OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of asperuloside （Asp） on the pyroptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in rats with ulcerative colitis （UC）. METHODS The male SD rats were randomly divided into Control group， model group （UC group）， ASP low-dose and high-dose groups [Asp-L， Asp-H groups， Asp 35， 70 mg/（kg·d）]， ASP high-dose group+AMPK inhibitor Compound C group [Asp-H+Compound C group， Asp 70 mg/（kg·d）+Compound C 0.2 mg/（kg·d）]， with 12 rats in each group. Except for Control group， the other groups were injected with 50% ethanol （0.25 mL）+5% 2，4， 6- trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid solution （2 mL/kg） into the intestinal cavity to construct UC model. After modeling， the rats in each drug group were given corresponding drug solution by gavage or （and） tail vein injection， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After the last administration， the weight of rats in each group was measured， and the length of their colons was measured； disease activity index （DAI） score and colonic mucosal damage index （CMDI） score were performed， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors （interleukin-18， -1β， -6） were detected. The pathological changes of the colon tissue were observed. The expressions of pyroptosis-related proteins [caspase-1， gasdermin D （GSDMD）] in colon tissue， and pathway-related proteins such as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， thioredoxin-interacting protein （TXNIP）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC） were all detected. RESULTS Compared with Control group， the colon tissue structure of rats in UC group was damaged， with obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells and edema. Their body weight， colon length and phosphorylation level of AMPK protein were significantly reduced or shortened； DAI and CMDI scores， serum levels of inflammatory factors， and the protein expressions of caspase-1， GSDMD， TXNIP， NLRP3 and ASC in colon tissue were increased or upregulated significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with UC group， the pathological damage of colon tissue in rats was relieved in Asp-L and Asp-H groups， and all quantitative indicators were significantly improved （P＜0.05）； the improvement effect of Asp-H group was more significant （P＜0.05）. Compound C could significantly reverse the improvement effect of high-dose of Asp on the above indicators in UC rats （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Asp can improve inflammatory damage in colon tissue and inhibit pyroptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in UC rats， which is associated with the activation of AMPK and inhibition of TXNIP/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of asperuloside （Asp） on the pyroptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in rats with ulcerative colitis （UC）. METHODS The male SD rats were randomly divided into Control group， model group （UC group）， ASP low-dose and high-dose groups [Asp-L， Asp-H groups， Asp 35， 70 mg/（kg·d）]， ASP high-dose group+AMPK inhibitor Compound C group [Asp-H+Compound C group， Asp 70 mg/（kg·d）+Compound C 0.2 mg/（kg·d）]， with 12 rats in each group. Except for Control group， the other groups were injected with 50% ethanol （0.25 mL）+5% 2，4， 6- trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid solution （2 mL/kg） into the intestinal cavity to construct UC model. After modeling， the rats in each drug group were given corresponding drug solution by gavage or （and） tail vein injection， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After the last administration， the weight of rats in each group was measured， and the length of their colons was measured； disease activity index （DAI） score and colonic mucosal damage index （CMDI） score were performed， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors （interleukin-18， -1β， -6） were detected. The pathological changes of the colon tissue were observed. The expressions of pyroptosis-related proteins [caspase-1， gasdermin D （GSDMD）] in colon tissue， and pathway-related proteins such as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， thioredoxin-interacting protein （TXNIP）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC） were all detected. RESULTS Compared with Control group， the colon tissue structure of rats in UC group was damaged， with obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells and edema. Their body weight， colon length and phosphorylation level of AMPK protein were significantly reduced or shortened； DAI and CMDI scores， serum levels of inflammatory factors， and the protein expressions of caspase-1， GSDMD， TXNIP， NLRP3 and ASC in colon tissue were increased or upregulated significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with UC group， the pathological damage of colon tissue in rats was relieved in Asp-L and Asp-H groups， and all quantitative indicators were significantly improved （P＜0.05）； the improvement effect of Asp-H group was more significant （P＜0.05）. Compound C could significantly reverse the improvement effect of high-dose of Asp on the above indicators in UC rats （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Asp can improve inflammatory damage in colon tissue and inhibit pyroptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in UC rats， which is associated with the activation of AMPK and inhibition of TXNIP/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo screen and evaluate the antidepressant