As the relationship between exposure to chemical carcinogens and human health risks becomes increasingly clear, identifying effective biomarkers to reveal early exposure and prevent the occurrence and development of tumors has become particularly critical. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA), a cluster of genes encoding ribosomal RNA, has emerged as a focal point in chemical carcinogen exposure research in recent years, due to its high copy number within cells and sensitivity to environmental stimuli. The dynamic changes in rDNA copy numbers, especially the significant alterations observed following exposure to environmental carcinogens, have rendered it a promising potential biomarker. This paper aims to systematically review the theoretical underpinnings and research progress of rDNA copy numbers as a biomarker for exposure to chemical carcinogens, and further discuss the challenges and prospects in future research and applications.

As the relationship between exposure to chemical carcinogens and human health risks becomes increasingly clear, identifying effective biomarkers to reveal early exposure and prevent the occurrence and development of tumors has become particularly critical. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA), a cluster of genes encoding ribosomal RNA, has emerged as a focal point in chemical carcinogen exposure research in recent years, due to its high copy number within cells and sensitivity to environmental stimuli. The dynamic changes in rDNA copy numbers, especially the significant alterations observed following exposure to environmental carcinogens, have rendered it a promising potential biomarker. This paper aims to systematically review the theoretical underpinnings and research progress of rDNA copy numbers as a biomarker for exposure to chemical carcinogens, and further discuss the challenges and prospects in future research and applications.

INTRODUCTION: Timely detection of dementia enables early access to dementia-specific care services and interventions. Various stakeholders brought together to refine Singapore's dementia care strategy identified a lack of a standardised cognitive screening tool and the absence of a comparative review of existing tools. We hence conducted a rapid review to evaluate the diagnostic performance of brief cognitive screening tools in identifying possible dementia among community-dwelling older adults in Singapore. METHOD: Brief cognitive screening tools were defined as interviews or tests administered in ≤5 minutes. Studies performed in Singapore on older adults ≥60 years, which used locally-validated comparators and reported outcomes of clinician-diagnosed dementia were included. Rapid review methodology was used in study screening and selection. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2 tool was used for risk-of-bias assessment. A negative likelihood ratio (LR-) of ≤0.2 was defined a priori as having a moderate effect in shifting post-test probability. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included in qualitative synthesis: 3 studies evaluated self-/informant-based tools only, 4 evaluated performance-based measures only and 7 evaluated combination approaches. Eight-item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia (AD8) was the most studied self-/ informant-based tool. One study found informant AD8 (iAD8) superior to self-rated AD8. Another study found iAD8 superior to Mini-Mental State Examination. Among performance-based measures, Abbreviated Mental Test, Visual Cognitive Assessment Test-Short form version 1 (VCAT-S1), VCAT-S2 and Mini-Cog had LR- <0.2. Minimal improvement of combination approaches compared to iAD8 alone was demonstrated. CONCLUSION Our review suggests the limited utility of dementia screening in communities with low dementia prevalence and supports a case-finding approach instead. With a reliable informant, iAD8 alone has sufficient discriminant ability. Further research is needed to specifically assess the diagnostic ability of performance-based tools in community settings.
Humans ; Singapore ; Dementia/diagnosis* ; Aged ; Independent Living ; Mass Screening/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over

Sanghuang, a famous ethnomedicine widely used in China, Japan, Korea and other countries for a long history, is produced from the dried fruiting bodies of the medical fungi belonging to Sanghuangporus. With abundant bioactive natural chemicals including polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and polyphenols, Sanghuang exhibits anticancer, antioxidant, blood glucose-and lipid-lowering, liver protecting, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and gout symptom-relieving effects, thus demonstrating broad application and development prospects in the pharmaceutical and food fields. However, the sustainable development of Sanghuang resources is limited by the scarce stock of wild resources, the diverse original fungi of cultivated Sanghuang, the inconsistency of local standards of Sanghuang materials or products, and the lagging application of Sanghuangporus mycelia. In view of the shortages mentioned above, this article reviews the research progress in the current situation of Sanghuang resources, the chemical composition, bioactivities, and fermentation process regulation of Sanghuangporus strains, and the related biosynthesis regulating strategies for enhancing the production of bioactive metabolites. This review is expected to provide comprehensive information for the sustainable development and utilization of Sanghuang resources.
Fermentation ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Basidiomycota

