The Huangdi Neijing proposes the " using bitter herbs to nourish or purge" theory to guide clinical prescription and formulation of herbal remedies based on the physiological characteristics and functions of the five zang viscera, along with the properties and flavors of medicinal herbs. This study explored diabetic kidney disease pathogenesis and treatment based on the " using bitter herbs to nourish or purge" theory. Kidney dryness is a key pathological factor in diabetic kidney disease, and the disharmony of kidney dryness is an essential aspect of its pathogenesis. Strengthening is the primary therapeutic principle, and kidney dryness is a persistent factor throughout the occurrence and progression of diabetic kidney disease. In the early stage, the pathogenesis involves heat-consuming qi and injuring yin, leading to kidney dryness. In the middle stage, the pathogenesis manifests as qi deficiency and blood stasis in the collaterals, resulting in turbidity owing to kidney dryness. In the late stage, the pathogenesis involves yin and yang deficiency, with kidney dryness and disharmony. This study proposes the staging-based treatment based on the " need for firmness" characteristic of the kidney. The aim is to provide new insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine by rationally using pungent, bitter, and salty medicinal herbs to nourish and moisturize the kidney. This approach seeks to promote precise syndrome differentiation and personalized treatment for different stages of diabetic kidney disease, thereby enhancing clinical efficacy.

ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) represents an emerging medical functional imaging technology, which operates by applying safe-to-human excitation currents through surface-mounted electrodes, measuring boundary voltages between electrodes, and selecting appropriate image reconstruction algorithms to visualize resistivity in tomographic cross-sections. Compared to traditional medical imaging techniques, EIT offers non-invasive and radiation-free operation, high sensitivity to tissue resistivity changes, and superior temporal resolution, meeting the real-time requirements of clinical dynamic condition monitoring. This paper comprehensively reviews the research status of brain EIT technology, systematically summarizes its advantages and technical limitations in perioperative applications, and prospectively forecasts future development directions of perioperative brain EIT based on current research foundations and clinical application demands, with the aim of providing methodological references for further optimization and clinical promotion of this technology.
Electric Impedance ; Tomography/methods* ; Humans ; Brain/diagnostic imaging*

eIF3a is a N ⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) reader that regulates mRNA translation by recognizing m⁶A modifications of these mRNAs. It has been suggested that eIF3a may play an important role in regulating translation initiation via m⁶A during infection when canonical cap-dependent initiation is inhibited. However, the death of animal model studies impedes our understanding of the functional significance of eIF3a in immunity and regulation in vivo. In this study, we investigated the in vivo function of eIF3a using eIF3a knockout and knockdown mouse models and found that eIF3a deficiency resulted in splenic tissue structural disruption and multi-organ damage, which contributed to severe sepsis induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Ectopic eIF3a overexpression in the eIF3a knockdown mice rescued mice from LPS-induced severe sepsis. We further showed that eIF3a maintains a functional and healthy immune system by regulating B cell function and quantity through m⁶A modification of mRNAs. These findings unveil a novel mechanism underlying sepsis, implicating the pivotal role of B cells in this complex disease process regulated by eIF3a. Furthermore, eIF3a may be used to develop a potential strategy for treating sepsis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of yang deficiency syndrome on the progression to end-point events of diabetic kidney disease （DKD）. MethodsA retrospective study among patients with stage Ⅳ DKD admitted to Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from September 1st， 2016 to September 30th， 2021 was conducted. Data on the patients' general information， clinical indicators including duration of diabetes， duration of proteinuria， history of smoking and drinking， hemoglobin （HGB）， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， albumin （ALB）， serum creatinine （Scr）， urea nitrogen （BUN）， uric acid （UA）， cholesterol （TC） ， triglycerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein （LDL）， 24-hour urine protein quantification （24h-UTP） and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）， and TCM syndromes including symptoms， tongue and pulse， and syndrome scores were collected. The patients were divided into exposure group （yang-deficiency group） and non-exposure group （non-yang-deficiency group）. The general information， clinical indicators and incidence rates of end-point events were compared， and the impact of yang deficiency syndrome on the end-point events of stage Ⅳ DKD was analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method， and multivariate Cox proportional risk models were used to identify independent predictors of end-point events. ResultsA total of 160 patients with stage Ⅳ DKD were included in the study， including 43 cases of yang deficiency syndrome and 117 cases of non-yang deficiency syndrome. Compared to those in the non-yang deficiency group， the waist circumference， BUN and the incidence of end-point events in the yang deficiency group were significantly higher （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that yang deficiency syndrome was positively correlated with incidence of end-point events of stage Ⅳ DKD （r = 0.167， P = 0.035）. Furthermore， 24h-UTP and BUN levels were also positively correlated with end-point events in stage Ⅳ DKD patients （P＜0.01）， while ALB and HGB levels were negatively correlated （P＜0.01）. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that yang deficiency syndrome was associated with an increased risk of end-point events （Log Rank P = 0.011）. Moreover， 24h-UTP levels ≥3500 mg， BUN level ≥8 mmol/L， ALB level ＜30 g and HGB level ＜11 g were all associated with the increase of the risk of end-point events （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that yang deficiency syndrome was an independent risk factor for patients with stage Ⅳ DKD to progress into end-point events （HR = 2.36， 1.32 to 4.21； P = 0.004）， as well as 24h-UTP ≥ 3500 mg， BUN ≥ 8 mmol/L， HGB＜11 g and ALB＜30 g （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionsFor stage Ⅳ DKD， patients with yang deficiency syndrome are more likely to have end-point events， which is an independent risk factor for the progression into end-point events.

