Eucommiae Cortex, the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides( Eucommiaceae), has both medicinal and edible values.Modern research has shown that Eucommiae Cortex contains various components such as flavonoids, lignans, iridoids, phenolic acids,terpenoids, and steroids, which have anti-osteoporosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood glucose-lowering, and gastrointestinal tract-protecting effects. Eucommiae Cortex has applications in multiple fields such as healthcare, industry, and animal husbandry,demonstrating broad development prospects. This article reviews the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and quality control status of Eucommiae Cortex. Furthermore, according to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), this article predicts the Q-markers of Eucommiae Cortex from traditional medicinal properties, traditional medicinal effects, new medicinal effects, measurability of chemical components, compatibility, harvesting periods, and geographical origins. The components such as pinoresinol diglucoside,chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, baicalein, baicalin, olivil, coniferyl ferulate, and kaempferol can be used as Q-markers for Eucommiae Cortex, which provide reference for establishing a systematic quality control system for Eucommiae Cortex.
Eucommiaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Quality Control ; Humans ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between microscopic varicocelectomy and laparoscopic varicocelectomy in the treatment of varicocele（VC）with male infertility. METHODS: A total of 307 patients who were diagnosed with VC complicated with male infertility and admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from October 2018 to October 2022 were recruited for retrospective analysis. The patients were divided into the microscopic group (180 cases) and laparoscopic group (127 cases) according to the surgery method. The pre- and postoperative clinical data of these two groups were analyzed, including the degree of dilatation and reflux time of internal spermatic vein，hemodynamic parameters of testicular capsular artery，proportion of progressive motility spermatozoa (PR), concentration of spermatozoa, proportion of normal morphology sperm，the pregnancy outcome of spouses and the incidence of complications related with surgery within 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: All the surgeries for the 307 patients in this study were successful. There was no significant difference in operation time, hospitalization time and management expenses between the microscopic group and the laparoscopic group (P>0.05). Compared to the patients in laparoscopic group, the patients in the microscopic group received a better improvement in venous diameter, reflux time of spermatic veins and hemodynamic parameters of testicular capsular artery (P<0.05). Moreover, the semen analysis showed that the PR, spermatozoa concentration and proportion of normal morphology sperm in the microscopic group were also obviously increased than those in the laparoscopic group (P<0.05). During the 2-year follow-up period, the conception rate of spouses in the microscopic group was 67.2%, while only 47.2% in the laparoscopic group, in which the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Besides, the time-to-pregnancy ( TTP ) within 2 years postoperatively in the microscopic group was significantly shorter than that in the laparoscopic group（P<0.05). Meanwhile, the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the microscopic group was also significantly lower than that in the laparoscopic group (P<0.05). It is worth mentioned that the spontaneous conception rate of spouses with successful pregnancy in the microscopic group was also significantly higher than that in the laparoscopic group (P<0.05). Severe complication such as testicular atrophy, bleeding and infection did not appear in both of two groups. However, the incidences of testicular hydrocele and recurrence of VC postoperatively in the laparoscopic group were significantly higher than those in the microscopic group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Both microscopic varicocelectomy and laparoscopic varicocelectomy can be applied to the management of VC combined with male infertility. But microscopic varicocelectomy showed better clinical efficacy in improving the testicular hemodynamic parameters, semen quality, pregnancy outcome and postoperative complications, which is worthy of further clinical applications.
