Aromatherapy refers to the method of using the aromatic components of plants in appropriate forms to act on the entire body or a specific area to prevent and treat diseases. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic molecules， such as limonene， linalool， linalool acetate， geraniol， and citronellol. These chemicals have been extensively studied and shown to have a variety of functions， including reducing anxiety， relieving depression， promoting sleep， and providing pain relief. Terpenoids are a class of organic molecules with relatively low lipid solubility. After being inhaled， they can pass through the nasal mucosa for transfer or penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream upon local application. Some of these substances also have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier， thereby exerting effects on the central nervous system. Currently， the academic community generally agrees that products such as essential oils and aromatherapy from aromatic plants have certain health benefits. However， the process of extracting a single component from it and successfully developing it into a drug still faces many challenges. Its safety and efficacy still need to be further verified through more rigorous and systematic experiments. This article systematically elaborated on the efficacy of aromatic substances， including plant extracts and natural small molecule compounds， in antibacterial and antiviral fields and the regulation of nervous system activity. As a result， a deeper understanding of aromatherapy was achieved. At the same time， the potential of these aromatic substances for drug development was thoroughly explored， providing important references and insights for possible future drug research and application.

Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pathogen-associated biomarkers is vital for the early diagnosis and therapy of bacterial infections. Herein, we developed a close-packed and ordered Au@AgPt array coupled with a cascade triggering strategy for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and colorimetric identification of the Staphylococcus aureus biomarker micrococcal nuclease (MNase) in serum samples. The trimetallic Au@AgPt nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) molecules to SERS-enhanced oxidized TMB (oxTMB), accompanied by the color change from colorless to blue. In the presence of S. aureus, the secreted MNase preferentially cut the nucleobase AT-rich regions of DNA sequences on magnetic beads (MBs) to release alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which subsequently mediated the oxTMB reduction for inducing the colorimetric/SERS signal fade away. Using this "on-to-off" triggering strategy, the target S. aureus can be recorded in a wide linear range with a limit of detection of 38 CFU/mL in the colorimetric mode and 6 CFU/mL in the SERS mode. Meanwhile, the MNase-mediated strategy characterized by high specificity and sensitivity successfully discriminated between patients with sepsis (n = 7) and healthy participants (n = 3), as well as monitored the prognostic progression of the disease (n = 2). Overall, benefiting from highly active and dense "hot spot" substrate, MNase-mediated cascade response strategy, and colorimetric/SERS dual-signal output, this methodology will offer a promising avenue for the early diagnosis of S. aureus infection.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.08.024.].

In situ and real-time monitoring of responsive drug release is critical for the assessment of pharmacodynamics in chemotherapy. In this study, a novel pH-responsive nanosystem is proposed for real-time monitoring of drug release and chemo-phototherapy by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The Fe₃O₄@Au@Ag nanoparticles (NPs) deposited graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites with a high SERS activity and stability are synthesized and labeled with a Raman reporter 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA) to form SERS probes (GO-Fe₃O₄@Au@Ag-MPBA). Furthermore, doxorubicin (DOX) is attached to SERS probes through a pH-responsive linker boronic ester (GO-Fe₃O₄@Au@Ag-MPBA-DOX), accompanying the 4-MPBA signal change in SERS. After the entry into tumor, the breakage of boronic ester in the acidic environment gives rise to the release of DOX and the recovery of 4-MPBA SERS signal. Thus, the DOX dynamic release can be monitored by the real-time changes of 4-MPBA SERS spectra. Additionally, the strong T₂ magnetic resonance (MR) signal and NIR photothermal transduction efficiency of the nanocomposites make it available for MR imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT). Altogether, this GO-Fe₃O₄@Au@Ag-MPBA-DOX can simultaneously fulfill the synergistic combination of cancer cell targeting, pH-sensitive drug release, SERS-traceable detection and MR imaging, endowing it great potential for SERS/MR imaging-guided efficient chemo-phototherapy on cancer treatment.