In order to understand the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus faeca-lis(E.faecalis)and Enterococcus faecium(E.faecium)isolated from human,pig and environ-ment in a Xinjiang pig farm,and to investigate the prevalence and potential harm of antimicrobial resistance genes,858 fecal samples from pig farm workers,anal swabs from pig and environment were collected for isolation,identification,antimicrobial susceptibility test and drug resistance gene detection.The results showed that 429 strains of E.faecalis and 222 strains of E.faecium were i-solated.The distribution of Enterococcus species varied among different sources.The isolation rate of E.faecalis was higher in pig anal swabs(73.1％,309/423)and human fecal samples(68.4％,26/38).E.faecium(42.3％,168/397)was mainly isolated from environmental samples.The drug resistance of E.faecalis and E.faecium isolated from pigs was similar to that of E.faecium isola-ted from environment.The drug resistance rates of E.faecalis and E.faecium isolated from pigs were more serious than those from humans to tetracycline,doxycycline,florfenicol and erythromy-cin,and they were more sensitive to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.More than 30.0％of E.faecalis and E.faecium isolated from pigs and environment were intermediate to linezolid.E.faecalis from three sources and E.faecium from environmental sources were mainly resistant to five drugs,while E.faecium from pigs was mainly resistant to six drugs.The detection rates of tet(M)and tet(L)genes in E.faecalis and E.faecium isolates from human,animal and environmental sources were more than 70.0％,which was consistent with the results of drug sensitivity.In addition,the cfr,optrA and poxtA genes that mediate oxazolidinone resistance were detected to varying extent.The cfr gene was only detected in four E.faecalis isolates from swine,one E.faecalis isolate from environment and two E.faecium isolates from environment.The positive rate of optrA gene in E.faecium isolated from pigs and environment was higher than that from humans,and the posi-tive rate was more than 60.0％.The positive rate of poxtA gene in E.faecium isolated from pigs and humans was more than 45.0％.The similar drug resistance situation suggests that there is the phenomenon of mutual contamination of drug-resistant bacteria in human-animal-environment.Therefore,we should consider from the perspective of one health,formulate comprehensive disin-fection and control programs,block the transmission route of drug-resistant strains and drug re-sistance genes between human-animal-environment,standardize the use of antibiotics,and reduce the enrichment of antibiotics in human-animal-environment,so as to reduce the risk of drug-resist-ant bacteria.

