Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and molecular subtypes of typhoid and paratyphoid fever in Dalian, and to provide scientific basis for the development of effective prevention and control measures for typhoid and paratyphoid fever. Methods Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the data of typhoid and paratyphoid reported in Dalian from 2019 to 2023. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for bacterial molecular typing and cluster analysis of the homology of strains. Results A total of 32 cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fever were reported in Dalian from 2019 to 2023. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence rate between years ( χ²=4.41, P>0.05). There were two peaks in the time distribution. The age of onset was between 30 and 69 years old, and the difference in sex ratio between men and women was statistically significant ( χ²=4.00, P<0.05). The top two occupations with the highest number of cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fever were retired people, housework and unemployed, and the difference in the incidence rate among occupations was not statistically significant (χ²=4.59, P>0.05). PFGE experiment results showed that 32 typhoid and paratyphoid strains isolated from patients can be divided into 25 types. Conclusion The typhoid fever epidemic in Dalian remains stable at a relatively low level from 2019 to 2023. The PFGE banding patterns are relatively scattered, but there are dominant subtypes among them, which may be local epidemic strains.

Digital technology has revolutionized the traditional model of quality evaluation for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).This article systematically reviews the research hotspots and practical applications of digital-driv-en quality evaluation of TCM.Simultaneously,this paper analyzes and assesses the challenges faced by the digitiza-tion of TCM quality evaluation from multiple perspectives,including data acquisition,model construction,applica-tion promotion and market acceptance,and puts forward targeted strategies.Addressing the existing issues in the field of TCM quality,this paper proposes a series of innovative concepts,including the mining and application of TCM property data,the construction of a large database of TCM components,the integration of digital technology and emerging biotechnology for biological effect evaluation of TCM and clinical intelligent evaluation based on real-world data.Based on these,it further proposes a multi-dimensional quality analysis model for grading TCM,which encompasses TCM property data,chemical composition analysis,biological effect assessment and clinical evalua-tion.It aims to provide a useful reference for the modernization,scientification,and standardization of TCM quality evaluation.

Objective:The genotoxicity risk of graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit was systematically evaluated to provide scientific evidence for their clinical safety and to establish methodological references for the genotoxicity assessment of nanomaterial medical devices.Methods:The potential effects of graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit on genetic and chromosomal endpoints were analyzed by integrating bacterial reverse mutation assays,in vitro chromosome aberration assays,mouse lymphoma cell TK gene mutation tests,and mammalian erythrocyte Pig-a gene mutation assays.Results:In the bacterial reverse mutation assay,all plates showed good background growth.There was no significant difference in the average number of revertant colonies between the test group and the negative control group,with a ratio around 1.0.In the in vitro chromosome aberration assay,the chromosomal aberration rate in the test group was less than 5％,showing no significant increase compared to the negative control group.In the mouse lymphoma cell TK gene mutation assay,the mutation frequency in the test group was less than twice that of the negative control group,with no significant difference.In the mammalian erythrocyte Pig-a gene mutation assay,the mutation frequencies of erythrocytes and reticulocytes in the test group were both less than 3× 10-6,showing no significant difference compared to the negative control group.Conclusions:Graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit exhibited no detectable genotoxicity under the tested conditions,the research results can provide reference and guidance for the genotoxicity evaluation of nanomaterial medical devices.

Digital technology has revolutionized the traditional model of quality evaluation for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).This article systematically reviews the research hotspots and practical applications of digital-driv-en quality evaluation of TCM.Simultaneously,this paper analyzes and assesses the challenges faced by the digitiza-tion of TCM quality evaluation from multiple perspectives,including data acquisition,model construction,applica-tion promotion and market acceptance,and puts forward targeted strategies.Addressing the existing issues in the field of TCM quality,this paper proposes a series of innovative concepts,including the mining and application of TCM property data,the construction of a large database of TCM components,the integration of digital technology and emerging biotechnology for biological effect evaluation of TCM and clinical intelligent evaluation based on real-world data.Based on these,it further proposes a multi-dimensional quality analysis model for grading TCM,which encompasses TCM property data,chemical composition analysis,biological effect assessment and clinical evalua-tion.It aims to provide a useful reference for the modernization,scientification,and standardization of TCM quality evaluation.

