The distribution of Ixodes and Ana plasma carried by Ixodes ticks in Anhui Province was clarified as reference for prevention and control of anaplasmosis.In total,630 hard ticks were collected from Jinzhai County,Hanshan County,Jing-de County and Chaohu City in Anhui Province from April to August 2023.Ticks were identified by morphological analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing.Nested PCR with Anaplasma species-specific primers were used to detect 16S rRNA of Anaplasma spe-cies carried by ticks.A phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA11.0 software.Of the identified ticks,18.8％(18/96)were Rhipicephalus microplus and 81.2％(78/96)were Haemaphysalis longicorni in Jinzhai County of Anhui Province,all were H.longicorni in Hanshan County and Chaohu City,while the main species in Jingde County was R.microplus.The posi-tive rate of Anaplasma carried by H.longicornis was 30.9％(102/330),which included A.bovis at 1.8％(6/330),A.phagocytophilum at 21.8％(72/330)and uncultured Anaplasma species at 7.3％(24/330).R.microplus was positively cor-related to A.bovis(13.6％,18/132).The uncultured Anaplasma species was mainly detected in host-free ticks.A.phagocy-tophilum was detected in 24.4％of parasitic ticks and 15.8％of host-free ticks.The positive rates of host-free and parasitic ticks were 19.9％and 17.8％,respectively.These results show that H.longicornis and R.microplus were the dominant ticks in several counties of Anhui Province.H.longicornis and R.microplus as well as free and parasitic ticks all carried Anaplas-ma.

Objective To improve the efficiency and quality of end-to-end anastomosis,a novel degradable vascular anastomotic device was designed,and the relationship between pressure distances and biomechanical properties of the anastomotic stoma was explored.Methods The three-dimensional(3D)structure of the vascular anastomotic device was designed and the prototype was fabricated with extruded high-purity magnesium.The finite element model of the end-to-end vascular anastomosis was established to study the stress distributions of the anastomotic end face under different pressure distances(0.4,0.5,0.6,0.7,and 0.8 mm)and their change rules.In vitro experiments were conducted to verify the rationality of the finite element results as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of the vascular anastomotic device.Results When the pressure distance was 0.6 mm,the anastomotic tensile force,and burst pressure could reach(11.79±0.64)N and(39.32±2.99)kPa,respectively,meeting the clinical requirement for the strength of vascular anastomosis,and with the minimal mechanical damages to tissues.Conclusions The device designed in this study can be used for vascular anastomosis by adjusting the pressure distance,and it can improve operation efficiency,reduce mechanical damage to tissues,and further improve the quality of anastomosis.These results provide an essential reference for the design of degradable vascular anastomotic devices.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

Objective To investigate the effects of sakuranetin (SK) on motor functions in the mouse model of spinal cord injury (SCI) and decipher the mechanism. Methods Fifty-four C57BL/6J mice were randomized into sham,SCI,and SK groups.The mice in the sham group underwent only laminectomy at T9,while those in the SCI and SK groups were subjected to spinal cord contusion injury at T9.Behavioral tests were conducted at different time points after surgery to evaluate the motor functions of mice in each group.The pathological changes in the tissue were observed to assess the extent of SCI in each group.The role and mechanism of SK in SCI were predicted by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses.Reverse transcription real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR,ELISA,and immunofluorescence were employed to evaluate the inflammation and activation of microglia in SCI mice.BV2 cells in vitro were classified into control (Con),lipopolysaccharide (LPS),and LPS+SK groups.The effects of SK intervention on the release of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of BV2 cells were evaluated.Furthermore,the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway activator insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was used to treat the SK-induced BV2 cells in vitro (SK+IGF-1 group),and SK was used to treat the IGF-1-induced BV2 cells in vitro (IGF-1+SK group).Western blotting was conducted for molecular mechanism validation. Results Behavioral tests and histological staining results showed that compared with the SCI group,the SK group exhibited improved motor abilities and reduced area of damage in the spinal cord tissue (all P<0.001).The GO enrichment analysis predicted that SK may be involved in the inflammation following SCI.The KEGG enrichment analysis predicted that SK regulated the PI3K/Akt pathway to exert the neuroprotective effect.The results from in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that SK lowered the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-6,and interleukin-1β and inhibited the activation of microglia (all P<0.05).The results of Western blotting showed that SK down-regulated the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt (all P<0.001) and inhibited the IGF-1-induced elevation of PI3K and Akt phosphorylation levels (all P<0.001).Conversely,IGF-1 had the opposite effects (P=0.001,P<0.001).The results of reverse transcription real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR,ELISA,and immunofluorescence showed that the SK+IGF-1 group had higher levels of inflammatory cytokines and more activated microglia than the SK group(all P<0.05). Conclusion SK may suppress the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway to inhibit the inflammation mediated by SCI-induced activation of microglia,ameliorate the pathological damage of the spinal cord tissue,and promote the recovery of motor functions in SCI mice.
Animals ; Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology* ; Mice ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/pathology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Male ; Inflammation ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal

UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and network pharmacology were employed to preliminarily study the active components and mechanism of Jinwugutong Capsules in the treatment of osteoporosis. Firstly, UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was employed to characterize the chemical components of Jinwugutong Capsules, and network pharmacology was employed to establish the "drug-component-target-pathway-disease" network. The key targets and main active components were thus obtained. Secondly, AutoDock was used for the molecular docking between the main active components and key targets. Finally, the animal model of osteoporosis was established, and the effect of Jinwugutong Capsules on the expression of key targets including RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), albumin(ALB), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). A total of 59 chemical components were identified from Jinwugutong Capsules, among which coryfolin, 8-prenylnaringenin, demethoxycurcumin, isobavachin, and genistein may be the main active components of Jinwugutong Capsules in treating osteoporosis. The topological analysis of the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network revealed 10 core targets such as AKT1, ALB, catenin beta 1(CTNNB1), TNF, and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment showed that Jinwugutong Capsules mainly exerted the therapeutic effect by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT) signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway and so on. Molecular docking showed that the main active components of Jinwugutong Capsules well bound to the key targets. ELISA results showed that Jinwugutong Capsules down-regulated the protein levels of AKT1 and TNF-α and up-regulated the protein level of ALB, which preliminarily verified the reliability of network pharmacology. This study indicates that Jinwugutong Capsules may play a role in the treatment of osteoporosis through multiple components, targets, and pathways, which can provide reference for the further research.
Animals ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Network Pharmacology ; Capsules ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Reproducibility of Results ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Aim To study the ability of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on promoting neurogenesis in neural stem cell microenvironment after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) injury in vitro. Methods Neural stem cells (NSCs), astrocytes (ACs) and cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) were respectively extracted and separated to establish a co-culture system. The OGD modeling conditions were optimized by NSCs activity, and the concentration of TMP was optimized by Nissl staining. Then CCK-8 and Nestin

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the protein Deglycase protein 1 (DJ1) can ameliorate Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in Amyloid Precursor Protein/Presenilin 1 (APP/PS1) double transgenic mice and its possible mechanism to provide a theoretical basis for exploring the pathogenesis of AD. METHODS: Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) of DJ1-overexpression or DJ1-knockdown were injected into the hippocampus of 7-month-old APP/PS1 mice to construct models of overexpression or knockdown. Mice were divided into the AD model control group (MC), AAV vector control group (NC), DJ1-overexpression group (DJ1 ⁺), and DJ1-knockdown group (DJ1 ^-). After 21 days, the Morris water maze test, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were used to evaluate the effects of DJ1 on mice. RESULTS: DJ1 ⁺ overexpression decreased the latency and increased the number of platform traversals in the water maze test. DJ1 ^- cells were cured and atrophied, and the intercellular structure was relaxed; the number of age spots and the expression of AD-related proteins were significantly increased. DJ1 ⁺ increased the protein expression of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), light chain 3 (LC3), phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK), and B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), as well as the antioxidant levels of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), while decreasing the levels of Kelch-like hydrates-associated protein 1 (Keap1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p62/sequestosome1 (p62/SQSTM1), Caspase3, and malondialdehyde (MDA). CONCLUSION DJ1-overexpression can ameliorate learning, memory, and AD-like pathology in APP/PS1 mice, which may be related to the activation of the NRF2/HO-1 and AMPK/mTOR pathways by DJ1.
Animals ; Mice ; Alzheimer Disease/therapy* ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism* ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1/metabolism* ; Mammals/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Transgenic ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Presenilin-1/metabolism* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*

Objective To observe the value of micro flow imaging(MFI)for diagnosing closed liver trauma in pigs.Methods A self-made impactor was used to impact the liver of 15 healthy pigs under general anesthesia and establish pig models of closed liver trauma.Conventional ultrasound,MFI and contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)were used to observe the location,extent and degree of liver trauma.Afterwards,the pigs were executed and the livers were removed,and the liver lesions were observed.According gross pathological findings,the diagnostic efficacy of MFI was analyzed.Results Gross pathology showed a total of 29 liver traumas in 15 pigs.The accuracy rate of conventional ultrasound,MFI and CEUS for diagnosing liver trauma in pigs was 37.93％(11/29),82.76％(24/29)and 96.55％(28/29),respectively.Significant difference was found between conventional ultrasound and MFI,also between conventional ultrasound and CEUS(both P＜0.05),but not between MFI and CEUS(P＞0.05).MFI showed no obvious blood flow signal in more than half pig liver trauma sites,while showed"spring like"in 1 pig and scattered blood flow signals in 5 pigs.On CEUS,liver trauma sites in pigs present as low or no perfusion,while"jet like"contrast agent overflow from the liver was noticed in 1 pig and"spring like"contrast agent overflow in 5 pigs,forming liquid dark areas around the liver or in abdominal cavity.Conclusion MFI had certain value for diagnosing closed liver trauma in pigs,hence being comparable to CEUS.

Objective:To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers in China and analyze the factor influencing the KAP.Methods:A self-developed questionnaire was used for an online research on the KAP of 11 849 pediatric healthcare providers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China from March 11 to 14, 2022.The factors influencing the KAP of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers were examined by Logistic regression. Results:The scores of KAP, of pulse oximetry were 5.57±0.96, 11.24±1.25 and 11.19±4.54, respectively.The corresponding scoring rates were 69.61%, 74.95%, and 55.99%, respectively. Logistic regression results showed that the gender and working years of pediatric healthcare providers, the region they were located, and whether their medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters were the main factors affecting the knowledge score (all P<0.05). Main factors influencing the attitude score of pediatric healthcare providers included their knowledge score, gender, educational background, working years, region, medical institution level, and whether the medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). For the practice score, the main influencing factors were the knowledge score, gender, age, and whether the medi-cal institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Chinese pediatric healthcare providers need to further improve their knowledge about and attitudes towards pulse oximetry.Pulse oximeters are evidently under-used.It is urgent to formulate policies or guidelines, strengthen education and training, improve knowledge and attitudes, equip more institutions with pulse oximeters, and popularize their application in medical institutions.