ObjectiveThis study aimed to construct a neural network model integrating readily available clinical data and two-dimensional （2D） conventional ultrasound images to evaluate the severity of steatotic liver disease （SLD）. MethodsClinical data and ultrasound images were retrospectively collected from 649 patients who underwent ultrasound attenuation imaging （ATI）. Using ATI as the reference standard， patients were divided into four groups： normal （S0）， mild （S1）， moderate （S2）， and severe （S3） SLD. Data were randomly divided into training and validation sets at an 8∶2 ratio. A contrastive language-image pre-training （CLIP） model was utilized to extract features from both clinical and imaging data， which were then used to train random forest （RF） and multilayer perceptron （MLP） models. The diagnostic performance of these multimodal models was compared their single-modal counterparts in the validation set. ResultsThe MLP model outperformed the RF model （AUC［95%CI］： S0 = 0.96 ［0.93-0.99］， S1 = 0.99 ［0.96-1.00］， S2 = 0.75 ［0.64-0.82］， S3 = 0.88 ［0.81-0.93］）. Furthermore， the multimodal fusion model demonstrated significantly superior performance compared to single-modal models （clinical data only： AUC［95%CI］ of 0.89 ［0.81-0.95］， 0.69 ［0.52-0.79］， 0.64 ［0.43-0.67］ and 0.80 ［0.73-0.90］ for S0-S3， respectively； image data only： AUC［95%CI］ of 0.91 ［0.86-0.96］， 0.89 ［0.67-0.89］， 0.69 ［0.58-0.78］ and 0.86 ［0.82-0.94］）. Metrics including precision， recall， F1-score， F2-score， confusion matrices， and loss function learning curves further confirmed that multimodal data fusion significantly improved the predictive capability. ConclusionThe proposed CLIP-based MLP multimodal model can effectively and automatically grade SLD severity. This demonstrates the significant advantage of integrating clinical and ultrasound data， providing an accurate and reliable adjunctive tool for the clinical management of chronic SLD.

Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi) represents a significant traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that exhibits both notable pharmacological effects and toxicity. Various processing methods are implemented to reduce the toxicity of raw Fuzi by modifying its toxic and effective components, primarily diterpenoid alkaloids. To comprehensively analyze the chemical variations between different Fuzi products, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was employed to systematically characterize Shengfuzi, Heishunpian and Baifupian. A total of 249 diterpenoid alkaloids present in Shengfuzi were identified, while only 111 and 61 in Heishunpian and Baifupian were detected respectively, indicating substantial differences among these products. An untargeted metabolomics approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis revealed 42 potential chemical markers. Through subsequent validation using 52 batches of commercial Heishunpian and Baifupian samples, 8 robust markers distinguishing these products were identified, including AC1-propanoic acid-3OH, HE-glucoside, HE-hydroxyvaleric acid-2OH, dihydrosphingosine, N-dodecoxycarbonylvaline and three unknown compounds. Additionally, the MS imaging (MSI) technique was utilized to visualize the spatial distribution of chemical constituents in raw Fuzi, revealing how different processing procedures affect the chemical variations between Heishunpian and Baifupian. The distribution patterns of different diterpenoid alkaloid subtypes partially explained the chemical differences among products. This research provides valuable insights into the material basis for future investigations of different Fuzi products.
Diterpenes/chemistry* ; Alkaloids/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Aconitum/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Metabolomics ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Molecular Structure

Objective To explore the clinical effect of honey in preoperative bowel preparation for colonoscopy in hospitalized patients.Methods 87 patients from April 2022 to July 2022 and underwent preoperative bowel preparation for colonoscopy were selected as the research subjects.Convenience sampling was used to divide them into a control group(n=43)and an observation group(n=44).The control group received a conventional regimen of taking compound polyethylene glycol(PEG)electrolyte powder(Heshuang),while the observation group added 20 mL of honey to the Heshuang solution.Compare the cleanliness of intestine,and palatability of the taste,the incidence of adverse reactions,satisfaction of patients,and the rate of willingness for prepeat bowel preparation between the two groups.Results The intestinal cleanliness of the two groups of patients was equivalent,the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The incidence and severity of nausea,abdominal bloating,hypoglycemia,and anal irritation in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The observation group had better taste,patients satisfaction,and the willingness for prepeat bowel preparation compared to the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Honey can improve the taste of Heshuang,reduce the severity of oral adverse reactions,increase patient satisfaction,and increase the rate of willingness for prepeat bowel preparation.

