This study investigates the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships of different Artemisia argyi germplasm resources to provide a basis for germplasm identification, variety selection, and resource protection. A total of 192 germplasm resources of A. argyi were studied, and EST-based simple sequence repeat(EST-SSR) primers were designed based on transcriptomic data of A. argyi. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) amplification was performed on these resources, followed by fluorescence capillary electrophoresis to detect genetic diversity and construct DNA fingerprints. From 197 pairs of primers designed, 28 pairs with polymorphic and clear bands were selected. A total of 278 alleles were detected, with an average of 9.900 0 alleles per primer pair and an average effective number of alleles of 1.407 2. The Shannon's diversity index(I) for the A. argyi germplasm resources ranged from 0.148 1 to 0.418 0, with an average of 0.255 7. The polymorphism information content(PIC) ranged from 0.454 5 to 0.878 0, with an average of 0.766 9, showing high polymorphism. Cluster analysis divided the A. argyi germplasm resources into three major groups: Group Ⅰ contained 136 germplasm samples, Group Ⅱ contained 45, and Group Ⅲ contained 11. Principal component analysis also divided the resources into three groups, which was generally consistent with the clustering results. Mantel test results showed that the genetic variation in A. argyi populations was to some extent influenced by geographic distance, but the effect was minimal. Structure analysis showed that 190 germplasm materials had Q≥ 0.6, indicating that these germplasm materials had a relatively homogeneous genetic origin. Furthermore, 8 core primer pairs were selected from the 28 designed primers, which could distinguish various germplasm types. Using these 8 core primers, DNA fingerprints for the 192 A. argyi germplasm resources were successfully constructed. EST-SSR molecular markers can be used to study the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of A. argyi, providing theoretical support for the identification and molecular-assisted breeding of A. argyi germplasm resources.
Artemisia/classification* ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Genetic Variation ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; DNA, Plant/genetics* ; Genetic Markers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Objective:To evaluate the utility of the Rapid Axial Roll Test （RART）, Supine Roll Test （SRT）, and Lying-Down Test （LDT） in determining the affected semicircular canal in cases of horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo （HSC-BPPV）. Methods:A total of 330 patients diagnosed with HSCBPPV from September 2022 to September 2023 were collected and divided into three groups based on the different positional tests received: ①SRT Group, ②LDT+SRT Group, ③RART+SRT Group. The trial was divided into two stages: LDT/RART for patients in the first stage, and SRT for patients in the second stage. The elicitation rate of nystagmus among the three groups was compared to evaluate the accuracy in determining the affected semicircular canal in HSCBPPV. Results:Nystagmus was elicited in 84.55% （279/330） of the patients by positional tests. The elicitation rate of nystagmus in the RART+SRT/LDT group was 94.55% （104/110）, in the LDT+SRT group it was 84.11% （90/107）, and in the SRT group it was 69.91% （79/113）. The differences among the three groups were statistically significant （χ²= 23.88, P<0.001）. In the ② and ③ groups, there was a statistically significant difference in the elicitation rate of nystagmus between stage Ⅰ （patients with LDT or RART） （χ²=43.842, P<0.001）. SRT was performed in the stage Ⅱ, and there was a statistically significant difference in nystagmus extraction rate between the two groups （χ² =4.690, P=0.030）. The difference in the proportion of agreement between stage Ⅰ（LDT or RART） and stageⅡ （SRT） in determining the affected side of the semicircular canal was also statistically significant （χ² =40.502, P<0.001）. For patients with a consistent diagnosis of the affected semicircular canal, the difference in cure rate was not significant （P=0.149）. The Kappa statistic indicated substantial agreement between RART and SRT in terms of eliciting nystagmus （agreement 96.36%, Kappa = 0.730, P<0.001）. Conclusion:RART and SRT show a high degree of agreement regarding the elicitation rate of nystagmus. RART is simple and safe, and it can effectively induce the characteristic nystagmus of HSC-BPPV, accurately identify the responsible semicircular canal and provide a more optimized examination protocol for clinical practice in HSCBPPV.
