ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of Rehmanniae Radix iridoid glycosides （RIG） on the kidney tissue of streptozotocin （STZ）-induced diabetic mice and explore the underlying mechanism. MethodsTwelve of 72 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 60 mice were fed with a high-fat diet for six weeks combined with injection of 60 mg·kg^-1 STZ for 4 days to model type 2 diabetes mellitus. The successfully modeled mice were randomized into model， metformin （250 mg·kg^-1）， catalpol （100 mg·kg^-1）， low-dose RIG （RIG-L， 200 mg·kg^-1） and high-dose RIG （RIG-H， 400 mg·kg^-1） groups （n=11）. Mice in each group were administrated with corresponding drugs， while those in the normal group and model group were administrated with the same dose of distilled water by gavage once a day. After 8 weeks of intervention， an oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was performed， and the area under the curve （AUC） was calculated. After mice were sacrificed， both kidneys were collected. The body weight， kidney weight， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were measured. Biochemical assays were performed to measure the serum levels of triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and blood urea nitrogen （BUN）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the serum level of fasting insulin （FINS）， and the insulin sensitivity index （ISI） and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） were calculated. The pathological changes in kidneys of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The immunohistochemical method （IHC） was employed to assess the expression of interleukin-1 （IL-1）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）， transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， and collagen-3 （ColⅢ） in the kidney tissue. The protein levels of TGF-β₁， cell signal transduction molecule 3 （Smad3）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and ColⅢ in kidneys of mice were determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showcased decreased body weight and ISI （P<0.01）， increased kidney weight， FBG， AUC， FINS， HOMA-IR， TC， TG， SCr， and BUN （P<0.01）， glomerular hypertrophy， capsular space narrowing， and collagen deposition in the kidney， up-regulated protein levels of IL-1， IL-6， TNF-α， TGF-β₁， ColⅢ， and Smad3 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein level of MMP-9 （P<0.01） in the kidney tissue. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups had no significant difference in the body weight and decreased kidney weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The FBG level declined in the RIG-H group after treatment for 4-8 weeks and in the metformin， catalpol， and RIG-L groups after treatment for 6-8 weeks （P<0.01）. The AUC in the RIG-L， RIG-H， and metformin groups decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of TC， SCr， and BUN in the serum of mice in each treatment group became lowered （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The level of TG declined in the RIG-L， RIG-H， and metformin groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum level of FINS declined in the catalpol， RIG-L， and metformin groups （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups showed decreased HOMA-IR （P<0.01）， increased ISI （P<0.01）， alleviated pathological changes in the kidney tissue， and down-regulated expression of IL-1 and TGF-β₁. In addition， the protein levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and ColⅢ in the RIG-H and metformin groups and IL-6 and TNF-α in the RIG-L group were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and ColⅢ in the catalpol group and ColⅢ in the RIG-L group showed a decreasing trend without statistical difference. The protein levels of TGF-β₁， Smad3， and ColⅢ in the RIG-H and metformin groups were down-regulated （P<0.01）. Compared with that in the model group， the protein level of MMP-9 was up-regulated in each treatment group （P<0.01）. ConclusionRIG can improve the renal structure and function of diabetic mice by regulating the TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the changes in volatile components， total polysaccharides， enzyme activity， and chromaticity value of Myristicae Semen Koji（MSK） during the fermentation process， and conduct correlation analysis. MethodsBased on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）， the changes of volatile components in MSK at different fermentation times were identified. The phenol sulfuric acid method， dinitrosalicylic acid method（DNS）， and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt method（CMC-Na） were used to investigate the total polysaccharide content， amylase activity， and cellulase activity during the fermentation process. Visual analysis technology was used to explore the changes in chromaticity values， revealing the fermentation process of MSK and the dynamic changes of various measurement indicators， partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was used to explore the differential compounds of MSK at different fermentation degrees， and Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between volatile components of MSK and total polysaccharides， enzyme activity， and chromaticity values. ResultsA total of 60 volatile compounds were identified from MSK， the relative contents of components such as （+）-α-pinene， β-phellandrene， β-pinene， （+）-limonene， and p-cymene obviously increased， while the relative contents of components such as safrole， methyl isoeugenol， methyleugenol， myristicin， and elemicin significantly decreased. During the fermentation process， the total polysaccharide content showed an upward trend， while the activities of amylase and cellulase showed an initial increase followed by a decrease， and reached their maximum value at 40 h. the overall brightness（L^*） and total color difference（ΔE^*） gradually increased， while the changes in red-green value（a^*） and yellow-blue value（b^*） were not obvious. PLS-DA results showed that MSK could be clearly distinguished at different fermentation times， and 13 differential biomarkers were screened out. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that the contents of α-terpinene， β-phellandrene， methyleugenol， β-cubebene and myristic acid had an obvious correlation with chromaticity values. ConclusionAfter fermentation， the volatile components， total polysaccharides， amylase activity， and cellulase activity of MSK undergo significant changes， and there is a clear correlation between them and chromaticity values， which reveals the dynamic changes in the fermentation process and related indicators of MSK， laying a foundation for the quality control.

