ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a prediction model for the compatibility of Chinese medicinal pairs based on Graph Convolutional Networks （GCN）， named HC-GCN. The model integrates the properties of herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms to predict pairs with specific therapeutic effects. It serves as a demonstration by applying the model to predict and validate the efficacy of blood-activating herb pairs. MethodsThe training dataset for herb pair prediction was constructed by systematically collecting commonly used herb pairs along with their characteristic data， including Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target genes. Integrating traditional characteristics of herb with modern bioinformatics， we developed an efficacy-oriented herb pair compatibility prediction model （HC-GCN） using graph convolutional networks （GCN）. This model leverages machine learning to capture the complex relationships in herb pair compatibility， weighted by efficacy features. The performance of the HC-GCN model was evaluated using accuracy （ACC）， recall， precision， F1 score （F1）， and area under the ROC curve （AUC）. Its predictive effectiveness was then compared to five other machine learning models： eXtreme Gradient Boosting （XGBoost）， logistic regression （LR）， Naive Bayes， K-nearest neighbor （KNN）， and support vector machine （SVM）. ResultsUsing herb pairs with blood-activating effects as a demonstration， a prediction model was constructed based on a foundational dataset of 46 blood-activating herb pairs， incorporating their Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target gene characteristics. The HC-GCN model outperforms other commonly used machine learning models in key performance metrics， including ACC， recall， precision， F1 score， and AUC. Through the predictive analysis of the HC-GCN model， 60 herb pairs with blood-activating effects were successfully identified. Among of these potential herb pairs， 44 include at least one herb with blood-activating effects. ConclusionIn this study， we established an efficacy-oriented compatibility prediction model for herb pairs based on GCN by integrating the unique characteristics of traditional herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms. This model demonstrated high predictive performance， offering a novel approach for the intelligent screening and optimization of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions， as well as their clinical applications.

Objective: To explore the association between CDKAL1 rs35261542, FAIM2 rs 3205718, and VGLL4 rs 2574704 polymorphisms with childhood obesity and related metabolic phenotypes to provide evidence for personalized prevention and management strategies. Methods: Based on the 2023 Long term Nutritional Health Effects of Early Childhood Nutrition Package Intervention project, the study enrolled 1 078 children aged 5-7 years from four counties in Henan (Songxian and Ruyang countries) and Guizhou (Guiding and Fuquan countries) provinces. Using BMI Z scores, 87 overweight and obese(OVOB) children were selected and matched by sex, age, and BMI Z score with 117 normal weight controls. Participants were further stratified into four metabolic phenotype groups: metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW, n =51), metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUNW, n =66), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO, n =31) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO, n =56) based on four conventional cardiometabolic risk factor (CR) criteria. Data were collected through questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, serum biochemical tests, and KASP genotyping. The distribution of three genetic polymorphisms ( CDKAL1 rs35261542, FAIM2 rs3205718, VGLL4 rs 2574704) across metabolic subgroups was analyzed. Multivariate Logistic regression models assessed associations between these polymorphisms and obesity/metabolic phenotypes. Results: Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that Homozygous mutant AA genotype of CDKAL1 rs 35261542 was positively associated with OVOB( OR =3.63), MHO ( OR =11.04), MUO ( OR = 4.88 ) ( P <0.05). Homozygous TT genotype of FAIM2 rs 3205718 increased OVOB risk ( OR =4.44, P <0.05) but showed no association with metabolic phenotypes ( P >0.05). Homozygous mutant TT of VGLL4 rs 2574704 reduced the risks of MHO and MUO ( OR = 0.30, 0.24， P <0.05). Cumulative genetic effects analysis demonstrated carriers of 1 or 2 risk genotypes of rs 35261542 and rs 3205718 had progressively higher OVOB risk ( OR =2.53, 20.79), and the combination of rs 35261542 and rs 2574704 increased risks for both MHO ( OR =8.50) and MUO ( OR =5.00) ( P <0.05). Conclusions The AA genotype of rs 35261542 ( CDKAL1 ) positively correlates with childhood obesity and metabolic abnormalities. The TT genotype of rs 3205718 ( FAIM 2) increases obesity risk but not metabolic phenotypes. The TT genotype of rs 2574704 ( VGLL 4) shows protective effects against metabolic dysfunction. Risk genotypes exhibit dosedependent cumulative effects on obesity and metabolic outcomes.