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of SedLine Brain Function Monitor-guided total intravenous anesthesia for children undergoing hypospadias surgery.Methods:This was a randomized controlled trial. A total of 161 children, aged 1-10 yr, with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification ⅠorⅡ, scheduled for elective hypospadias surgery, were divided into SedLine group (S group, n=83) and control group (C group, n=78) using a random number table method. In group S, 95% spectral edge frequency (SEF 95) was maintained at 14-18 Hz, and the patient state index (PSI) was maintained at 25-50 during surgery. In group C, mean arterial pressure was maintained at 60-80 mmHg, and heart rate was maintained at 80-110 beats/min during surgery. PSI and SEF 95 were recorded before induction (T 1), at 0, 5 and 10 min after intubation (T 2-4), at the beginning of surgery (T 5), at 30 min and 1 h after surgery (T 6, 7), and at the end of surgery (T 8). The anesthetic duration, operation time, time from withdrawal to extubation, postanesthesia care unit duration, consumption of propofol and remifentanil, intraoperative adverse events, 5-point Likert scale scores, and emergence delirium scores were recorded. Results:Compared to C group, the total anesthesia time, time from withdrawal to extubation and postanesthesia care unit duration were significantly shortened, the consumption of propofol for both induction and maintenance was reduced, the PSI at T 5-8, SEFL 95 at T 2-6, and SEFR 95 at T 2-8 were increased, and the incidence of intraoperative body movement and incidence of emergence agitation were decreased in S group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:SedLine Brain Function Monitor-guided total intravenous anesthesia provides better efficacy when used for the children undergoing hypospadias surgery.

Objective:To analyze the changes in the retinal and choroidal microvascular structures in the macular region of patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), as well as the influencing factors of subretinal fluid (SRF) volume.Methods:A prospective selection of 37 patients with monocular acute CSC diagnosed by ophthalmology examination at the Xi ′an First Hospital from January to October 2023 was conducted. The affected eye group was Group A, and the contralateral eye was Group B. The right eye of 30 age and gender matched normal individuals during the same period was selected as the normal eye group (group C). The scanning frequency source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCTA) was used to scan the macular area of the tested eye within a range of 6 mm×6 mm. We analyzed and recorded the vascular density (VD), perfusion area (PA), retinal thickness (RT), choroidal thickness (CT), as well as choroidal vascular volume (CVV) and choroidal vascular index (CVI) of the superficial and deep retinal capillary plexus (SCP) and deep retinal capillary plexus (DCP) in the macular area of 0-1 mm, 0-3 mm, and 0-6 mm using our own software. At the same time, we recorded the volume of SRF in the affected eye group. We compared the changes in VD, PA, RT, CT, CVV, and CVI among three groups. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between SRF volume and microvascular structural parameters.Results:(1) There was no statistically significant difference in VD and PA of SCP between the affected eye group and the contralateral eye group within the range of 0-6 mm in the macular area (all P>0.05); The VD and PA of SCP in the affected eye group and the contralateral eye group were lower than those in the normal eye group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05); The VD and PA of DCP in the affected eye group were lower than those in the contralateral eye group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Within the range of 0-3 mm in the macular area, the VD and PA of DCP in the affected eye group and the contralateral eye group were lower than those in the normal eye group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The RT of the affected eye group was higher than that of the contralateral eye group, and the RT of the contralateral eye group was higher than that of the normal eye group, with statistical significance (all P<0.05). (2) Within the range of 0-6 mm in the macular area, the CT of the affected eye group was higher than that of the contralateral eye group, and the CT of the contralateral eye group was higher than that of the normal eye group, with statistical significance (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the CVV and CVI of the choroidal vessels between the affected eye group and the contralateral eye group (all P>0.05); The CVV and CVI of the choroidal vessels in the affected eye group and the contralateral eye group were higher than those in the normal eye group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). (3) The volume of SRF is negatively correlated with the VD of DCP within the range of 0-3 mm in the macular area ( P<0.05), and positively correlated with CT within the range of 0-6 mm ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Acute CSC is a binocular choroidal disease, and choroidal thickening is mainly due to the thickening of the large and medium vascular layers; Acute CSC can cause a decrease in superficial and deep retinal blood flow density in the macular region; The volume of SRF is negatively correlated with the VD of DCP and positively correlated with CT.

