ObjectiveTo explore the effect of different drying conditions on the appearance and intrinsic quality indicators of Pinelliae Rhizoma for screening suitable drying conditions， so as to provide reference for its standardized production and quality evaluation. MethodsDifferent dried samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma were prepared by lime-assisted sweating method and intermittent drying method. Visual analysis was employed to measure the color brightness values（L^*） of the surface， cross-section and powder of the samples， texture analyzer was used to determine the hardness of the samples under different drying conditions. The total starch content was calculated by measuring the contents of amylose and amylopectin in the samples with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of seven nucleoside components（uracil， hypoxanthine， uridine， inosine， guanosine， β-thymidine and adenosine） in the samples. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between the external characteristics and intrinsic indicators of the different dried samples. Principal component analysis（PCA） was used to comprehensively rank the data of various indicators， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was used to screen differential components with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Furthermore， the difference between the optimal drying condition for Pinelliae Rhizoma and the traditional sun-drying method was explored by independent samples t-test. ResultsWith the increase of temperature， the color of the intermittently dried samples gradually deepened， while their hardness gradually decreased. Concurrently， the contents of extract， total starch， uridine and adenosine exhibited an upward trend， whereas the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine displayed a downward trajectory. Compared with the intermittent drying group， the content of extract in the samples subjected to lime-assisted sweating increased. With the increase of lime dose， the hardness and the total content of nucleoside components in the samples showed a downward trend， while the total starch content showed an upward trend. Correlation analysis showed that the comprehensive score of L^* was negatively correlated with the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine， and positively correlated with the contents of uridine， guanosine and adenosine. Hardness was negatively correlated with adenosine content， and positively correlated with the contents of inosine， uracil and hypoxanthine. Through comprehensive consideration and comprehensive score of principal components， the method of 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days emerged as the top-ranking approach. Except for the extract， the results of independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days and the traditional sun-drying in terms of other content indicators. ConclusionThe whiteness and firmness of Pinelliae Rhizoma exhibit significant correlations with its chemical composition， while uridine， uracil， guanosine， adenosine and inosine are the key constituents responsible for the quality difference of Pinelliae Rhizoma under different drying conditions. The lime-assisted sweating method optimized in this study can be proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional sun-drying method. This method not only ensures the quality of the medicinal material but also effectively reduces the drying time and prevents mold contamination， which provides a valuable reference for the standardization of drying conditions and the establishment of quality evaluation criteria for Pinelliae Rhizoma.

BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is extensively used in the treatment of various tumors. However, its clinical application is limited due to dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Currently, few effective strategies exist to mitigate or eliminate DOX-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC). Although ferroptosis is implicated in DIC and its inhibition partially alleviates the condition, the direct targets of DOX in the progression of cardiotoxicity remain unclear. This study aimed to discover the direct targets of DOX in ferroptosis-mediated DIC. METHODS: A DOX pulldown assay was performed to identify proteins specifically binding to DOX in murine hearts, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify candidate proteins. A cardiac injury mouse model was established by DOX treatment. Based on this, multiple ferroptosis biomarkers were detected by flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, immunochemistry, etc. Besides, specific activator and inhibitor of signaling pathways were applied to illuminate molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) was identified as a DOX target. GSTP1 activity was inhibited in DOX-treated cardiomyocytes, while its overexpression significantly alleviated DIC. Moreover, GSTP1 overexpression inhibited acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4)-dependent ferroptosis. Mechanistically, GSTP1 overexpression suppressed c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, thereby reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inhibiting ferroptosis in DIC. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies the DOX/GSTP1/JNK axis as a critical pathway mediating ACSL4-dependent ferroptosis in DIC. GSTP1 is highlighted as a potential key mediator of ferroptosis and a promising therapeutic target for DIC.

Objective:To develop a deep learning model based on multimodal data for glaucoma diagnosis and severity assessment.Methods:A diagnostic test was conducted.A total of 145 normal eyes from 86 participants and 507 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma from 314 participants were collected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from June to December in 2023.Fundus photographs and visual field data were obtained, and glaucoma eyes were divided into three groups based on the mean deviation value of the visual field, namely mild group (154 eyes), moderate group (113 eyes), and severe group (240 eyes).Three convolutional neural network (CNN) models, including DenseNet 121, ResNet 50 and VGG 19, were used to build an artificial intelligence (AI) model.The impact of single-modal and multimodal data on the classification results was evaluated, and the most appropriate CNN network architecture for multimodal data was identified.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (No.2023L93).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:A total of 652 eyes had both fundus photographs and visual field test results.Images were randomly assigned to training and test datasets in a 4∶1 ratio by using computer random number method.AI models built with different CNN models showed high accuracy, with DenseNet 121 outperforming ResNet 50 and VGG 19 on various effectiveness measures.In the single-modal algorithm using fundus photographs, single-modal algorithm using visual field tests, and multimodal algorithm combining fundus photographs and visual field data, the area under the curve for early glaucoma detection was 0.87, 0.93 and 0.95, respectively.Conclusions:The use of multimodal data enables the development of a highly accurate tool for the glaucoma diagnosis and severity grading.