compounds of Curcumae Rhizoma， and explore its mechanism of regulating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2（Nrf2）/glutathione（GSH） peroxidase 4（GPX4）/GSH pathway from an antioxidant perspective. MethodsThe antioxidant activities in vitro of 11 characteristic components from Curcumae Rhizoma， including curcumol， curgerenone， curdione， curzerene， curcumenol， curcumenone， dehydrocurdione， isocurcumenol， furanodienone， furanodiene and zederone， were detected using 1，1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl（DPPH） and 2，2'-azinobis-（3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid） diammonium salt（ABTS） radical scavenging assays. The depression in Drosophila melanogaster was induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress（CUMS）， and W1118 wild-type male D. melanogaster were randomly divided into blank group， model group， curcumol group， curgerenone group， curdione group， curzerene group， curcumenol group，curcumenone group， dehydrocurdione group， isocurcumenol group， furanodienone group， furanodiene group， zederone group and fluoxetine group（10 μmol·L^-1）. The treatment groups received a dose of 0.1 g·L^-1 of 11 characteristic components from Curcumae Rhizoma， while the blank and model groups were administered equivalent volumes of solvent. The sucrose preference test， climbing test and forced swimming test were used to evaluate the behavioral indicators of depression in D. melanogaster. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（LC-MS） was used to detect the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine（5-HT） and dopamine（DA） in the brain of D. melanogaster， and the entropy weight method was used to comprehensively evaluate neurobehavioral and neurotransmitter indicators， resulting in the identification of the antidepressant active components of Curcumae Rhizoma. In addition， a mouse depression model was established by CUMS， and C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank group， model group， low and high dose groups of curzerene（0.5， 1 mg·kg^-1）， and fluoxetine group（10 mg·kg^-1） to confirm the antidepressant effect of the optimal active ingredient by behavioral analysis. Flow cytometry was used to detect the content of reactive oxygen species（ROS） in the hippocampus of mice from each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the contents of adenosine triphosphate（ATP）， superoxide dismutase（SOD）， catalase（CAT） and GSH. Transmission electron microscope（TEM） was used to observe the effect of curzerene on the ultrastructure of mitochondria in hippocampal tissue. Western blot was performed to determine the level of Nrf2 protein， and Nrf2 inhibitor（ML385） was used to verify the relationship between the antidepressant effect of curzerene and regulation of Nrf2. Real time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was employed to detect the effect of curzerene on the mRNA expression level of GPX. ResultsIn vitro antioxidant experiments showed that curzerene and curgerenone exhibited the most significant ability to scavenge free radicals， and comprehensive evaluation results of entropy weight method indicated that curzerene stood out as the most promising active component. Compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited a significant decrease in sucrose preference coefficient and the number of times entering the open field center（P<0.01）， as well as a significant increase in immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension tests（P<0.01）， and the ROS content in hippocampus significantly elevated（P<0.01）， while the ATP content significantly reduced（P<0.01）. In the hippocampal neurons of the model group， mitochondrial cristae were disordered， with vacuolation of the inner membrane and severe damage. Nrf2 protein expression level in the model group was significantly decreased（P<0.05）， and the antioxidant enzymes SOD， CAT and GSH contents were also significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the gene expression levels of GPX1， GPX4 and GPX7 were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high-dose group of curzerene showed a significant increase in the sucrose preference coefficient and the number of times entering the open field center（P<0.05）， as well as a significant decrease in immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension tests（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ROS content in the hippocampus of the high-dose group of curzerene was significantly reduced（P<0.01）， while the ATP content was significantly increased（P<0.05）. The neuronal mitochondrial damage in the hippocampus of the high-dose group of curzerene was alleviated， and the expression level of Nrf2 protein was significantly increased（P<0.05）. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 reversed the improvement of curzerene on depressive behaviors in CUMS mice. The GSH content in the hippocampal neurons of the high-dose group of curzerene was significantly increased（P<0.01）， while there were no significant differences in SOD and CAT contents. The expression level of GPX4 gene in the hippocampal neurons of the high-dose group of curzerene was significantly increased（P<0.05）， while there were no significant differences in other GPX genes. ConclusionCurzerene is the best component with antidepressant activity in Curcumae Rhizoma. It may improve mitochondrial dysfunction to exert its antidepressant effect by regulating Nrf2 and its downstream GPX4/GSH pathway rather than CAT or SOD pathways.