AIM: To investigate the effect of gastrodin on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the striatum of cerebral ischemia rats, and to explore the potential mechanism of gastrodin in treating cerebral ischemia. METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal, sham, model, and gastrodin groups, each consisting of 10 rats. After successful modeling using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), the gastrodin group received intraperitoneal injection of gastrodin injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg once a day for 14 consecutive days. Pathological changes in striatal neurons were observed using Nissl staining. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect positive expression of BDNF and IL-6 proteins in the striatum. Additionally, immunoblot analysis was performed to determine the expression levels of BDNF and IL-6 proteins in the striatum. RESULTS: Nissl staining revealed clear and intact structures of striatal neurons in the normal and sham groups, with tightly arranged cells. In the model group, the number of cells was significantly reduced compared to the sham group (P<0.01), and there was a noticeable cytosolic atrophy and loose cell arrangement. The gastrodin group showed a significant increase in the number of Nissl-positive neurons compared to the model group (P<0.01), and there was also a significant improvement in cell morphology. The results of immunohistochemistry and immunoblot were consistent, and there was no statistically significant difference in BDNF and IL-6 protein expression between the normal group and the sham group (P>0.05). Compared to the sham group, the model group showed a decrease in the protein expression level of BDNF in the striatum on the ischemic side (P<0.01) and an increase in the protein expression level of IL-6 (P<0.05, P<0.01). In contrast, the gastrodin group showed an increase in the protein expression level of BDNF in the striatum on the ischemic side (P<0.05, P<0.01) and a decrease in the protein expression level of IL-6 (P< 0.05, P<0.01) compared to the model group. CONCLUSION: Gastrodin has a significant protective effect on striatal injury caused by cerebral ischemia, and its mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of the anti-inflammatory factor BDNF and the down-regulation of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-6.

AIM:To investigate the effect of gastro-din on the expression of brain-derived neurotroph-ic factor(BDNF)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the stria-tum of cerebral ischemia rats,and to explore the potential mechanism of gastrodin in treating cere-bral ischemia.METHODS:The rats were randomly divided into four groups:normal,sham,model,and gastrodin groups,each consisting of 10 rats.After successful modeling using middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),the gastrodin group received in-traperitoneal injection of gastrodin injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg once a day for 14 consecutive days.Pathological changes in striatal neurons were observed using Nissl staining.Immunohistochemis-try was utilized to detect positive expression of BDNF and IL-6 proteins in the striatum.Additional-ly,immunoblot analysis was performed to deter-mine the expression levels of BDNF and IL-6 pro-teins in the striatum.RESULTS:Nissl staining re-vealed clear and intact structures of striatal neu-rons in the normal and sham groups,with tightly arranged cells.In the model group,the number of cells was significantly reduced compared to the sham group(P＜0.01),and there was a noticeable cytosolic atrophy and loose cell arrangement.The gastrodin group showed a significant increase in the number of Nissl-positive neurons compared to the model group(P＜0.01),and there was also a sig-nificant improvement in cell morphology.The re-sults of immunohistochemistry and immunoblot were consistent,and there was no statistically sig-nificant difference in BDNF and IL-6 protein expres-sion between the normal group and the sham group(P＞0.05).Compared to the sham group,the model group showed a decrease in the protein ex-pression level of BDNF in the striatum on the isch-emic side(P＜0.01)and an increase in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).In con-trast,the gastrodin group showed an increase in the protein expression level of BDNF in the stria-tum on the ischemic side(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)and a decrease in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)compared to the model group.CON-CLUSION:Gastrodin has a significant protective ef-fect on striatal injury caused by cerebral ischemia,and its mechanism may be related to the up-regula-tion of the anti-inflammatory factor BDNF and the down-regulation of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-6.

