ObjectiveBased on traditional quality evaluation of Gardeniae Fructus（GF） recorded in historical materia medica， this study systematically compared the quality differences between wild and cultivated GF from morphological characteristics， microscopic features， and contents of primary and secondary metabolites. MethodsVernier calipers and analytical balances were used to measure the length， diameter and individual fruit weight of wild and cultivated GF， and the aspect ratio was calculated. A colorimeter was used to determine the chromaticity value of wild and cultivated GF， and the paraffin sections of them were prepared by safranin-fast green staining and examined under an optical microscope to observe their microstructure. Subsequently， the contents of water-soluble and alcohol-soluble extracts of wild and cultivated GF were detected by hot immersion method under the general rule 2201 in volume Ⅳ of the 2020 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， the starch content was measured by anthrone colorimetric method， the content of total polysaccharides was determined by phenol-sulfuric acid colorimetric method， the sucrose content was determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection（HPLC-ELSD）， and the contents of representative components in them were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）. Finally， correlation analysis was conducted between quality traits and phenotypic traits， combined with multivariate statistical analysis methods such as principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）， key differential components between wild and cultivated GF were screened. ResultsIn terms of traits， the wild GF fruits were smaller， exhibiting reddish yellow or brownish red hues with significant variation between batches. While the cultivated GF fruits are larger， displaying deeper orange-red or brownish red. The diameter and individual fruit weight of cultivated GF were significantly greater than those of wild GF， while the blue-yellow value（b^*） of wild GF was significantly higher than that of cultivated GF. In the microstructure， the mesocarp of wild GF contained numerous scattered calcium oxalate cluster crystals， while the endocarp contained stone cell class round， polygonal or tangential prolongation， undeveloped seeds were visible within the fruit. In contrast， the mesocarp of cultivated GF contained few calcium oxalate cluster crystals， or some batches exhibited extremely numerous cluster crystals. The stone cells in the endocarp were predominantly round-like， with the innermost layer arranged in a grid pattern. Seeds were basically mature， and only a few immature seeds existed in some batches. Regarding primary metabolite content， wild GF exhibited significantly higher total polysaccharide level than cultivated GF（P<0.01）. In category-specific component content， wild GF exhibited significantly higher levels of total flavonoids and total polyphenols compared to cultivated GF（P<0.01）. Analysis of 12 secondary metabolites revealed that wild GF exhibited significantly higher levels of Shanzhiside， deacetyl asperulosidic acid methyl ester， gardenoside and chlorogenic acid compared to cultivated GF（P<0.01）. Conversely， the contents of genipin 1-gentiobioside， geniposide and genipin were significantly lower in wild GF（P<0.01）. ConclusionThere are significant differences between wild and cultivated GF in terms of traits， microstructure， and contents of primary and secondary metabolites. At present， the quality evaluation system of cultivated GF remains incomplete， and this study provides a reference for guiding the production of high-quality GF medicinal materials.

Objective To explore the effect of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)on gut microbiota and blood ammonia level in patients with decompensated cirrhosis,and to analyze the correlation between the gut microbiota and blood ammonia level.Methods From July 2021 to December 2023,the patients with decompensated cirrhosis and portal hypertension complicated by esophagogastric variceal bleeding and/or refractory ascites,who received TIPS at Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,were collected.The blood and stool samples were collected before and after TIPS.The changes in blood routine,prothrombin time,liver function,and blood ammonia level were determined.The change of gut microbiota was detected using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing,and Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between the gut microbiota and blood ammonia level.Results In 20 patients,the post-TIPS one-month levels of AST,TBil,DBiL,PT,and blood ammonia were higher than their pre-TIPS values(P＜0.05),and the albumin(Alb)level was lower than the pre-TIPS value(P＜0.05).The post-TIPS 3-month levels of TBil,DBil,PT,and blood ammonia were higher than their pre-TIPS values(P＜0.05).One month after TIPS,the beta diversity of the gut microbiota became significantly different from the pre-TIPS pattern(P＜0.05).After TIPS,the harmful bacteria such as Veillonella,Streptococcus and Haemophilus were significantly reduced,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The correlation analysis of gut microbiota and blood ammonia level showed that in T0 group Colidextribacter was positively correlated with blood ammonia level,while Roxobella was negatively correlated with blood ammonia level;and in T1 group,Colidextribacter and Streptococcus were positively correlated with blood ammonia level,while Coprococcus,Bifidobacterium and Parasutterella were negatively correlated with blood ammonia level,and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion In patients with decompensated cirrhosis after receiving TIPS,significant changes in the pattern of gut microbiota occur.Certain correlations exist between the changes of some microbiota and blood ammonia levels.Regulating the intestinal microecology may contribute to reducing blood ammonia level after TIPS.

