Objective Magnetoreception, the remarkable ability of diverse animals to sense and utilize the geomagnetic field for orientation and navigation, remains a molecularly unresolved mystery in sensory biology. The putative magnetoreceptor (MagR, previously known as IscA1) is a highly conserved iron-sulfur protein implicated in both magnetoreception and iron metabolism; however, the functional diversity among its cross-species homologs remains poorly understood. Cellular morphology is a key genetically determined trait that can be altered through genetic or environmental modifications—a process known as cell morphology engineering. Constructing engineered cells with specific morphological features and magnetic sensitivity to achieve remote, non-invasive magnetic modulation represents a crucial goal in this field with significant application potential. Therefore, this study aims to systematically investigate the effects of MagR heterologous expression on bacterial morphology and magnetic sensing capabilities, screen for MagR-based magnetically sensitive morphology engineering pathways, and reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods We systematically screened 28 MagR homologous genes from diverse prokaryotic and animal taxa to evaluate their expression and corresponding phenotypic effects in Escherichia coli (E. coli). To compare the differential magnetic responses among bacteria expressing various recombinant MagR proteins, we utilized high-throughput automated bright-field microscopic imaging and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, comprehensive biochemical and biophysical characterizations of iron and iron-sulfur cluster binding were performed using Ferrozine colorimetric assays, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Additionally, 100 mT static magnetic field (SMF) exposure experiments were conducted to assess magnetically tunable phenotypes, while the intrinsic magnetic properties of purified MagR proteins were directly measured using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Results Our results demonstrated that the heterologous expression of MagR homologs induced varying degrees of bacterial filamentation. From this comprehensive screen, two distinct morphological patterns were identified: hydra (Hydra vulgaris) MagR (hyMagR) promoted uniform cell elongation and filamentation, exhibiting robust magnetic sensitivity manifested as significantly enhanced filamentation under the 100 mT SMF. In contrast, pigeon (Columba livia) MagR (clMagR) induced only low-frequency, extreme filamentation (sporadically exceeding 80 μm) with a relatively weaker magnetic morphological response. Mechanistically, our data unambiguously proved that these phenotypic differences are primarily driven by distinct iron redox preferences rather than total cellular iron accumulation. Specifically, hyMagR preferentially binds ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), whereas clMagR favors ferric iron (Fe³⁺) and forms more stable iron-sulfur clusters. Intriguingly, although SQUID magnetometry showed that purified clMagR exhibited approximately five-fold higher mass magnetic susceptibility than hyMagR, its cellular magnetic response was weaker. We hypothesize that the Fe²⁺-preferred intracellular environment associated with hyMagR overexpression primes the cell for enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the Fenton reaction. Exposure to an SMF synergizes with this primed redox state, triggering the bacterial SOS response and upregulating cell division inhibitors to efficiently induce uniform filamentation. Conclusion Our findings identify the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox state as a critical determinant of MagR-mediated morphological remodeling and magnetic responsiveness. This discovery suggests a potential strategy for engineering magnetically responsive cellular systems for synthetic biology applications, and provides a plausible framework, which potentially combines intrinsic protein magnetism with redox-state modulation, for further investigating the evolutionary mechanisms of MagR-mediated magnetoreception.

