By consulting herbal texts， medical records， formula collections， and other relevant literature from various historical periods， as well as modern and contemporary research materials， different aspects of the historical evolution of Zijingpi， including its name， origin， scientific name verification， medicinal part， genuine producing areas， harvesting， processing， and preparation， properties and flavors， and primary indications， were systematically reviewed and verified， providing a basis for the development of famous classical formula preparations containing this medicinal material. According to the textual research， Cercis chinensis was first recorded under the name "Zijingmu" in the Rihuazi Bencao from the Five Dynasties period. From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty， it was known by various names such as "Zijing"， "Zijingpi"， and "Zijingmupi". In modern and contemporary times， it has been officially named "Zijingpi"， with aliases such as "Mantiaohong"， "Zihuashu"， and "Qingminghua". Historically， the mainstream source of Zijingpi was the dried bark of Cercis chinensis Bunge， a species of the legume family. However， there were also instances of confusion with the Lythraceae plant Lagerstroemia indica L. The producing areas of Zijingpi have no special geographical limitation， and the plant is currently distributed throughout most parts of China. There were no special requirements for harvesting time in ancient times， while modern records indicate harvesting time in spring， summer， and autumn. Ancient processing methods were rarely recorded， with only mentions of stir-frying Zijingpi. Modern practice mostly uses the raw material medicinally. Modern standards prefer it to be "dry， long strips， and thick". The functions of Zijingpi， mainly to promote blood circulation， relieve strangury， and detoxify， have remained consistent from ancient to modern times. Based on the textual research findings， it is recommended that when developing and exploiting the famous classical formulas containing Zijingpi， the bark of C. chinensis should be selected as the source. The processing method should be chosen according to the formula requirements， and if no specific requirements are indicated， it is suggested to use the raw material medicinally.

BACKGROUND: Cluster of differentiation 8 positive (CD8 + ) T cells play a crucial role in the response against tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), where their dysfunction is commonly observed. While the association between elevated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) expression in HCC cells and exosomes and unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients is well-established, the underlying biological mechanisms by which PPARα induces CD8 + T cell exhaustion mediated by HCC exosomes remain poorly understood. METHODS: Bioinformatics analyses and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate the regulation of microRNA-27b-3p ( miR-27b-3p ) and thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box ( Tox ) by Pparα . In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to validate the effects of HCC-derived exosomes, miR-27b-3p overexpression, and Pparα on T cell function. Exosome characterization was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting, and particle size analysis. Exosome tracing was performed using small animal in vivo imaging and confocal microscopy. The expression levels of miR-27b-3p , Pparα , and T cell exhaustion-related molecules ( Tox , Havcr2 , and Pdcd1 ) were detected using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, Western blotting analysis, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: Pparα expression was significantly increased in HCC and negatively correlated with prognosis. It showed a positive correlation with Tox and a negative correlation with miR-27b-3p . The overexpressed Pparα from HCC cells was delivered to CD8 + T cells via exosomes, which absorbed miR-27b-3p both in vitro and in vivo , acting as "miRNA sponges". Further experiments demonstrated that Pparα can inhibit the negative regulation of Tox mediated by miR-27b-3p through binding to its 3'untranslated regions. CONCLUSIONS HCC-derived exosomes deliver Pparα to T cells and promote CD8 + T cell exhaustion and malignant progression of HCC via the miR-27b-3p /TOX regulatory axis. The mechanisms underlying T-cell exhaustion in HCC can be utilized for the advancement of anticancer therapies.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; PPAR alpha/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Mice ; High Mobility Group Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; T-Cell Exhaustion

