High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine the content of three major components in Citri Reticulatae Semen(CRS), including limonin, nomilin, and obacunone. The chromaticity of the CRS sample during salt processing and stir-frying was measured using a color difference meter. Next, the relationship between the color and content of the salt-processed CRS sample was investigated through correlation analysis. By integrating the oil bath technique for processing simulation with HPLC, the changes in the relative content of nomilin and its transformation products were analyzed, with its structural transformation pattern during processing identified. Additionally, RAW264.7 cells were induced with lipopolysaccharides(LPSs) to establish an inflammatory model, and the anti-inflammatory activity of nomilin and its transformation product, namely obacunone was evaluated. The results indicated that as processing progressed, E~*ab and L~* values showed a downward trend; a~* values exhibited a slow increase over a certain period, followed by no significant changes, and b~* values remained stable with no significant changes over a certain period and then started to decrease. The limonin content remained barely unchanged; the nomilin content decreased, and the obacunone increased significantly. The changing trends in content and color parameters during salt-processing and stir-frying were basically consistent. The content of nomilin and obacunone was significantly correlated with the colorimetric values(L~*, a~*, b~*, and E~*ab), while limonin content showed no significant correlation with these values. By analyzing HPLC patterns of nomylin at different heating temperatures and time, it was found that under conditions of 200-250 ℃ for heating of 5-60 min, the content of nomilin significantly decreased, while the obacunone content increased pronouncedly. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity results indicated that compared to the model group, the group with a high concentration of nomilin and the groups with varying concentrations of obacunone showed significantly reduced release of nitric oxide(NO)(P<0.01). When both were at the same concentration, obacunone showed better performance in inhibiting NO release. In this study, the obvious correlation between the color and content of major components during the processing of CRS samples was identified, and the dynamic patterns of quality change in CRS samples during processing were revealed. Additionally, the study revealed and confirmed the transformation of nomilin into obacunone during processing, with the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of obacunone significantly greater than that of nomilin. These findings provided a scientific basis for CRS processing optimization, tablet quality control, and its clinical application.
Mice ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Limonins/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Citrus/chemistry* ; Color ; Benzoxepins/chemistry* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry*

The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) is one of the most commonly occurring pathogens associated with genital tract infections in infertile males, but the impact of seminal UU infection in semen on intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcomes is poorly understood. We collected data from 245 infertile couples who underwent IUI at The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Hefei, China) between January 2021 and January 2023. The subjects were classified into two groups according to their UU infection status: the UU-positive group and the UU-negative group. We compared semen parameters, pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal birth outcomes to investigate the impact of UU infection on IUI outcomes. There were no significantly statistical differences in various semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total and progressive motility, sperm morphology, leukocyte count, the presence of anti-sperm antibody, and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups of male infertile patients (all P > 0.05). However, the high DNA stainability (HDS) status of sperm differed between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups, suggesting that seminal UU infection may affect sperm nuclear maturation ( P = 0.04). Additionally, there were no significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal birth outcomes between the two groups (all P > 0.05). These results suggest that IUI remains a viable and cost-effective option for infertile couples with UU infection who are facing infertility issues.
Humans ; Male ; Ureaplasma Infections/complications* ; Female ; Infertility, Male/therapy* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Semen Analysis ; Insemination, Artificial ; Semen/microbiology* ; China

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the application value of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) in the etiological diagnosis of moderate to severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in neonates. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted, enrolling 81 term and late-preterm neonates with moderate to severe RDS admitted to Fujian Children's Hospital between December 2023 and December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to the conventional microbiological test (CMT) group (n=42) or the tNGS group (n=39). For routine pathogen detection, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was obtained via bronchoscopy, and lower respiratory tract specimens were collected via the endotracheal tube; all specimens underwent culture, and some specimens additionally underwent polymerase chain reaction or antigen testing. In the tNGS group, tNGS was performed in addition to routine pathogen detection on the same specimen types. The detection rate of pathogens, the detection rate of co-infections, and the duration of antibiotic use were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The pathogen detection rate in the tNGS group (18/39, 46%) was significantly higher than that in the CMT group (8/42, 19%) (P=0.009). The co-infection detection rate was 13% (5/39) in the tNGS group, while no co-infections were identified in the CMT group (P=0.024). Regarding treatment, the duration of antibiotic use in the tNGS group was shorter than that in the CMT group [(12±4) days vs (15±5) days, P=0.003]. CONCLUSIONS tNGS significantly improves the pathogen detection rate in neonates with moderate to severe RDS and offers advantages in the rapid identification of co-infections and reduction of antibiotic treatment duration, suggesting it has clinical utility and potential for wider adoption.
Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Infant, Newborn ; Female ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/etiology* ; Male ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods*