Objective Magnetoreception, the remarkable ability of diverse animals to sense and utilize the geomagnetic field for orientation and navigation, remains a molecularly unresolved mystery in sensory biology. The putative magnetoreceptor (MagR, previously known as IscA1) is a highly conserved iron-sulfur protein implicated in both magnetoreception and iron metabolism; however, the functional diversity among its cross-species homologs remains poorly understood. Cellular morphology is a key genetically determined trait that can be altered through genetic or environmental modifications—a process known as cell morphology engineering. Constructing engineered cells with specific morphological features and magnetic sensitivity to achieve remote, non-invasive magnetic modulation represents a crucial goal in this field with significant application potential. Therefore, this study aims to systematically investigate the effects of MagR heterologous expression on bacterial morphology and magnetic sensing capabilities, screen for MagR-based magnetically sensitive morphology engineering pathways, and reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods We systematically screened 28 MagR homologous genes from diverse prokaryotic and animal taxa to evaluate their expression and corresponding phenotypic effects in Escherichia coli (E. coli). To compare the differential magnetic responses among bacteria expressing various recombinant MagR proteins, we utilized high-throughput automated bright-field microscopic imaging and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, comprehensive biochemical and biophysical characterizations of iron and iron-sulfur cluster binding were performed using Ferrozine colorimetric assays, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Additionally, 100 mT static magnetic field (SMF) exposure experiments were conducted to assess magnetically tunable phenotypes, while the intrinsic magnetic properties of purified MagR proteins were directly measured using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Results Our results demonstrated that the heterologous expression of MagR homologs induced varying degrees of bacterial filamentation. From this comprehensive screen, two distinct morphological patterns were identified: hydra (Hydra vulgaris) MagR (hyMagR) promoted uniform cell elongation and filamentation, exhibiting robust magnetic sensitivity manifested as significantly enhanced filamentation under the 100 mT SMF. In contrast, pigeon (Columba livia) MagR (clMagR) induced only low-frequency, extreme filamentation (sporadically exceeding 80 μm) with a relatively weaker magnetic morphological response. Mechanistically, our data unambiguously proved that these phenotypic differences are primarily driven by distinct iron redox preferences rather than total cellular iron accumulation. Specifically, hyMagR preferentially binds ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), whereas clMagR favors ferric iron (Fe³⁺) and forms more stable iron-sulfur clusters. Intriguingly, although SQUID magnetometry showed that purified clMagR exhibited approximately five-fold higher mass magnetic susceptibility than hyMagR, its cellular magnetic response was weaker. We hypothesize that the Fe²⁺-preferred intracellular environment associated with hyMagR overexpression primes the cell for enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the Fenton reaction. Exposure to an SMF synergizes with this primed redox state, triggering the bacterial SOS response and upregulating cell division inhibitors to efficiently induce uniform filamentation. Conclusion Our findings identify the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox state as a critical determinant of MagR-mediated morphological remodeling and magnetic responsiveness. This discovery suggests a potential strategy for engineering magnetically responsive cellular systems for synthetic biology applications, and provides a plausible framework, which potentially combines intrinsic protein magnetism with redox-state modulation, for further investigating the evolutionary mechanisms of MagR-mediated magnetoreception.

Objective The aim of the study is to analyze the incidence patterns and epidemiological characteristics of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in the Minhang and Jinshan districts of Shanghai, and provide evidence-based information for optimizing prevention and control measures. Methods We collected information from epidemic reports and epidemiological investigation forms for cases of parasitic and vector-borne diseases from 2005 to 2024 in Shanghai's Minhang and Jinshan districts. Descriptive epidemiological method were adopted to conduct a comparative analysis of incidence trends, epidemic characteristics, and infection sources. Results A total of 229 cases in 7 categories were reported between 2005 and 2024, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.36/100 000. The average annual incidence rate in Minhang District was significantly higher than that in Jinshan District. The most prevalent diseases were malaria and dengue fever, followed by Japanese encephalitis. Monthly case reports were available, predominantly from June to October, with a peak in July-August. A statistically significant difference was observed between the two districts in case distribution during June-October (P＜0.001), whereas no significant difference was found for July-August (P=0.331). The majority of cases were young men (111/229,48.47%), aged 20-39 years. Migrant workers/farmers constituted the largest occupational group (55/229, 24.02%). Registered residents of other provinces and cities (147/229,64.19%), and the main source of infection was overseas importation (112/229,48.91%). There were no statistically significant differences in gender and household-registration composition between the two districts (P＞0.05). Significant differences existed in age, occupation, and source of infection (P＜0.05). The imported diseases were malaria and dengue fever, with Africa and Southeast Asia