AIM: To establish a sensitive method for quantitative determination of astragaloside Ⅳ (AGS-Ⅳ) in plasma and a preliminary evaluation of its pharmacokinetics parameters in intact rats. METHODS: A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) was applied for determining AGS-Ⅳ in plasma by using digoxin as the internal standard (I.S.). Six rats were given AGS-Ⅳ 2.0 mg/kg by intravenous infusion for 5 min. Blood samples were drawn intermittently with each intact rat from left femoral artery at 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 14 and 24 h after medication. The samples were prepared by solid phase extraction and analyzed through a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospary probe. The samples were monitored in selected ion recording (SIR) mode of positive ions by using target ions at m/z 807.5 for AS- Ⅳand at m/z 803.5 for I.S. RESULTS: Calibration curves were linear over the ranges 1-1 000 ng/mL for AGS-Ⅳ (r=0.9992). The intra-and inter-day assay variability values were less than 6% and 8%, respectively. Extraction recoveries from plasma were 92.8%-98.4% for AGS-Ⅳ and 80.0%-90.9% for digoxin, respectively. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for AGS-Ⅳ was 0.5 ng/mL. The concentration-time curves of AGS-Ⅳ for each rat were fitted to an open two-compartment model by CAPP program. The pharmacokinetics parameters of AGS-Ⅳ were as following: the elimination half-life (t1/2β), clearance rate (CL), distribution volume at steady state (Vss), and AUC0-∞ were (3.46±0.52) h, (0.47±0.02) L/h, (0.76±0.16) L/kg and (4.27±0.19) μg·mL-1·h, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results show that this method is satisfied for the measurements of pharmacokinetics study for AGS-Ⅳ.

Objective:To identify the molecular pathogenic characteristics and genetic evolution of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis in Shenyang, China.Methods:A total of 57 anal swabs and environmental swab samples from student cases in a university outbreak in Shenyang in November 2021 were collected. Fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR was used for routine detection of diarrheal virus genes, and traditional RT-PCR was used to amplify and sequence the positive specimens of Norovirus. Phylogenetic analysis was performed.Results:Of the 57 specimens, 26 were norovirus positive by fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR, and 15 specimens were successfully amplified for the capsid protein gene segment. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all 15 positive specimens were of the GI.6 genotype of Norovirus, with a homology of 99.99% among the specimens and a genetic similarity of 98.84% to the LC380411 strain in Japan in 2005.Conclusions:The pathogen of this outbreak, GI.6 Norovirus, is rarely detected in the northeast of China, and its genotype is a subtype that has rarely been reported worldwide.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the erythrocyte membrane protein gene mutations and the clinical severity of hereditary spherocytosis (HS). Methods: Targeted sequencings were performed on 25 HS patients, correlation between HS mutations and patients’ clinical characteristics were evaluated. Results: A total of 25 HS patients were enrolled, including 13 males and 12 females with median age of 20 (4-55) years, including 9 compensatory hemolysis patients, 9 patients with mild anemia, 3 patients with moderate anemia and 4 patients with severe anemia. Of them, 18 patients (72%) harbored HS-related mutations, including ANK1 mutation in 6 cases, SLC4A1 mutation in 6 cases, SPTB mutation in 5 cases and 1 case with EPB41 mutation. Seven patients (28%) didn’t carry common HS mutations. SPTB and SLC4A1 mutations mainly affected male patients. There was no significant difference between the age of diagnosis (P=0.130) and HGB level (P=0.585) in patients with HS mutation and those without mutation, however, the EMA binding fluorescence intensity (P=0.015), AGLT50 (P=0.032) and EOF minimal hemolytic concentration (P=0.027) were significantly different in these two groups of HS patients. Conclusion To screen erythrocyte membrane protein coding gene mutations could favor the diagnosis of HS, and patients without mutations have mild clinical phenotype.