Objective To evaluate the predictive ability and clinical application value of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the benign and malignant differentiation and pathological type of pulmonary nodules, and to summarize clinical application experience. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with pulmonary nodules admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, from February 2016 to February 2025. Firstly, pulmonary nodules were divided into benign and non-benign groups, and the discriminative abilities of AI systems and clinicians were compared. Subsequently, lung nodules reported as precursor glandular lesions (PGL), microinvasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in postoperative pathological results were analyzed, comparing the efficacy of AI systems and clinicians in predicting the pathological type of pulmonary nodules. Results In the analysis of benign/non-benign pulmonary nodules, clinical data from a total of 638 patients with pulmonary nodules were included, of which there were 257 males (10 patients and 1 patient of double and triple primary lesions, respectively) and 381 females (18 patients and 1 patient of double and triple primary lesions, respectively), with a median age of 55.0 (47.0, 61.0) years. Different lesions in the same patient were analyzed as independent samples. Univariate analysis of the two groups of variables showed that, except for nodule location, the differences in the remaining variables were statistically significant (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, nodule type (subsolid pulmonary nodule), average density, spicule sign, and vascular convergence sign were independent influencing factors for non-benign pulmonary nodules, among which age, nodule type (subsolid pulmonary nodule), spicule sign, and vascular convergence sign were positively correlated with non-benign pulmonary nodules, while average density was negatively correlated with the occurrence of non-benign pulmonary nodules. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the malignancy risk value given by the AI system in predicting non-benign pulmonary nodules was 0.811, slightly lower than the 0.898 predicted by clinicians. In the PGL/MIA/IAC analysis, clinical data from a total of 411 patients with pulmonary nodules were included, of which there were 149 males (8 patients of double primary lesions) and 262 females (17 patients of double primary lesions), with a median age of 56.0 (50.0, 61.0) years. Different lesions in the same patient were analyzed as independent samples. Univariate analysis results showed that, except for gender, nodule location, and vascular convergence sign, the differences in the remaining variables among the three groups of PGL, MIA, and IAC patients were statistically significant (P<0.05). Multinomial multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the differences between the parameters in the PGL group and the MIA group were not statistically significant (P>0.05), and the maximum diameter and average density of the nodules were statistically different between the PGL and IAC groups (P<0.05), and were positively correlated with the occurrence of IAC as independent risk factors. The average AUC value, accuracy, recall rate, and F1 score of the AI system in predicting lung nodule pathological type were 0.807, 74.3%, 73.2%, and 68.5%, respectively, all better than the clinical physicians’ prediction of lung nodule pathological type indicators (0.782, 70.9%, 66.2%, and 63.7% respectively). The AUC value of the AI system in predicting IAC was 0.853, and the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cutoff value were 0.643, 0.943, and 50.0%, respectively. Conclusion This AI system has demonstrated high clinical value in predicting the benign and malignant nature and pathological type of lung nodules, especially in predicting lung nodule pathological type, its ability has surpassed that of clinical physicians. With the optimization of algorithms and the adequate integration of multimodal data, it can better assist clinical physicians in formulating individualized diagnostic and treatment plans for patients with lung nodules.

Objective To assess potential associations between sarcoma and gut microbiota using Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods Instrumental variables(IV)for gut microbiota were identified from summary data of a genome-wide association studies(GWAS)involving 18 340 participants from 24 cohorts published by the MiBioGen Consortium.The GWAS on sarcoma from Europe served as an outcome,involving 456 276 sarcoma patients.The inverse-variance weighted(IVW)method was used for primary analysis while sensitivity analysis was made to test the reliability of results of MR analysis.Results IVW results showed that Peptostreptococcaceae(OR=0.353,95％CI 0.127 to 0.979,P=0.045)and Faecalibacterium(OR=0.408,95％CI 0.173 to 0.961,P=0.040)had a negative causal correlation with sarcoma,but the Eubacterium fissicatena group(OR=2.216,95％CI 1.101 to 4.462,P=0.026)and Lachnospiraceae UCG008(OR=1.822,95％CI 1.005 to 3.305,P=0.048)exhibited a positive causal correlation with sarcoma.Sensitivity analysis showed no evidence of pleiotropy and heterogeneity.Conclusion Through two-sample MR,this study identifies a potential causal relationship between four gut microbiota and sarcoma.Peptostreptococcaceae and Faecalibacterium can reduce the risk of sarcoma while the Eubacterium fissicatena group and Lachnospiraceae UCG008 are linked to an increased risk of sarcoma.More research is required to find out more about the way gut microbiota influences the development of sarcoma.