Objective:The genotoxicity risk of graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit was systematically evaluated to provide scientific evidence for their clinical safety and to establish methodological references for the genotoxicity assessment of nanomaterial medical devices.Methods:The potential effects of graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit on genetic and chromosomal endpoints were analyzed by integrating bacterial reverse mutation assays,in vitro chromosome aberration assays,mouse lymphoma cell TK gene mutation tests,and mammalian erythrocyte Pig-a gene mutation assays.Results:In the bacterial reverse mutation assay,all plates showed good background growth.There was no significant difference in the average number of revertant colonies between the test group and the negative control group,with a ratio around 1.0.In the in vitro chromosome aberration assay,the chromosomal aberration rate in the test group was less than 5％,showing no significant increase compared to the negative control group.In the mouse lymphoma cell TK gene mutation assay,the mutation frequency in the test group was less than twice that of the negative control group,with no significant difference.In the mammalian erythrocyte Pig-a gene mutation assay,the mutation frequencies of erythrocytes and reticulocytes in the test group were both less than 3× 10-6,showing no significant difference compared to the negative control group.Conclusions:Graphene artificial nerve sheath conduit exhibited no detectable genotoxicity under the tested conditions,the research results can provide reference and guidance for the genotoxicity evaluation of nanomaterial medical devices.

BACKGROUND:Obesity has become a global health issue,often accompanied by complications including obesity-related muscle atrophy.While exercise has been reported to improve various obesity-related diseases,there is limited research focusing on exercise modes. OBJECTIVE:To compare the effects of moderate-intensity continuous training(MICT)and high-intensity interval training(HIIT)on obesity-related muscle atrophy in mice under the premise of the same exercise distance,providing a scientific basis for exercise interventions for obesity-related muscle atrophy. METHODS:Seventy-two male C57BL/6 mice were divided into six groups(n=12 per group):standard chow diet,standard chow diet+MICT,standard chow diet+HIIT,high-fat diet,high-fat diet+MICT,and high-fat diet+HIIT.The study evaluated the effects of 8-week treadmill training with different exercise modes on long-term high-fat diet-induced muscle atrophy by detecting muscle mass,muscle index,muscle fiber cross-sectional area,muscle lipid deposition,and the expression of muscle atrophy marker genes Murf-1 and Atrogin-1 in the gastrocnemius muscle of mice exposed to long-term high-fat diet. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared to the high-fat diet group,both MICT and HIIT improved the decrease in gastrocnemius muscle index(MICT+18.8%vs.HIIT+17.6%,not significant between the two modes),muscle fiber atrophy(MICT+15.5%vs.HIIT+13.7%,not significant between the two modes),and muscle lipid deposition(MICT-19.8%vs.HIIT-17.1%,not significant between the two modes).At the gene level,compared with the high-fat diet group,both MICT and HIIT could significantly down-regulate the expression of Murf-1(MICT-62.4%vs.HIIT-52.6%,the down-regulation caused by MICT was significantly greater than that by HIIT;P＜0.01)and Atrogin-1(MICT-43.3%vs.HIIT-29.8%,the down-regulation caused by MICT was significantly greater than that by HIIT;P＜0.01).Based on exercise mode comfort and genetic evidence,MICT mode might be more suitable for exercise interventions in obesity-related muscle atrophy.

