ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus， in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure， and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2（ITS2） high-throughput sequencing， combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis， were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7， 14， 21 d（numbered Y1-Y3 for the former， and numbered F1-F3 for the latter）， respectively. At the same time， the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS）， combined with principal component analysis（PCA）， partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） and compound retention time， parent ions， characteristic fragment ions and other information， the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method， while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method， there was a significant difference with the fermentation process， and at the genus level， the dominant genus of samples Y1， Y2， Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus， while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable， and the microbial community structure was more stable， which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis， including 70 flavonoids， 38 coumarins， 10 alkaloids， 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation， two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition， multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods， mainly including flavonoids， organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively， the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable， the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high， which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation， the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds， and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus， as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus， in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure， and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2（ITS2） high-throughput sequencing， combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis， were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7， 14， 21 d（numbered Y1-Y3 for the former， and numbered F1-F3 for the latter）， respectively. At the same time， the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS）， combined with principal component analysis（PCA）， partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） and compound retention time， parent ions， characteristic fragment ions and other information， the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method， while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method， there was a significant difference with the fermentation process， and at the genus level， the dominant genus of samples Y1， Y2， Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus， while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable， and the microbial community structure was more stable， which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis， including 70 flavonoids， 38 coumarins， 10 alkaloids， 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation， two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition， multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods， mainly including flavonoids， organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively， the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable， the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high， which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation， the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds， and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus， as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.

Objective: To evaluate the incremental vaccine effectiveness (VE) of two dose of the mumps containing vaccine (MuCV) in chidren, so as to provide a basis for optimizing mumps immunization strategies. Methods: A 1∶2 frequency matched case-control study was conducted by using reported mumps cases in childcare centers or schools from Lu an, Hefei, Ma anshan and Huainan cities of Anhui Province from September 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, as a case group(383 cases). And healthy children in the same classroom were selected as a control group(766 cases). The MuCV immunization histories of participants were collected to estimate the incremental VE of the second dose of MuCV against mumps. Group comparisons were performed using the Chi square test or t-test. For matched case-control pairs, the Cox regression model was employed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for two dose MuCV vaccination and to estimate the incremental vaccine effectiveness (VE). Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the case and control groups regarding gender, age, dosage of MuCV vaccination and the time interval since the last dose vaccination( χ 2/t=0.05, 0.20, 0.94, -0.02, P >0.05). The proportions of the case and control groups vaccinated with two doses of MuCV were 26.63% and 29.37%, respectively, and the overall incremental VE of the second dose of MuCV was 40.73% (95% CI=3.03%-63.77%, P <0.05). Subgroup analyses revealed that the incremental VE for children with a period of ≥1 year between the two doses of MuCV was 54.13% (95% CI=1.90%-78.56%, P <0.05), while for children with a period of <1 year, it was 30.63% (95% CI=-28.59%-62.58%, P >0.05). The incremental VE of the second dose of MuCV was 30.36% (95% CI=-25.95%-61.50%, P >0.05) in kindergarten children and 66.73% (95% CI=14.92%-86.99%, P <0.05) in elementary and secondary school students. The incremental VE was 28.78% (95% CI=-27.46%-60.21%, P >0.05) within five years of the last dose of MuCV vaccination and 66.07% (95% CI=-41.56%-91.87%, P >0.05) for vaccinations administered beyond five years. Conclusions The second dose of MuCV may offer additional protection for children; however, extending the interval between two dose of MuCV (<1 year) has shown limited incremental protective effects. Therefore, it is crucial to consider optimizing current immunization strategies for mumps.

