Objective To investigate the effect of spontaneous hypertension on the remodeling of cardiac and aortic tissues in rats, with special attention to the changes in the content of collagen fibers, elastic fibers and secreted Frizzled-related protein 2 （sFRP2） in cardiac and aortic tissues. Methods 28-week-old SHR rats （Spontaneously Hypertensive rats） and WKY （Wistar-Kyoto rats） of the same age were selected as experimental animals. Cardiac load was assessed by calculating the cardiac weight index. Collagen fibers and elastic fibers were isolated from the rat thoracic aorta by hot alkali method, and their content was determined by biochemical analysis. In addition, pathological evaluation of tissue sections of the left ventricle and thoracic aorta were performed by H&E staining, Sirius red staining, and lichen red staining. Western blotting was used to determine the expression level of sFRP2 protein in cardiac tissues. Results Compared with WKY rats, the heart weight index of SHR rats increased significantly （P<0.001）, and the results of biochemical analysis and staining of pathological sections showed that the content of collagen fibers in the aorta in the SHR group was higher than that in the WKY group, while the content of elastic fibers was lower, but the difference did not have statistical significance. The content of collagen fibers in the heart of the SHR group was significantly higher than that in the WKY group （P<0.01）. Western blotting showed that there was no significant difference in the expression level of sFRP2 protein in heart tissues between the two groups. Conclusion The remodeling of cardiac and aortic tissues in a rat model of spontaneous hypertension may involve complex molecular mechanisms, not just changes in the content of collagen fibers and elastic fibers. The detailed mechanism of the progression of spontaneous hypertension and target organs damage still need further investigation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of multiple doses of Shugan jieyu capsules on the pharmacokinetics of voriconazole， rivaroxaban and apixaban in rats. METHODS Male SD rats were randomly divided into voriconazole group （30 mg/kg）， rivaroxaban group （2 mg/kg）， apixaban group （0.5 mg/kg）， Shugan jieyu capsules+voriconazole group （145 mg/kg+30 mg/kg）， Shugan jieyu capsules+rivaroxaban group （145 mg/kg+2 mg/kg）， Shugan jieyu capsules+apixaban group （145 mg/kg+0.5 mg/kg）， with 6 rats in each group. After the rats in each group were consecutively administered solvent （0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution） or Shugan jieyu capsules by intragastric gavage for 8 days， they were respectively given voriconazole， rivaroxaban and apixaban solution by intragastric gavage on the 8th day. Blood samples were then collected at different time points （in voriconazole group， rivaroxaban group and corresponding drug combination groups， blood was collected before administration and at 0.17， 0.34， 0.5， 0.75， 1， 1.5， 2， 3， 4， 5， 6， 8， 10 and 12 hours post-administration； in apixaban group and corresponding drug combination group， blood was collected before administration and at 0.08， 0.17， 0.25， 0.34， 0.5， 0.75， 1， 3， 5， 7， 10 and 12 hours post-administration）. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was employed to determine the mass concentrations of voriconazole， rivaroxaban and apixaban in rat plasma. The main pharmacokinetic parameters of these drugs were calculated using a non-compartmental model， and the comparisons were made between groups. RESULTS Compared with single drug group， after multiple administrations of Shugan jieyu capsules， AUC0－t， AUC0－∞ and cmax of voriconazole were significantly decreased， while CLz/F was significantly increased， and tmax was also significantly prolonged （P＜0.05）. For rivaroxaban and apixaban， their tmax values were both significantly prolonged （P＜0.05）. However， there were no statistically significant differences in the other pharmacokinetic parameters between the two groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The combination of Shugan jieyu capsules can decrease the exposure， increase the clearance， and delay the peak concentration of oral voriconazole. However， it does not affect the exposure levels of rivaroxaban and apixaban， but it does delay the time to reach peak concentration for both drugs.