Objective To observe the value of intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structure(TLS)for predicting prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas(STS)after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy.Methods Forty-three STS patients who underwent cryoablation were retrospectively enrolled,including 38 cases underwent cryoablation combined with but 5 cases without immunotherapy,among them 6 cases with but 37 cases without intratumoral TLS.The progression free survival(PFS)were compared between those with and without immunotherapy,as well as those with and without intratumoral TLS.The value of intratumoral TLS for predicting prognosis of STS after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy was analyzed with Cox regression and receiver operating characteristic curves.Results No significant difference of PFS was found between STS patients undwerwent cryoablation combined with and without immunotherapy(P＜0.05).Among 38 cases underwent cryoablation combined with immunotherapy,6 cases were found with but 32 cases without intratumoral TLS,and the median PFS of the former was longer than that of the latter(6 months vs.3 months,P＜0.05).Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that intratumoral TLS and interleukin 2 receptor(IL-R2)were both independent influencing factors of PFS of STS patients after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy(both P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of intratumoral TLS for predicting PFS of STS patients at 3,6 and 9 months was 0.550,0.577 and 0.699,of IL-R2 was 0.658,0.742 and 0.583,respectively,while of combination of the above two was 0.762,0.787 and 0.881,respectively,all higher than of each intratumoral TLS and IL-R2 alone(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Intratumoral TLS could be used to predict prognosis of STS after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy.Combining with IL-R2 might further improve its predictive efficacy.

Objective To observe the value of intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structure(TLS)for predicting prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas(STS)after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy.Methods Forty-three STS patients who underwent cryoablation were retrospectively enrolled,including 38 cases underwent cryoablation combined with but 5 cases without immunotherapy,among them 6 cases with but 37 cases without intratumoral TLS.The progression free survival(PFS)were compared between those with and without immunotherapy,as well as those with and without intratumoral TLS.The value of intratumoral TLS for predicting prognosis of STS after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy was analyzed with Cox regression and receiver operating characteristic curves.Results No significant difference of PFS was found between STS patients undwerwent cryoablation combined with and without immunotherapy(P＜0.05).Among 38 cases underwent cryoablation combined with immunotherapy,6 cases were found with but 32 cases without intratumoral TLS,and the median PFS of the former was longer than that of the latter(6 months vs.3 months,P＜0.05).Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that intratumoral TLS and interleukin 2 receptor(IL-R2)were both independent influencing factors of PFS of STS patients after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy(both P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of intratumoral TLS for predicting PFS of STS patients at 3,6 and 9 months was 0.550,0.577 and 0.699,of IL-R2 was 0.658,0.742 and 0.583,respectively,while of combination of the above two was 0.762,0.787 and 0.881,respectively,all higher than of each intratumoral TLS and IL-R2 alone(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Intratumoral TLS could be used to predict prognosis of STS after cryoablation combined with immunotherapy.Combining with IL-R2 might further improve its predictive efficacy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Xuanfei Zhisou prescription on the interleukin-17 （IL-17） signaling pathway in model rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. MethodA total of 60 Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank group （10 rats） and a model group （50 rats）， and COPD model rats were established by tracheal infusion of lipopolysaccharide combined with passive fumigation. After modeling， the rats were divided into the model group， dexamethasone group， and high， medium， and low-dose Xuanfei Zhisou prescription groups （3.6， 1.8， 0.9 g·kg^-1·d^-1） according to the random number table. Rats in the blank group and model group were given normal saline of 10 mL·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage administration， and the intervention groups of Xuanfei Zhisou prescription were given corresponding drugs. Rats in the dexamethasone group were given dexamethasone of 2.57×10^-4 g·kg^-1·d^-1 for 28 days. The level of pulmonary function indexes in rats was measured by a pulmonary function detector. The contents of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， IL-17， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The positive expressions of IL-17A， IL-17RA， nuclear factor-κB activator 1 （Act1）， tumor necrosis factor-associated factor 6 （TRAF6）， p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p-p38 MAPK）， nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65）， and phosphorylation were detected by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. The protein expression levels of IL-17A， IL-17RA， Act1， and TRAF6 in the lung tissue were detected by Western blot. The mRNA expressions of IL-17A， IL-17RA， Act1， and TRAF6 in the lung tissue were detected by Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the blank group， the serum contents of IL-6， IL-8， IL-17， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.05）， and the