Objective To investigate the biological function and potential mechanisms of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)neurensin 2-antisense RNA 1(NRSN2-AS1)in liver cancer cells.Methods The Encyclopedia of RNA Interactomes(ENCORI)database was used to analyze the expression levels of NRSN2-AS1 in liver cancer tissues and normal tissues as well as its association with the prognosis of patients.Stable lncRNA NRSN2-AS1 cell lines,overexpressed or knockdown,were constructed.The effects of NRSN2-AS1 on tumor cell proliferation were explored using CCK-8 and colony formation assays.Transwell and wound healing assays were employed to examine the role of NRSN2-AS1 in tumor cell migration and invasion.The impact of NRSN2-AS1 on tumor cell aerobic glycolysis was assessed by measuring hexokinase activity,glucose uptake,ATP and etracellular lactate levels.Quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR)and Western blotting were used to evaluate the effects of NRSN2-AS1 on the mRNA and protein expression levels of hexokinase 2(HK2)in tumor cells.Results Analysis from the ENCORI database revealed that NRSN2-AS1 was upregulated in liver cancer tissues compared to normal tissues,and that high expressions of NRSN2-AS1 were closely associated with poor prognosis of patients.In vitro functional assays demonstrated that overexpression of NRSN2-AS1 promoted proliferation,migration,and invasion of liver cancer cells,and enhanced glycolysis levels while knockdown of NRSN2-AS1 inhibited these processes and suppressed glycolysis.Furthermore,overexpression of NRSN2-AS1 increased the mRNA and protein levels of HK2 while knockdown of NRSN2-AS1 decreased HK2 expression in liver cancer cells.Conclusion NRSN2-AS1 is highly expressed in liver cancer tissues,and it may promote liver cancer progression by enhancing HK2 expression and aerobic glycolysis.

Mitochondria play a crucial role as organelles,managing several physiological processes such as redox balance,cell metabolism,and energy synthesis.Initially,the assumption was that mitochondria primarily resided in the host cells and could exclusively transmit from oocytes to offspring by a mechanism known as vertical inheritance of mitochondria.Recent scholarly works,however,suggest that certain cell types transmit their mitochondria to other developmental cell types via a mechanism referred to as inter-cellular or horizontal mitochondrial transfer.This review details the process of which mitochondria are transferred across cells and explains the impact of mitochondrial transfer between cells on the efficacy and functionality of cancer cells in various cancer forms.Specifically,we review the role of mitochondria transfer in regulating cellular metabolism restoration,excess reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation,proliferation,invasion,metastasis,mitophagy activation,mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)inheritance,im-mune system modulation and therapeutic resistance in cancer.Additionally,we highlight the possibility of using intercellular mitochondria transfer as a therapeutic approach to treat cancer and enhance the efficacy of cancer treatments.

Mitochondria play a crucial role as organelles, managing several physiological processes such as redox balance, cell metabolism, and energy synthesis. Initially, the assumption was that mitochondria primarily resided in the host cells and could exclusively transmit from oocytes to offspring by a mechanism known as vertical inheritance of mitochondria. Recent scholarly works, however, suggest that certain cell types transmit their mitochondria to other developmental cell types via a mechanism referred to as intercellular or horizontal mitochondrial transfer. This review details the process of which mitochondria are transferred across cells and explains the impact of mitochondrial transfer between cells on the efficacy and functionality of cancer cells in various cancer forms. Specifically, we review the role of mitochondria transfer in regulating cellular metabolism restoration, excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, mitophagy activation, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance, immune system modulation and therapeutic resistance in cancer. Additionally, we highlight the possibility of using intercellular mitochondria transfer as a therapeutic approach to treat cancer and enhance the efficacy of cancer treatments.