Microalgae possess high photosynthetic efficiency, robust adaptability, and substantial biomass, serving as excellent biological resources for large-scale cultivation. Malic enzyme (ME), a ubiquitous metabolic enzyme in living organisms, catalyzes the decarboxylation of malate to produce pyruvate, CO₂, and NAD(P)H, playing a role in multiple metabolic pathways including energy metabolism, photosynthesis, respiration, and biosynthesis. In this study, we identified the Scenedesmus quadricauda malic enzyme gene (SqME) and its biological functions, aiming to provide excellent target genes for the genetic improvement of higher plants. Based on the RNA-seq data from S. quadricauda under the biofilm cultivation mode with high CO₂ and light energy transfer efficiency and small water use, a highly expressed gene (SqME) functionally annotated as ME was cloned. The physicochemical properties of the SqME-encoded protein were systematically analyzed by bioinformatics tools. The subcellular localization of SqME was determined via transient transformation in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The biological functions of SqME were identified via genetic transformation in Nicotiana tabacum, and the potential of SqME in the genetic improvement of higher plants was evaluated. The ORF of SqME was 1 770 bp, encoding 590 amino acid residues, and the encoded protein was located in chloroplasts. SqME was a NADP-ME, with the typical structural characteristics of ME. The ME activity in the transgenic N. tabacum plant was 1.8 folds of that in the wild-type control. Heterologous expression of SqME increased the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll by 20.9%, 26.9%, and 25.2%, respectively, compared with the control. The transgenic tobacco leaves showed an increase of 54.0% in the fluorescence parameter NPQ and a decrease of 30.1% in Fo compared with the control. Moreover, the biomass, total lipids, and soluble sugars in the transgenic tobacco leaves enhanced by 20.5%, 25.7%, and 9.5%, respectively. On the contrary, the starch and protein content in the transgenic tobacco leaves decreased by 22.4% and 12.2%, respectively. Collectively, the SqME-encoded protein exhibited a strong enzymatic activity. Heterologous expressing of SqME could significantly enhance photosynthetic protection, photosynthesis, and biomass accumulation in the host. Additionally, SqME can facilitate carbon metabolism remodeling in the host, driving more carbon flux towards lipid synthesis. Therefore, SqME can be applied in the genetic improvement of higher plants for enhancing photosynthetic carbon fixation and lipid accumulation. These findings provide scientific references for mining of functional genes from S. quadricauda and application of these genes in the genetic engineering of higher plants.
Nicotiana/genetics* ; Photosynthesis/physiology* ; Malate Dehydrogenase/biosynthesis* ; Plant Leaves/genetics* ; Scenedesmus/enzymology* ; Carbon Cycle/genetics* ; Lipid Metabolism/genetics* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze and summarize the trends and hot spots in the field of neurological damage caused by electric welding operations, and to provide ideas for new researches by searching the domestic and international literature.Methods:In December 2022, using Web of Science Citation Index (Web of Science), China Journal Full-Text Database (CNKI) and Wanfang Database as search databases, literature search was conducted on the Chinese and English search terms related to eletrical welding operations and neurological damage. The bibliometric analysis software VOSviewer 1.6.18 and CiteSpace 6.1.6 were used to visualize the publication year, publication quantity, country, research institution and key words of the literature.Results:A total of 309 articles (112 in Chinese and 197 in English) were included in this study. The first domestic and international papers were published in 1976 and 1994 respectively, and the number of papers reached the peak in 2006 and 2018, and then showed a downward trend to varying degrees. In China, Shandong First Medical University (including Shandong Institute of Occupational Health and Occupational Disease Prevention and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences) and Wuhan University of Science and Technology had the largest number of publications. The 309 articles were from 52 Chinese journals and 86 English journals. The co-occurrence analysis of key words showed that the domestic research mainly focused on eletrical welding operation, welding workers, neurobehavioral function and manganese, and the nervous system damage caused by manganese in welding smoke was the field of international attention. Long term exposure, risk, and performance were key buzzwords in the field.Conclusion:The research focus in the field of nervous system damage caused by electric welding operation has an obvious trend of time evolution, gradually transiting from clinical manifestations to its toxic mechanism and early biomarkers.