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of retrograde distal tibial intramedullary nail fixation in the treatment of proximal ankle fracture of the distal tibia.Methods:A three-dimensional CT examination of 40 adult tibias was performed to measure anatomical indicators such as the posterior medial posterior torsion angle of the distal tibia, the height of torsion, and the height of the safety zone for nail placement. Based on the anatomy database of the human skeleton model, a retrograde distal tibial nail and its supporting instruments were developed in accordance with the anatomical characteristics of the distal tibia and the proximal ankle of Chinese people. From June 2019 to June 2023, a total of 25 patients with distal tibial proximal ankle fractures treated with retrograde intramedullary nail internal fixation in the 909th Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 18 males and 7 females, aged 41.3±10.8 years (range, 22-65 years). The sample size was 1∶1 matched according to gender and age. Twenty-five patients with distal tibial proximal ankle fractures who underwent antegrade intramedullary nail fixation during the same period were matched, including 20 males and 5 females, aged 41.2±9.4 years (range 19-60 years). The reduction quality, postoperative Baird-Jackson score, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot score, ankle range of motion and complications were observed.Results:All patients were successfully operated and followed up for 14.4±3.5 months (range, 12-24 months). The intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization time in retrograde intramedullary nail group were 33.12±7.38 ml and 10.32±1.75 d, less than 49.04±10.22 ml and 13.16±2.69 d in antegrade intramedullary nail group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The reduction quality was excellent in 23 cases and good in 2 cases in the retrograde intramedullary nail group, and was excellent in 17 cases and good in 8 cases in the anterograde intramedullary nail group. The proportion of excellent reduction quality in the retrograde intramedullary nail group was higher than that in the anterograde intramedullary nail group, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=4.500, P=0.034). The Baird-Jackson score and AOFAS ankle and hindfoot score in the retrograde intramedullary nail group were 85.6±2.5 and 85.8±3.3 at 3 months after operation, lower than those at 1 year after operation 95.3±3.1 and 95.8±3.6, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The Baird-Jackson score and AOFAS ankle and hindfoot score of the antegrade intramedullary nail group were 85.1±3.3 and 86.1±2.5 at 3 months after operation, lower than 95.2±2.7 and 94.9±3.5 at 1 year after operation, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in Baird-Jackson score and AOFAS ankle and hindfoot score between the two groups at 3 months and 1 year after operation ( P>0.05). At the last follow-up, there was no ankle stiffness, neurovascular injury, deep vein thrombosis, infection or breakage of internal fixation in the two groups. Conclusion:The treatment of distal tibial proximal ankle fractures with retrograde intramedullary nail fixation has satisfactory reduction quality, good postoperative function recovery, and is helpful for early postoperative rehabilitation.

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive and systematic review of the efficacy and safety of Wenxin Keli (WXKL) in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) . Methods: Seven databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web ofScience, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP and SinoMed) were searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inceptions to 1 October, 2018. Two review authors independently assessed the methodological quality andanalyzed data by Cochrane handbook and the Rev Man 5.3 software. Begg.s test was conducted to assess publication biasvia Stata 14 software. Results: Twenty-four RCTs with 2246 patients were included in this review. Compared with blankcontrol, placebo or western medicine alone, WXKL alone or combined with western medicine could effectively reducerapid ventricular rate (MD=-7.14, 95％CI:-8.42——5.87), the frequency and duration of AF. It could also shorten thesinus rhythm conversion time (MD=-3.04, 95％CI:-3.47——2.61), increase the sinus rhythm conversion rate (RR=1.19, 95％ CI: 1.09～1.29) and decrease recurrence rate of AF (RR=0.28, 95％ CI: 0.13-0.59) . Besides, WXKL alone orcombined with western medicine was beneficial for improving the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (MD=3.44, 95％ CI: 0.87-6.01), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (MD=-2.47, 95％ CI:-2.86——2.08), left atrialdiameter (LAd) (MD=-0.91, 95％CI:-1.58——0.25) and P wave dispersion (Pd) (MD=-4.04, 95％CI:-4.15——3.93) .WXKL combined with low-dose amiodarone was superior to conventional-dose amiodarone alone in improving themaximum P wave (Pmax) (MD=-8.25, 95％ CI:-10.33——6.17), and WXKL combined with conventional-doseamiodarone is more effective (MD=-13.10, 95％CI:-13.65——12.55) . Compared with the control group, the treatmentgroup had fewer adverse reactions, and the Begg.s test did not find any publication bias. Conclusion: WXKL alone orcombined with western medicine exhibited better therapeutic effects in the treatment of AF, but these results still needhigh-quality evidence to verify.

