Objective: To investigate the correlation between color parameters (L^*, a^*, b^*, Eab^*) and the contents of reducing sugars, total polysaccharides, total oligosaccharides, as well as four saccharides (fructose, glucose, sucrose, and kestose) during the nine cycles of steaming and sun-drying processing of Polygonatum kingianum, and to preliminarily explore the optimal processing duration.
Methods: The color changes were objectively evaluated using a colorimeter. The anthrone-sulfuric acid method was employed to determine total polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. The 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) colorimetric method was used to measure total reducing sugar content. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detection (HPLC-CAD) was applied for quantitative analysis of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and kestose. Multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to assess samples from different processing stages.
Results: Significant variations in color and component contents were observed across processing stages. The herbal pieces progressively darkened with increased processing cycles: brightness (L^*) and total color difference (Eab^*) initially decreased then stabilized, while a^* (red-green) and b^* (yellow-blue) values first increased then declined. Total polysaccharides and oligosaccharides showed overall decreasing trends, whereas reducing sugars initially increased before stabilizing. Fructose and glucose levels rose continuously, while sucrose and kestose decreased progressively, becoming undetectable after five cycles.
Conclusion: The chromatic alteration and saccharide composition of P. kingianum showed significant correlation with processing duration. Both total color difference (Eab^*) and reducing sugar content stabilized after four processing cycles (12 hours), suggesting that four cycles of steaming and sun-drying may represent the optimal processing duration.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the color parameters (L^*, a^*, b^*, Eab^* values) of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata powder prepared by different processing techniques and the contents of 2,3,5,4’-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, emodin, physcion, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, physcion-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside.
Methods: The L^*, a^*, b^* and Eab^* values of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata powder prepared by different processing techniques were determined by spectrophotometer, and the contents of the five components were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Secondly, SPSS 26.0 software and Simca 14.1 software were used to analyze the correlation.
Results: Through the hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), it was found that the steamed samples and black bean steamed samples could be obviously divided into two categories: raw products and processed products. The processed products could be further divided into 2-8 h and 12-48 h. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the content of stilbene glycoside was significantly positively correlated with L^*, a^* and b^* values (P<0.01). The a^* value was significantly positively correlated with the content of emodin and physcion (P<0.01). Emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside was positively correlated with L^* value and b^* value, while physcion-8-O-β-D-glucoside was negatively correlated with a^* value. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS) showed that 2,3,5,4’-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (VIP=1.69) and emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (VIP=1.06) were the key variables affecting chromaticity characteristics (P<0.01).
Conclusion: The three processes of steaming, black bean steaming and black bean stewing are consistent in composition transformation and chromaticity variation, and stilbene glycoside can be used as a specific index component to characterize the processed color. Chromatic parameters can effectively reflect the processing progression and serve as quality monitoring indicators during production.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) and associated risk factors on the prognosis of patients undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) for breast cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1593 breast cancer patients who underwent PMBR at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital between January 2010 and October 2023. Patients were divided into an RT group ( n = 351) and a non-RT group ( n =1242) based on whether postoperative radiotherapy was administered. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of revision surgery. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used for pairing. Continuous variables were compared between the two groups using the independent samples t-tests, while categorical variables were compared using chi-square tests, and survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze survival influencing factors, and include propensity factors with P<0.2 in univariate analysis into multivariate analysis. Results:In the RT group, there were 3 deaths (0.9%) and 21 cases of disease progression (6.0%); in the non-RT group, 7 patients died (0.56%) and 40 experienced disease progression (3.22%). The median OS was 20.1 months (range: 0.1-164.9), and the median PFS was 19.5 months (range: 0.1-160.9). Pregnancy-associated breast cancer and higher N stage were identified as significant risk factors for OS, while neoadjuvant therapy, absence of adjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy, and higher T stage were significant risk factors affecting patients' PFS. Radiotherapy significantly reduced the survival risk for PMBR patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer or those receiving neoadjuvant therapy ( P=0.019, 0.027). Compared with other reconstruction methods, implant-based reconstruction was associated with a lower incidence of postmastectomy revision surgery(10.5% vs. 17.0%, P<0.001). Even after radiotherapy, the revision surgery incidence for implant-based reconstruction remained lower than that of other methods (12.2% vs. 14.2%, P=0.591). Compared with other reconstruction types, expander-based reconstruction was associated with an increased incidence of revision surgery (31.9% vs. 10.9%, P<0.001). Conclusions:Postmastectomy radiotherapy can reduce survival risk in PMBR patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer or who received neoadjuvant therapy, showing positive effects on OS and PFS in high-risk patients. Pregnancy, higher T/N stage, and specific treatment strategies are critical factors influencing the prognosis of PMBR patients. Implant-based reconstruction is associated with a lower incidence of revision surgery, which remains low even after RT, whereas expander-based reconstruction may increase the long-term risk of revision surgery.

