The quality of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a critical foundation for ensuring the stability of its efficacy, as well as the safety and effectiveness of its clinical use. The identification of critical quality attributes(CQAs) is one of the core components of TCM preparation quality control. This study focuses on Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and explores their CQAs related to property and flavor from the perspective of taste receptor proteins. Three taste receptor proteins, T1R2, T1R3, and TRPV1, were selected, and a biosensor based on high-electron-mobility transistor(HEMT) was constructed to detect the interactions between Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and taste receptor proteins. Simultaneously, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) technology was used to analyze the chemical composition of Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets. In examining the interaction strength, the results indicated that the interaction between Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and TRPV1 protein was the strongest, followed by T1R3, with the interaction with T1R2 being relatively weaker. By combining biosensing technology with LC-MS, 16 chemical components were identified from Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets, among which six were selected as CQAs for sweetness and seven for pungency. Further validation experiments demonstrated that CQAs such as hesperidin and hesperetin had strong interactions with their corresponding taste receptor proteins. Through the combined use of multiple technological approaches, this study successfully determined the property and flavor-related CQAs of Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets. It provides novel ideas and approach for the identification of CQAs in TCM preparations and offers comprehensive theoretical support for TCM quality control, contributing to the improvement and development of TCM preparation quality control systems.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; TRPV Cation Channels/chemistry* ; Tablets/chemistry* ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics* ; Quality Control ; Taste ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry

Compounds isolated from Epimedium include the total flavonoids of Epimedium , icariin, and its metabolites (icaritin, icariside I, and icariside II), which have similar molecular structures. Modern pharmacological research and clinical practice have proved that Epimedium and its active components have a wide range of pharmacological effects, especially in improving sexual function, hormone regulation, anti-osteoporosis, immune function regulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor activity. To date, we still need a comprehensive source of knowledge about the pharmacological effects of Epimedium and its bioactive compounds on the male reproductive system. However, their actions in other tissues have been reviewed in recent years. This review critically focuses on the Epimedium , its bioactive compounds, and the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that modulate vital pathways associated with the male reproductive system. Such intrinsic knowledge will significantly further studies on the Epimedium and its bioactive compounds that protect the male reproductive system and provide some guidances for clinical treatment of related male reproductive disorders.
Male ; Epimedium/chemistry* ; Humans ; Genitalia, Male/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Animals

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive computed tomography angiography (CTA)-based fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) could become a gatekeeper to invasive coronary angiography. Deep learning (DL)-based CT-FFR has shown promise when compared to invasive FFR. To evaluate the performance of a DL-based CT-FFR technique, DeepVessel FFR (DVFFR). METHODS: This retrospective study was designed for iScheMia Assessment based on a Retrospective, single-center Trial of CT-FFR (SMART). Patients suspected of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and undergoing both CTA and invasive FFR examinations were consecutively selected from the Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 1, 2016 to December 30, 2018. FFR obtained during invasive coronary angiography was used as the reference standard. DVFFR was calculated blindly using a DL-based CT-FFR approach that utilized the complete tree structure of the coronary arteries. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty nine patients (60.5 ±10.0 years and 209 men) and 414 vessels with direct invasive FFR were included in the analysis. At per-vessel level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of DVFFR were 94.7%, 88.6%, 90.8%, 82.7%, and 96.7%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.95 for DVFFR and 0.56 for CTA-based assessment with a significant difference (P < 0.0001). At patient level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of DVFFR were 93.8%, 88.0%, 90.3%, 83.0%, and 95.8%, respectively. The computation for DVFFR was fast with the average time of 22.5 ± 1.9 s. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that DVFFR was able to evaluate lesion hemodynamic significance accurately and effectively with improved diagnostic performance over CTA alone. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a critical disease in which coronary artery luminal narrowing may result in myocardial ischemia. Early and effective assessment of myocardial ischemia is essential for optimal treatment planning so as to improve the quality of life and reduce medical costs.