Humans ; Semicircular Canals/physiopathology* ; Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo/diagnosis* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nystagmus, Pathologic/diagnosis* ; Vestibular Function Tests/methods* ; Aged ; Vertigo/diagnosis* ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and the transmission clusters associated with PDR-related mutations in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients between 2020 and 2023 in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China. METHODS: Demographic information and plasma samples were collected from study participants. PDR was assessed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. The Tamura-Nei 93 model within HIV-TRACE was employed to compute pairwise matches with a genetic distance of 0.015 substitutions per site. RESULTS: Among 948 treatment-naive individuals with eligible sequences, 36 HIV subtypes were identified, with unique recombinant forms (URFs) being the most prevalent (18.8%, 178/948). The overall prevalence of PDR was 12.4% (118/948), and resistance to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 10.7%, 1.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. A total of 91 clusters were identified, among which eight showed evidence of PDR strain transmission. The largest PDR-associated cluster consisted of six CRF01_AE drug-resistant strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations; five of these individuals had initial CD4+ cell counts < 200 cells/μL. CONCLUSION The distribution of HIV subtypes in Dehong is diverse and complex. PDR was moderately prevalent (12.4%) between 2020 and 2023. Evidence of transmission of CRF01_AE strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations was found. Routine surveillance of PDR and the strengthening of control measures are essential to limit the spread of drug-resistance HIV strains.
Humans ; HIV Infections/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use* ; Myanmar/epidemiology* ; Young Adult ; Prevalence ; Adolescent ; Mutation

Objective To investigate the anesthetic effects and adverse effects of cypropofol and propofol combined with alfentanil,respectively,for gastroenteroscopy.Methods A total of 162 patients who underwent elective gastroenteroscopy at the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Center of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January to February 2024 were enrolled,including 86 males and 76 females,at an age of 18～65 years old,with a BMI value of 18～30 kg/m2,and ASA grade ≤ Ⅱ.They were randomly divided into propofol group(Group P)and cypropofol group(Group C),with 81 cases in each group.All patients were sedated with 0.7 μg/kg alfentanil,and in 30 s later,2 mg/kg propofol and 0.4 mg/kg cypropofol was intravenously dripped into Group P and Group C,respectively.When the modified alertness/sedation score(MOAA/S)≤1,a gastroscope was started to insert.The related indicators,including total procedure time,successful cases of sedation,induction time and awakening time,heart rate,blood pressure,and pulse oximetry saturation were recorded,occurrence of adverse reactions such as hypotension,respiratory depression,injection pain,intraoperative body movement,nausea and vomiting were observed,and the satisfaction of endoscopists and of patients to anesthesia were recorded and compared between the 2 groups.Results There were no statistical differences in the success rate of sedation,induction time and awakening time between the 2 groups.The patients of the Group C had more stable intraoperative vital signs,statistically lower incidences of injection pain,respiratory depression and hypotension(P＜0.05),and increased satisfaction for anesthesia(P＜0.05)when compared with those in Group P.No obvious difference were observed in the satisfaction of endoscopist to anesthesia between the 2 groups.Conclusion In combination with small-dose alfentanil,0.4 mg/kg cypropofol shows similar sedation effect as 2 mg/kg propofol in gastroenteroscopy,with comparable induction and awakening time.Cypropofol has more advantages in stable intraoperative vital signs,less adverse effects such as low blood pressure,respiratory depression and injection pain,higher the patient satisfaction,which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective:To explore the assessment value of liver enzyme changes before and after hepatectomy on the prognosis of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 421 patients with primary HCC who received at the First and Second Affiliated Hospitals of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2016 to December 2020.The univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were used to screen the risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with primary HCC,and the optimal cut-off value was selected to group the most valuable indicators among them,further analyzing the different factors among subgroups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the prognosis of the subgroups,and the survival curves were plotted and statistically tested. Results:Multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC)stage,tumor number,alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),the quantitative change of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)and total bilirubin(TBIL)before and after surgery were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with primary HCC(P＜0.01),and there were differences in hepatitis B virus surface antigen(HBsAg),TNM stage,BCLC stage,tumor size,tumor number,tumor differentiation degree,AFP,surgery type,intraoperative bleeding volume,postoperative albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)and white blood cell count between the high and low GGT variation groups(P＜0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the prognosis of patients with primary HCC between the high and low GGT variation groups was significantly different,with a hazard ratio of 2.603 for mortality and 1.449 for recurrence(both P＜0.01). Conclusion:The quantitative change of GGT before and after hepatectomy has an evaluation value for the prognosis of patients with primary HCC,and the quantitative change of GGT greater than 29.5 is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with primary HCC.