Objective:To investigate the value of brain functional connectivity density (FCD) derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in differentially diagnosing 2 subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD): tremor dominant (TD) and non-tremor dominant (nTD), as well as its correlation with clinical symptom scores.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed; 45 PD patients (25 with TD and 20 with nTD), admitted to Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University were chosen; and 24 middle-aged and elderly volunteers matched in age, gender and years of education at the same time were chosen as normal controls (NCs). The rs-fMRI data were collected and FCD map of the whole brain was computed. The FCD differences in whole brain and brain regions enjoying different FCD were compared among the 3 groups. ROC curve was used to analyze the differential diagnostic efficacy of FCD in brain regions enjoying different FCD in TD and nTD. Correlations of FCD in brain regions enjoying different FCD with disease course, Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) grading, unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) III scores, tremor scores and non-tremor scores were analyzed by Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses.Results:Brain regions enjoying different FCD among the TD, nTD, and NC groups were the right lingual gyrus, right orbital medial frontal gyrus, right insula, left superior temporal gyrus, left insula, right anterior central gyrus, left posterior central gyrus, right medial and paracingulate gyrus, and left angular gyrus. FCD in the right orbital medial frontal gyrus and left angular gyrus of TD group was significantly higher than that in the nTD group ( P<0.05); while FCD in the right insula, right anterior central gyrus, left posterior central gyrus and right medial and paracingulate gyrus of TD group was significantly lower than that in the nTD group ( P<0.05). Area under the curve of combined application of FCD in brain regions enjoying different FCD in differentially diagnosing TD and nTD was 0.842, with sensitivity and specificity of 80.0%. FCD in the left superior temporal gyrus and left posterior central gyrus was positively correlated with H-Y grading ( P<0.05), while FCD in the left angular gyrus was negatively correlated with H-Y grading ( P<0.05). FCD in the left superior temporal gyrus was positively correlated with UPDRS III scores ( P<0.05). FCD in the right lingual gyrus, right insula, left insula, right anterior central gyrus, left posterior central gyrus, right medial and paracingulate gyrus was negatively correlated with tremor scores ( P<0.05). FCD in the left superior temporal gyrus, right medial and paracingulate gyrus was positively correlated with non-tremor scores ( P<0.05), whereas that in the left angular gyrus was negatively correlated with non-tremor scores ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Abnormalities in FCD exist in certain brain regions of PD patients, with disparities between TD and nTD. Combined application of FCD in brain regions enjoying different FCD can effectively differentiate TD and nTD, and this FCD is also partially correlated with the symptom scores of PD patients.

The present study investigated the mechanism of components in stasis-resolving and collateral-dredging Chinese herbal medicines, including scutellarin(Scu), paeonol(Pae), and hydroxy safflower yellow A(HSYA), in the treatment of psoriasis by regulating angiogenesis and inflammation. The human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) cultured in vitro were divided into a normal group, a model group, a VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ⅱ(VRI) group, and Scu, Pae, and HSYA groups with low, me-dium, and high doses. Cell viability was detected by the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration was detected by wound healing assay. Tube formation assay was used to measure the tube formation ability. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of the VEGFR2/Akt/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. The secretion levels of inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. The results showed that compared with the model group, all the Scu, Pae, and HSYA groups could reduce cell viability, inhibit cell migration and tube formation(P<0.05, P<0.01), and down-regulated the protein expression of VEGFR2, p-VEGFR2, Akt, p-Akt, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2. Scu and Pae could down-regulate VEGFR2 expression(P<0.05, P<0.01), while other groups only showed a downward trend. Scu and Pae significantly reduced IFN-γ and IL-6 levels(P<0.01), and HSYA significantly reduced the levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6(P<0.01). Scu, Pae, and HSYA had no significant effect on TNF-α. The results suggested that Scu, Pae, and HSYA may exert a therapeutic role in psoriasis-related angiogenesis and inflammation by inhibiting VEGFR2/Akt/ERK1/2 signaling pathway and inhibiting the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; China ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism*