Aim To explore the effect of succinate/G protein coupled receptor 91(GPR91)on mitochondria in vascular endothelial cells and its regulatory mechanisms.Methods Transmission electron microscopy,Western blot and fluorescence microscopy were used to observe the effects of succinate analogues diethyl succinate(DS),GPR91 agonist and inhibitor on the mitochondrial morphology,cristae,cristate homeostasis related proteins reactive oxygen species(ROS)content,Ca2+concentration,mitochondrial membrane potential,the expression of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase(DHODH)and oxidized coenzyme Q10(CoQlO).Fluorescence probes were used to observe the effect of DHODH inhib-itor and CoQ10 on ROS level and Ca2+concentration of endothelial cells.Results After DS treatment,the mitochon-dria showed pyknosis and mitochondrial volume significantly decreased,electron density of the mitochondrial membrane in-creased,and the number of cristae decreased in endothelial cells;the expression of cristae homeostasis related proteins MIC60 decreased by 23％,while cellular ROS level and Ca2+concentration increased;mitochondrial membrane potential decreased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).After GPR91 agonist treatment,the expression of cristae homeostasis related proteins MIC60 decreased by 31％,meanwhile,cellular ROS level increased by 27％and Ca2+concentration increased by 36％;mitochondrial membrane potential decreased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).After GPR91 inhibitor treatment,the expression of cristae homeostasis related proteins MIC60 increased by 22％and ATP5I increased by 40％;the levels of ROS decreased by 41％and Ca2+concentration decreased by 67％;and the mitochondrial membrane potential was restored to normal(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).After DS treatment,the expression of DHODH decreased by 43％and the level of oxidized CoQ10 in-creased by 120％(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).After GPR91 agonist treatment,the expression of DHODH decreased by 22％and the level of oxidized CoQ10 increased by 36％(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).After GPR91 inhibitor treatment,the expres-sion of DHODH increased by 40％and the level of oxidized CoQ10 decreased by 39％(P＜0.01).After DHODH inhibi-tor treatment,the ROS level increased by 20％and Ca2+concentration increased by 28％,and mitochondrial membrane po-tential reduced at same time(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Exogenous oxidized CoQ10 inhibited ROS production by 30％and decreased Ca2+concentration by 20％(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Succinate/GPR91 promotes mitochondrial damage in endothelial cells,and its mechanism may relate to down-regulating the expression of DHODH and inhibiting the reduction of CoQ10 by affecting the mitochondrial cristae homeostasis.

Purpose To investigate the diagnostic value of postsystolic shortening in ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries(INOCA).Materials and Methods A total of 85 INOCA patients admitted to People's Hospital of Liaoning Province from May 2020 to December 2022 were selected and divided into two groups according to the ratio of distal diastolic average blood velocity of left anterior descending branch before and after treatment obtained by thymosidine load echocardiography(coronary flow velocity reserve,CFVR):CFVR<2.0 was in the coronary microvascular dysfunction(CMD)group(n=40),and CFVR≥2.0 was in the control group(n=45).Conventional echocardiographic parameters of all enrolled subjects were measured:left ventricular end-diastolic diameter index(LVEDDI),left ventricular end-diastolic volume index(LVEDVI),left ventricular end-systolic volume index(LVESVI),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),early and late mitral valve diastolic blood flow velocity(E,A),E/A,average velocity of mitral valve annulus and interventricular septum in early diastolic(e')and E/e'on the wall and septal side were measured.The global longitudinal strain(GLS)and the post systolic index(PSI)of the left ventricle were measured by two-dimensional speckle tracking automated functional imaging.The differences of echocardiographic parameters,GLS and PSI between CMD group and control group were observed.The relationship between CFVR and PSI in CMD group was analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in LVEDDI,LVEDVI,LVESVI,LVEF,E,A,E/A,e',E/e'and GLS between control group and CMD group(t=-0.577-1.472,P>0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in PSI increase between CMD group and control group(t=-5.370,P<0.05).There was a good correlation between CFVR and PSI in CMD group(r=-0.486,P<0.05).The receiver operator characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve predicted by PSI for CMD was 0.786,the sensitivity was 68.0%,and the specificity was 77.8%.Conclusion PSI has good application value in evaluating left ventricular systolic function in INOCA patients,and can detect left ventricular systolic function injury in such patients at an early stage.