OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Weiyan Tongluo Granules in treating chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)and explore its potential mechanisms.METHODS From June 2020 to December 2022,100 CAG patients with spleen defi-ciency and blood stasis syndrome were enrolled and randomly divided into a trial group(n=50)and a control group(n=50)using a random number table.The trial group received Weiyan Tongluo Granules plus a folic acid placebo,while the control group received fo-lic acid tablets plus a traditional Chinese medicine granule placebo.The treatment course for both groups was 24 weeks,with 8 and 10 dropouts in the trial and control groups,respectively.Post-treatment comparisons included OLGA/OLGIM staging reversal rates,low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia regression rate,SSDPRO-CG(Patient-Reported Outcome Scale for Chronic Gastritis in Spleen-Stomach Diseases)scores,TCM syndrome scores,and safety indicators.Serum levels of PG I,PGⅡ,PGR,and G-17 were measured via ELISA before and after treatment.Gastric mucosal p-NF-κB and CDX2 protein expression levels were analyzed by Western blot,while mRNA levels of IL-1β,IL-6,VIL1,and MUC2 were quantified via qPCR.RESULTS After treatment,the trial group showed sig-nificantly higher OLGA and OLGIM stage reversal rates than the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01),though no significant difference was observed in low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia regression.Both groups exhibited significant improvements in physiological domain scores and total SSDPRO-CG scores(P<0.01),with the trial group outperforming the control group in physiological,independence,psychological domains,and total scores(P<0.05,P<0.01).TCM syndrome scores(total and sub-items:gastric distension,pain,poor appetite,bloating)decreased significantly in both groups(P<0.01),while the trial group showed greater reductions in loose stools and dull complexion(P<0.01).After-treatment,the trial group had significantly lower TCM syndrome scores than the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Serum PG I,PGⅡ,PGR,G-17,gastric mucosal p-NF-κB,CDX2,and IL-1β,IL-6,VIL1,MUC2 mRNA levels improved significantly in the trial group(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the control group improved only in PGⅡ(P<0.05,P<0.01).The trial group's improvements in these biomarkers surpassed the control group's(P<0.05,P<0.01).No treatment-related adverse events occurred in either group.CONCLUSION Weiyan Tongluo Granules ameliorate gastric mucosal pathology,clinical symptoms,psychological state,and quality of life in CAG patients without significant adverse effects.Its mechanism may involve sup-pressing the NF-κB pathway to reduce IL-1β and IL-6 expression,downregulating CDX2 to inhibit VIL1 and MUC2 transcription,thereby reversing the vicious cycle of inflammation-intestinal metaplasia.

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between psychiatric and psychological disorders(depression,bipolar dis-order,and schizophrenia)and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods The two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)method was adopted,with depression,bipolar disorder,and schizophrenia as exposure variables and NAFLD as the outcome variable.The single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)independently associated with exposure variables were obtained from the summary data of the genome-wide association study(GWAS)as instrumental variables for MR analysis.The analysis results of the inverse-variance weighted(IVW)were used as the primary outcome indicators,while those of the MR Egger regression method,weighted median,and weighted mode as supplementary results.The Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger intercept,and"leave-one-out"method were used for sensi-tivity analysis.Results The results of IVW analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with the incidence risk of NAFLD(OR=1.21,95％CI:1.01-1.44,P＜0.05),while bipolar disorder was negatively correlated with the incidence risk of NAFLD(OR=0.91,95％CI:0.84-1.00,P＜0.05).No causal relationship was found between schizophrenia and NAFLD.The heterogeneity and sen-sitivity analysis supported the robustness of the results of the study.Conclusion Depression and bipolar disorder are causally associat-ed with the incidence of NAFLD.Depression is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD,while bipolar disorder is associated with a reduced risk of NAFLD.