Immobilized enzyme-based enzyme electrode biosensors, characterized by high sensitivity and efficiency, strong specificity, and compact size, demonstrate broad application prospects in life science research, disease diagnosis and monitoring, etc. Immobilization of enzyme is a critical step in determining the performance (stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility) of the biosensors. Random immobilization (physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, etc.) can easily bring about problems, such as decreased enzyme activity and relatively unstable immobilization. Whereas, directional immobilization utilizing amino acid residue mutation, affinity peptide fusion, or nucleotide-specific binding to restrict the orientation of the enzymes provides new possibilities to solve the problems caused by random immobilization. In this paper, the principles, advantages and disadvantages and the application progress of enzyme electrode biosensors of different directional immobilization strategies for enzyme molecular sensing elements by specific amino acids (lysine, histidine, cysteine, unnatural amino acid) with functional groups introduced based on site-specific mutation, affinity peptides (gold binding peptides, carbon binding peptides, carbohydrate binding domains) fused through genetic engineering, and specific binding between nucleotides and target enzymes (proteins) were reviewed, and the application fields, advantages and limitations of various immobilized enzyme interface characterization techniques were discussed, hoping to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the creation of high-performance enzyme sensing elements and the manufacture of enzyme electrode sensors.

Objectives: To elucidate the potential mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) in restoring detrusor-bladder neck dyssynergia (DBND) following suprasacral spinal cord injury (SSCI). Methods: A total of 52 specific pathogen-free (SPF) grade famale Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (10 – 12 weeks, 250 – 280 g) were randomly assigned to either a sham group (n = 12) or a spinal cord injury model group (n = 40). In the model group, DBND was induced through Hassan Shaker spinal cord transection at T10 level, with 24 rats meeting inclusion criteria and subsequently randomized into DBND group (n = 12) and EA intervention group (DBND + EA group, n = 12). After spinal shock recovery (day 19 after modeling), DBND + EA group received EA treatment at Ciliao (BL32), Zhongji (RN3), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints for 20 min per session at 10/50 Hz frequencies, once daily for 10 d. Sham and DBND groups received anesthesia only without EA intervention. On day 29 post-modeling, all rats underwent urodynamic assessments, followed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics, and Western blot (WB) analysis of detrusor and bladder neck tissues. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were defined as proteins with P < 0.05, unique peptides ≥ 2, and fold change > 1.2 or < 0.83. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was performed using KOBAS 3.0 (P < 0.01), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were analyzed using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) 11.5 and Cytoscape 3.9.1. Results: Compared with sham group, DBND group showed significantly elevated leak point pressure (LPP) and maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) (both P < 0.01). EA treatment significantly reduced both LPP and MCC compared with DBND group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). HE staining revealed that EA reduced detrusor fibrosis and improved bladder neck inflammation. TMT proteomics identified 30 overlapping DEPs in detrusor and 59 overlapping DEPs in bladder neck when comparing DBND + EA/DBND groups with sham group. In detrusor tissue, KEGG analysis revealed 10 significantly enriched pathways (P < 0.01), including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. PPI analysis showed 22 of 30 DEPs were interconnected. In bladder neck tissue, 14 pathways were significantly enriched (P < 0.01), including relaxin signaling pathway, with 51 of 59 DEPs showing interconnections. Both TMT and WB validations demonstrated that compared with sham controls, DBND rats exhibited upregulated collagen type IV alpha 2 chain (Col4a2) and downregulated guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(z) subunit alpha (Gnaz) in detrusor tissue, while EA treatment normalized both proteins (both P < 0.05). In bladder neck tissue, DBND rats showed decreased expression of smoothelin (Smtn) and calcium-activated potassium channel subunit beta-1 (Kcnmb1) compared with sham controls (both P < 0.01), which were both upregulated following EA treatment (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion EA restores detrusor-bladder neck coordination in DBND through dual-target mechanisms. In detrusor tissue, EA modulates contraction via extracellular matrix remodeling, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway regulation, and enhanced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) biosynthesis mediated by neurotransmitters. In bladder neck tissue, EA promotes relaxation by maintaining contractile phenotypes, reducing fibrosis, suppressing smooth muscle excitation, and regulating presynaptic neurotransmitter release. These findings provide mechanistic insights into EA's therapeutic role in managing DBND.