being the primary source locations. Malaria was the predominant disease imported from other provinces and cities, with cases having been imported from abroad since 2012. Local infections were mainly Japanese encephalitis, followed by malaria (with the last local case reported in 2010). Cases between 2005 and 2009 were predominantly imported from other provinces and cities. The proportion of cases imported from abroad increased sharply after 2010, particularly in Minhang District. Local infections sometimes arise in Jinshan District, with Japanese encephalitis serving as the primary type. Conclusions Incidence rates of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in Minhang and Jinshan districts have generally remained low. To further reduce this disease burden, it will be necessary to strengthen joint measures for prevention and control, eliminate the environmental risk factors of vector organisms, enhance monitoring and precise control of the environment and inbound personnel to prevent the occurrence and transmission of parasitic and vector-borne diseases.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of loganin on inflammatory response and intestinal barrier damage in septic rats by regulating the Ras homolog gene family member A （RhoA）/Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase 1 （ROCK1） signaling pathway. METHODS A sepsis rat model was established by cecal ligation and puncture， and randomly divided into sepsis group， loganin low-dose group （50 mg/kg loganin， gavage）， loganin high-dose group （200 mg/kg loganin， gavage）， positive control group （0.2 mg/kg atorvastatin， intraperitoneal injection）， and loganin high-dose + lysophosphatidic acid （LPA） group （200 mg/kg loganin gavage and intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg RohA activator LPA）. An additional sham surgery group was established. Each group consisted of 10 rats， and medications were administered once every 6 hours for 4 times. After 24 hours of the last intervention， the levels of serum inflammatory factors interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and IL-1β were detected. The pathological changes of ileal tissue were observed and Chiu’s intestinal mucosal injury score was also performed. The levels of intestinal function-lactate dehydrogenase （D-lactate）， D-amino acid oxidase （DAO） and endotoxin， the percentages of zonula occludens-1 protein （ZO-1） and Occludin positive staining area， as well as protein expressions of RhoA， and ROCK1 were all detected. com RESULTS Compared with the sepsis group， the percentages of ZO-1 and Occludin positive areas increased significantly in loganin low-dose and high-dose groups； while the levels of IL-6， TNF-α， IL-1β， DAO， D-lactate and endotoxin， Chiu’s intestinal mucosal injury score as well as protein expressions of RhoA and ROCK1 decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the destruction of rat ileal tissue was alleviated， and tissue edema and inflammatory infiltration were significantly reduced； moreover， the improvement effect in loganin high-dose group was superior to that in loganin low-dose group （P＜0.05）. Compared with loganin high-dose group， RhoA activator LPA reversed the trend of changes in the above indicators （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Loganin can alleviate inflammatory response and intestinal barrier damage in septic rats， the mechanism of which may be associated with inhibiting RhoA/ROCK1 signaling pathway.

Hongsheng Dan, historically referred to as the "surgical sacred medicine", is at risk of losing its refining technology in contemporary times. This study aimed to preserve and innovate this traditional non-heritage refining technology. By utilizing the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) combined with the entropy weight method, this study established the hierarchical structure model of refining process of Hongsheng Dan and conducted a single factor experiment and an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment to optimize the refining method of Hongsheng Dan. Additionally, the study employed infrared thermal imaging to monitor temperature variations of Hongsheng Dan during the refining process. The optimized refining parameters for Hongsheng Dan were established as follows: a slow fire temperature of 175 ℃ with a duration of 30 minutes, a strong fire temperature of 270 ℃ with a duration of 60 minutes, and a tail fire temperature of 180 ℃ with a duration of 15 minutes. The stability and feasibility of this optimized process were confirmed through validation tests. The research focused on the material transformation of Hongsheng Dan, starting from the material changes during the refining process of Hongsheng Dan and the synthesis of mercuric oxide from nitric acid. The study investigated elemental transformations, physical phase changes, and alterations in thermal properties. 78.98% of the mercury in Hongsheng Dan and 80.21% of the mercury in mercuric oxide from nitric acid were retained. The diffraction peak intensity of the(011) crystal plane of Hongsheng Dan was highest at approximately 30.07°, indicating that the(011) crystal plane had a preferred crystalline orientation. Furthermore, the temperature range for the alteration in thermal properties during the refining process of Hongsheng Dan was found to be between 80 ℃ and 130 ℃. This research not only optimized the refining technology of Hongsheng Dan but also pioneered the application of infrared thermal imaging to study temperature changes throughout the refining process. By exploring the material transformation patterns of Hongsheng Dan and the synthesis of mercuric oxide from nitric acid, the study provided technical support for the preservation and innovation of Hongsheng Dan.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Temperature