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between psychiatric and psychological disorders(depression,bipolar dis-order,and schizophrenia)and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods The two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)method was adopted,with depression,bipolar disorder,and schizophrenia as exposure variables and NAFLD as the outcome variable.The single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)independently associated with exposure variables were obtained from the summary data of the genome-wide association study(GWAS)as instrumental variables for MR analysis.The analysis results of the inverse-variance weighted(IVW)were used as the primary outcome indicators,while those of the MR Egger regression method,weighted median,and weighted mode as supplementary results.The Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger intercept,and"leave-one-out"method were used for sensi-tivity analysis.Results The results of IVW analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with the incidence risk of NAFLD(OR=1.21,95％CI:1.01-1.44,P＜0.05),while bipolar disorder was negatively correlated with the incidence risk of NAFLD(OR=0.91,95％CI:0.84-1.00,P＜0.05).No causal relationship was found between schizophrenia and NAFLD.The heterogeneity and sen-sitivity analysis supported the robustness of the results of the study.Conclusion Depression and bipolar disorder are causally associat-ed with the incidence of NAFLD.Depression is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD,while bipolar disorder is associated with a reduced risk of NAFLD.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Weiyan Tongluo Granules in treating chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)and explore its potential mechanisms.METHODS From June 2020 to December 2022,100 CAG patients with spleen defi-ciency and blood stasis syndrome were enrolled and randomly divided into a trial group(n=50)and a control group(n=50)using a random number table.The trial group received Weiyan Tongluo Granules plus a folic acid placebo,while the control group received fo-lic acid tablets plus a traditional Chinese medicine granule placebo.The treatment course for both groups was 24 weeks,with 8 and 10 dropouts in the trial and control groups,respectively.Post-treatment comparisons included OLGA/OLGIM staging reversal rates,low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia regression rate,SSDPRO-CG(Patient-Reported Outcome Scale for Chronic Gastritis in Spleen-Stomach Diseases)scores,TCM syndrome scores,and safety indicators.Serum levels of PG I,PGⅡ,PGR,and G-17 were measured via ELISA before and after treatment.Gastric mucosal p-NF-κB and CDX2 protein expression levels were analyzed by Western blot,while mRNA levels of IL-1β,IL-6,VIL1,and MUC2 were quantified via qPCR.RESULTS After treatment,the trial group showed sig-nificantly higher OLGA and OLGIM stage reversal rates than the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01),though no significant difference was observed in low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia regression.Both groups exhibited significant improvements in physiological domain scores and total SSDPRO-CG scores(P<0.01),with the trial group outperforming the control group in physiological,independence,psychological domains,and total scores(P<0.05,P<0.01).TCM syndrome scores(total and sub-items:gastric distension,pain,poor appetite,bloating)decreased significantly in both groups(P<0.01),while the trial group showed greater reductions in loose stools and dull complexion(P<0.01).After-treatment,the trial group had significantly lower TCM syndrome scores than the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Serum PG I,PGⅡ,PGR,G-17,gastric mucosal p-NF-κB,CDX2,and IL-1β,IL-6,VIL1,MUC2 mRNA levels improved significantly in the trial group(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the control group improved only in PGⅡ(P<0.05,P<0.01).The trial group's improvements in these biomarkers surpassed the control group's(P<0.05,P<0.01).No treatment-related adverse events occurred in either group.CONCLUSION Weiyan Tongluo Granules ameliorate gastric mucosal pathology,clinical symptoms,psychological state,and quality of life in CAG patients without significant adverse effects.Its mechanism may involve sup-pressing the NF-κB pathway to reduce IL-1β and IL-6 expression,downregulating CDX2 to inhibit VIL1 and MUC2 transcription,thereby reversing the vicious cycle of inflammation-intestinal metaplasia.

[Objective] To investigate the status and epidemiological characteristics of suspected acute respiratory tract infection (ARIS) in children at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from July 2023 to June 2024, so as to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of children in this area. [Methods] A total of 12 169 throat swab samples were collected from children with ARIS during this period, including 6 535 male children and 5 634 female children, with an age of M(Q1, Q3) of 6(3, 9) years old. Six types of respiratory pathogens were detected by multiple real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The children were grouped according to sex and age. Differences among groups were analyzed by χ² test, and epidemic characteristics of respiratory pathogens were explored from the perspectives of time dimension and infection type. [Results] Among the 12 169 samples, 8 241 were positive for six respiratory pathogens with a positive rate of 67.72% of which 6 823 (56.07%) were detected with single infection and 1 418 (11.65%) were detected with multiple infection. The detection rate of mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) ranked first (21.81%). Among the six pathogens, only human rhinovirus (HRV) showed statistically significant differences in gender (P=0.003). There were significant differences in the pathogens detection rate between the age groups (P<0.001), with the highest pathogens detection rate in the 6-14 years of age group (72.49%). In terms of monthly pathogen detection rate, there showed statistical differences between different months (P<0.001); except HRV, which had two peak detection rates throughout the year, the other five pathogens had only one peak detection rate and the peak months were not completely overlapping. The monthly pathogen detection rate in each age group showed a trend consistent with the overall trend, but in all months of the year, adenovirus (ADV) and MP showed higher detection rates in the age group of 3-14 years, while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) showed higher detection rates in the age group of <3 years. Among 8 241 children infected with respiratory pathogens, the proportion of fifteen types of dual infections showed significant statistical differences (P<0.001) and ADV+ MP co-infection accounted for the highest proportion (4.02%). There were significant differences in the proportion of dual infection types among different age groups. HRV+ RSV co-infection was the highest pattern in the <1 year group (1.55%) and the 1-<3 years group (1.77%). while ADV+ MP was the most common type of co-infection in 3-<6 years group (2.94%) and 6-14 years group (5.26%). [Conclusion] Between 2023 and 2024, the pathogen patterns of respiratory tract infection of children in Xi’an were mainly single infection type and the detection rate of MP was the highest. With the increase of age, the detection rates of ADV, influenza virus B and MP increased, but RSV decreased. Except HRV, which had two peak detection rates in spring and autumn, the other five pathogens showed a trend of "staggered outbreaks" in winter and spring. While the multiple infection types were mostly dual infection, HRV+ RSV co-infection was the dominant infection type in infants (<3 years), while ADV+ MP co-infection was the dominant infection type in school-age children (3-14 years).