OBJECTIVE: CRISPR-Cas protects bacteria from exogenous DNA invasion and is associated with bacterial biofilm formation and pathogenicity. METHODS: We analyzed the type I-F CRISPR-Cas system of Legionella pneumophila WX48, including Cas1, Cas2-Cas3, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, and Cas6f, along with downstream CRISPR arrays. We explored the effects of the CRISPR-Cas system on the in vitro growth, biofilm-forming ability, and pathogenicity of L. pneumophila through constructing gene deletion mutants. RESULTS: The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system did not affect the in vitro growth of wild-type or mutant strains. The biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation of the mutant strains were weaker than those of the wild type owing to the regulation of type IV pili and Dot/Icm type IV secretion systems. In particular, Cas6f deletion strongly inhibited these processes. CONCLUSION The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system may reduce biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation in L. pneumophila.
Legionella pneumophila/pathogenicity* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Biofilms/growth & development* ; Phenotype ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Deletion

Objective:To detect the expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1(LAT1)in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma(NHL)tissues,and analyze its effect on clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients.Methods:A total of 92 NHL patients who were treated in our hospital from January 2017 to April 2019 were collected.The expression of LAT1 in NHL tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry and compared between patients with different pathological features(including sex,Ann Arbor stage,extranodal infiltration,Ki-67).The risk factors affecting mortality were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to detect the predictive value of percentage of LAT1-positive cells in NHL tissue for patient mortality,and analyzing the effect of percentage of LAT1-positive cells on survival rate.Results:LAT1 was positively expressed in NHL tissue.The high expression rate of LAT1 in Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups were higher than that in Ann Arbor stage Ⅰ group,that in extranodal infiltration group was higher than non-extranodal infiltration group,and that in Ki-67 positive expression group was higher than Ki-67 negative expression group(all P＜0.05).The remission rate after 3 courses of treatment in high-LAT1 expression group was 70.7％,which was lower than 91.2％in low-LAT1 expression group(P＜0.05).Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ,extranodal invasion,Ki-67 positive expression and increased expression of LAT1(LAT1-positive cell percentage score ≥ 2)were risk factors for mortality.The cut-off value of percentage of LAT1-positive cells for predicting NHL death was 45.6％,and the area under the ROC curve was 0.905(95％CI:0.897-0.924).The 3-year survival rate of high-LAT1 level group(the percentage of LAT1-positive cells ≥ 45.6％)was 50.00％,which was lower than 78.26％of low-LAT1 level group(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The expression level of LAT1 in NHL tissue increases,which affects Ann Arbor stage and extranodal infiltration of patients.LAT1 is a risk factor for death.