OBJECTIVE: As an age-related neurodegenerative disease, the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) increases with age. Within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine, spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome (SKDS) is recognized as the most frequent MCI subtype. Due to the covert and gradual onset of MCI, in community settings it poses a significant challenge for patients and their families to discern between typical aging and pathological changes. There exists an urgent need to devise a preliminary diagnostic tool designed for community-residing older adults with MCI attributed to SKDS (MCI-SKDS). METHODS: This investigation enrolled 312 elderly individuals diagnosed with MCI, who were randomly distributed into training and test datasets at a 3:1 ratio. Five machine learning methods, including logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), naive Bayes (NB), support vector machine (SVM), and gradient boosting (GB), were used to build a diagnostic prediction model for MCI-SKDS. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1 score, and area under the curve were used to evaluate model performance. Furthermore, the clinical applicability of the model was evaluated through decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The accuracy, precision, specificity and F1 score of the DT model performed best in the training set (test set), with scores of 0.904 (0.845), 0.875 (0.795), 0.973 (0.875) and 0.973 (0.875). The sensitivity of the training set (test set) of the SVM model performed best among the five models with a score of 0.865 (0.821). The area under the curve of all five models was greater than 0.9 for the training dataset and greater than 0.8 for the test dataset. The DCA of all models showed good clinical application value. The study identified ten indicators that were significant predictors of MCI-SKDS. CONCLUSION The risk prediction index derived from machine learning for the MCI-SKDS prediction model is simple and practical; the model demonstrates good predictive value and clinical applicability, and the DT model had the best performance. Please cite this article as: Ai YT, Zhou S, Wang M, Zheng TY, Hu H, Wang YC, Li YC, Wang XT, Zhou PJ. Development of a machine learning-based risk prediction model for mild cognitive impairment with spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome in the elderly. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 390-397.
Humans ; Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnosis* ; Aged ; Male ; Female ; Machine Learning ; Spleen ; Aged, 80 and over ; Kidney ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVE: This study reports the first imported case of Lassa fever (LF) in China. Laboratory detection and molecular epidemiological analysis of the Lassa virus (LASV) from this case offer valuable insights for the prevention and control of LF. METHODS: Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, urine, saliva, and environmental materials were collected from the patient and their close contacts for LASV nucleotide detection. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on positive samples to analyze the genetic characteristics of the virus. RESULTS: LASV was detected in the patient's CSF, blood, and urine, while all samples from close contacts and the environment tested negative. The virus belongs to the lineage IV strain and shares the highest homology with strains from Sierra Leone. The variability in the glycoprotein complex (GPC) among different strains ranged from 3.9% to 15.1%, higher than previously reported for the seven known lineages. Amino acid mutation analysis revealed multiple mutations within the GPC immunogenic epitopes, increasing strain diversity and potentially impacting immune response. CONCLUSION The case was confirmed through nucleotide detection, with no evidence of secondary transmission or viral spread. The LASV strain identified belongs to lineage IV, with broader GPC variability than previously reported. Mutations in the immune-related sites of GPC may affect immune responses, necessitating heightened vigilance regarding the virus.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Genome, Viral ; Lassa Fever/virology* ; Lassa virus/classification* ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Phylogeny

Objective Exploring the diagnostic value of T-cell enzyme-linked immunospot assay(T-SPOT.TB)combined with rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis real-time fluorescence quantitative nucleic acid ampli-fication detection(XpertMTB/RIF)in geriatric AIDS patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)infection.Methods From May 2022 to May 2024,86 elderly patients with AIDS suspected MTB in Hengshui Third People's Hospital were gathered and separated into AIDS complicated with MTB(research group)and AIDS without MTB(control group)according to the pathological examination results.MTB culture,T-SPOT.TB and XpertMTB/RIF were performed.Kappa analysis was applied to evaluate the consistency between T-SPOT.TB combined with Xpert-MTB/RIF and the gold standard for diagnosing MTB coinfection in AIDS patients.ROC curve and four grid table were plotted to analyze the value of the combination of T-SPOT.TB and XpertMTB/RIF in the diagnosis of AIDS complicated with MTB infection.Results The blood γ-interferon,the positive detection rates of T-SPOT.TB and XpertMTB/RIF in the research group were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The AUC of T-SPOT.TB in diagnosing AIDS with MTB infection was 0.810,that of Xpert MTB/RIF in diagnosing AIDS with MTB infection was 0.835,and the AUC of the two in diagnosing AIDS with MTB infection was 0.910.The Kappa values of T-SPOT.TB,Xpert MTB/RIF and their combined diagnosis for AIDS with MTB infection were 0.624,0.674 and 0.825,respectively.The accuracy of T-SPOT.TB in the diagnosis of AIDS with MTB was 82.56%,the accuracy of XpertMTB/RIF in the diagnosis of AIDS with MTB was 84.88%,and the accuracy of the combined di-agnosis for AIDS with MTB was 91.86%.Conclusions T-SPOT.TB combined with XpertMTB/RIF can improve the accuracy of diagnosis of AIDS with MTB,and can be used as a clinical auxiliary diagnosis method for AIDS pa-tients complicated with MTB.