Humans ; Male ; Varicocele/complications* ; Laparoscopy ; Infertility, Male/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Microsurgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Pregnancy ; Female

The Flash radiotherapy(Flash-RT),which is the key breakthrough in the basic field of radiotherapy technique,which is expected to cause a new major transformation in the field of radiotherapy.In this paper,we reviewed the latest research advances of the application and the mechanism exploration of Flash-RT in tumor treatment.Current studies have found that both the Flash-RT with electron beams and photon and the Flash-RT with proton can reduce injury of normal tissue than radiotherapy with conventional dose-rate,but the relevant mechanisms are not yet clearly understood,which includes but not limited to oxygen depletion,DNA damage,cellular senescence,apoptosis and immune response.The difference of Flash-RT injury between tumor tissue and normal tissue further reduces the limitations of radiotherapy,and reduces the adverse reaction and complication compared with conventional radiotherapy,which has wide application prospects.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

This study was aimed at comparing performance differences among three metagenomic sequencing platforms,MGISEQ-2000,Illumina NextSeq 2000,and Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus,to optimize the sequencing process for trace samples.The three sequencing platforms were used to perform high-throughput sequencing on DNA standards and simulated samples.Through analysis of the quality of raw data and microbial detection capabilities,systematic differences among platforms were compared.The sequencing results were optimized for trace samples by incorporation of exogenous nucleic acids during the li-brary preparation process.In terms of data output per batch and base quality,MGISEQ-2000 surpassed the other two plat-forms.Illumina NextSeq 2000 had the lowest proportion of duplicate reads,whereas Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus had the highest proportion,and significant differences were observed across platforms(P＜0.001).In sequencing uniformity,MGISEQ-2000 and Illumina NextSeq 2000 were superior to Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus.MGISEQ-2000 provided a substantial advantage in microbial detection capability(P＜0.001),but the advantage diminished with decreasing bacterial fluid concentration.Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus had the shortest duration for single-batch sequencing.Moreo-ver,for trace samples with DNA content ≤0.05 ng,the experi-mental group(with added exogenous nucleic acids)achieved a higher number of reads than the control group(without exogenous nucleic acids),with a 11.09±8.03 fold increase.In conclu-sion,the different sequencing platforms each had advantages and disadvantages,thus allowing researchers to choose the appro-priate platform according to specific needs.Furthermore,the addition of exogenous nucleic acids improved the microorganism detection efficiency,and provided better support for subsequent diagnosis and evaluation of results.

Objective:To investigate the value of serum free light chain(sFLC)and serum calcium ion in the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple myeloma(MM).Methods:Forty patients with MM treated in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022 were selected as the observation group,and 40 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group.The differences of sFLC-κ,sFLC-λ,sFLC-κ/λ,serum calcium ions,etc between the two groups were compared.Meanwhile,the differences of sFLC-κ,sFLC-λ,sFLC-κ/λ,serum calcium ions,etc in different international staging systems(ISS),chemotherapy efficacy and prognosis patients were analyzed.Results:The levels of sFLC-κ[(98.39±21.19)vs(12.01±4.45)mg/L],sFLC-λ[(210.20±45.54)vs(14.10±5.11)mg/L]and proportions of hypocalcemia(65％vs 0)in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),while sFLC-κ/λ ratio[(0.44±0.10)vs(0.87±0.12)]and serum calcium ions[(1.98±0.46)vs(2.42±0.40)mmol/L]were significantly lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The sFLC-κ,sFLC-λ,the proportion of hypocalcemia and the course of hypocalcemia in ISS stage Ⅲ patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ patients(P＜0.05),while sFLC-κ/λ ratio,and serum calcium ions were significantly lower than those in stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ patients(P＜0.05).The levels of sFLC-κ[(107.76±21.22)vs(94.67 ±20.11)mg/L],sFLC-λ[(245.54±41.12)vs(205.54±50.22)mg/L]of patients with hypocalcemia in the observation group was significantly higher than those without hypocalcemia(P＜0.05),while the sFLC-κ/λ ratio was significantly lower than those without hypocalcemia[(0.42±0.04)vs(0.47±0.06);P＜0.05].The levels of sFLC-κ[(107.29±20.14)vs(91.11±18.92)mg/L],sFLC-λ[(247.98±42.26)vs(179.29±39.32)mg/L]in patients with ineffective chemotherapy were significantly higher than those in patients with effective chemotherapy(P＜0.05),while the sFLC-κ/λ ratio was significantly lower than those in patients with effective chemotherapy[(0.43± 0.10)vs(0.50±0.09);P＜0.05)].The area under the ROC curve for sFLC-κ,sFLC-λ,sFLC-κ/λ predicting ineffective chemotherapy was 0.803,0.793 and 0.699 respectively,P＜0.05.There was no significant difference in sFLC-κ,sFLC-λ,sFLC-κ/λ ratio,serum calcium ion,hypocalcemia ratio and hypocalcemia course between survival and death patients(P＞0.05).Conclusion:sFLC and serum calcium are related to 1SS stage of MM patients.sFLC level has a certain value to predict the curative effect of chemotherapy in MM patients.However,the prognostic values of sFLC and serum calcium are not yet confirmed for MM patients.