In order to solve the problems of difficult test, high cost and long cycle in the development of large-scale airborne negative pressure isolation system, the simulation analysis of negative pressure response characteristics is carried out around various aviation conditions such as aircraft ascending, leveling and descending, especially rapid decompression, based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The results showed that the isolation cabin could achieve -50 Pa pressure difference environment and form a certain pressure gradient. The exhaust air volume reached the maximum value in the early stage of the aircraft's ascent, and gradually decreased with the increase of altitude until it was level flying. In the process of aircraft descent, the exhaust fan could theoretically maintain a pressure difference far below -50 Pa without working; Under the special condition of rapid pressure loss, it was difficult to deal with the rapid change of low pressure only by the exhaust fan, so it was necessary to design safety valve and other anti-leakage measures in the isolation cabin structure. Therefore, the initial stage of aircraft ascent is the key stage for the adjustment and control of the negative pressure isolation system. By controlling the exhaust air volume and adjusting parameters, it can adapt to the change of low pressure under normal flight conditions, form a relatively stable negative pressure environment, and meet the needs of biological control, isolation and transport.
Aircraft ; Computer Simulation ; Aviation/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Hydrodynamics ; Air Pressure ; Equipment Design ; Pressure

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as other potential future coronavirus has challenged the effectiveness of current COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, there remains a need for alternative antivirals that target processes less susceptible to mutations, such as the formation of six-helix bundle (6-HB) during the viral fusion step of host cell entry. In this study, a novel high-throughput screening (HTS) assay employing a yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) system was established to identify inhibitors of HR1/HR2 interaction. The compound IMB-9C, which achieved single-digit micromolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variants with low cytotoxicity, was selected. IMB-9C effectively blocks the HR1/HR2 interaction in vitro and inhibits SARS-CoV-2-S-mediated cell-cell fusion. It binds to both HR1 and HR2 through non-covalent interaction and influences the secondary structure of HR1/HR2 complex. In addition, virtual docking and site-mutagenesis results suggest that amino acid residues A930, I931, K933, T941, and L945 are critical for IMB-9C binding to HR1. Collectively, in this study, we have developed a novel screening method for HR1/HR2 interaction inhibitors and identified IMB-9C as a potential antiviral small molecule against COVID-19 and its variants.

Objective:To investigate the dosimetric characteristics of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for lung cancers.Methods:Three lung cancer patients (central-lower, central, and peripheral types) admitted to Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute from January 2024 to May 2024 were selected as the research subjects. IMPT and IMRT plans were designed for each case based on the anatomical location of the clinical target volume and the dose constraints for organs at risk (OARs). Dosimetric parameters, including conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), and gradient index (GI) for target coverage, as well as OARs dosimetric parameters were evaluated. The volume of additional dose deposition in the body was compared by assessing regions receiving 10%, 30%, and 50% of the prescription dose.Results:For all three cases, IMRT plans demonstrated higher CI values (0.80, 0.60, and 0.79) compared to IMPT plans (0.61, 0.57, and 0.34). IMPT plans yielded lower HI values (0.07, 0.06, and 0.06) than IMRT plans (0.09, 0.15, and 0.09) and lower GI values (2.84, 2.47, and 4.56 vs. 4.91, 3.09, and 4.99 for IMRT plans). Compared with the IMRT plans, the low-dose region in the ipsilateral lung was significantly reduced in IMPT plans (V 5 of the IMPT plans were 20.59%, 46.29%, 10.94%, respectively; V 5 of the IMRT plans were 48.91%, 60.63%, 19.92%, respectively), but there was no significant advantage in the high-dose region compared to IMRT plans (V 20 of the IMPT plans were 12.88%, 34.75%, 5.21%, respectively; V 20 of the IMRT plans were 21.70%, 36.50%, 5.31%, respectively). The dose to the contralateral lung and heart was significantly reduced in IMPT plans [the D mean of the contralateral lung in the IMPT plans were 0.08, 0.04, and 0.00 Gy (RBE), respectively, and those in the IMRT plans were 3.25, 1.18, and 0.55 Gy, respectively; the heart D mean in the IMPT plans were 6.23, 7.04, and 0.00 Gy (RBE), respectively, while those of the IMRT plans were 18.33, 10.27, and 0.08 Gy, respectively). IMPT plans significantly reduced the volumes receiving 10% of the prescription dose by 65.94%, 25.57% and 72.47%, respectively, compared to IMRT plans. The volumes IMPT plans occupied by 30% of the prescription dose area in the body were reduced by 54.97%, 26.47% and 39.04%, respectively, compared to the IMRT plans. The volumes IMPT plans occupied by 50% of the prescription dose area in the body were reduced by 54.49%, 30.43% and 28.89%, respectively, compared to the IMRT plans. Conclusions:IMPT plan significantly reduces the V 5 of the ipsilateral lung, the D mean of the contralateral lung and the heart, while maintaining target coverage compared with IMRT plan for lung cancers. However, IMPT plan does not show much more advantage than IMRT plan in the ipsilateral lung V 20. IMPT can reduce the additional exposure volume within the body.