AIM To investigate the variations in mercury dissolution from HgS-containing traditional medicines in three kinds of simulated gastrointestinal dissolution media.METHODS 39 batches of 15 types of HgS-containing traditional medicines were collected,total mercury content and dissolved mercury concentrations in simulated gastric fluid,simulated intestinal fluid,and L-cysteine-containing simulated intestinal fluid were measured.The maximum daily intake of total mercury and soluble mercury was calculated based on the maximum daily clinical dosage.RESULTS Among the 15 types of medicines,the maximum daily intake of total mercury varied by 156 times,the daily intake of soluble mercury varied by 3 502 times in simulated gastric fluid,313 times in simulated intestinal fluid,and 10 663 times in L-cysteine-containing simulated intestinal fluid,approximately.CONCLUSION For the 15 types of HgS-containing traditional medicines,the daily maximum intake of soluble mercury showed greater variations than that of total mercury.Soluble mercury concentration is more closely correlated with intestinal absorption of mercury and thus represents a more rational quality control indicator for HgS-containing traditional medicines.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of deep learning-based automatic segmentation technology in the segmentation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions using gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI), and to investigate the prognostic value of radiomics analysis in predicting patient outcomes.Methods:This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study that collected data from 352 patients with solitary HCC who underwent imaging at the Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital between June 2015 and May 2023. The patients were randomly divided into a training set ( n=213) and a validation set ( n=139) in a 3∶2 ratio using weighted random sampling. Two radiologists manually annotated the lesions. Hepatobiliary-phase EOB-MRI images were standardized, and six deep learning models,nnU-Net, nnFormer, UnetR, Swin-UnetR, UnetR++ and MedNeXt,were trained for automatic segmentation on the training set. The segmentation performance was evaluated on the validation set, and the segmentation efficacy was assessed using the Dice coefficient and 95% Hausdorff distance (HD 95), identifying of the optimal model. Radiomics features were extracted from both manual and automatic segmentation regions, and the radiomics score (Radscore) was calculated to stratify patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to analyze the differences in relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) between the different stratified groups. Results:Among the automatic segmentation models, the MedNeXt model performed best in the validation set, with a Dice coefficient of 76.0%, HD 95 of 7.2, and a segmentation success rate of 90.6% (126/139). The nnFormer model was the second-best, with a Dice coefficient of 75.3%, HD 95 of 10.1, and a segmentation success rate of 89.9% (125/139). Other models showed Dice coefficients ranging from 66.3% to 74.1%. A MedNext-nnF model was established by combining the MedNeXt and nnFormer models, achieving a Dice coefficient of 78.2%, HD 95 of 5.9, and a segmentation success rate of 92.1% (128/139) in the validation group. After constructing the automatic segmentation radiomics prognostic model, patients were stratified by Radscore. Both manual and automatic segmentation models showed statistically significant differences in RFS and OS between different risk groups ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The Mednext-nnF fusion model enables efficient and automated segmentation of HCC lesions in EOB-MRI. The radiomics model constructed based on the automated segmentation demonstrates strong performance in predicting and stratifying prognostic risk.