Objective To explore the association between oral microbiota and esophageal carcinogenesis. Methods A case-control study design was employed. A total of 309 subjects were recruited, consisting of 159 healthy controls, 32 cases of esophageal basal cell hyperplasia, 32 cases of low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, 14 cases of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, and 72 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Tongue swab samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. The α-diversity and β-diversity of the microbiota were analyzed, and the characteristics of the microbial communities at different stages of esophageal carcinogenesis were compared. The strength of the association was expressed by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results α-diversity analysis indicated significant differences in the observed species number (Sobs) index across various stages of esophageal cancer progression (P<0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, gender, smoking, and alcohol consumption, the Simpson index was positively correlated with carcinogenesis (P=0.006). β-diversity analysis revealed differences in microbiota structure among the groups. After ordered multinomial logistic regression analysis and adjustment for multiple confounding factors, the relative abundance of Peptostreptococcus (OR: 2.06, 95%CI: 1.22–3.60), Patescibacteria (OR: 1.31, 95%CI: 1.04–1.67), Capnocytophaga (OR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.05–1.54), and Bacteroidota (OR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00–1.05) was positively correlated with carcinogenesis. The relative abundance of Stomatobaculum (OR: 0.57, 95%CI: 0.30–1.00) and Actinobacteriota (OR: 0.95, 95%CI: 0.92–0.98) was negatively correlated with carcinogenesis. Conclusion Specific oral microbiotas are significantly associated with esophageal carcinogenesis, and synergistic or antagonistic interactions may be observed among the microbiota.

Processing for deodorization is widely used in the production of animal-derived Chinese medicinal materials. In this study, Heracles Neo ultra-fast gas-phase electronic nose combined with chemometrics was employed to analyze the overall odor difference of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(focusing on that derived from Cervus nippon Temminck in this study) before and after processing. The results showed that the electronic nose effectively distinguished between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. HS-GC-MS was used to identify and quantify the volatile components in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum, and 35 and 37 volatile components were detected in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces, respectively. The medicinal materials and decoction pieces contained 28 common volatile components contributing to the odor of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The odor activity value(OAV) of each volatile component was calculated based on the olfactory threshold and relative content. The results showed that there were 17 key odor substances such as isovaleraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, isobutyraldehyde, hexanal, and methanethiol in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. All of them had bad odor and were the main source of the odor of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The results of principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences in volatile components between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. Based on the thresholds of P<0.05 and Variable Importance in Projection(VIP)>1, 21 differential volatile odor components were screened out. Among them, isopentanol, isovaleraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, n-nonanal, and dimethylamine were the key differential odor compounds between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The odor compounds and their relative content reduced, and some flavor substances such as esters were produced after processing with wine, which was the main reason for the reduction of the odor after processing of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum.
Odorants/analysis* ; Electronic Nose ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Animals ; Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis* ; Deer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Tanreqing Injection (TRQ) on the activation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in macrophages infected with influenza A virus and the underlying mechanism based on mitophagy pathway. METHODS: The inflammatory model of murine macrophage J774A.1 induced by influenza A virus [strain A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1), PR8] was constructed and treated by TRQ, while the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant Mito-TEMPO and autophagy specific inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) were used as controls to intensively study the anti-inflammatory mechanism of TRQ based on mitophagy-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS)-NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. The levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1 p20, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 II (LC3II) and P62 proteins were measured by Western blot. The release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, the mtROS level was detected by flow cytometry, and the immunofluorescence and co-localization of LC3 and mitochondria were observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy. RESULTS: Similar to the effect of Mito-TEMPO and contrary to the results of 3-MA treatment, TRQ could significantly reduce the expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1 p20, and autophagy adaptor P62, promote the expression of autophagy marker LC3II, enhance the mitochondrial fluorescence intensity, and inhibit the release of mtROS and IL-1β (all P<0.01). Moreover, LC3 was co-localized with mitochondria, confirming the type of mitophagy. CONCLUSION TRQ could reduce the level of mtROS by promoting mitophagy in macrophages infected with influenza A virus, thus inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the release of IL-1β, and attenuating the inflammatory response.
Mitophagy/drug effects* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Animals ; Macrophages/virology* ; Inflammasomes/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Injections

Objective:Ménière's disease（MD） is a common disorder of the inner ear. The fluctuating clinical symptoms and the absence of gold standards for diagnosis have posed serious problems for clinical diagnosis and treatment over the years. With the development of science and technology, artificial intelligence （AI） has been widely used in the field of medicine, and the potential of AI application to MD is demonstrated. The purpose of this review is to outline the use of AI in MD. Initially, specific instances where AI aids in differentiating MD from other causes of vertigo are presented. Furthermore, the role of AI in the evaluation of Endolymphatic Hydrops （EH）, particularly through imaging and biochemical assays, is highlighted due to its correlation with MD. Additionally, the effectiveness of AI in managing MD patients and forecasting disease progression is examined. In conclusion, the prevalent challenges hindering the clinical integration of AI in MD treatment are discussed, alongside potential strategies to surmount these barriers.
Humans ; Meniere Disease/diagnosis* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Endolymphatic Hydrops/diagnosis*