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of compound glycyrrhizin combined with tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides for psoriasis.Methods:Literature search was conducted in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP databases, Sinomed, PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase with the deadline of September 28th, 2020. The randomly controlled trials of compound glycyrrhizin combined with tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides in treating psoriasis was included. The publication bias and methodology quality of RCTs were evaluated according to the Cochrane 5.0.1 bias risk assessment method. The RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta analysis.Results:Ten studies with 961 patients were included, with the experimental group ( n=486) and the control group ( n=475). The results of meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate [ OR=3.16, 95% CI (2.00-4.99), P<0.001], the cure rate [ OR=2.56, 95% CI (1.94-3.61), P<0.001], the recurrence rate [ OR=0.15, 95% CI (0.04-0.60), P=0.007], the total incidence of adverse reactions [ OR=0.53, 95% CI (0.34-0.82), P=0.004], the incidence of abnormal liver function [ OR=0.17, 95% CI (0.06-0.47), P=0.001] in the experimental group were better than those in the control group. There was no significant difference on the incidence of adverse reactions of digestive tract ( P>0.05) or lower extremity or facial edema ( P>0.05) between both groups. Conclusions:Compound glycyrrhizin combined with tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides is effective in the treatment of psoriasis than tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides alone, and can reduce the recurrence rate and the incidence of adverse reactions. However, a large number of large samples and high-quality studies are still needed.

Objective:To observe the effect of Guizhitang （GZT） on peripheral blood monocytes， intestinal flora and AS plaque formation of ApoE^-/- mice induced by Western diet （WD）. Method:In this study， 40 12-week-old homozygous female ApoE^-/- mice were randomly divided into chow diet （CD） group （ApoE^-/-+CD）， WD group （ApoE^-/-+WD）， GZT group （ApoE^-/-+WD+GZT， 7.83 g·kg^-1） and atorvastatin （Atr） group （ApoE^-/-+WD+Atr， 3.33 mg·kg^-1）. And 10 matched C57BL/6 mice were set as wild CD control group （C57BL/6+CD）. Except the CD group， the rest groups were given WD to induce models. Treatment groups were given Guizhitang or atorvastatin orally in addition to WD， while ApoE^-/-+CD and ApoE^-/-+WD model groups were treated with the same volume of double steam water at the same time. After 4 weeks of intervention， 5 mice in each group were selected to collect the eyeball blood samples. The levels of plasma lipids were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer， and the proportion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and its subtypes， and the expression levels of surface receptors toll like receptor 4 （TLR4） and CD36 were detected by flow cytometry， the intestinal flora of mice was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing. The remaining 5 mice in each group were intervened for 12 weeks， and the aorta was taken to detect the formation of aortic plaque by oil red O staining. Result:After intervention for 4 week， compared with C57BL/6+CD group， the levels of plasma total cholesterol （TC） and low-density lipoprotein （LDL） levels in ApoE^-/-+CD and ApoE^-/-+WD groups were increased （P<0.01）. ApoE^-/-+WD group showed increase in the proportion of monocytes， their inflammatory subtypes Ly6C^__， and TLR4 expression on monocyte surface in blood （P<0.05）. ApoE^-/-+WD group induced the imbalance of intestinal flora， with increase of Firmicutes and decrease of Verrucomicrobia in ileum of ApoE^-/- mice. Compared with ApoE^-/-+WD group， there was no significant change in blood lipid level and monocyte proportion in ApoE^-/-+WD+GZT group， but with decrease in the proportion of Ly6C^__， increase in the proportion of anti-inflammatory subtype Ly6C^-， and decrease in the expression of TLR4 and CD36 on monocyte surface （P<0.05）. ApoE^-/-+WD+GZT group showed decrease of Firmicutes and increase of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia in ileum of ApoE^-/- mice. After 12 weeks of intervention， ApoE^-/-+WD group showed increase in the number and area of aortic plaques in ApoE^-/- mice. ApoE^-/-+WD+GZT group showed decrease of the area of aortic AS plaques. Conclusion:GZT can reduce the immune damage and imbalance of intestinal flora caused by WD， then inhibit the formation of AS plaque.