Objective To understand the individual dose monitoring of occupational external exposure for radiation workers in Wuhan City and analyze the dose change trend, and to provide a scientific basis for radiation protection management of radiation workers. Methods The data on the monitoring results of occupational external exposure of radiation workers in Wuhan City from 2017 to 2021 were collected through the National Personal Dose Registration System, and the individual dose levels of different years, different occupational categories, and different levels of hospitals were analyzed. Results A total of 9 134 radiation workers were investigated, with an average annual effective dose per capita of 0.20 mSv/a. The overall personal annual effective dose from 2017 to 2021 showed a decreasing trend (P<0.001). The per capita annual effective dose in medical applications was higher than that in industrial applications (0.22 mSv vs 0.14 mSv; P<0.001). Among medical applications, diagnostic radiologists had the highest average annual effective dose (0.27 mSv), and among industrial applications, industrial irradiators had the highest average annual effective dose (0.29 mSv). The proportion of personnel with personal annual effective doses exceeding 1 mSv was higher in interventional radiology and industrial nondestructive testing (4.90% and 1.90%). The annual effective dose per capita in Class I and unrated hospitals was higher (0.35 mSv). Conclusion The average annual effective dose of radiation workers in Wuhan City has decreased year by year and has not exceeded the national standard limit (20 mSv). Radiation protection management still needs to focus on personnel with personal annual effective doses exceeding 1mSv in interventional radiology and industrial nondestructive testing, and supervision over primary healthcare institutions and industrial radiation should be strengthened.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic intestinal inflammatory condition with chronic and relapsing manifestations and is characterized by a disturbance in the interplay between the intestinal microbiota, the gut, and the brain. The microbiota-gut-brain axis involves interactions among the nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, the gut microbiota, and the host immune system. Increasing published data indicate that psychological stress exacerbates the severity of IBD due to its negative effects on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, including alterations in the stress response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the balance between the sympathetic nervous system and vagus nerves, the homeostasis of the intestinal flora and metabolites, and normal intestinal immunity and permeability. Although the current evidence is insufficient, psychotropic agents, psychotherapies, and interventions targeting the microbiota-gut-brain axis show the potential to improve symptoms and quality of life in IBD patients. Therefore, further studies that translate recent findings into therapeutic approaches that improve both physical and psychological well-being are needed.
Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/metabolism* ; Stress, Psychological/microbiology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology* ; Brain/metabolism* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; Animals

Peanut, a major economic and oil crop known for the high protein and oil content, is extensively cultivated in China. Peanut plants have the ability to form nodules with rhizobia, where the nitrogenase converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia nitrogen that can be utilized by the plants. Analysis of nodule fixation is of positive significance for avoiding overapplication of chemical fertilizer and developing sustainable agriculture. In this study, AhNIGT1.2, a member of the NIGT family predominantly expressed in peanut nodules, was identified by bioinformatics analysis. Subsequent spatiotemporal expression analysis revealed that AhNIGT1.2 was highly expressed in nodules and showed significant responses to high nitrogen, low nitrogen, high phosphorus, low phosphorus, and rhizobia treatments. Histochemical staining indicated that the gene was primarily expressed in developing nodules and at the connection region between mature nodules and peanut roots. The fusion protein AhNIGT1.2-GFP was located in the nucleus of tobacco epidermal cells. The AhNIGT1.2-OE significantly increased the number of peanut nodules, while AhNIGT1.2-RNAi reduced the number of nodules, which suggested a positive regulatory role of AhNIGT1.2 in peanut nodulation. The AhNIGT1.2-OE in roots down-regulated the expression levels of NRT1.2, NRT2.4, NLP1, and NLP7, which indicated that AhNIGT1.2 influenced peanut nodulation by modulating nitrate transport and the expression of NLP genes. The transcriptome analysis of AhNIGT1.2-OE and control roots revealed that overexpressing AhNIGT1.2 significantly enriched the differentially expressed genes associated with nitrate response, nodulation factor pathway, enzymes for triterpene biosynthesis, and carotenoid biosynthesis. These findings suggest that AhNIGT1.2 play a key role in peanut nodulation by regulating nitrate transport and response and other related pathways. This study gives insights into the molecular mechanisms of nitrogen and phosphorus in regulating legume nodulation and nitrogen fixation, and sheds light on the development of legume crops that can efficiently fix nitrogen in high nitrogen environments.
Arachis/physiology* ; Nitrates/metabolism* ; Plant Proteins/physiology* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Plant Root Nodulation/physiology* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Root Nodules, Plant/metabolism* ; Nitrogen Fixation

Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most common malignant tumors with high incidence and mortality rates worldwide， which brings a huge burden to the physical and mental health and socio-economic life of patients. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK） signaling pathway serves as the regulatory center of cellular energy metabolism and is closely associated with the biological activities of HCC cells， including autophagy， apoptosis， and angiogenesis， and it has become a hot topic in current cancer research. Traditional Chinese medicine drugs are abundant in natural components such as flavonoids， alkaloids， and phenols and have the characteristics of multiple targets， pathways， components， and hierarchies. By targeting the AMPK signaling pathway， these components can be used alone or in combination with conventional antitumor therapies to exert an anti-tumor effect on HCC from various aspects. This article reviews and summarizes the extracts of traditional Chinese medicine that target the AMPK signaling pathway for the prevention and treatment of HCC， in order to provide a theoretical basis and a reference for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of HCC and the development of related drugs.