[摘 要] 目的：探究环状RNA hsa_circ_0081621对人喉鳞状细胞癌AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞恶性生物学行为的影响。方法：常规培养AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞，用转染试剂将si-NC、si-hsa_circ_0081621、空载体（vector）和hsa_circ_0081621过表达载体（hsa_circ_0081621-OE）转染至AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞，分别记作si-NC、si-hsa_circ_0081621、vector和hsa_circ_0081621-OE组。用CCK-8法、克隆形成实验、划痕愈合实验和Transwell小室实验分别检测敲减或过表达hsa_circ_0081621对AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力的影响。结果：在AMC-HN-8和TU177中成功地敲减或过表达了hsa_circ_0081621；敲减或过表达hsa_circ_0081621能显著抑制或促进AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭能力（P < 0.01或P < 0.001或P < 0.000 1）。结论：hsa_circ_0081621可促进人喉鳞状细胞癌AMC-HN-8和TU177细胞的恶性生物学行为。

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia experience low quality of life， and internalized stigma is considered an important indicator for quality of life， while the mediating role of self-esteem and severity of negative symptoms in the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life remains underexplored. ObjectiveTo examine the mediating role of self-esteem and severity of negative symptoms in the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life， so as to provide references for improving their quality of life. MethodsA total of 342 patients with schizophrenia who were hospitalized in 6 hospitals in Xiangyang City， Siping City and Changchun City from April to September 2023 were included， and all of whom met the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia according to the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10）. Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale （ISMI）， Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale （SQLS）， Self-Esteem Scale （SES） and negative symptom subscale of Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS） were administered to all patients. Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to determine correlations between the different scales. A structural equation modeling was constructed using Amos 28.0， and Bootstrap method was employed to verify the mediating effect of self-esteem and negative symptom severity in the association between internalized stigma and quality of life. ResultsA total of 309 patients （90.35%） completed questionnaires in this study. The ISMI score of schizophrenia patients was positively correlated with both SQLS score and the PANSS negative symptom subscale score （r=0.612， 0.492， P<0.01）， while was negatively correlated with SES score （r=-0.513， P<0.01）. The SQLS score was negatively associated with the SES score （r=-0.555， P<0.01） and positively associated with PANSS negative symptom subscale score （r=0.672， P<0.01）. The SES score was negatively correlated with PANSS negative symptom subscale score （r=-0.433， P<0.01）.The total effect value of internalized stigma on quality of life was 0.746 （95% CI： 0.680~0.806）. Self-esteem and severity of negative symptoms independently mediated the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life， and the indirect effect values were 0.151 （95% CI： 0.062~0.254） and 0.126 （95% CI： 0.047~0.205）， accounting for 20.24% and 16.89% of the total effect， respectively. In addition， a chained mediation effect of self-esteem and quality of life was also demonstrated， the indirect effect value was 0.102 （95% CI： 0.049~0.165）， accounting for 13.67% of the total effect）. ConclusionInternalized stigma in patients with schizophrenia patients can not only directly affect the quality of life， but also indirectly affect the quality of life of patients through either separate or chained mediation of self-esteem and the severity of negative symptoms. ［Funded by Hubei Provincial Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project （number， S202410519027）］

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus， in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure， and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2（ITS2） high-throughput sequencing， combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis， were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7， 14， 21 d（numbered Y1-Y3 for the former， and numbered F1-F3 for the latter）， respectively. At the same time， the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS）， combined with principal component analysis（PCA）， partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） and compound retention time， parent ions， characteristic fragment ions and other information， the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method， while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method， there was a significant difference with the fermentation process， and at the genus level， the dominant genus of samples Y1， Y2， Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus， while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable， and the microbial community structure was more stable， which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis， including 70 flavonoids， 38 coumarins， 10 alkaloids， 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation， two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition， multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods， mainly including flavonoids， organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively， the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable， the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high， which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation， the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds， and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus， as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus， in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure， and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2（ITS2） high-throughput sequencing， combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis， were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7， 14， 21 d（numbered Y1-Y3 for the former， and numbered F1-F3 for the latter）， respectively. At the same time， the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS）， combined with principal component analysis（PCA）， partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） and compound retention time， parent ions， characteristic fragment ions and other information， the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method， while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method， there was a significant difference with the fermentation process， and at the genus level， the dominant genus of samples Y1， Y2， Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus， while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable， and the microbial community structure was more stable， which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis， including 70 flavonoids， 38 coumarins， 10 alkaloids， 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation， two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition， multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods， mainly including flavonoids， organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively， the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable， the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high， which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation， the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds， and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus， as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.