Objective To investigate the effect of remimazolam combined with esmketamine adjuvant medicines on anaesthetic effect and mental symptom in puerperae undergoing cesarean section.Methods Ninety-six full-term puerperae during cesarean section under combined spinal-epidural anesthe-sia,aged 24-38 years,BMI 24-35 kg/m2,ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ.All the puerperae were divided into three groups using random number table:remimazolam combined with esketamine group(group RK),esketamine group(group K),and control group(group C),32 puerperae in each group.After the delivery of the fetus,puerperae in group RK were given intravenous injection of remimazolam 0.1 mg/kg,and then intravenous pumping of estaketamine 0.25 mg/kg which was diluted to 20 ml with normal saline(finished in 30 minutes),puerperae in group K were given intravenous pumping of estaketamine 0.25 mg/kg which was diluted to 20 ml with normal saline(finished in 30 minutes),puerperae in group C were given the same dose of normal saline.All puerperae were given PCIA after operation.The anesthetic effect from the fetus de-livery to the end of operation were recorded(grade Ⅰ,no pain;grade Ⅱ,slight pain;grade Ⅲ,with sig-nificant pain).The adverse reactions such as hypertension,tachycardia,and mental symptoms(nystagmus,dizziness,nightmares and hallucinations)during surgery were recorded.The score of Edinburgh postpartum depression scale(EPDS)and incidence of postpartum depression(PPD)at 1 week and 4 weeks after sur-gery were recorded.Results Compared with group C,the proportion of grade Ⅰ anesthetic effect in groups,RK and K was significantly increased,and the proportion of grade Ⅲ anesthetic effect was signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05),the EPDS score and the incidence of PPD were significantly decreased at 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery(P＜0.05).Compared with group K,the incidence of mental symptoms during surgery in group RK was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),EPDS score was significantly decreased at 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the in-cidences of hypertension,tachycardia between the three groups.Conclusion Remimazolam combined with esketamine for cesarean section can improve the anesthetic effect during surgery,reduce the incidence of in-traoperative mental sympton,decrease the postpartum EPDS score,optimize postpartum depression.

Objective:To investigate the role of RNA m6A methylation in mediating cerebellar dysplasia through analyzing the phenotypes of the mouse cerebella and the expression of several key m6A regulators upon hypobaric hypoxia treatment.Methods:Five-day old C57/BL6 mice were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 9 days. The status of mouse cerebellar development was analyzed by comparing the body weights, brain weights and histological features. Immunostaining of cell-type-specific markers was performed to analyze the cerebellar morphology. Real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect the expression of key m6A regulators in the mouse cerebella.Results:Compared with the control, the body weights, brain weights and cerebellar volumes of hypobaric hypoxic mice were significantly reduced ( P<0.01). The expression of specific markers in different cells, including NeuN (mature neuron), Calbindin-D28K (Purkinje cell) and GFAP (astrocyte), was decreased in hypobaric hypoxic mouse cerebella ( P<0.01), accompanied with disorganized cellular structure. The expression of methyltransferase METTL3 was significantly down-regulated in the cerebella of hypobaric hypoxic mice ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Hypobaric hypoxia stimulation causes mouse cerebellar dysplasia, with structural abnormalities in mature granular neurons, Purkinje cells and astrocytes. Expression of METTL3 is decreased in hypobaric hypoxic mice cerebellum compared with that of normobaric normoxic mice, suggesting that its mediated RNA m6A methylation may play an important role in hypobaric hypoxia-induced mouse cerebellar dysplasia.

Objective:To investigate the role of RNA m6A reader YTHDF2 in neurodegeneration of the aged mice.Methods:Eighteen 18-month-old control C57BL/6 mice and 22 Ythdf2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice of the same age (that exhibited significant aging characteristics) were used. Five pairs of mice were used for morphological analysis. Thirteen control mice and 17 cKO mice were used for behavioral experiments. Immunofluorescence analysis was performed to detect the expression of YTHDF2 in the brains of 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice. After establishing the neural progenitor cell-specific knockout mice of Ythdf2, their phenotypes were analyzed through comparison of body weight, brain weight and H&E staining. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were used to detect the expression of various neural cell-specific markers in the aged control mice and Ythdf2 cKO mice. Finally, behavioral tests, including the open field test, new object recognition, and water maze, were used to assess the levels of anxiety, depression, learning and memory abilities.Results:Immunofluorescence staining showed that YTHDF2 was mainly expressed in the neurons. Compared with the age-matched control mice, there was no significant change in the body weight of the Ythdf2 cKO mice, but the brain weight decreased significantly ( P<0.05). The immunostaining showed that Ythdf2 cKO mice had fewer neurons, fewer astrocytes with defective morphology, more microglia and activation of microglia ( P<0.05). Behavioral tests showed that the aged Ythdf2 cKO mice exhibited impaired movement, learning and memory abilities ( P<0.05). Conclusions:YTHDF2 is mainly expressed in the neurons of the aged brain. Conditional knockout of Ythdf2 causes quantitative and structural abnormalities in hippocampal neuronal cells, and impairs motor ability and learning and memory of the aged mice, suggesting that YTHDF2 plays an important role in neurodegeneration of the aged mice.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)positivity in the urban areas of Chongqing and its relationship with age,season,and gender.Methods A total of 4,836 patients who underwent 14C-UBT testing at our hospital from April 2023 to March 2024 were selected.The detection rate of H.pylori and the infection status of H.pylori in different age groups,genders,and seasons were analyzed.Logistic regression analysis was performed on factors related to H.pylori infection identified in the univariate analysis.Results The positive detection rate of H.pylori in the 4,836 subjects was 29.3％,with a higher rate in males than in females,showing a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).The highest positive detection rate of H.pylori was in the summer season,and the peak positivity rate for H.pylori was observed in the 30-39 age group.There was a statistically significant difference in the positive detection rate of H.pylori across seasons and among different age groups(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that gender,age,and season were all influential factors in the outcome of H.pylori infection(P＜0.05).Conclusion The prevalence of H.pylori infection in the urban areas of Chongqing is relatively low,and gender,age,and season are all influential factors for H.pylori infection.