Objective China is among the 30 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis(TB)worldwide,and TB remains a public health concern.Kashgar Prefecture in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region is considered as one of the highest TB burden regions in China.However,molecular epidemiological studies of Kashgar are lacking. Methods A population-based retrospective study was conducted using whole-genome sequencing(WGS)to determine the characteristics of drug resistance and the transmission patterns. Results A total of 1,668 isolates collected in 2020 were classified into lineages 2(46.0%),3(27.5%),and 4(26.5%).The drug resistance rates revealed by WGS showed that the top three drugs in terms of the resistance rate were isoniazid(7.4%,124/1,668),streptomycin(6.0%,100/1,668),and rifampicin(3.3%,55/1,668).The rate of rifampicin resistance was 1.8%(23/1,290)in the new cases and 9.4%(32/340)in the previously treated cases.Known resistance mutations were detected more frequently in lineage 2 strains than in lineage 3 or 4 strains,respectively:18.6%vs.8.7 or 9%,P<0.001.The estimated proportion of recent transmissions was 25.9%(432/1,668).Multivariate logistic analyses indicated that sex,age,occupation,lineage,and drug resistance were the risk factors for recent transmission.Despite the low rate of drug resistance,drug-resistant strains had a higher risk of recent transmission than the susceptible strains(adjusted odds ratio,1.414;95%CI,1.023-1.954;P = 0.036).Among all patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis(DR-TB),78.4%(171/218)were attributed to the transmission of DR-TB strains. Conclusion Our results suggest that drug-resistant strains are more transmissible than susceptible strains and that transmission is the major driving force of the current DR-TB epidemic in Kashgar.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of aristolochic acid (AA)-associated cancer in patients with AA nephropathy (AAN). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with AAN at Peking University First Hospital from January 1997 to December 2014. Long-term surveillance and follow-up data were analyzed to investigate the influence of different factors on the prevalence of cancer. The primary endpoint was the incidence of liver cancer, and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of urinary cancer during 1 year after taking AA-containing medication to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 337 patients diagnosed with AAN were included in this study. From the initiation of taking AA to the termination of follow-up, 39 patients were diagnosed with cancer. No cases of liver cancer were observed throughout the entire follow-up period, with urinary cancer being the predominant type (34/39, 87.17%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, follow-up period, and diabetes were potential risk factors, however, the dosage of the drug was not significantly associated with urinary cancer. CONCLUSIONS No cases of liver cancer were observed at the end of follow-up. However, a high prevalence of urinary cancer was observed in AAN patients. Establishing a direct causality between AA and HCC is challenging.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Incidence ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Kidney Diseases/chemically induced* ; Aristolochic Acids/adverse effects*

As a potent narcotic opioid analgesic,fentanyl has been used as intravenous anesthesia for clinical procedures while also being abused by drug users,resulting in an increasing number of deaths year by year,and thus it is urgent to develop rapid screening methods for fentanyl.In this study,by using a binary metal-organic framework MIL-88B(Fe/Ni)as an electrocatalyst,an electrochemical sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)modified glassy carbon electrode(GCE)was constructed for rapid detection of fentanyl.The morphology,crystal structure and elemental characteristics of the synthesized MIL-88B(Fe/Ni)/MWCNTs and MIL-88B(Fe/Ni)composites were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS),X-ray diffraction(XRD)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).In addition,the electrochemical characterization also revealed that the synthesized MIL-88B(Fe/Ni)/MWCNTs composites modified GCE possessed low electrochemical impedance and large electrochemical surface area with ultra-high sensitivity to fentanyl.The experimental conditions for the electrochemical detection of fentanyl were optimized and the limit of detection(LOD,3Sb/M)for fentanyl was 0.015 μmol/L with a linear range of 0.04-10 μmol/L,and the reproducibility,selectivity and stability were all favorable.In addition,the developed sensor showed satisfactory performance in real samples,with recoveries ranging from 58.6%to 81.5%and from 82.7%to 97.5%in urine and blood,respectively,at concentration levels of 0.2-1.0 μmol/L.The proposed MIL-88B(Fe/Ni)/MWCNTs composite could be used as a novel electrode material for electrochemical detection of fentanyl,and had great potential for rapid detection of fentanyl in public security anti-drug or medical emergency.