Objective:To investigate serum vitamin A and vitamin D status in children aged 2-<7 years in 20 cities in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 2 924 healthy children aged 2-<7 years were recruited from September 2018 to September 2019 from 20 cities in China, categorized by age groups of 2-<3 years, 3-<5 years, and 5-<7 years. The demographic and economic characteristics and health-related information of the enrolled children were investigated. Body weight and height were measured by professional staff members. The serum vitamin A and vitamin D levels were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Chi-square test and Logistic regression were applied to analyze the association between vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as well as their underlying impact factors.Results:The age of the 2 924 enrolled children was 4.33 (3.42, 5.17) years. There were 1 726 males (59.03%) and 1 198 females (40.97%). The prevalences of vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency in enrolled children were 2.19% (64/2 924) and 3.52% (103/2 924), respectively, and the insufficiency rates were 29.27% (856/2 924) and 22.20% (649/2 924), respectively. Children with both vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies or insufficiencies were found in 10.50% (307/2 924) of cases. Both vitamin A ( χ2=7.91 and 8.06, both P=0.005) and vitamin D ( χ2=71.35 and 115.10, both P<0.001) insufficiency rates were higher in children aged 3-<5 and 5-<7 years than those in children aged 2-<3 years. Vitamin A and vitamin D supplementation in the last 3 months was a protective factor for vitamin A and D deficiency and insufficiency, respectively ( OR=0.68 and 0.22, 95% CI 0.49-0.95 and 0.13-0.40, both P<0.05). The rates of vitamin A and D insufficiency was higher in children with annual household incomes <60 000 RMB than in those with annual household incomes ≥60 000 RMB ( χ2=34.11 and 10.43, both P<0.01). Northwest and Southwest had the highest rates of vitamin A and vitamin D insufficiency in children aged 2-<7 yeas, respectively ( χ2=93.22 and 202.54, both P<0.001). Conclusions:Among 20 cities in China, children aged 2-<7 years experience high rates of vitamin A and vitamin D insufficiency, which are affected by age, family economic level, vitamin A and vitamin D supplementation, and regional economic level. The current results suggest that high level of attention should be paid to vitamin A and vitamin D nutritional status of preschool children.

Objective To evaluate the application value of golden angle radial sparse parallel(Grasp)sequence in contrast-enhanced MRI of liver.Methods The imaging data of 30 patients who underwent gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid contrast-enhanced MRI of liver were collected.With the same equipment,images were collected by Grasp sequence and breath-hold sequence separately,with an interval of less than 3 months.The subjective and objective scores of the late arterial phase and portal venous phase images were evaluated.Results There were no significant differences in all subjective scores of the late arterial phase and portal venous phase images between the two sequences(P＞0.05).The signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of the late arterial phase images in the Grasp sequence was lower than that in the breath-hold sequence(148.4±52.8 vs 195.6±68.4),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.01).Although the SNR of the portal venous phase in the Grasp sequence was lower than that in the breath-hold sequence,the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).There was no statistical difference in the other objective scores between the two sequences(P＞0.05).Conclusion The image quality of Grasp sequence in contrast-enhanced MRI of liver can meet the diagnositic requirements,and it is suitable for patients with poor breath-hold capacity,which has important application value.

Background::Evidence indicates that low muscle strength is associated with an increased cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk. However, the association between muscle strength changes based on repeated measurements and CVD incidence remains unclear.Methods::The study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 (Wave 1), 2013 (Wave 2), 2015 (Wave 3), and 2018 (Wave 4). Low muscle strength was defined as handgrip strength <28 kg for men or <18 kg for women, or chair-rising time ≥12 s. Based on changes in muscle strength from Waves 1 to 2, participants were categorized into four groups of Normal-Normal, Low-Normal, Normal-Low, and Low-Low. CVD events, including heart disease and stroke, were recorded using a self-reported questionnaire during Waves 3 and 4 visits. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between muscle strength changes and CVD incidence after multivariable adjustments. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated with the Normal-Normal group as the reference.Results::A total of 1164 CVD cases were identified among 6608 participants. Compared to participants with sustained normal muscle strength, the CVD risks increased progressively across groups of the Low-Normal (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.01-1.43), the Normal-Low (HR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14-1.60), and the Low-Low (HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.49-2.07). Similar patterns were observed for the significant associations between muscle strength status and the incidence risks of heart disease and stroke. Subgroup analyses showed that the significant associations between CVD and muscle strength changes were consistent across age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) categories.Conclusions::The study found that muscle strength changes were associated with CVD risk. This suggests that continuous tracking of muscle status may be helpful in screening cardiovascular risk.

Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast (DCIS) most commonly manifests as asymptomatic calcifications at mammography. The most common manifestation of MRI is nonmass enhancement. The ultrasound mainly presents as a hypoechoic irregular hypervascular mass without posterior features. Core-needle biopsy is a commonly used method for preoperative diagnosis of DCIS. Due to differences in needle type and sample size, there is a certain degree of pathological upgrading of the lesion. In recent years, there has been controversy over the diagnosis and treatment of DCIS. With the development of breast disease diagnostic technology, advances in digital breast tomography, artificial intelligence, and radiomics are expected to help DCIS management and address issues such as overdiagnosis.

Objective To comprehensively understand the dynamic transcriptional landscape during infection through investigating the temporal molecular changes in macrophages RAW 264.7 upon infection with Salmonella typhimurium SL1344.Methods Macrophages RAW 264.7 were infected with Salmonella typhimurium SL1344,and cell samples were collected at 0 h,8 h,and 16 h for RNA-sequencing(RNA-seq).Upstream and downstream analyses of the transcriptome data including differential gene expression,clustering,functional annotation,and mo-lecular network studies were conducted to elucidate the signaling pathways changes in macrophages.Results Infec-ted macrophages exhibited significant morphological and transcriptional changes.Differential gene analysis identified significant upregulation and downregulation patterns.Clustering revealed six gene clusters involving various signaling pathways,such as immune response,membrane transport,and lipid catabolic process.Conclusions Macrophages dynamically respond to Salmonella typhimurium infection,displaying distinct temporal gene expression patterns.The coordinated activation of immune response,membrane transport,and lipid catabolic process pathways implies a multifaceted cellular adaptation to external infections,providing essential insights into the molecular mechanisms of macrophage response to Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Abstract On 18 May 2021, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of X District in P City, Z Province received a co-investigation of a suspected case of intentional HIV transmission from the public security branch, and conducted epidemiological investigations on Zhao and Wang (both males). Wang was confirmed HIV-positive in 2019. Zhao had unprotected sexual encounters several times with Wang in March 2021 without being informed of Wang's HIV infection. Zhao developed fever, sore throat and other symptoms of acute infection phase on 28 March, and were confirmed HIV positive by the CDC of P City on 11 May. Zhao did not have sex with anyone else before or after having sex with Wang. In addition, Zhao had no history of surgery, blood transfusions, drug use or any other history of HIV exposure. Laboratory tests conducted by the CDC of Z Province showed that the HIV nucleic acid sequences between the samples of Zhao and Wang had a high degree of homology. Combined with the epidemiological investigation, laboratory testing and the evidence from the public security branch, it was concluded that Wang intentionally transmitted HIV to Zhao through unprotected anal sex without disclosing his HIV infection status.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,increasing studies have shown that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound can promote the healing of acute tendon injuries,but the specific mechanism is still unclear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on early angiogenesis after acute tendon injury,and to detect the regulatory relationship of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound with vascular endothelial growth factor-related signaling pathways,so as to reveal its potential mechanism of action. METHODS:Animal models of acute Achilles tendon injury were established using local injection of type I collagenase for 3 days in SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 8-12 weeks,and were then randomly divided into ultrasound group and control group.In the ultrasound group,low-intensity pulsed ultrasound was treated daily with a small ultrasonic probe with an effective radiation area of 1 cm2 perpendicular to the Achilles tendon.No intervention was performed in the control group.Ultrasound imaging examination was performed 2 weeks later to observe the early healing of the tendon.Hematoxylin-eosin staining and CD31 immunohistochemical staining were performed to observe the changes in the number of blood vessels in the tissues after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment.The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-related signaling pathway molecules in Achilles tendon tissues was detected by western blot or qRT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group,the Achilles tendon in the ultrasound group was more continuous,the echo intensity was lower and more uniform,and the tendon thickness was significantly reduced(P<0.05).Hematoxylin-eosin staining and CD31 immunohistochemical staining results showed that after 2 weeks of treatment,the number of new vessels in the ultrasound group was significantly increased compared with the control group(P<0.05).Western blot and qRT-PCR results showed that after 2 weeks of continuous ultrasound intervention,the protein or mRNA expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor,Yes-associated protein,angiopoietin-2 and cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 in the Achilles tendon of the ultrasound group were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).These finding indicate that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound significantly increases the number of blood vessels in the early stage of acute tendon injury and accelerate tendon healing by up-regulating vascular endothelial growth factor expression.