Objective To explore the medication rules of Professor HUANG Li for the treatment of recurrent angina pectoris after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)for coronary heart disease by data mining method.Methods The prescriptions for effective cases of recurrent angina pectoris after PCI for coronary heart disease treated by Professor HUANG Li in the outpatient department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital were collected.SPSS Statistics 26.0 software and SPSS Modeler 18.0 software were used for frequency statistics,analysis of the therapeutic actions,properties,flavors and meridian tropism of the prescribed herbs as well as association rule analysis,cluster analysis and factor analysis of the herbs.Results A total of 344 Chinese medicine prescriptions were obtained,involving 209 herbs,with a cumulative frequency of 5 874 times.The top 30 Chinese medicinals were named as the high-frequency Chinese medicines,and the herbs with the frequency over 100 times in descending order were Astragali Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Poria,Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Curcumae Rhizoma,Sparganii Rhizoma,Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum,Codonopsis Radix,and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.The high-frequency Chinese medicinals were mostly classified as blood-activating and stasis-resolving drugs and qi-replenishing drugs.The medicinal properties of the drugs were characterized by being warm,mild,or cold,the flavors were predominated by being sweet,pungent or bitter,and the medicinals usually had the meridian tropism of the spleen,lung and liver meridians.A total of 30 association rules were mined out,cluster analysis yielded 5 herbal groups,and factor analysis yielded 11 groups of common factors.Conclusion For the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,Professor HUANG Li follows the theory of qi,blood and water,and especially pays more attention to the ascending and descending of qi movement.For qi deficiency and blood stasis contribute to the basic pathogenesis of recurrent angina pectoris after PCI,the therapy of benefiting qi,activating blood and removing stasis is recommended.Moreover,the simultaneous regulation of five zang-organs and simultaneous use of the cold and warm herbs are performed,and the herbs of benefiting qi and invigorating spleen,resolving phlegm and inducing diuresis,tranquilizing mind,promoting qi and dissipating masses,and activating blood to eliminate stasis are used for adjuvant therapy.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features, immunophenotype, molecular characteristics, and differential diagnosis of primary intracranial DICER1-mutant sarcoma in order to better understand this tumor type.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 7 cases of primary intracranial DICER1-mutant sarcoma diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China between 2021 and 2023 using next-generation sequencing. At the same time, 10 gliosarcomas, 4 intracranial FET::CREB fusion-positive mesenchymal tumors, 4 malignant meningiomas, 3 malignant solitary fibrous tumors, 3 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, 3 synovial sarcomas and 3 rhabdomyosarcomas (total 30 cases) were selected as control.Results:Among the 7 patients with primary intracranial DICER1-mutant sarcoma, 6 were male and 1 was female, aged 10-32 years (median, 23 years). The tissue morphology was predominantly spindle or pleomorphic sarcoma-like, with 6 cases exhibiting eosinophilic globules, and 3 cases showing rhabdomyoblastic or rhabdomyosarcoma-like cell differentiation. Immunohistochemistry revealed focal desmin expression in 3 cases (3/7), ATRX loss in 3 cases (3/7), and p53 mutant pattern in 4 cases (4/7). Additionally, 4 cases (4/7) showed focal or diffuse SALL4 expression, whereas the control cases (30 cases) did not exhibit SALL4 protein expression, suggesting that SALL4 may possess certain auxiliary diagnostic value. Next-generation sequencing confirmed that all 7 cases of primary intracranial DICER1-mutant sarcoma harbored mutations in the DICER1 gene, with 5 cases having the mutation site at p.E1813D. Until May 2024, all 7 patients were alive.Conclusions:Primary intracranial DICER1-mutant sarcoma is a rare tumor. Understanding its morphological characteristics, immunohistochemical and molecular markers and differential diagnosis is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and to improve diagnostic accuracy of this tumor.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Objective:To conduct a scoping review of research on home-based palliative care for heart failure patients, explore its current development status, and provide a theoretical basis for future advancements in this field.Methods:A systematic search was performed in databases including CNKI, VIP, CBMdisc, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library for literature related to home-based palliative care for heart failure patients. The search covered publications from the inception of each database until December 31, 2023. Literature was screened, and data were extracted, analyzed, and discussed.Results:A total of 19 studies were included, including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and qualitative research. The conceptual frameworks for home-based palliative care services for heart failure patients in these studies included the 6S model of palliative care, the 4C model of transitional care, the Omaha System, and chronic disease care models. The structure of these services was primarily nurse-led multidisciplinary team collaboration. Service forms included home visits and telephone follow-ups, with varying service frequencies. The content of the services included physical, psychological, social, and spiritual support. Outcome indicators mainly included patient readmission rates, quality of life, symptom burden, cost-effectiveness, and caregiver burden. Cohort study outcomes primarily focused on patient treatment preferences and place of death. Qualitative research explored the experiences of heart failure patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with home-based palliative care.Conclusions:Home-based palliative care for heart failure patients has demonstrated positive effects in practice. It is recommended to standardize home-based palliative care models, clarify the needs of patients and their families, and identify barriers and facilitators to the development of home-based palliative care, thereby promoting its advancement for heart failure patients.