AIM: To explore the efficacy of 0.05% cyclosporine A combined with olopatadine eye drops in treating allergic conjunctivitis-related dry eye disease.METHODS: A total of 63 patients(63 eyes)with allergic conjunctivitis-related dry eye disease in the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from August 2022 to April 2023 were enrolled and randomly divided into control group(n=33)and observation group(n=30). The patients of the control group were administrated with 0.1% olopatadine eye drops and 0.3% sodium hyaluronate eye drops, while the observation group was administrated with 0.1% olopatadine eye drops and 0.05% cyclosporine A eye drops. The ocular surface disease index(OSDI), total ocular symptom score(TOSS), conjunctival congestion score, conjunctival papillae and follicle score, Schirmer I test(SⅠt), tear meniscus height(TMH), meibomian gland secretion ability and property score, meibomian gland loss area score, corneal fluorescein staining(CFS), tear film break-up time(BUT), noninvasive first tear film break-up time(NIBUTf), noninvasive average tear film break-up time(NIBUTav)before and after treatment and the drug safety during the treatment period of both groups of patients were evaluated.RESULTS: After treatment, OSDI, TOSS, conjunctival congestion score, conjunctival papillae and follicle score, SⅠt, TMH, meibomian gland secretion ability score and property score, CFS, BUT, NIBUTf, and NIBUTav of the observation group showed improvements compared with those before treatment(all P<0.017). Among these, OSDI, TOSS, conjunctival congestion score, conjunctival papillae and follicle score, BUT, NIBUTf, and NIBUTav demonstrated significant improvement compared with the control group(all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in meibomian gland loss area score between the two groups before and after treatment(P>0.05). During the treatment period, there were no local or systemic adverse reactions.CONCLUSION: The combined use of 0.05% cyclosporine A and olopatadine eye drops can significantly improve ocular discomfort symptoms of patients with dry eye disease associated with allergic conjunctivitis, such as red eyes, itchy eyes and foreign body sensation, promote tear film stability and have high safety.

Objective:To explore the care needs of primary caregivers of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) developed chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (CTOM) during hospitalization and to provide a basis for improving the caregivers′ ability to care for the children and promoting their recovery.Methods:This study adopted the phenomenological design of a qualitative approach, using purposive sampling to select 10 primary caregivers of children with ALL who developed CTOM in Zhongshan People′s Hospital from September 2022 to August 2023. A semi-structured, in-depth interview was conducted to collect the data. Colaizzi analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.Results:Among the 10 children, 5 were males and 5 were females, aged 3-13 years old; among the 10 primary caregivers, 3 were males and 7 were females, aged 31-44 years old. The primary caregivers′ care needs were categorized into four themes: wound care needs (active oral cleaning and hygiene maintenance, lack of ability to observe wounds, and anticipation of new and more effective medications); the need for knowledge of diseases (lack of knowledge related to the causes of CTOM, lack of knowledge about care and medication, seeking information from multiple sources); nutritional knowledge and dietary care needs (active supplementation awareness, limited dietary choices, lack of specific nutritional knowledge);and social network and psychological support needs (experience sharing in primary caregiver networks, psychosocial support in primary caregiver networks).Conclusions:Primary caregivers have particular problems in caring for children with ALL developed CTOM, including the need for nursing knowledge and practical skills, social support, etc. Healthcare professionals should provide the necessary support and assistance in terms of professional resources, hospital management resources and social resources.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum remnant cholesterol(RC)levels and the occurrence of arteriosclerosis obliterans(ASO)of the lower extremity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods 355 cases of T2DM patients hospitalized in the department of endocrinology of Tianjin Hospital affiliated with Tianjin University from January 2018 to December 2022 were selected and di-vided into the non-ASO group(180 cases)and the ASO group(175 cases)according to whether the patients were combined with ASO or not.General clinical and laboratory data of patients were collected and RC levels were calculated;Spearman rank correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between RC lev-els and metabolic indices,and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between serum RC levels and the risk of ASO in T2DM patients.Results Compared with the non-ASO group,the ASO group had older age,the course of diabetes was longer,the incidence rates of diabetic peripher-al neuropathy,diabetic nephropathy,coronary heart disease,hypertension,and cerebral infarction were higher,statin use was more frequent,the levels of systolic blood pressure(SBP),triglyceride(TG),creatinine(Cr),uric acid(UA),and RC were higher,and the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)was lower,all differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that serum RC levels were positively correlated with TG,total cholesterol(TC),and UA(r=0.628,0.289,0.192,P＜0.001),and negatively correlated with HDL-C(r=-0.202,P＜0.001).Multivariate logistic regression anal-ysis revealed that age(OR=1.095,95％CI:1.066-1.124,P＜0.001),diabetic peripheral neuropathy(OR=1.877,95％CI:1.114-3.162,P=0.018),diabetic nephropathy(OR=2.149,95％CI:1.272-3.629,P=0.004),systolic blood pressure(OR=1.017,95％CI:1.004-1.031,P=0.012),and RC(OR=2.644,95％CI:1.569-4.453,P＜0.001)were independent influencing factors for ASO in T2DM patients.Conclusion Elevated serum RC levels are closely associated with ASO in T2DM patients.