Objective To study the ambient radiation of patients undergoing ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT myocardial metabolism imaging, and to provide data for protection of surrounding people against radiation. Methods A total of 33 patients were selected for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT myocardial metabolism imaging. Dose equivalent rate was measured at the height of patient chest, in different directions, at different time points and at different distances, to investigate the distribution of ambient radiation of the patient. Results At the same time point and distance, the dose equivalent rates at the left and right sides of the patient were lower than the front and back sides. The dose equivalent rate at 1 m in front of the patient was 13-21 μSv/h after ¹⁸F-FDG injection, and decreased to 5-14 μSv/h after PET/CT imaging, with a mean decrease of 46%. The ambient dose equivalent rate decreased exponentially with distance (10~300 cm), and the mean power was −1.2. Conclusion The ambient radiation of patients undergoing ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT myocardial metabolism imaging was high after ¹⁸F-FDG injection, and the ambient dose equivalent rate decreased rapidly with time and distance. Our results suggest that patients undergoing myocardial metabolism imaging should avoid prolonged and close contact with other people on the day of examination.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze characteristics and related factors of the plantar pressure during the level walking and single leg standing in the chronic ankle instability (CAI) individuals. METHODS: From April 2019, 75 CAI individuals and 40 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. Both of the static and dynamic plantar pressure were measured during six times level walking and three times single leg standing testing. The data including peak force, time to peak force in various foot contact areas and the time to boundary (TTB) and velocity of center of pressure (COP) were measured and compared between the affected side and the unaffected side and between the CAI cases and the healthy individuals. The correlations between the plantar pressure and the gender, Beighton score, affected side and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. RESULTS: The characteristics of plantar pressure distribution in the CAI individuals included: (1) During the level walking, the affected side showed the similar pressure contribution as the unaffected side (P>0.05). While compared with healthy individuals, there was a significantly higher peak force in the 5th metatarsal area (t=-3.86, P=0.03) of the affected side, lower peak force in the 1st (t=2.99, P=0.02), 2nd metatarsal head areas (t=2.09, P=0.01) of the affected side, medial hindfoot areas of both sides (affected, t=2.33, P=0.01; unaffected, t=3.74, P=0.02) and toes areass of both sides (affected, t=2.23, P=0.01; unaffected, t=3.28, P=0.02) and a delay to peak force in the 4th metatarsal head area (t=3.33, P=0.01) of the affected side. (2) During the single leg standing, the CAI individuals showed significantly worse balance control in the anterior/posterior direction (P < 0.05) and lateral/medial direction (P < 0.05) compared with the healthy controls, and the affected side had more severe balance control deficit in the lateral/medial direction (P < 0.05). (3) The women (P < 0.05) and the individuals with higher Beighton scores (P < 0.05) showed worse balance control deficit in the lateral/medial direction. CONCLUSION CAI individuals showed significantly a more lateral shifted plantar distribution during the level walking compared with the healthy individuals and the tendency was worse on the affected sides, and showed worse balance control in the anterior/posterior direction and lateral/medial direction during the single leg standing. The women and those with generalized ligament laxity showed significantly worse balance control.
Ankle ; Ankle Joint ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Joint Instability

Objective:To study the effect of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction and its deficiency tonifying and pathogen eliminating components on renal interstitial fibrosis in UUO rats. Method:A rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was established through ligation of a unilateral ureter. The rats were divided into six groups: sham operation group, model group, benazepril group, Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group, Buxufang group, and phlegm group, with 24 rats in each group. On the third day after operation, the rats in the Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group, Buxufang group, and phlegm group were given Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction concentrating agent at a dose of 8.0 g·kg^-1·d^-1, the rats in the benazepril group were given benazepril 1.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, and the rats in the sham operation group and the model group were given the same volume of saline. On the 7^th, 14^th and 21^st days after operation, the expressions of peripheral cells and relevant signal pathway markers in renal tissue were detected by Western blot and Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) respectively. Result:The stromal damage score and the interstitial collagen accumulation on the 14^th and 21^st days after UUO were significantly lower in the Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group, Buxu prescription group and Qixie prescription group than those in the model group (P<0.05). Except for the sham operation group, the protein expressions of α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), platelet derived growth factor A (PDGFA), nerve/glial type 2 chondroitin sulfate glycoprotein (NG-2), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1), platelet-derived growth factor -β (PDGF-β) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β) in the kidney tissues of the 14^th and 21^st days were significantly increased compared with those on the 7^th day (P<0.05). On the 21^st day after surgery, the expressions of NG-2, VEGFA, VEGFR1 and PDGFR-β in renal tissue of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group were significantly lower than those in the model group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, relevant expressions of α-SMA, PDGFA, NG-2, VEGFA, VEGFR1, PDGF-β, and PDGFR-β in kidney tissue of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group decreased significantly on the 21^st day after operation (P<0.05), and relative expressions of α-SMA, NG-2, VEGFA, VEGFR1 and PDGFR-β in the Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction group were significantly lower than those in the benazepril group on the 21^st day after surgery (P<0.05). Conclusion:Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction and its deficiency tonifying and pathogen eliminating components have an antagonistic effect on renal interstitial fibrosis in UUO rats. Its mechanism is related to the inhibition of activation of peripheral cells and relevant cell signaling pathways.