Objective:To explore the correlation between functional constipation （FC）and its related factors with acute appendicitis（AA）in children，so as to provide a reference for the prevention and clinical diagnosis and treatment of children with AA. Methods:A case-control study was conducted on 170 children diagnosed with AA in the Department of Pediatrics，the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University，from August 2022 to March 2023，and 170 non-AA children during the same period were selected as control objects.The clinical data，incidence of FC，symptoms related to FC，Bristol stool classification，past constipation history and other information were compared between two groups.Results:The incidence of FC in 170 children with AA was 22.9%（39/170），which was significantly higher than 10.6%（18/170）in the non-AA group（ P<0.01）；For children under four years old，the proportion of faecal retention in AA group was higher than that in non-AA group（25.6% vs. 9.3%, P<0.05）；For children ≥ 4 years old，the proportion of faecal retention and dyschezia in AA group were higher than those in non-AA group（28.2% vs. 6.9%，29.0% vs. 16.4%，respectively,all P<0.05）.The proportion of past constipation history in AA group was higher than that in non-AA group（29.4% vs.14.1%）.The duration of constipation in AA group was longer than that in non-AA group [0.00（0.00，1.25）month vs. 0.00（0.00，0.00）month,all P<0.01].The proportion of children with low Bristol stool classification in AA group was higher than that in non-AA group（ P<0.01）.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that faecal retention[ OR=6.186（95% CI 2.336~16.380）] and long constipation time [ OR=1.310（95% CI 1.095~1.567）]were independent risk factors for AA in children（all P<0.05）. Conclusion:The incidence of faecal retention in children with AA is higher than that in children without AA，and the median duration of constipation is longer than that in children without AA.Fecal retention and long-term constipation are independent risk factors for AA in children.

Objective:To explore the correlation of bone marrow polychonal plasma cell proportion (pPC% ) and clinical features in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis of 317 patients with NDMM admitted to Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2018 to January 2023 was performed. The results of the pPC% in all patients were clear. The relationship between the pPC% and clinical characteristics was analyzed.Results:A total of 317 patients were included, comprising 180 males and 137 females. The median age at diagnosis was 61 (26-91) years, and 55.8% were 60 years or older. The pPC% in the bone marrow of patients with NDMM was different in the DS, International Staging System (ISS), and revised ISS (R-ISS) stages ( P=0.002, 0.010, and 0.049, respectively), whereas no statistical difference in pPC% was observed among patients with different FISH risk stratigrams ( P=0.971). The correlation coefficient between pPC% and hemoglobin (HGB) at the first diagnosis in patients was 0.211 ( P<0.01). The correlation coefficients with serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein level, and β 2-microglobulin were -0.141, -0.120, -0.181, and -0.207, respectively, and the results of the significance test were P=0.012, 0.033, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively, indicating a negative correlation. Compared with the patients with a pPC% of ≥2.5%, the group of patients with a pPC% of <2.5% had significantly higher levels of light chain, serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein, and β 2-microglobulin at the initial diagnosis ( P<0.05) ; lower HGB level ( P<0.001) ; and a higher proportion of patients in ISS stage Ⅲ ( P=0.034) . Conclusion:In this study, the pPC% in patients with NDMM was associated with clinical features of good prognosis, including higher HGB, lower serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein quantity, β 2-microglobulin, light chain involvement, lower proportion of advanced disease (DS stage and ISS stage Ⅲ), and clinical features showing lower tumor burden.