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

Bacitracin is a broad-spectrum antibiotics mainly produced by Bacillus, and is used as veterinary medicine in the fields of livestock and poultry breeding. Insufficient supply of precursor amino acids might be an important factor that hinders high-level microbial production of bacitracin. We investigated the effect of strengthening L-cysteine supply on bacitracin production by an industrial bacitracin producer, Bacillus licheniformis DW2. Overexpression of cysK encoding L-cysteine synthase led to a 9.17% increase of the bacitracin titer. Moreover, overexpression of cysE encoding L-serine acetyltransferase and cysP encoding thiosulfate/sulfate intracellular transporter increased the bacitracin titers by 7.23% and 8.52%, respectively. Moreover, overexpression of a putative cystine importer TcyP led to a 29.19% increase of intracellular L-cysteine, and bacitracin titer was increased by 7.79%. Subsequently, the strong promoter PbacA was used to replace the promoters of genes cysP, cysE and tcyP in strain DW2::ysK, respectively. The resulted strain CYS4 (DW2::cysK-PbacA-(cysP)-PbacA(cysE)- PbacA(tcyP) produced 910.02 U/mL bacitracin, which was 21.10% higher than that of the original strain DW2 (747.71 U/mL). Together with the experiments in 3 L fermenters, this research demonstrated that enhancing intracellular L-cysteine supply is an effective strategy to increase bacitracin production of B. licheniformis.
Amino Acids ; Bacillus licheniformis/genetics* ; Bacitracin ; Cysteine ; Metabolic Engineering

Objective:To summarize the status and trends of papers published by Chinese scholars on the combination teaching model in the area of medical education in China.Methods:Literature retrieval was performed on CNKI, WanFang, and VIP database, and studies regarding to combination teaching model in medical education were selected and analyzed. BICOMS-2 analysis software was used to extract and sort out keywords, provinces, authors and their organizations and generate co-occurrence matrix and/or word matrix. NetDraw and gCLUTO software were used to draw the network relationship diagram and cluster analysis respectively.Results:Totally 99 articles were included this study, and the number of articles published each year showed an increasing trend. Authors from 15 provinces contributed to these articles, with uneven development and limited cooperation across regions. The authors were divided into 4 main groups, but the communication among these groups was not enough. And there were 3 main research topics.Conclusion:The number of articles on combination teaching model in medical education in China is increasing, covering many authors, teams, institutions and regions. However, the communication and cooperation among these authors and institutions needs to be strengthened; and the research topics should be expanded.

A lack of the complete pig proteome has left a gap in our knowledge of the pig genome and has restricted the feasibility of using pigs as a biomedical model.In this study,we developed a tissue-based proteome map using 34 major normal pig tissues.A total of 5841 unknown protein iso-forms were identified and systematically characterized,including 2225 novel protein isoforms,669 protein isoforms from 460 genes symbolized beginning with LOC,and 2947 protein isoforms with-out clear NCBI annotation in the current pig reference genome.These newly identified protein iso-forms were functionally annotated through profiling the pig transcriptome with high-throughput RNA sequencing of the same pig tissues,further improving the genome annotation of the corre-sponding protein-coding genes.Combining the well-annotated genes that have parallel expression pattern and subcellular witness,we predicted the tissue-related subcellular locations and potential functions for these unknown proteins.Finally,we mined 3081 orthologous genes for 52.7％of unknown protein isoforms across multiple species,referring to 68 KEGG pathways as well as 23 disease signaling pathways.These findings provide valuable insights and a rich resource for enhancing studies of pig genomics and biology,as well as biomedical model application to human medicine.

Objective To discuss the clinical value of IL-6 combined with CA125 and HE4 as a new association marker in the diagnosis of early ovarian cancer.Methods The expression of IL-6, CA125 and HE4 in 21 cases of early ovarian cancer (stageⅠ-Ⅱ), 36 cases of advanced ovarian cancer (stageⅢ-Ⅳ), 40 cases of benign ovarian tumor and 40 healthy women were measured by the Roche automatic chemiluminescence analyzer (electrochemiluminescence).The sensitⅣity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and ROC curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic value.Results The serum levels of IL-6, CA125 and HE4 in patients with ovarian cancer were significantly higher than those in the benign ovarian tumor and the healthy control (P＜0.05).The sensitⅣity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of IL-6 combined with CA125 and HE4 were respectively 85.7％, 90％, 81.8％, 92.3％in the diagnosis of early ovarian cancer (stageⅠ-Ⅱ) patients and respectively 94.4％, 97.5％, 97.1％and 95.1％for advanced ovarian cancer (stageⅢ-Ⅳ) patients.For IL-6 combined with CA125 and HE4, the ROC AUC was respectively 0.955 4 and 0.974 0 for early ovarian cancer (stageⅠ-Ⅱ) patients and advanced ovarian cancer (stageⅢ-Ⅳ) patients.It performed significantly better than any single test of IL-6, CA125 and HE4 and the 2-marker combination of CA125+HE4.Conclusion The marker panel, IL-6, CA125 and HE4, shows higher sensitⅣity, positive predictive value and ROC AUC.It is an ideal serum marker combination for the diagnosis of early ovarian cancer (stageⅠ-Ⅱ) patients, which can improve the diagnostic efficiency of early ovarian cancer.