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features and genetic characteristics of three patients with Infantile liver failure syndrome type 2 (ILFS2). METHODS: Three children who were diagnosed with ILFS2 at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from February 2023 to February 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Peripheral blood samples of the children and their parents were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variants of the NBAS gene were verified by Sanger sequencing. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No. 2024-k-069). RESULTS: The three children had presented with fever-triggered recurrent acute liver failure. All of them were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the NBAS gene, including c.3596G>A and c.1181A>T in child 1, c.2617C>T and c.2T>C in child 2, and c.3596G>A and c.2817_2818insT in child 3. Among these, the c.1181A>T and c.2817_2818insT variants were unreported previously. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), they were respectively classified as variants of uncertain significance (PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP3) and pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PM3). CONCLUSION Combined with the patient's clinical phenotype, the compound heterozygous variants of the NBAS gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of ILFS2 in the three children. For children with fever-related acute liver failure of unknown causes, the possibility of this disease should be suspected, and genetic testing may facilitate the diagnosis. Early diagnosis and timely intervention can significantly improve the prognosis. Discoveries of the c.1181A>T and c.2817_2818insT variants have enriched the mutational spectrum of the NBAS gene.
Humans ; Exome Sequencing ; Genetic Testing/methods* ; Liver Failure, Acute/etiology* ; Mutation ; Child ; Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of the Yiqi Jiedu formula （YQ） in treating ischemic stroke （IS） from the perspective of the microbial-gut-brain axis （MGBA）. MethodRats were randomly divided into five groups， with six in each group， including sham surgery group， model group， and low， medium， and high dose YQ groups （1， 5， and 25 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the sham surgery group， all other groups were established with a middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model using the thread occlusion method. The success of modeling was determined through neurobehavioral scoring， and the protective effect of YQ on IS was evaluated. Then， the changes in gut microbiota before and after MCAO modeling and YQ administration were compared using 16S rDNA sequencing technology， and the possible biological pathways related to the effect of this formula were analyzed. The expression of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-17A （IL-17A）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue， and hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） was used to observe pathological changes in the cerebral cortex and colon， so as to validate the possible mechanism of action. ResultYQ significantly improved the neurobehavioral score of MCAO rats （P<0.01） and played a good regulatory role in intestinal microbial disorders caused by enriched pathogens and opportunistic pathogens during the acute phase. Among them， significantly changed microorganisms include Morgentia， Escherichia Shigella， Adlercreutzia， and Androbacter. Bioinformatics analysis found that these bacteria may be related to the regulation of inflammation in the brain. Compared with the blank group， the detection of inflammatory factors in the serum of IS model rats showed an increase in inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A （P<0.01） and a decrease in the content of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the content of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A in the serum of the treatment group decreased （P<0.05）， and that of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 increased （P<0.01）. The expression results of barrier proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue showed that the expression levels of both decreased in IS model rats （P<0.05）， while the expression levels of both increased in the treatment group （P<0.05）. ConclusionAcute cerebral ischemia can lead to an imbalance of intestinal microbiota and damage to the intestinal barrier， and it can increase intestinal permeability. YQ can regulate intestinal microbiota imbalance caused by ischemia， inhibit systemic inflammatory response， and improve the disruption of the gut-blood brain barrier， preventing secondary cascade damage to brain tissue caused by inflammation. The MGBA may be an important mechanism against the IS.

