardiac fibrosis., Methods: FTZ was administered to mice by oral gavage daily at a dosage of 1.2 g/kg or 2.4 g/kg of body weight for 7 weeks after a transverse aorta constriction (TAC) surgery. Doppler echocardiography, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and Masson's trichrome staining were used to assess the effect of FTZ on the cardiac structure and function of mice that had undergone TAC. EdU and wound-healing assays were performed to measure the proliferative and migratory abilities of cardiac fibroblasts. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to determine the expression of TGF β 1, Col1A2, Col3, and α -SMA proteins and mRNA levels., Results: FTZ treatment reduced collagen synthesis, attenuated cardiac fibrosis, and improved cardiac function in mice subjected to TAC. Moreover, FTZ treatment prevented the proliferation and migration of cardiac fibroblasts and reduced Ang-II-induced collagen synthesis. Furthermore, FTZ downregulated the expression of TGF β 1, p-smad2, and p-smad3 and inhibited the TGF β 1-Smad2/3 pathway in the setting of cardiac fibrosis., Conclusion: FTZ alleviated the proliferation and migration of cardiac fibroblasts and suppressed collagen synthesis via the TGF β 1-Smad2/3 pathway during the progression of cardiac fibrosis. These findings indicated the therapeutic potential of FTZ in treating cardiac fibrosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yue Zhang et al.)