ObjectiveTo explore the syndrome elements and evolving patterns of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute on chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF） at different stages. MethodsClinical information of 1,058 hospitalized HBV-ACLF patients， including 618 in the early stage， 355 in the middle stage， and 85 in the late stage， were collected from 18 clinical centers across 12 regions nationwide from January 1， 2012 to February 28， 2015. The “Hepatitis B-related Chronic and Acute Liver Failure Chinese Medicine Clinical Questionnaire” were designed to investigate the basic information of the patients， like the four diagnostic information （including symptoms， tongue， pulse） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and to count the frequency of the appearance of the four diagnostic information. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed to determine and statistically analyze the syndrome elements and patterns of HBV-ACLF patients at different stages. ResultsThere were 76 four diagnostic information from 1058 HBV-ACLF patients， and 53 four diagnostic information with a frequency of occurrence ≥ 5% were used as factor analysis entries， including 36 symptom information， 12 tongue information， and 5 pulse information. Four types of TCM patterns were identified in HBV-ACLF， which were liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern， qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern， liver-kidney yin deficiency pattern， and spleen-kidney yang-deficiency pattern. In the early stage， heat （39.4%， 359/912） and dampness （27.5%， 251/912） were most common， and the pattern of the disease was dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （74.6%， 461/618）； in the middle stage， dampness （30.2%， 187/619） and blood stasis （20.7%， 128/619） were most common， and the patterns of the disease were dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （53.2%， 189/355）， and qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern （27.6%， 98/355）； and in the late stage， the pattern of the disease was dominated by qi deficiency （26.3%， 40/152） and yin deficiency （20.4%， 31/152）， and the patterns were dominated by qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern （36.5%， 31/85）， and liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （25.9%， 22/85）. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the distribution of syndrome elements and patterns at different stages of HBV-ACLF， presenting an overall trend of evolving patterns as "from excess to deficiency， transforming from excess to deficiency"， which is damp-heat → blood stasis → qi-blood yin-yang deficiency.

Objective:To study the effects of fluoride on apoptosis and oxidative stress levels of spinal cord nerve cells in rats.Methods:A total of 54 6-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats, weighing 150 - 200 g, were selected and fed for 1 week. They were divided into a control group [given deionized water containing 0 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF)], a low fluoride group (given deionized water containing 50 mg/L NaF), and a high fluoride group (given deionized water containing 100 mg/L NaF) using a random number table method, with 18 rats in each group. All groups received standard feed. After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, six rats were selected from each group to observe the occurrence of dental fluorosis, and the motor function of hind limbs in rats was evaluated based on the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score. Then the rats were anesthetized with 5% chloral hydrate via intraperitoneal injection and euthanized by cardiac puncture. Spinal cord tissue of the rats was collected to detect the activities of oxidative stress factors such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), as well as the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT). After 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, morphologic changes in rat spinal cord neurons were observed using Nissl staining, and apoptosis of spinal cord nerve cells was detected using the TdT mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) cell apoptosis detection kit. The Western blotting was used to detect the expression of B-lymphoblastoma-2 (Bcl-2) gene related X protein (Bax), Bcl-2 promoter (Bad), and Bcl-2 protein in rat spinal cord tissue; immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 protein in spinal cord neurons.Results:After 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, rats in both the low fluoride and high fluoride groups developed varying degrees of dental fluorosis; the differences of BBB scores of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups were statistically significant ( F = 14.09, P < 0.001). The differences of SOD [(124.04 ± 4.87), (96.66 ± 15.01), (91.12 ± 15.87) U/mg prot] and GSH-Px activitives [(561.92 ± 59.65), (456.83 ± 29.51), (385.07 ± 74.87) U/mg prot], MDA [(9.96 ± 1.50), (16.64 ± 2.05), (20.80 ± 3.37) nmol/mg prot] and CAT contents [(8.97 ± 1.05), (6.39 ± 0.97), (6.42 ± 0.83) nmol/mg prot] among the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups were statistically significant ( F = 11.17, 14.19, 30.12, 14.52, P < 0.05). Among them, the SOD, GSH-Px activities, and CAT content in the low fluoride and high fluoride groups were lower than those in the control group, while the MDA content was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). The GSH-Px activity in the high fluoride group was lower than that in the low fluoride group, and MDA content was higher than that in the low fluoride group ( P < 0.05). The intact neuronal structures and clear visible nuclei were seen, and Nissl bodies were uniformly stained in the spinal cord neurons of the control group rats, with more numbers, and no apoptotic cells were observed; the staining of Nissl bodies in the spinal cord neurons of rats was uneven in the low fluoride and high fluoride groups, with fewer numbers, and more apoptotic cells. There were statistically significant differences in the apoptosis rate of spinal cord nerve cells and the expression levels of Bax, Bad, and Bcl-2 protein in the spinal cord tissues of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups ( F = 272.81, 35.53, 17.57, 92.50, P < 0.05). The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that there were statistically significant differences in the fluorescent intensity of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins in the spinal cord neurons of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups ( F = 12.67, 22.14, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Chronic fluorosis induces a decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity, an increase in lipid peroxidation levels, and an increase in neuronal apoptosis in the spinal cord of rats.