Aim To explore the effects of Lycium berry seed oil on Nrf2/ARE pathway and oxidative damage in testis of subacute aging rats. Methods Fifty out of 60 male SD rats, aged 8 weeks, were subcutaneously injected with 125 mg • kg"D-galactosidase in the neck for 8 weeks to establish a subacute senescent rat model. The presence of senescent cells was observed using P-galactosidase ((3-gal), while testicular morphology was examined using HE staining. Serum levels of testosterone (testosterone, T), follicle-stimulating hormone ( follicle stimulating hormone, FSH ) , luteinizing hormone ( luteinizing hormone, LH ) , superoxide dis-mutase ( superoxide dismutase, SOD ) , glutathione ( glutathione, GSH) and malondialdehyde ( malondial-dehyde, MDA) were measured through ELISA, and the expressions of factors related to aging, oxidative damage, and the Nrf2/ARE pathway were assessed via immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting. Results After successfully identifying the model, the morphology of the testis was improved and the intervention of Lycium seed oil led to a down-regulation in the expression of [3-gal and -yH2AX. The serum levels of SOD, GSH, T, and FSH increased while MDA and LH decreased (P 0. 05) . Additionally, there was an up-regulated expression of Nrf2, GCLC, NQOl, and SOD2 proteins in testicular tissue ( P 0. 05 ) and nuclear expression of Nrf2 in sertoli cells. Conclusion Lycium barbarum seed oil may reduce oxidative damage in testes of subacute senescent rats by activating the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of serum oncogene[proliferation-related gene(C-myc),transformation gene(N-ras),silk/threonine kinase 1(PLK1),fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2)]protein levels in patients with hepatitis B associated hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after hepatic arterial chemoem-bolization(TACE).Methods A total of 127 patients with hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma ad-mitted to a hospital from July 2016 to January 2021 were selected and divided into death group and survival group according to the follow-up results.The serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein levels were determined by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Univariate and multivari-ate Cox analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 pro-tein levels in patients with hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE.The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the prognostic value of the serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein levels,and the patients were divided into high expression group and low expression group ac-cording to the corresponding cutoff value.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to evaluate the prognosis of different serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein level.Results Multivariate Cox regression a-nalysis indicated that TNM stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ(HR=2.998,95％CI:1.239-7.257),portal vein metastasis(HR=3.737,95％CI:1.941-7.193),abdominal metastasis(HR=3.482,95％CI:1.709-7.097),Child-Pugh grade B(HR=2.587,95％CI:1.045-6.406),high serum oncogene C-myc protein level(HR=1.224,95％CI:1.090-1.374),high serum oncogene N-ras protein level(HR=1.218,95％CI:1.097-1.353),high serum oncogene PLK1 protein level(HR=1.237,95％CI:1.110-1.379)and high serum oncogene FGF2 protein level(HR=1.141,95％CI:1.060-1.228)were independent risk factors for the prognosis of hepatitis B-asso-ciated hepatocellular carcinoma patients after TACE(all P＜0.05).The overall survival rate of low expression group of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein level was significantly higher than that of high expression group of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein level,the difference was statistically significant(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein levels have predic-tive value for the prognosis of patients with HBV-related liver cancer after TACE.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of astragaloside-Ⅳ （AS-Ⅳ） in regulating pyroptosis to alleviate intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury （IRI） by combining network pharmacology and in vivo experiments. MethodFirstly， the corresponding target genes of AS-Ⅳ were obtained from TraditionalChineseMedicineSystemsPharmacology（TCMSP） database and Swiss Target Prediction database， and the target genes related to intestinal IRI and Pyroptosis were obtained from GeneCards database， and the common target genes of the three were obtained by drawing Venn diagrams through unspiralized website. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed by STRING database and Cytoscape software to screen common target genes and imported into Cytoscape software to obtain core target genes. Microbiotics platform was used for gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） enrichment analysis and prediction of the mechanism of action of AS-Ⅳ in regulating Pyroptosis to alleviate intestinal IRI. Then C57/BL6J mice were randomly divided into 5 groups normal group， model group（IR）， drug administration group （IR+AS-Ⅳ）， nucleotide-binding oligomerization structural domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） agonist NSS group （IR+AS-Ⅳ+NSS）， and NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group （IR+AS-Ⅳ+MCC950） by using a randomized numerical table method. The intestinal IRI model was established by clamping the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min and resuming perfusion for 2 h in the model group， the drug administration group， the NLRP3 agonist NSS group， and the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group， and the normal group was only separated from the vessels without clamping. The administration group， the NLRP3 agonist NSS group， and the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group were gavaged with astragaloside dissolved in 0.1% dimethylsulfoxide （50 mg·kg^-1） for 3 consecutive days before modeling， with the last gavage 2 h before modeling， and the remaining two groups were gavaged with equal amounts of saline. The NLRP3 agonist NSS group was injected intraperitoneally with 4 mg·kg^-1 of NSS 1 h before modeling， and the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group was injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg·kg^-1 of MCC950 1 h before modeling.The mice were put to death by reperfusion for 2 h， and intestinal tissues were obtained. The levels of IL-18 and IL-1β were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， and the protein expression of thioredoxin-binding protein （TXNIP）， NLRP3， Caspase-1 and pyrocatechin D （GSDMD） were detected by Western blot， and the pathological changes of intestinal tissues were evaluated by Chiu's score. ResultNetwork pharmacological analysis showed that there were 1599 targets of intestinal IRI， 199 targets of AS-Ⅳ action， 197 targets of pyroptosis， and 20 targets common to all three. There were 10 core targets， including NLRP3， TXNIP， silencing information regulator 1 （SIRT1）， high mobility group protein 1 （HMGB1）， interleukin-18 （IL-18）， GSDMD， and metallo matrix protease-9 （MMP-9），et al. The results of in vivo experiments showed that compared with the normal group， Chiu's score was elevated in the model group， the levels of IL-18，IL-1β inflammatory factors in mouse intestinal tissues were elevated （P<0.05）， and the protein expression levels of TXNIP， NLRP3， Caspase-1， and GSDMD were elevated （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group，Chiu's score was decreased in the administered group and NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group，the level of IL-18，IL-1β inflammatory factors in the intestinal tissue of mice was decreased（P<0.05）， and the level of TXNIP，NLRP3，Caspase-1，GSDMD protein expression was decreased（P<0.05）. Compared with the administered group， Chiu's score was elevated in the NLRP3 agonist NSS group， the levels of IL-18， IL-1β inflammatory factors in mouse intestinal tissues were elevated （P<0.05）， and the protein expression levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and GSDMD were elevated （P<0.05）. Compared with the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 group， the NLRP3 agonist NSS group had elevated Chiu's scores， elevated levels of IL-18，IL-1β inflammatory factors in mouse intestinal tissues （P<0.05）， and elevated levels of TXNIP，NLRP3， Caspase-1， and GSDMD protein expression （P<0.05）. ConclusionNetwork pharmacological predictions were consistent with the results of in vivo experiments， and astragaloside attenuated intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting cellular pyroptosis through the TXNIP-NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and influencing factors among vegetable greenhouse workers, so as to provide insights into relevant intervention measurements. Methods: Workers from 4 vegetable greenhouse villages were sampled in the suburbs of Xining City using a cluster sampling method from March to April 2023. Participants' demographic information, characteristics of greenhouse operation and prevalence of WMSDs were collected using questionnaire surveys. Factors affecting the prevalence of WMSDs among vegetable greenhouse workers were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 550 questionnaires were distributed, and 518 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective response rate of 94.18%. There were 264 males (50.97%) and 254 females (49.03%), and 269 participants (51.93%) aged 50 years and older. The prevalence of WMSDs among vegetable greenhouse workers was 40.93% (212 cases). Waist, neck and back were mainly affected, with 185 (35.71%), 157 (30.31%), and 153 (29.54%) cases, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that workers who smoke (OR=2.406, 95%CI: 1.133-5.110), worked 8 hours and longer per day (OR=6.618, 95%CI: 3.492-12.542) and lift heavy loads of about 20 kg (OR=1.770, 95%CI: 1.013-3.092) had a higher risk of WMSDs. Conclusions WMSDs occurred in 40.93% of vegetable greenhouse workers in Xining City, and waist, neck and back were mainly affected. Smoking, working duration and lifting heavy loads may influence the prevalence of WMSDs among vegetable greenhouse workers in Xining City.