DNA barcoding is a rapidly developing frontier technology in the world and will be useful in promoting the quality control and standardization of traditional Chinese medicine. Until now, many studies concerning DNA barcoding have focused on leaf samples but rarely on Chinese herbal medicine. There are three issues involved in DNA barcoding for traditional Chinese medicinal materials: (1) the extraction methods for total DNA of the rhizomes of the medicinal materials; (2) intra-specific variation among samples from different places of origin; (3) accuracy and stability of this method. In this study, Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix was used to verify the stability and accuracy of DNA barcoding technology. Five regions (ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK, rbcL, and ITS) were tested for their ability to identify 86 samples of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix and their adulterants. After improving the DNA extraction method, genomic DNA from all samples was successfully obtained. To evaluate each barcode's utility for species authentication, PCR amplification efficiency, genetic divergence, and species authentication were assessed. Among all tested regions only ITS2 locus showed 100% of PCR amplification and identification efficiencies. Based on the established method, we successfully identified two samples of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix bought in pharmacy to the original species.

Objective: To investigate the impact of temperature changes between neighboring days (TCN) on the mortality risk of respiratory diseases, so as to provide the evidence for the study of deaths from respiratory diseases caused by climate change. Methods: The monitoring data of deaths from respiratory diseases in Zibo City from 2015 to 2019 were collected from Shandong Provincial Management Information System for Chronic Diseases and Cause of Death Surveillance. The meteorological and air pollutant data of the same period were collected from China Meteorological Data Website and ChinaHighAirPollutants dataset. The effect of TCN on the risk of deaths from respiratory diseases was examined using a generalized additive model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model, and subgroup analyses for gender and age were conducted. The disease burden attributed to TCN at different intervals was assessed by calculating attributable fraction. Results: Totally 11 767 deaths from respiratory diseases were reported in Zibo City from 2015 to 2019, including 6 648 males (56.50%) and 5 119 females (43.50%). There were 1 307 deaths aged <65 years (11.11%), and 10 460 deaths aged 65 years and older (88.89%). A monotonically increasing exposure-response relationship was observed between TCN and deaths from respiratory diseases in the general population, females, and the population aged 65 years and older. The 95th percentile of TCN (P95, 3.84 ℃) reached the peak at a cumulative lagged of day 11 (RR=2.063, 95%CI: 1.261-3.376). The results of subgroup analyses showed greater impacts on females and the population aged 65 years and older, with cumulative lagged effects peaking at day 12 (RR=3.119, 95%CI: 1.476-6.589) and day 11 (RR=2.107, 95%CI: 1.260-3.523). The results of attributional risk analysis showed that next-day warming might increase the attributable risk of deaths from respiratory diseases, and next-day cooling might decrease the attributable risk. Conclusion Next-day warming may increase the mortality risk of respiratory diseases, and has greater impacts on females and the population aged 65 years and older.

Gene editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 and its derivative editing technologies including base editor and prime editor can precisely edit the target genome sequences, having been widely used in tumor therapy and achieved remarkable clinical results in tumor immunotherapy, human papilloma virus infection treatment and oncolytic virotherapy, providing a new means for tumor therapy.

Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) are a group of genetic disorders characterized by generalized inflammatory responses and multiorgan involvement primarily caused by dysregulated innate immunity. Since the introduction of this concept, AIDs has been a rapidly advancing research field including at least 56 diseases, deepening the understanding of the interaction between innate and adaptive immunity. Despite distinct features displayed by AIDs of different categories, genetic testing remains essential for highly suspected cases. The diagnosis of undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory diseases, omics-powered precision stratification and targeted therapy for AIDs are promising research areas in the future. This article introduces the rapid progresses in AIDs concept, mechanism, and classification. We present a summary of the characteristic clinical phenotype, as well as the current diagnostic challenges and treatment experiences, in the hope of raising the awareness of these disorders.

【Objective】 To investigate the efficacy and surgical technique of total laparoscopic radical cystectomy with intracorporeal ileal conduit urinary diversion, so as to provide reference for the selection of surgery for patients with bladder cancer. 【Methods】 Clinical data of 48 patients with bladder cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy during Mar.2017 and Aug.2022 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 23 cases who received traditional laparoscopic radical cystectomy combined with extracorporeal ileal conduit, and 25 who received total laparoscopic radical cystectomy with intracorporeal ileal conduit.The operation time, blood loss, postoperative intestinal function recovery time, drainage tube removal time and hospital stay were compared between the two groups. 【Results】 All procedures were successfully performed, and no Clavien-Dindo>grade 3 complications were observed.The operation time, and amount of estimated blood loss of the traditional group and total laparoscopic radical group were (227.0±46.4) min vs. (253.6±58.9) min, and (131.7±79.8) mL vs. (154.0±93.0) mL, respectively.There were no differences in postoperative intestinal function recovery time and drainage tube removal time (P>0.05).The hospital stay was shorter in the total laparoscopic radical group than in the traditional group (P=0.035). 【Conclusion】 Total laparoscopic radical cystectomy with intracorporeal ileal conduit urinary diversion is safe and feasible.which is comparable to the traditional laparoscopic surgery, while the hospital stay in the total laparoscopic group is shorter, which is conducive to rapid postoperative recovery.

Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) and Scutellaria barbata (S. barbata) are common medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family. Both produce specific flavonoid compounds, including baicalein, scutellarein, norwogonin, and wogonin, as well as their glycosides, which exhibit antioxidant and antitumor activities. Here, we report chromosome-level genome assemblies of S. baicalensis and S. barbata with quantitative chromosomal variation (2n = 18 and 2n = 26, respectively). The divergence of S. baicalensis and S. barbata occurred far earlier than previously reported, and a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event was identified. The insertion of long terminal repeat elements after speciation might be responsible for the observed chromosomal expansion and rearrangement. Comparative genome analysis of the congeneric species revealed the species-specific evolution of chrysin and apigenin biosynthetic genes, such as the S. baicalensis-specific tandem duplication of genes encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase and chalcone synthase, and the S. barbata-specific duplication of genes encoding 4-CoA ligase. In addition, the paralogous duplication, colinearity, and expression diversity of CYP82D subfamily members revealed the functional divergence of genes encoding flavone hydroxylase between S. baicalensis and S. barbata. Analyzing these Scutellaria genomes reveals the common and species-specific evolution of flavone biosynthetic genes. Thus, these findings would facilitate the development of molecular breeding and studies of biosynthesis and regulation of bioactive compounds.
Evolution, Molecular ; Flavonoids/biosynthesis* ; Genome, Plant ; Plant Extracts/genetics* ; Scutellaria/metabolism* ; Whole Genome Sequencing