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of berbamine hydrochloride on sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms. MethodThe sorafenib-resistant cell line SMMC-7721/S was selected by the concentration increment method starting at 1.25 μmol·L^-1 sorafenib. Both SMMC-7721 and SMMC-7721/S cells were treated with 0， 2.5， 5， 10， 15， 20 μmol·L^-1 sorafenib， and the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay was employed to determine the half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） and calculate the resistance index （RI）. Western blot was conducted to compare the expression of proteins involved in autophagy and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin （PI3K/Akt/mTOR） signaling pathway between SMMC-7721 and SMMC-7721/S cells. Furthermore， SMMC-7721/S cells were treated with 5 μmol·L^-1 berbamine hydrochloride alone or in combination with 2.5， 5， 10 μmol·L^-1 sorafenib， and the cell growth was assessed by the CCK-8 assay. In addition， SMMC-7721 and SMMC-7721/S cells were treated with 5 μmol·L^-1 berbamine hydrochloride alone or in combination with 5 μmol·L^-1 sorafenib， and the cell proliferation was examined by the colony formation assay. The immunofluorescence assays with Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3） and LysoTracker as probes were employed to assess the lysosomal acidification in SMMC-7721 cells treated with 5 μmol·L^-1 berbamine hydrochloride or 0.1 μmol·L^-1 autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 （Baf）. Further， the expression of proteins involved in autophagy and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was determined by Western blot and compared between groups. ResultSorafenib showed the IC₅₀ of 9.56 mol·L^-1 （P<0.01） and 7.99 mol·L^-1 for SMMC-7721/S and SMMC-7721 cells， respectively， at 24 h. The resistance index （RI） of SMMC-7721/S for sorafenib was 1.20 （P<0.01）， which indicated mild resistance. Compared with SMMC-7721 cells， SMMC-7721/S cells exhibited up-regulated expression of p-mTOR， p-Akt， and LC3Ⅱ， down-regulated expression of p62 protein （P<0.01）， and unchanged Akt protein level. CCK-8 and colony formation assays demonstrated that the combination of berbamine hydrochloride and sorafenib exhibited a synergistic effect （Q>1.15）， with berbamine hydrochloride partially reversing the resistance of liver cancer cells to sorafenib. The immunofluorescence detection of LC3 revealed that berbamine hydrochloride and Baf significantly increased LC3 in SMMC-7721 cells. The detection with LysoTracker as the probe showed that berbamine hydrochloride inhibited the acidity of lysosomes in SMMC-7721 cells （P<0.01）， indicating the suppression of autophagy. Berbamine hydrochloride further enhanced the downregulation of p-mTOR and p-Akt protein levels and did not change the Akt protein level in SMMC-7721 cells exposed to sorafenib. Berbamine hydrochloride inhibited the increase in p-mTOR expression， down-regulated the p-Akt protein level， and did not change the total Akt protein level in the SMMC-7721/S cells exposed to sorafenib. ConclusionBerbamine hydrochloride can ameliorate the resistance of liver cancer cells to sorafenib by inhibiting cellular autophagy and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Brain Injuries, Traumatic ; China ; Critical Care ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Renal Insufficiency

Background: Obesity classifications vary globally and the impact of older age adiposity on incident diabetes has not been well-studied. Methods: We examined a random sample of 2,809 participants aged ≥60 years in China, who were free of diabetes at baseline and were followed up for up to 10 years to document diabetes (n=178). The incidence of diabetes was assessed in relation to different cut-off points of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in multiple adjusted Cox regression models. Results: The diabetic risk in the cohort increased linearly with the continuous and quartile variables of BMI and WC. The BMI-World Health Organization (WHO) and BMI-China criteria analysis did not show such a linear relationship, however, the BMI-Asian/Hong Kong criteria did; adjusted hazards ratio (HR) was 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20 to 0.90) in BMI <20 kg/m2, 1.46 (95% CI, 0.99 to 2.14) in 23–≤26 kg/m2, and 1.63 (95% CI, 1.09 to 2.45) in ≥26 kg/m2. The WC-China criteria revealed a slightly better prediction of diabetes (adjusted HRs were 1.79 [95% CI, 1.21 to 2.66] and 1.87 [95% CI, 1.22 to 2.88] in central obese action levels 1 and 2) than the WC-WHO. The combination of the BMI-Asian/Hong Kong with WC-China demonstrated the strongest prediction. There were no gender differences in the impact of adiposity on diabetes. Conclusion In older Chinese, BMI-Asian/Hong Kong criteria is a better predictor of diabetes than other BMI criterion. Its combination with WC-China improved the prediction of adiposity to diabetes, which would help manage bodyweight in older age to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of influenza virus complicated with gram-positive bacterial infection in children.Methods:The clinical data of children with influenza virus complicated with gram-positive bacterial infection hospitalized at Shenzhen Children′s Hospital affiliated to China Medical University from January 2013 to December 2019 (observation group) were retrospectively studied.During the same period, 110 hospitalized children with influenza virus infection without co-infection were selected as the control group.The clinical data of the children in two groups were analyzed.