Occupational chronic n-hexane poisoning incidents have been effectively curtailed in traditional printing and footwear industries, but its hazards are emerging in new industries. In recent years, two cluster incidents involving eight patients with occupational chronic n-hexane poisoning had occurred in Longgang District, Shenzhen City. Unlike the cleaning processes of electronic components in the electronics industry, these two incidents occurred during cleaning operations of non-electronic products. The rapid on-site detection tubes indicated the presence of n-hexane in the organic solvents used at the work site, and subsequent analysis of volatile components of the organic solvents further confirmed the involvement of n-hexane. Although the n-hexane exposure concentration of short term in the workplace air samples were below its occupational exposure limit, all eight cases were diagnosed as occupational chronic n-hexane poisoning, based on occupational exposure history, clinical manifestations, field investigations, and laboratory test results. These two poisoning incidents highlight that in air-conditioned or enclosed workshops with substandard occupational disease prevention facilities, the use of n-hexane containing organic solvents may result in occupational chronic n-hexane poisoning, even when the air monitoring results do not exceed the occupational exposure limits.

Objective:To explore the care needs of primary caregivers of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) developed chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (CTOM) during hospitalization and to provide a basis for improving the caregivers′ ability to care for the children and promoting their recovery.Methods:This study adopted the phenomenological design of a qualitative approach, using purposive sampling to select 10 primary caregivers of children with ALL who developed CTOM in Zhongshan People′s Hospital from September 2022 to August 2023. A semi-structured, in-depth interview was conducted to collect the data. Colaizzi analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.Results:Among the 10 children, 5 were males and 5 were females, aged 3-13 years old; among the 10 primary caregivers, 3 were males and 7 were females, aged 31-44 years old. The primary caregivers′ care needs were categorized into four themes: wound care needs (active oral cleaning and hygiene maintenance, lack of ability to observe wounds, and anticipation of new and more effective medications); the need for knowledge of diseases (lack of knowledge related to the causes of CTOM, lack of knowledge about care and medication, seeking information from multiple sources); nutritional knowledge and dietary care needs (active supplementation awareness, limited dietary choices, lack of specific nutritional knowledge);and social network and psychological support needs (experience sharing in primary caregiver networks, psychosocial support in primary caregiver networks).Conclusions:Primary caregivers have particular problems in caring for children with ALL developed CTOM, including the need for nursing knowledge and practical skills, social support, etc. Healthcare professionals should provide the necessary support and assistance in terms of professional resources, hospital management resources and social resources.