Objective: To explore the value of CT texture analysis (CTTA) in differentiating the pathological grade of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Methods: A total of 53 lesions from 43 patients with bladder cancer confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively analyzed, including 27 cases of high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) and 26 cases of low-grade urothelial carcinoma (LGUC). All the patients took pelvic CT and enhanced scanning in the same CT scanner with same scanning parameters. Lesions on both plain and enhanced CT images were delineated on software by two radiologists to extract the corresponding volumes of interest (VOI) and then 92 parameters based on feature classes were generated. The average values of two radiologists were obtained. The difference parameters between HGUC group and LGUC group were screened by nonparametric test, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was drawn. The corresponding optimal thresholds were determined and diagnostic effect was assessed. Results: Nine difference texture parameters between HGUC group and LGUC group were selected, including 5 parameters on unenhanced images, namely, skewness, root mean squared, cluster shade, zone percentage and large area high gray level emphasis. There were 4 parameters on enhanced images, namely, skewness, kurtosis, cluster shade and zone percentage. The largest area under curve of 0.840±0.058 (95% CI 0.726-0.955) was obtained from skewness generated by VOI of unenhanced images. The cut-off value of skewness was 0.186 5, which permitted the diagnosis of HGUC with sensitivity of 92.59%, specificity of 73.08%, positive predictive value of 78.13%, negative predictive value of 90.48% and accuracy of 83.02%. Conclusion CTTA can effectively distinguish between LGUC and HGUC. Skewness from unenhanced CT images had the optimal diagnostic performance.

ObjectiveTo explore the molecular mechanism implicated in the treatment of primary myelofibrosis （PMF） using Chinese medicinal herbs （CMH） by bioinformatics and molecular dynamics. MethodsData mining was performed to find the high-frequency CMH in treating PMF between the year of 1985 and 2024 by searching CNKI， Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database （CCD）， and China Academic Journal Database （CSPD）. TCMSP， SwissTargetPrediction and related reports were used to collect the main active ingredients of high-frequency CMH and their targets. The PMF datasets GSE44426 and GSE124281 were downloaded from GEO database， and R software was used for data normalization and differentially expressed genes （DEGs） screening. Key module hub genes were obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） analysis. The common intersection genes of active ingredient targets， DEGs and key module hub genes of CMH were selected， and the target network was generated using Cytoscape 3.9.2 software. The core target network was generated by topological analysis， while key pathways were selected by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis， and protein interaction relationships were obtained from the String database， so as to construct drug-ingredient-target network and protein interaction network （PPI） relationship diagrams. Discovery Studio 2020 software was used to perform molecular docking， and the GROMACS program was used to perform molecular dynamics simulation. ResultsA total of 21 prescriptions were collected involving 121 herbs. There were 9 herbs with a frequency ≥10 times， which were Danshen （Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae）， Huangqi （Radix Astragali）， Baizhu （Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae）， Danggui （Radix Angelicae Sinensis）， Dangshen （Radix Codonopsis）， Gancao （Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae）， Baishao （Radix Paeoniae Alba）， Fuling （Poria） and Shudihuang （Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata） from high- to low-frequency. A total of 98 active ingredients and 1125 potential targets were obtained from 9 high-frequency CMH. GSE44426 and GSE124281 data sets screened out 24 gene samples， including 14 of the healthy control group and 10 of the PMF group， and identified 319 DEGs between the two groups， including 122 up-regulated genes and 197 down-regulated genes. WGCNA screened out 24 co-expression module genes and found that the five modules closely related to the onset of PMF were MEpink， MEdarkred， MEblack， MEgrey， and MEturquoise， involving 7112 key module hub genes. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that lipids and the atherosclerosis pathways were mainly involved in the mechanism of above high-frequency CMH in treating PMF， which included six hub protein targets： HSP90AA1， HSP90AB1， SRC， MAPK1， IL1B and IL10. From the drug-ingredient-target network， seven active ingredients of CMH targeting at these six hub targets were found， including verbascoside， verbascos isoflavone， kaempferol， luteolin， naringenin， quercetin and pachymic acid. The molecular docking and molecular dynamics analyses showed that the key CMH were Shudihuang， Huangqi， Baishao， Danshen， Gancao and Fuling， and among the seven active ingredients， calycosin had the highest binding affinity with HSP90AB1. ConclusionThe main CMH for the treatment of PMF may be Shudihuang， Huangqi， Baishao， Danshen， Gancao and Fuling， and the active ingredients include verbascoside， verbascos isoflavones， kaempferol， luteolin， naringenin， quercetin and pachymic acid. The relevant targets are HSP90AA1， HSP90AB1， SRC， MAPK1， IL-10， and IL-1β， and the most critical pathways are lipid and atherosclerosis pathways.