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of influenza virus complicated with gram-positive bacterial infection.Results:There were 108 children in the observation group, including 68 boys and 40 girls, with the age of(2.6±1.8)years, and 100(92.6%) children under 5 years old.Incidence month distribution: 61 cases from January to March, 15 cases from April to June, 13 cases from July to September, and 19 cases from October to December.In the observation group, 73 cases were infected with influenza A virus, 35 cases were infected with influenza B virus, 94(87.0%)cases were complicated with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, 11 cases with Group A Streptococcus infection and 8 cases with Staphylococcus aureus infection.And 15 (13.9%) cases had underlying diseases.None of the patients in the observation group received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and two cases received influenza vaccine within one year.There were 110 children in the control group, including 57 boys and 53 girls, with the age of (5.0±2.4)years old.There were 80 cases of influenza A virus infection and 30 cases of influenza B virus infection.Four cases had underlying diseases, six cases received 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and 12 cases received influenza vaccine within one year.Compared with the control group, the children in the observation group were younger[(2.6±1.8)years vs.(5.0±2.4) years, χ2=-7.935, P<0.001], had more underlying diseases[13.9%(15/108)vs.3.6%(4/110), χ2=7.200, P=0.007], less proportion of influenza vaccine[1.9%(2/108)vs.10.9%(12/110), χ2=7.439, P=0.006], the hospitalization time was longer[6(5, 7)d vs.4(3, 5)d, Z=-7.278, P<0.001], and mone cases of first use of neuraminidase inhibitors(NAI) for more than 48 hours[75.9%(82/108)vs.14.5%(16/110), χ2=82.971, P<0.001]. In the observation group, there were 97 culture-positive specimens of Streptococcus pneumoniae, including 89 of sputum/bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, five of blood culture and three of cerebrospinal fluid.All Streptococcus pneumoniae were resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin; the resistance rates of non-meningitis Streptococcus pneumoniae to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and penicillin were 7.7%, 5.5% and 1.1%, respectively, and all the strains were sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid and levofloxacin.All patients in the observation group were treated with NAI and antibiotics, 37 cases were treated with bronchoalveolar lavage, 27 cases were admitted to pediatric intensive care unit, 10 cases were treated by non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation, and 17 cases received mechanical ventilation; 6 cases died.Logistic regression analysis showed that underlying diseases, unvaccinated with influenza and (or) pneumococcal vaccine, and the first use of NAI>48 hours were risk factors for influenza virus complicated with gram-positive bacterial infection. Conclusion:Influenza virus complicated with gram-positive bacterial infection can aggravate the illness and even death of children.Early identification of gram-positive bacterial infection, timely treatment of NAI and antibiotics, and active control of complications could be helpful to improve the cure rate.Strengthening influenza and pneumococcal vaccine during flu season can help reduce infection.

As a form of new programmed cell death, pyroptosis is divided into a canonical pyroptosis pathway and a non-canonical pyroptosis pathway. In recent years, it is reported that non-canonical pyroptosis is closely related to inflammatory reactions, which directly affects the occurrence, development, and outcome of sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, respiratory disease, nerve system inflammatory disease, and other inflammatory diseases. When the cells were infected with Gram-negative bacteria or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it can induce the activation of cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase(caspase)-4/5/11 and directly bind to the cells to cleave gasdermin D (GSDM-D) into the active amino-terminus of GSDM-D. The amino-terminus of GSDM-D with membrane punching activity migrates to the cell membrane, triggering the rupture of the cell membrane, and the cell contents discharge, leading to the occurrence of non-canonical pyroptosis. After activation of caspase-11, it also promotes the canonical pyroptosis, activates and releases interleukin-1β and interleukin-18, which aggravated inflammation. Caspase-4/5/11, GSDM-D, Toll-like receptor 4 and high mobility group protein B1 are the key molecules of the non-canonical pyroptosis. Exploring the mechanisms of non-canonical pyroptosis and the related research progresses in inflammatory diseases intensively is of great significance for clinical prevention and treatment of the relevant diseases.
Caspases ; Humans ; Inflammasomes ; Inflammation ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Pyroptosis ; Sepsis