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of implantable D-shant atrial shunt device in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)and right heart failure.A 53-year-old female patient diagnosed with severe idiopathic PAH and right heart failure,her WHO FC grade was Ⅳ.The right heart catheter and implantation of D-shant atrial shunt device were performed under local anesthesia on November 30,2021.A 6 mm×4 cm peripheral artery balloon was selected to dilate the atrial septum and a D-shant atrial shunt device with a fixed 4 mm diameter orifice was implanted into the heart.The clinical symptoms and hemodynamics of the patient was improved after the intervention.Implantation of atrial shunt device as a palliative therapy to established a right to left shunt is another strategy for treating patients with severe PAH in late period,which has good effectiveness and safety.It could be the last replacement therapy to improve symptoms and prolonged lives to drug resistant and severe PAH patients.

Mytilus is one of bivalves with great economic and ecological values.The innate immune de-fense of Mytilus shows great significance in the study of marine biological immunology.Hemolymph is the main immune tissue for Mytilus.The Nanopore full-length transcriptome of Mytilus coruscus hemocytes,and the serum differential proteomics based on SDS-PAGE analysis were performed to identify key pro-teins involving in the immune response of Mytilus hemolymph in response of different bacteria and fungi stresses.A total of 44 proteins were identified in the serum induced by different microorganisms.Among them,26 proteins showed significant differential expression level in response to different microbial stres-ses,and their functions were involved in protein folding protection,cell autophagy and apoptosis regula-tion,reactive oxygen species production,energy metabolism regulation,cell detoxification,and immune regulation.The changes in expression levels of these proteins varied in response to different bacterial and fungal stresses,suggesting that Mytilus has different immune response strategies to different bacterial and fungal stresses.The results provide a new scientific basis for understanding the differential immune mech-anism of Mytilus innate immune system in response to different types of microbial invasion,as well as the screening of specific biomarker proteins for microbial infection,and provide ideas for the healthy develop-ment and disease prevention of shellfish aquaculture.

Aim To observe the effects of Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula(WFJZF)on rats with vascular de-mentia and investigate its possible mechanism of ac-tion.Methods Thirty-six healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group,model group,donepezil group,and low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups of Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula,with six rats per group.Except for the sham group,the other groups were prepared as VaD models,and each group was gavaged with the corresponding drugs after suc-cessful modeling,and tests were performed after three weeks of treatment.Behavioral,hippocampal CA1 area morphology,neural dendrites and mitochondrial chan-ges were observed in all groups of rats,and phospho-glycerate mutase 5(PGAM5),dynamics-related pro-teins1(Drp1),opticatrophyprotein-1(OPA1),and other proteins were detected in each group.Results Compared with the sham group,rats in the model group and each intervention group had prolonged es-cape latency(P＜0.05),a shorter number of travers-als across the platforms(P＜0.05),a sparse morphol-ogy of hippocampal neurons,a reduction in the number of secondary dendritic spines,and a rupture of the out-er membrane of the mitochondria;the expression of the PGAM5 and Drp1 proteins in hippocampal tissues was elevated(P＜0.05),and the expression of the OPA1 and Mfn1/2 protein expression decreased(P＜0.05);compared with the model group,donepezil group and Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula high-dose group of rats had shorter evasion latency(P＜0.05),increased number of times to traverse the platform(P＜0.05),increased number of hippocampal neurons,tightly packed,more secondary dendritic structures,and reduced mitochon-drial damage;the expression of PGAM5 and Drp1 pro-teins was reduced(P＜0.05),and the expression of OPA1 and Mfn1/2 proteins was elevated(P＜0.05).Conclusions Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula can regulate the PGAM5-Drp1 signaling axis to improve the balance of mitochondrial homeostasis,thus improving the cog-nitive condition of the brain and exerting cerebroprotec-tive effects.

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.