Objective:To establish the quality standard of the standard decoction of wine-processed Coptidis Rhizoma by studying the extraction rate, fingerprint and component quantitative analysis.Methods:ccording to the Technical Requirements for Quality Control and Standard Formulation of Chinese Medicine Formula Granules, 15 batches of the standard decoction of wine-processed Coptidis Rhizoma were prepared, and the paste rate was determined; HPLC fingerprints of 15 batches of standard decoction of wine-processed Coptidis Rhizoma were established, and evaluated by combining similarity evaluation, clustering analysis, principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis; the contents of berberine, epiberberine, pamadine, and safranine in the samples of the 15 batches were determined and analyzed their transfer rates.Results:A total of 15 batches of standard decoction samples were calibrated with 11 common peaks, referring to the recognition of 8 components. The similarity between the samples and the control product was greater than 0.900; the clustering analysis could cluster the 15 batches of samples into 2 classes; the results of the principal component analysis showed that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the 3 principal component factors was 89.388%; the OPLS-DA screened out the 3 components of the quality difference; the 15 batches of samples out of the paste rate was 15.7% -20.8%, and the mass fractions of berberine, epiberberine, safranine, and palmatine were 18.47%-24.38%, 2.82%-3.49%, 5.08%-6.69%, and 4.84%-6.68%, respectively, with transfer rates of 41.7%-61.7%, 46.9%-68.7%, 39.8%-61.5%, and 43.8%-65.2%.Conclusion:The fingerprint and content determination method established in this study is accurate, stable, simple, and can be used for the quality control and evaluation of the standard decoction of wine-processed Coptidis Rhizoma.

According to TCM, the main pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is stomach disharmony and descending, and stomach qi ascending. Phlegm dampness and blood stasis are also important pathological factors of this disease. TCM treatment for GERD mainly starts from the liver, spleen and stomach. The basic treatment is to harmonize the stomach and lower the adverse, and to soothe the liver and relieve depression, invigorate the spleen and resolve dampness, promote qi and blood circulation, and clear heat and inhibit acid. Clinical treatment of GERD is mostly in the form of TCM compounds, often combined with Western medicine, which can improve symptoms, reduce recurrence rate and reduce adverse reactions. The mechanism is to inhibit gastric acid secretion, enhance lower esophageal sphincter pressure, promote gastrointestinal motility, inhibit inflammation, regulate esophageal visceral sensitivity and regulate intestinal flora.

Abstract Tumor immune escape represents a pivotal determinant of cancer immunotherapy failure. It's mechanistically linked to immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment(TME). The TME comprises tumor cells, immune cells, stromal components and extracellular matrix. These components interact synergistically to suppress antitumor immunity through multiple pathways, thereby promoting immune evasion. As crucial chromosomal stability regulators, centromere proteins(CENPs) remodel the TME via multifaceted mechanisms to potentiate immune evasion. This review synthesizes current knowledge on CENPs' role in tumor immune evasion, offering novel insights for cancer diagnostics and immunotherapy.

Objective:To evaluate the application of the standard of "Delimitation and Classification of Keshan Disease Areas" (GB 17020-2010, Standard for short), learn about the applicability of its technical indicators and requirements, and provide a basis for revision of the Standard.Methods:In March 2022, provinces with severe epidemic areas of Keshan disease or new cases reported in recent years were selected, including Gansu Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shandong Province, Shaanxi Province, Yunnan Province, Shanxi Province, Liaoning Province, and Chongqing City. Multi-stage stratified sampling method and questionnaire survey were adopted to collect information on the application of Standard by relevant health institutions.Results:A total of 448 questionnaires were collected, including 445 valid. The survey results showed that 87.64% (390/445) of the respondents were aware of the Standard, and 64.72% (288/445) had received training on the Standard. Eighty-two point two per cent (365/445) of the respondents believed that the Standard was simple and easy to operate, 83.82% (373/445) believed that the determination of the diseased townships was scientific and reasonable, and could be effectively implemented, and 83.60% (372/445) believed that the determination of historical epidemic areas was applicable to the current situation of Keshan disease; 38.88% (173/445), 38.20% (170/445), and 37.98% (169/445) of the respondents believed that the classification indicators for classifying epidemic areas (severe, moderate, and mild epidemic areas) were not applicable to the current situation of the disease in the local or provinces with Keshan disease, respectively. Among the indicators for epidemic areas classification, 30.79% (137/445), 29.21% (130/445), and 28.54% (127/445) of the respondents thought that the annual prevalence, the annual number of new cases and the annual incidence were most suitable for classification of Keshan disease areas.Conclusions:The Standard has been applied well in practice. However, based on the current situation of Keshan disease, it is suggested to redefine the standard for the severity of the disease and the classification of historical epidemic areas.