OBJECTIVE To explore the improvement effect of rape pollen on androgenic alopecia mice and its mechanism. METHODS The blank group, model group, positive drug group and administration group were set up, the androgenic alopecia mice model was induced by applying 0.2% testosterone after hair removal. The hair growth rate of mice were observed by using 5% minoxidil as positive drug and 0.4 g·mL-1 rape pollen oil solution as administration group. The hair quality and follicle condition of mice were observed by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and HE staining of skin tissue, respectively. The level of VEGF and bFGF in skin were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting, while the level of serum sex hormones and reactive oxygen species were detected by ELISA. RESULTS Rape pollen could significantly promote the hair growth in mice and improve the state of mice hair scales compared with model group. Mechanism exploration experiments showed that rape pollen could not promote hair regeneration of mice by regulating hormone levels or anti-oxidative stress. However, rape pollen could increase the expression of bFGF and VEGF related to skin angiogenesis at the modeling site. CONCLUSION Rape pollen can promote hair regeneration in androgenic alopecia mice. Its mechanism may be that it promotes perifollicular vascular regeneration by increasing bFGF and VEGF level.

Pheretima,also called"earthworms",is a well-known animal-derived traditional Chinese medicine that is extensively used in over 50 Chinese patent medicines(CPMs)in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edi-tion).However,its zoological origin is unclear,both in the herbal market and CPMs.In this study,a strategy for integrating in-house annotated protein databases constructed from close evolutionary relationship-sourced RNA sequencing data from public archival resources and various sequencing al-gorithms(restricted search,open search,and de novo)was developed to characterize the phenotype of natural peptides of three major commercial species of Pheretima,including Pheretima aspergillum(PA),Pheretima vulgaris(PV),and Metaphire magna(MM).We identified 10,477 natural peptides in the PA,7,451 in PV,and 5,896 in MM samples.Five specific signature peptides were screened and then validated using synthetic peptides;these demonstrated robust specificity for the authentication of PA,PV,and MM.Finally,all marker peptides were successfully applied to identify the zoological origins of Brain Heart capsules and Xiaohuoluo pills,revealing the inconsistent Pheretima species used in these CPMs.In conclusion,our integrated strategy could be used for the in-depth characterization of natural peptides of other animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines,especially non-model species with poorly annotated protein databases.

Bioengineering majors require students to acquire excellent abilities of thinking and analyzing complex problems and have high requirements for students' comprehensive practical skills. Because of the professional characteristics, it is necessary to develop students' abilities to solve complex problems via the teaching of a series of experiments. Therefore, it is particularly important to reform the traditional experiment teaching for students majoring in bioengineering to improve the teaching quality, which have great significance for the cultivation of comprehensive talents. In this study, with the advantages of geographical location and resources to cultivate application-oriented innovative talents, the course group of Comprehensive Experiment of Bioengineering has designed the course based on virtual simulation technology in Binzhou University. Taking the experiment of extraction and bioactivity analysis of Suaeda salsa (growing in the Yellow River Delta) polysaccharide in fermentation as a case, we studied the course design idea, experimental process, teaching method and result analysis, and have improved the teaching performance. This case analysis provides new ideas and content reference for the teaching reform of similar courses.
Bioengineering/education* ; Biomedical Engineering/education* ; Humans ; Students ; Technology ; Universities

Cordyceps sinensis(C.sinensis)is a widely used and highly valuable traditional Chinese medicine.Several dipeptides have been detected in C.sinensis,but current scientific knowledge of its chemical makeup remains limited.In this study,an improved approach that integrates offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography(2D LC)separation,precursor ion list,library screening,and diagnostic ion filtering was established to systematically screen and characterize dipeptides in C.sinensis.Offline 2D LC integrating hydrophilic interaction LC and reverse phase separations was established to eliminate interference and identify the target dipeptides.A library containing the potential 400 dipeptides was created,and a precursor ion list with all theoretical precursor ions was adopted to trigger the MS/MS scan with high sensitivity.To identify dipeptides,the type and connection sequence of amino acids were determined according to the product ions.Ile and Leu residues were differentiated for the first time according to the characteristic ion at m/z 69.07.Ultimately,170 dipeptides were identified or tentatively characterized from C.sinensis,and most are reported for the first time in this species herein.In addition,the identified dipeptides were also applied for discrimination among the three Cordyceps species,and 11 markers were identified.The obtained results provide a deeper understanding of the chemical basis of C.sinensis.