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease(AD)is complex and unclear.Existing drugs can only alleviate its symp-toms,and there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutic drugs.As the representative drugs of tonic and enlightening medicine,ginseng and acorus calamus have pharmacological effects to improve memory,improve learning ability and reduce cognitive impairment,which are commonly used in Chinese med-icine for the treatment of dementia.The combination of ginseng and acorus calamus can further promote the active ingredients in-to brain to exert their medicinal effects,and delay the process of AD through anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidative stress,modulation of neuronal-synaptic plasticity and other multiple pathways,with multi-level,multi-system and multi-target action characteristics.This paper attempts to summarize the existing research results and lay the foundation for further exploring the synergistic mech-anism of action of ginseng-acorus calamus combination and the dose-effect relationship of the combination,so as to provide a sci-entific basis for the development of innovative Chinese medicines for the prevention and treatment of AD.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the brain effect mechanism and the correlation between brain functional imaging and cognitive function in treatment of depressive disorder (DD) with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) based on the resting-state functional magenetic reasonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: Thirty-two DD patients were included in a depression group and 32 subjects of healthy condition were enrolled in a normal group. In the depression group, the taVNS was applied to bilateral Xin (CO₁₅) and Shen (CO₁₀), at disperse-dense wave, 4 Hz/20 Hz in frequency and current intensity ≤20 mA depending on patient's tolerance, 30 min each time, twice daily. The duration of treatment consisted of 8 weeks. The patients of two groups were undertaken rs-fMRI scanning. The scores of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) were observed in the normal group at baseline and the depression group before and after treatment separately. The differential brain regions were observed before and after treatment in the two groups and the value of degree centrality (DC) of fMRI was obtained. Their correlation was analyzed in terms of HAMD, HAMA and WCST scores. RESULTS: The scores of HAMD and HAMA in the depression group were all higher than those in the normal group (P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of HAMD and HAMA were lower than those before treatment in the depression group; the scores of total responses, response errors and perseverative errors of WCST were all lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The brain regions with significant differences included the left inferior temporal gyrus, the left cerebellar peduncles region 1, the left insula, the right putamen, the bilateral supplementary motor area and the right middle frontal gyrus. After treatment, the value of DC in left supplementary motor area was negatively correlated to HAMD and HAMA scores respectively (r=-0.324, P=0.012; r=-0.310, P=0.015); the value of DC in left cerebellar peduncles region 1 was negatively correlated to the total responses of WCST (r=-0.322, P=0.013), and the left insula was positively correlated to the total responses of WCST (r=0.271, P=0.036). CONCLUSION The taVNS can modulate the intensity of the functional activities of some brain regions so as to relieve depressive symptoms and improve cognitive function.
Humans ; Depression/therapy* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Vagus Nerve Stimulation/methods* ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/methods* ; Vagus Nerve

During interventional procedures,subjects are exposed to direct and scattered X-rays.Establishing diagnostic reference levels is an ideal way to optimize the radiation dose and reduce radiation hazard.In recent years,diagnostic reference levels in interventional radiology have been established in different countries.However,because of the too many indicators for characterizing the radiation dose,the indicators used to establish diagnostic reference levels vary in different countries.The research achievements in this field remain to be reviewed.We carried out a retrospective analysis of the definition,establishment method,application,and main factors influencing the dose difference of the diagnostic reference level,aiming to provide a basis for establishing the diagnostic reference level for interventional procedures in China.
Humans ; Diagnostic Reference Levels ; Radiology, Interventional/methods* ; Radiation Dosage ; Retrospective Studies ; Radiography