flow rate and volume indexes of pulmonary function in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， while the time indexes and other indexes were significantly increased （P<0.05）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-17A， IL-17RA， Act1， and TRAF6 in pulmonary tissue and the positive expressions of downstream NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， and p-p38 MAPK were increased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the levels of IL-6， IL-8， IL-17， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the serum of all treatment groups were decreased to varying degrees （P<0.05）， and the indexes of pulmonary function were improved to different degrees （P<0.05）. The mRNA and protein levels of IL-17A， IL-17RA， Act1， and TRAF6 and the positive expression of downstream NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， and p-p38 MAPK in high and medium-dose Xuanfei Zhisou prescription groups were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. ConclusionXuanfei Zhisou prescription can effectively resist inflammation of COPD rats. The mechanism may be related to down-regulating the protein expression of IL-17A， IL-17RA， Act1， and TRAF6， inhibiting downstream NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways， and reducing the release of IL-6， IL-8， TNF-α， IL-17， and IL-1β， thus reducing the airway inflammation response.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the central government-funded echinococcosis control programme in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2022, so as to provide insights into echinococcosis control. Methods Administrative villages were sampled using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method from Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2022, and all residents at ages of 12 years and older in the sampled villages were screened for echinococcosis, and schools were sampled using a cluster sampling method, and all children at ages of 12 years and older in the sampled schools were screened for echinococcosis. Domestic dogs were sampled using a systematic random sampling method, and one domestic dog stool sample was collected from each household. Stray dog stool samples were collected outside the villages, and Echinococcus coproantigens were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in domestic and stray dogs. In addition, echinococcosis was screened in sheep and cattle in designated slaughterhouses in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County. The trends in the prevalence of echinococcosis in humans and livestock and the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens in dogs were examined with the Cochran-Armitage trend test. In addition, individuals screened for echinococcosis were randomly sampled from 2007 to 2022 for survey on the awareness of echinococcosis control knowledge. Results A total of 290 356 person-times were screened for echinococcosis among residents at ages of 12 years and older in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2022, with 1 094 residents detected with cystic echinococcosis, and the detection of echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a gradual decline over years (χ² = 358.602, P < 0.001). A total of 32 931 person-times were screened for echinococcosis among children at ages of 12 years and older in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2022, with 296 children detected with echinococcosis, and the detection of echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a gradual decline over years (χ² = 267.673, P < 0.001). A total of 33 230 domestic dog stool samples were tested for Echinococcus coproantigens in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2022, with 1 777 Echinococcus coproantigens-positive samples tested, and the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens appeared a tendency towards a decline in domestic dogs over years (χ² = 2 210.428, P < 0.001), while the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens showed a tendency towards a rise in domestic animals from 2016 to 2022 (χ² = 37.745, P < 0.001). The positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens remained relatively stable in stray dogs in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province from 2019 to 2022 (χ² = 0.315, P = 0.575). A total of 10 973 sheep were screened for echinococcosis in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County from 2007 to 2022, with 334 sheep detected with echinococcosis, and the detection of echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a decline in sheep over years (χ² = 53.579, P < 0.001); however, there was no significant change in the detection of echinococcosis during the period from 2015 through 2022 (χ² = 1.520, P = 0.218). A total of 2 400 cattle were screened for echinococcosis in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County from 2017 to 2022, with 231 cattle detected with echinococcosis, and the detection of echinococcosis showed a tendency towards a decline over years (χ² = 5.579, P < 0.05). The awareness of echinococcosis control knowledge increased from 44.37% in 2007 to 94.00% in 2022 among residents at ages of 12 years and older and from 52.50% in 2007 to 92.50% in 2022 among children at ages of 12 years and older in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, respectively. Conclusions There has been a reduction in the detection of echinococcosis in humans and domestic animals and the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens in dogs and a rise in the awareness of the echinococcosis control knowledge following the implementation of the central government-funded echinococcosis control programme in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province; however, integrated echinococcosis control measures are still required for further control of the prevalence of echinococcosis.