AIM:To investigate the effect of gastro-din on the expression of brain-derived neurotroph-ic factor(BDNF)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the stria-tum of cerebral ischemia rats,and to explore the potential mechanism of gastrodin in treating cere-bral ischemia.METHODS:The rats were randomly divided into four groups:normal,sham,model,and gastrodin groups,each consisting of 10 rats.After successful modeling using middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),the gastrodin group received in-traperitoneal injection of gastrodin injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg once a day for 14 consecutive days.Pathological changes in striatal neurons were observed using Nissl staining.Immunohistochemis-try was utilized to detect positive expression of BDNF and IL-6 proteins in the striatum.Additional-ly,immunoblot analysis was performed to deter-mine the expression levels of BDNF and IL-6 pro-teins in the striatum.RESULTS:Nissl staining re-vealed clear and intact structures of striatal neu-rons in the normal and sham groups,with tightly arranged cells.In the model group,the number of cells was significantly reduced compared to the sham group(P＜0.01),and there was a noticeable cytosolic atrophy and loose cell arrangement.The gastrodin group showed a significant increase in the number of Nissl-positive neurons compared to the model group(P＜0.01),and there was also a sig-nificant improvement in cell morphology.The re-sults of immunohistochemistry and immunoblot were consistent,and there was no statistically sig-nificant difference in BDNF and IL-6 protein expres-sion between the normal group and the sham group(P＞0.05).Compared to the sham group,the model group showed a decrease in the protein ex-pression level of BDNF in the striatum on the isch-emic side(P＜0.01)and an increase in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).In con-trast,the gastrodin group showed an increase in the protein expression level of BDNF in the stria-tum on the ischemic side(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)and a decrease in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)compared to the model group.CON-CLUSION:Gastrodin has a significant protective ef-fect on striatal injury caused by cerebral ischemia,and its mechanism may be related to the up-regula-tion of the anti-inflammatory factor BDNF and the down-regulation of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-6.

AIM:To investigate the effect of gastro-din on the expression of brain-derived neurotroph-ic factor(BDNF)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the stria-tum of cerebral ischemia rats,and to explore the potential mechanism of gastrodin in treating cere-bral ischemia.METHODS:The rats were randomly divided into four groups:normal,sham,model,and gastrodin groups,each consisting of 10 rats.After successful modeling using middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),the gastrodin group received in-traperitoneal injection of gastrodin injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg once a day for 14 consecutive days.Pathological changes in striatal neurons were observed using Nissl staining.Immunohistochemis-try was utilized to detect positive expression of BDNF and IL-6 proteins in the striatum.Additional-ly,immunoblot analysis was performed to deter-mine the expression levels of BDNF and IL-6 pro-teins in the striatum.RESULTS:Nissl staining re-vealed clear and intact structures of striatal neu-rons in the normal and sham groups,with tightly arranged cells.In the model group,the number of cells was significantly reduced compared to the sham group(P＜0.01),and there was a noticeable cytosolic atrophy and loose cell arrangement.The gastrodin group showed a significant increase in the number of Nissl-positive neurons compared to the model group(P＜0.01),and there was also a sig-nificant improvement in cell morphology.The re-sults of immunohistochemistry and immunoblot were consistent,and there was no statistically sig-nificant difference in BDNF and IL-6 protein expres-sion between the normal group and the sham group(P＞0.05).Compared to the sham group,the model group showed a decrease in the protein ex-pression level of BDNF in the striatum on the isch-emic side(P＜0.01)and an increase in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).In con-trast,the gastrodin group showed an increase in the protein expression level of BDNF in the stria-tum on the ischemic side(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)and a decrease in the protein expression level of IL-6(P＜0.05,P＜0.01)compared to the model group.CON-CLUSION:Gastrodin has a significant protective ef-fect on striatal injury caused by cerebral ischemia,and its mechanism may be related to the up-regula-tion of the anti-inflammatory factor BDNF and the down-regulation of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-6.