Objective To establish the distribution zoning of Ziziphus jujuba var.spinosa in Shanxi Province;To help the development of Z.jujuba var.spinosa industry in Shanxi Province.Methods Combined with the information of longitude and latitude of sample points from the forth national survey resources and environment factors data in Grid Database of Spatial Information of TCM Resources,the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS were applied to analyze the main environmental factors affecting the suitability distribution of Z.jujuba var.spinosa.Results Dominant ecological factors for the suitability distribution of Z.Jujuba var.spinosa were vegetation type,lowest temperature of coldest month,monthly precipitation in November,monthly precipitation in October,altitude,and slope.The reclassified suitability grid data of ArcGIS software showed that Z.jujuba var.spinosa suitability distribution area including 0.73×104 km2 of high suitability area,1.41×104 km2 of medium suitability area and 4.33×104 km2 of low suitability area.The potential suitable distribution areas of Z.jujuba var.spinosa were mainly concentrated in the central and southern Shanxi Province.Conclusion This study shows that the most suitable growth area of Z.jujuba var.spinosa is mainly located in central and southern Shanxi Province,which can provide reference for the development,utilization and standardized planting of wild resources of Z.jujuba var.spinosa.

Objective To construct the recombinant yeast expressing PreS2 120-146-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg),and to evaluate the immune effects of whole yeast cells.Methods PreS2 120-146 and HBsAg gene sequence were optimized according to the yeast cell codon preference,and were recombined and cloned into pPIC3.5K yeast expression vector to construct pPIC3.5K/PreS2 120-146 plasmid.After digested and linearized by Bgk Ⅱ restriction enzyme,pPIC3.5K/PreS2 120-146-HBsAg recombinant plasmid was electrotransformed into GS115 strain to screen PreS2 120-146-HBsAg-recombinant Pichiapastoris .The expression of PreS2 120-146-HBsAg was identified by sodium doclecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophogesis (SDS-PAGE),Western blot and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)analysis. BALB/c mice were vaccinated by inactivated whole recombinant yeast cells expressing target protein. Specific antibodies to HBsAg were detected by ELISA.Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)response induced by interferon (IFN)-γ was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)when immune spleen cells of mice were stimulated by CTL epitope on HBsAg.Independent sample t test was used. Results Data of PCR detection,restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing analysis showed that recombinant pPIC3.5K/PreS2 120-146-HBsAg plasmid was successfully constructed.SDS-PAGE,Western blot and ELISA verified the expression of PreS2 120-146-HBsAg in the lysate of the recombinant Pichiapastoris induced by methanol.Levels of specific anti-HBsAg IgG antibodies produced by inactivated yeast cells vaccinated mice were comparable to purified HBsAg immunization (t =0.946,P =0.381 ). Analysis of HBsAg-specific CTL responses revealed that the level of IFN-γwas significantly higher when the immune spleen cells of mice were stimulated by CTL epitope peptides on HBsAg (t =2.305 ,P =0.044).Conclusions PreS2 120-146-HBsAg target protein is successfully expressed by construction of recombinant Pichiapastoris . The specific humoral and cellular immune responses are induced by recombinant whole yeast cells vaccinated mice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the changes of serum concentration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium after thyroid surgery and compare the changes among different modes of operation. MethodsFrom Aug. 2006 to Dec. 2009, 470 patients accepted thyroid surgery. The serum concentration of PTH and calcium in different groups was measured and compared before and 1 day after surgery. According to the extent and similarity of the surgery, patients were classified into 7 groups and they were compared in terms of postoperative changes of PTH and serum calcium. Statistical analysis was performed. ResultsThe serum concentration of PTH and calciurn decreased significantly after surgery in all patients except for those receiving unilateral and bilateral partial thyroidectomy. Compared with unilateral lobectomy, surgeries such as bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy, unilateral thyroidectomy with contralateral subtotal thyroidectomy, bilateral near-total thyroidectomy and total thyroidectomy resulted in more dramatic decreases of serum concentration of PTH and calcium and higher incidence of hypocalcemia ( P ＜ 0.05 ). The comparison between patients receiving CLND or not had the same result. Conclusions Almost all kinds of thyroid surgery affect the parathyroid function. The wider the surgery, the higher the possibility of postoperative hypoparathyroidism. The indications and criteria of different types of thyroid surgery are essential for hypoparathyroidism prevention. In some cases, vitamin D and calcium are recommended for preventive purpose.