【Objective】 To investigate the resource allocation status of blood testing laboratories in 14 blood stations in Gansu Province, explore the impact of differences in basic conditions on the comprehensive testing ability of laboratories, so as to promote the homogenization and standardization of blood screening capacity in blood stations in Gansu and improve blood safety and effectivenes. 【Methods】 An evaluation index system of laboratory resource allocation was constructed and a question-naire was designed. The data of human resources, infrastructure and key equipment of 14 blood stations were collected. The entropy weight -TOPSIS method was used to evaluate and rank the resource allocation of 14 blood stations. 【Results】 In the comprehensive evaluation of blood testing laboratory resource allocation in 14 blood stations in Gansu, the top three were laboratories A, B and I, and the last three were laboratories G, M and J. On the whole, the main issue was unreasonable structure of human resources: most laboratories had unreasonable age structure; except for Laboratory A, there was no personnel with bachelor's degree or above in laboratories; most laboratories had not established a team with intermediate professional titles. In terms of infrastructure, the size of seven laboratories could not meet the needs of modern laboratory testing, and all eight blood stations had no spare nucleic acid laboratories nor a mutual spare laboratory with other blood stations As for the key equipment, 5 laboratories had no automatic blood grouping diagnostic instrument, 5 laboratories only had one set of enzyme immunoassay detection system, 3 laboratories had no spare equipment for the key equipment, which means if the equipment failure could not be repaired in time, the release of results would be affected. 【Conclusion】 There were significant differences in human resources, infrastructure and key equipment of blood testing laboratories in 14 blood stations in Gansu, which had a great impact on laboratory testing capacity and subsequent development. It is suggested that governments at all levels and health administrative departments optimize the input of laboratory resource allocation according to the blood collection volume of blood stations to gradually narrow the differences in resource distribution between different regions, improve the degree of laboratory automation and optimize the personnel structure, so as to build high-quality and efficient blood testing laboratories and ensure the safety of clinical blood use.

Sanguinarine is the main active component of the Papaver plants, and protopine-6-hydroxylase(P6 H), involved in the sanguinarine biosynthetic pathway, can oxidize protopine to 6-hydroxyprotopine. The investigation on the diversity of P6 H genes in the medicinal Papaver plants contributes to the acquirement of P6 H with high activity to increase the biosynthesis of sanguinarine. Five P6 H genes in P. somniferum, P. orientale, and P. rhoeas were discovered based on the re-sequencing data of the Papaver species, followed by bioinformatics analysis. With the elongation factor 1α(EF-1α), which exhibits stable expression in the root and stem, as the internal reference gene, the transcription levels of P6H genes in roots and stems of the Papaver plants were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. As indicated by the re-sequencing results, there were two genotypes of P6H in P. somniferum and P. orientale, respectively, and only one in P. rhoeas. The bioinformatics analysis showed that the P6 H proteins of the three Papaver plants contained the conserved domain cl12078, which is the characteristic of p450 supergene family, and transmembrane regions. The existence of signal peptide remained verification. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR results revealed that the transcription level of P6 H in roots of P. somniferum was about 1.44 times of that in stems(α=0.05). The present study confirmed genetic diversity of P6 H in the three medicinal Papaver plants, which lays a basis for the research on the biosynthesis pathway and mechanism of sanguinarine in Papaver species.
Benzophenanthridines ; Berberine Alkaloids ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; Papaver/genetics*