Twenty-one protostane-type triterpenoids with diverse structures, including nine new compounds (-), were isolated from the of Linn. Structurally, alisolides A‒F (-), composed of an oxole group coupled to a five-membered ring, represent unusual C-17 spirost protostane-type triterpenoids. Alisolide H () is a novel triterpenoid with an unreported endoperoxide bridge. Alisolide I () represents the first example of 23,24-acetal triterpenoid. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis, wherein the absolute configurations of ‒, were further confirmed by the Mo(OAc)-induced ECD method. Furthermore, all isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in Caco-2 cells, and all the compounds showed remarkable inhibitory activities, with IC values in the range of 0.76-38.20 μmol/L.

Objective Detecting plasma level of circular RNA(circRNA)hsa_circ_0009024 in pulmonary tuberculosis(TB)patients,and evaluating its diagnostic value for TB.Methods From January 2016 to December 2016, a hosptial-based, case-control study was performed, which include 90 untreated active pulmonary tuberculosis patients(TB group),75 healthy people(healthy control)and 84 patient with other diseases(other disease group).Plasma level of circRNA hsa_circ_0009024 was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Furthermore, the 90 patients with TB were divided into different subgroups according to cavity formation and the lung fields involvement: patients without lung cavity(55 cases)vs those with lung cavity(35 cases),patients with involvement of <2 lung fields(49 cases)vs≥2 lung fields(41 cases).Plasma levels of hsa _circ_0009024 of 41 TB patientswere monitored andcomparedbefore and after 3 months anti-TB therapy.The sensitivity and specificity of plasma hsa_circ_0009024 were analyzed by using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.The comparison between two groups was performed with Mann-Whitney U test and the comparison among multigroupswas conducted with Kruskal-Wallis H test.Results Plasma levels of hsa_circ_0009024 in TB patients[1.98(1.42, 2.71)]were significantly higher than healthy controls[1.03(0.78,1.33)]and other disease groups[1. 13(0.77,1.51)](H=76.58,P<0.0001).Plasma levels of hsa_circ_0009024 in cavity pulmonary TB patients were higher than pulmonary TB patients without cavity(U=392.50,P<0.0001).Plasma levels of hsa_circ_0009024 in TB patients with involvement of ≥2 lung fields were higher than <2 lung fields(U=590.50,P=0.0008).As compared to pre -treatment[2.01(1.41, 2.71)], the plasma hsa_circ_0009024 levels decreased significantly in 3 months[1.22(0.85,1.47)](U=292.50,P<0.0001)after anti-TB therapy.The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve(AUC)of plasma hsa_circ_0009024 in discriminating the patients with TB from normal controls, pneumonia patients and lung cancer patients were 0.841 and 0.811, respectively.Conclusion The hsa_circ_0009024 can be used as a potential biomarker in TB diagnosis and monitoring.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of entecavir combined with pegylated interferons in the patients with hepatitis B.Methods: Totally 72 patients with hepatitis B were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group with 36 ones in each.The patients in the experimental group were treated with entecavir combined with pegylated interferons, and those in the control group were treated with entecavir.The clinical indicators in the two groups were detected and compared after the 24-week, 48-week and 6-month treatment.The adverse drug reactions in the two groups were recorded and compared.Results: After the 24-week treatment, the differences in the clinical indicators between the groups were not statistically significant (P >0.05).After the 48-week and 6-month treatment, the clinical indicators in the experimental group were obviously higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05).The difference in the adverse drug reactions in the two groups was not statistically significant (P >0.05).Conclusion: Compared with entecavir, pegylated interferon combined with entecavir in the treatment of hepatitis B shows better clinical effect and security, which is more worthy of clinical promotion.