Acute pancreatitis （AP） is one of the most clinically common acute digestive disorders characterized by quick onset，rapid progression，severe condition，and high mortality. If the disease is not timely intervened in the early stage，it can develop into severe AP in the later stage，which damages the long-term quality of life and brings serious economic burden to patients and their families. However， the pathogenesis of this disease is complex and has not been fully explained. The generation and development of AP is closely related to many signaling pathways. Among them，Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4），as a transmembrane signal transduction receptor，can mediate immune response and inflammatory response，and play a key role in the occurrence and development of AP. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）can regulate the TLR4 signaling pathway with multiple targets，multiple effects，and multiple administration methods to inhibit inflammatory response，and effectively intervene in the progression of AP， which has gradually become a new craze for preventing and treating AP. Many studies have shown that TCM has obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of AP. It can effectively treat AP by regulating TLR4 signaling pathway，strengthening immune resistance and defense，and inhibiting inflammatory response. Despite of the research progress，there is still a lack of comprehensive review on TCM regulation of TLR4 signaling pathway in the treatment of AP. Therefore，the literature on TCM regulation of TLR4 signaling pathway published in recent years was systematically reviewed and elaborated，aiming to provide new ideas for the treatment of AP and further drug development.

ObjectTo explore the risk factors related to the intensity of post-stroke depression in patients with cerebral infarction during hospitalization in the rehabilitation department. MethodsThe hospital consultation records of cerebral infarction patients in Beijing Bo'ai Hospital from December, 2019 to February, 2023 were reviewed from the hospital information system, and those who were diagnosed as depression visited the department of psychology were selected. It was collected including general information of sexes, ages, education levels, matrimony; medical features of course, location, affected side, sensory disorders, aphasia, agrypnia, dysphagia, hand-shoulder syndrome, constipation; functioning of muscle strength and Brunnstrom stages; and scores of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Balance (FMA-B), modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Patients with HAMD scores ≤ 20 were as the low group, and those > 20 were as the high group. ResultA total of 2 403 hospitalized stroke patients were included, out of which 269 patients with cerebral infarction were diagnosed as depression and visited the department of psychology; while 103 cases were in the low group and 166 cases were in the high group. The incidence of constipation was less, and the incidence of dysphagia and shoulder-hand syndrome was higher in the high group (χ² > 5.379, P < 0.05), with weaker strength of iliopsoas muscle and quadriceps muscle, earlier of Brunnstrom stage of lower extremities and hands, and worse scores of NIHSS, MMSE, FMA, FMA-B and MBI (|Z| > 2.020, t > 2.171, P < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that constipation (OR = 0.435), quadriceps muscle strength (OR = 0.782) and dysphagia (OR = 2.602) related to the intensity of post-stroke depression in convalescent patients (P < 0.05). ConclusionPost-stroke dysphagia and poor quadriceps muscle strength may exacerbate post-stroke depression; however, constipation may not.