Objective To investigate the infection status and changing trend of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in hospitalized patients in medical institutions,and provide reference for formulating HCV infection prevention and control strategies.Methods HCV infection surveillance results from cross-sectional survey data reported to China Healthcare-associated Infection(HAI)Surveillance System in 2020 were summarized and analyzed,HCV positive was serum anti-HCV positive or HCV RNA positive,survey result was compared with the survey results from 2003.Results In 2020,1 071 368 inpatients in 1 573 hospitals were surveyed,738 535 of whom underwent HCV test,4 014 patients were infected with HCV,with a detection rate of 68.93％and a HCV positive rate of 0.54％.The positive rate of HCV in male and female patients were 0.60％and 0.48％,respectively,with a statistically sig-nificant difference(x2=47.18,P＜0.001).The HCV positive rate in the 50-＜60 age group was the highest(0.76％),followed by the 40-＜50 age group(0.71％).Difference among all age groups was statistically signifi-cant(x2=696.74,P＜0.001).In 2003,91 113 inpatients were surveyed.35 145 of whom underwent HCV test,resulting in a detection rate of 38.57％;775 patients were infected with HCV,with a positive rate of 2.21％.In 2020,HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales were 0.46％-0.63％,with the highest in hospital with bed numbers ranging 600-899.Patients'HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales was statistically signifi-cant(X2=35.34,P＜0.001).In 2020,12 provinces/municipalities had over 10 000 patients underwent HCV-rela-ted test,and HCV positive rates ranged 0.19％-0.81％,with the highest rate from Hainan Province.HCV posi-tive rates in different departments were 0.06％-0.82％,with the lowest positive rate in the department of pedia-trics and the highest in the department of internal medicine.In 2003 and 2020,HCV positive rates in the depart-ment of infectious diseases were the highest,being 7.95％and 3.48％,respectively.Followed by departments of orthopedics(7.72％),gastroenterology(3.77％),nephrology(3.57％)and general intensive care unit(ICU,3.10％)in 2003,as well as departments of gastroenterology(1.35％),nephrology(1.18％),endocrinology(0.91％),and general intensive care unit(ICU,0.79％)in 2020.Conclusion Compared with 2003,HCV positive rate decreased significantly in 2020.HCV infected patients were mainly from the department of infectious diseases,followed by departments of gastroenterology,nephrology and general ICU.HCV infection positive rate varies with gender,age,and region.

Objective To explore the value of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction(ddPCR)in the etiological diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)patients with suspected bloodstream infection(BSI).Methods SAP patients admitted to the department of critical care medicine in a hospital July to September 2022 were enrolled.When BSI was suspected,venous blood was collected for both ddPCR detection and blood culture(BC)with antimi-crobial susceptibility testing(AST)simultaneously.The time required for two detection methods was recorded,and the detection results of ddPCR and BC were compared.The etiological diagnostic efficacy of ddPCR was calculated,and the correlation between the value of pathogen load detected by ddPCR and the level of infection parameters was explored.Results A total of 22 patients were included in the analysis,and 52 venous blood specimens were collec-ted for detection.BC revealed 17 positive specimens(32.7％)and 29 pathogenic strains,while ddPCR showed 41 positive specimens(78.8％)and 73 pathogenic strains.Detection time required for ddPCR was significantly lower than that of BC([0.16±0.03]days vs[5.92±1.20]days,P＜0.001).Within the detection range of ddPCR and taking BC results as the gold standard,the sensitivity and specificity of ddPCR were 80.0％and 28.6％,respective-ly.With the combined assessment of BSI based on non-blood specimen microbial evidence within a week,the sensi-tivity and specificity of ddPCR detection increased to 91.9％and 76.9％,respectively.ddPCR detected resistance genes of blaKPC,blaNDM/IMP,VanA/VanM,and mecA from 19,9,6,and 5 specimens,respectively.Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between pathogen load and levels of C-reactive protein as well as procalcitonin(r=0.347,0.414,P＜0.05).Conclusion As a supplementary detection method for BC in BSI diagnosis,ddPCR has the advantages of higher sensitivity and shorter detection time,and is worthy of further exploration in clinical application.