The regulation of rhizosphere bacterial community structure and metabolism by plants in municipal solid waste landfills is a key to enhancing the biodegradation of chlorobenzene (CB). In this study, we employed biodiversity and metabolomics methods to systematically analyze the mechanisms of different plant species in regulating the rhizosphere bacterial community structure and metabolic features and then improved the methane (CH₄) oxidation and CB degradation capacity. The results showed that the rhizosphere soil of Rumex acetosa exhibited the highest CH₄ oxidation and CB degradation capacity of 0.08 g/(kg·h) and 1.72×10^-6 g/(L·h), respectively, followed by the rhizosphere soil of Amaranthus spinosus L., with the rhizosphere soil of Broussonetia papyrifera showing the weakest activity. Rumex acetosa promoted the colonization of Methylocaldum in the rhizosphere, and the small-molecule organic amine, such as triethylamine and N-methyl-aniline, secreted from the roots of this plant enhanced the tricarboxylic acid cycle and nicotinamide metabolism, thereby increasing microbial activity and improving CH₄ and CB degradation efficiency. Conversely, cinnamic acid and its derivatives secreted by Broussonetia papyrifera acted as autotoxins, inhibiting microbial activity and exacerbating the negative effects of salt stress on key microbes such as methanotrophs. This study probed into the mechanisms of typical plants growing in landfill cover soil in regulating bacterial ecological functions, offering theoretical support and practical guidance for the plant-microbe joint control of landfill gas pollution.
Biodegradation, Environmental ; Rhizosphere ; Soil Microbiology ; Waste Disposal Facilities ; Chlorobenzenes/metabolism* ; Bacteria/metabolism* ; Soil Pollutants/metabolism* ; Methane/metabolism* ; Plant Roots/microbiology* ; Amaranthus/microbiology* ; Soil

OBJECTIVE: In Pakistan, traditional medicines are an important component of the medical system, with numerous varieties and great demands. However, due to the scattered resources and the lack of systematic collection and collation, adulteration of traditional Pakistani medicine (TPM) is common, which severely affects the safety of their medicinal use and the import and export trades. Therefore, it is urgent to systematically organize and unify the management of TPM and establish a set of standards and operable methods for the identification of TPM. METHODS: We collected and organized the information on 128 TPMs with regard to their medicinal parts, efficacy, usage, and genetic material, based on Pakistan Hamdard Pharmacopoeia of Eastern Medicine: Pharmaceutical Codex. The genetic information of TPM is summarized from national center for biotechnology information (NCBI) and global pharmacopoeia genome database (GPGD). Furthermore, we utilized bioinformatics technology to supplement the chloroplast genome (cp-genome) data of 12 TPMs. To build the web server, we used the Linux + Apache + MySQL + PHP (LAMP) system and constructed the webpage on a PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) model view controller (MVC) framework. RESULTS: We constructed a new genomic database, the traditional Pakistani medicine genomic database (TPMGD). This database comprises five entries, namely homepage, medicinal species, species identification, basic local alignment search tool (BLAST), and download. Currently, TPMGD contains basic profiles of 128 TPMs and genetic information of 102 TPMs, including 140 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences and 119 mitochondrial genome sequences from Bombyx mori, 1 396 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences and 1 074 intergenic region (psbA-trnH) sequences specific to 92 and 83 plant species, respectively. Additionally, TPMGD includes 199 cp-genome sequences of 82 TPMs. CONCLUSION TPMGD is a multifunctional database that integrates species description, functional information inquiry, genetic information storage, molecular identification of TPM, etc. The database not only provides convenience for TPM information queries but also establishes the scientific basis for the medication safety, species identification, and resource protection of TPM.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological and genetic characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023.Methods:Collected clinical cases of HFMD, epidemiological information and samples were obtained. The specimens were tested by the real-time RT-PCR for enterovirus A71(EVA71), CVA16, CVA6 and CVA10, respectively. The VP1 regions of CVA6 were amplified and sequenced, MEGA X was used for phylogenetic analysis.Results:From 2021 to 2023, a total of 1 393 HFMD samples were collected, 1 106 (79.40%, 1 106/1 393) of which were positive for enteroviruses. The proportions of EVA71, CVA16, CVA6 and CVA10 were 0.45% (5/1 106), 16.64% (184/1 106), 72.42% (801/1 106) and 2.17% (24/1 106). A total of 801 HFMD cases tested positive for CAV6, including 783 mild cases and 18 severe cases, mainly in children aged ≤5 years (86.02%, 689/801), with a male/female ratio of 1.49∶1. The composition ratio of CVA6 infection differed with year(χ 2=332.62, P<0.01), and the highest composition ratio of CVA6 was in 2023 (91.01%, 638/701). The nucleotide and amino acid similarities in the VP1 region of Xi′an strains of CVA6 were 92.4%-99.8% and 98.3%-100.0%, respectively. Compared with the CVA6 prototype strain(Gdula), the nucleotide and amino acid similarities in the VP1 region of Xi′an strains were 82.2%-84.0% and 95.4%-96.0%, respectively, and there were 18 amino acid mutations in different degrees. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of VP1 region sequences, the CVA6 strains in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023 belonged to D3a subtype, and could be divided into two clusters with 18 strains in cluster 1 while two strain in cluster 2. Conclusions:The sub-genotype D3a of CVA6 is the predominant virus causing HFMD in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023, and there are two transmission chains. The monitoring and prevention of CVA6 should be strengthened.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) and associated risk factors on the prognosis of patients undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) for breast cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1593 breast cancer patients who underwent PMBR at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital between January 2010 and October 2023. Patients were divided into an RT group ( n = 351) and a non-RT group ( n =1242) based on whether postoperative radiotherapy was administered. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of revision surgery. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used for pairing. Continuous variables were compared between the two groups using the independent samples t-tests, while categorical variables were compared using chi-square tests, and survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze survival influencing factors, and include propensity factors with P<0.2 in univariate analysis into multivariate analysis. Results:In the RT group, there were 3 deaths (0.9%) and 21 cases of disease progression (6.0%); in the non-RT group, 7 patients died (0.56%) and 40 experienced disease progression (3.22%). The median OS was 20.1 months (range: 0.1-164.9), and the median PFS was 19.5 months (range: 0.1-160.9). Pregnancy-associated breast cancer and higher N stage were identified as significant risk factors for OS, while neoadjuvant therapy, absence of adjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy, and higher T stage were significant risk factors affecting patients' PFS. Radiotherapy significantly reduced the survival risk for PMBR patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer or those receiving neoadjuvant therapy ( P=0.019, 0.027). Compared with other reconstruction methods, implant-based reconstruction was associated with a lower incidence of postmastectomy revision surgery(10.5% vs. 17.0%, P<0.001). Even after radiotherapy, the revision surgery incidence for implant-based reconstruction remained lower than that of other methods (12.2% vs. 14.2%, P=0.591). Compared with other reconstruction types, expander-based reconstruction was associated with an increased incidence of revision surgery (31.9% vs. 10.9%, P<0.001). Conclusions:Postmastectomy radiotherapy can reduce survival risk in PMBR patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer or who received neoadjuvant therapy, showing positive effects on OS and PFS in high-risk patients. Pregnancy, higher T/N stage, and specific treatment strategies are critical factors influencing the prognosis of PMBR patients. Implant-based reconstruction is associated with a lower incidence of revision surgery, which remains low even after RT, whereas expander-based reconstruction may increase the long-term risk of revision surgery.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological and genetic characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023.Methods:Collected clinical cases of HFMD, epidemiological information and samples were obtained. The specimens were tested by the real-time RT-PCR for enterovirus A71(EVA71), CVA16, CVA6 and CVA10, respectively. The VP1 regions of CVA6 were amplified and sequenced, MEGA X was used for phylogenetic analysis.Results:From 2021 to 2023, a total of 1 393 HFMD samples were collected, 1 106 (79.40%, 1 106/1 393) of which were positive for enteroviruses. The proportions of EVA71, CVA16, CVA6 and CVA10 were 0.45% (5/1 106), 16.64% (184/1 106), 72.42% (801/1 106) and 2.17% (24/1 106). A total of 801 HFMD cases tested positive for CAV6, including 783 mild cases and 18 severe cases, mainly in children aged ≤5 years (86.02%, 689/801), with a male/female ratio of 1.49∶1. The composition ratio of CVA6 infection differed with year(χ 2=332.62, P<0.01), and the highest composition ratio of CVA6 was in 2023 (91.01%, 638/701). The nucleotide and amino acid similarities in the VP1 region of Xi′an strains of CVA6 were 92.4%-99.8% and 98.3%-100.0%, respectively. Compared with the CVA6 prototype strain(Gdula), the nucleotide and amino acid similarities in the VP1 region of Xi′an strains were 82.2%-84.0% and 95.4%-96.0%, respectively, and there were 18 amino acid mutations in different degrees. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of VP1 region sequences, the CVA6 strains in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023 belonged to D3a subtype, and could be divided into two clusters with 18 strains in cluster 1 while two strain in cluster 2. Conclusions:The sub-genotype D3a of CVA6 is the predominant virus causing HFMD in Xi′an city from 2021 to 2023, and there are two transmission chains. The monitoring and prevention of CVA6 should be strengthened.