ObjectiveTo observe the intervention effect of Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules on anxiety-like behaviors in the rat model of chronic restraint stress （CRS） and explore the mechanism underlying the anti-anxiety effect via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. MethodsRats were assigned into blank， model， positive drug （diazepam， 1 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.75， 1.5， 3 g·kg^-1， respectively） Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules groups. After 14 days of administration， the elevated plus maze test， open field test， light and dark box test， and marble burying test were performed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the hippocampus and colon of rats， and Nissl staining was conducted to observe the damage of hippocampal neurons. The gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA levels of zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1） and occludin in the colon of rats. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） in the colon， serum， and hippocampus were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of ZO-1， occludin， nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65） in the colon tissue and NF-κB p65 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） in the hippocampal tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed reductions in the time and frequency ratio of rats entering the elevated plus maze， the time and frequency of rats entering the central area of the open field， the time of entering the open box， the times of passing through the light and dark box， and the number of unburied beads （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules ameliorated the anxiety of the model rats to varying degrees， and the high-dose group had the best effect， with increases in the proportions of time and frequency of rats entering the open arm in the elevated plus maze （P<0.05）， the number of rats entering the central area in the open field （P<0.05）， the time of entering the open box， the times of passing through the light and dark boxes， and the number of unburied beads （P<0.01）. Moreover， the high-dose group showed alleviated pathological damage of hippocampal neurons and colon. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the model group had increased relative abundance of Firmicutes， Deferribacterota， Romboutsia， and Phascolarctobacterium， while it had decreased relative abundance of Bavcteroidota and Lactobacillus. The drug administration groups showed increased relative abundance of Bavcteroidota， Bacteroides， norank f norank o Clostridia UCG-014， and Blautia and decreased relative abundance of Firmicutes and Deferribacterota. Compared with the blank group， the model group showed down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of ZO-1 and occludin in the colon （P<0.01）， elevated levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-β in the colon， serum， and hippocampus （P<0.01）， up-regulated protein level of NF-κB p65 in the colon and hippocampus （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein level of BDNF in the hippocampus （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， high-dose Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules up-regulated the mRNA levels of ZO-1 and occludin in the colon （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-β in the colon， serum， and hippocampus （P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of ZO-1 （P<0.01） and occludin （P<0.05） in the colon， down-regulated the protein level of NF-κB p65 in the colon and hippocampus （P<0.05）， and up-regulated the protein level of BDNF in the hippocampus. ConclusionFufang Kangjiaolv capsules can reduce the anxiety-like behaviors in the rat model of CRS by regulating the gut microbiota disturbance， up-regulating the expression of tight junction proteins in the colon， repairing intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier， and down-regulating NF-κB/BDNF signaling pathway， thereby reducing peripheral and central inflammation. This study proves the hypothesis that Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules play an anti-anxiety role via the microbiota-gut-brain axis， providing a new idea for further research.