Objective To evaluate the intraoperative identification of ectopic parathyroid tissue in the central neck region using autofluorescence point-spectral analysis(AFPSA)combined with immune colloidal gold technique(ICGT),for guiding total parathyroidectomy(TPTX)or clean parathyroidectomy(CPTX)in the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism(SHPT).Methods Retrospectively collected and compared the clinical data of 64 patients with SHPT from October 2019 to June 2023.In the observation group,TPTX was performed as the initial procedure in 36 cases,followed by sampling of suspicious targets using AFPSA in the central neck area and subsequent detection through ICGT.CPTX was then conducted if a positive result was obtained.On the other hand,the control group consisted of 28 cases where only TPTX was performed without any additional tests during surgery.The surgical data,parathyroid hormone(PTH)levels,blood calcium levels,blood phosphorus levels,alkaline phosphatase(ALP)levels,regression of clinical symptoms,changes in parathyroid function and occurrence of hypocalcemia were compared between these two groups.Results In the observation group,there were 9 cases of AFPSA-ICGT positivity,including 2 left-sided cases,4 right-sided cases,and 3 thymic cases;among these posi-tive cases,there were a total of 10 locations with mildly hyperplastic or nonhyperplastic microscopic parathyroid tissue.The difference in the number of total parathyroid glands removed(including ectopic)between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).At both 3 and 6 months postoperatively,ALP levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.01 and P<0.001 respectively);at 6 months postoperatively,differences in PTH and blood phosphorus levels between the two groups were also statistically significant(P<0.05 and P<0.001 respectively).Joint bone pain and skin itching recurred in some patients within the control group at six months after surgery(P<0.05),whereas recurrence of SHPT was less frequent within the observation group compared to controls(P<0.05);however,no statistically significant differences were observed regarding postoperative hypoparathyroidism or hyperparathyroidism as well as hypocalcemia between either groups.Conclusion The AFPSA-ICGT intraoperative test can be utilized to guide surgery for SHPT,enabling accurate and efficient identification as well as safe targeting of parathyroid tissues that may not exhibit obvious hyperplasia in the central cervical region.

Objective:To analyze the medication rule of Duan Fujin in the treatment of liver cirrhosis based on data mining method.Methods:By searching for and collecting the medical records of patients with liver cirrhosis treated by Traditional Chinese Medicine master Duan Fujin, counting the frequently used Chinese medicines and analyzing their association rules to carry out the system cluster analysis of frequently showed medicines, and to gain new prescriptions.Results:A total of 162 prescriptions of Professor Duan Fujin were collected, including 115 Chinese medicines, most of which are bitter and pungent in terms of taste. The medicines which are frequently used are Bupleuri Radix, Curcumae Radix, Poria, Trionycis Carapax, Glycyrrhizae Radix; the medicine pairs which are frequently appeared are Bupleuri Radix- Curcumae Radix, Bupleuri Radix- Poria, Curcumae Radix- Poria, Curcumae Radix- Trionycis Carapax, Bupleuri Radix- Trionycis Carapax, Curcumae Radix- Poria- Bupleuri Radix, Curcumae Radix- Trionycis Carapax- Bupleuri Radix, Curcumae Radix- Glycyrrhizae Radix- Bupleuri Radix, Bupleuri Radix- Chuanxiong Rhizoma- Curcumae Radix, Curcumae Radix- Trionycis Carapax- Poria, Bupleuri Radix- Trionycis Carapax- Poria. Cluster analysis shows that there are two new prescriptions: the first prescription plays the role of invigorating spleen and removing dampness, regulating qi and resolving phlegm, which is composed of Pinelliae Rhizoma, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Amomi Fructus, Aurantii Fructus, Poria, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Arecae Pericarpium, Hordei Fructus Germinatus, Crataegi Fructus; the second prescription plays the role of invigorating Qi and activating blood circulation, Ruanjian Sanjie, which is composed of Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Astragali Radix, Trionycis Carapax, Ostreae Concha, Curcumae Radix, Corydalis Rhizoma, Persicae Semen, Toosendan Fructus, Paeoniae Radix Rubra, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Curcumae Rhizoma, Moutan Cortex, Hedyotis diffusa Willd. Conclusion:The treatment of liver cirrhosis by Duan Fujin's mainly focuse on soothing and promoting the liver qi, softening the hard and disperse the knot, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, strengthening the spleen qi and removing dampness.