ObjectiveTo investigate the neuroprotective effect of glycosides of cistanches （GCs） in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1，2，3，6-tetrahydropyridine （MPTP）-induced Parkinson’s disease （PD） model mice and its potential mechanism. MethodsForty mice were randomly divided into control group， PD group， GCs group and levodopa （L-DOPA） group， with 10 mice in each group. The control group received intraperitoneal injection of normal saline， while the other groups were intraperitoneally injected with MPTP （30 mg/kg） once daily for 5 consecutive days. After model establishment， the control group and PD group were intragastrically administered normal saline， and the GCs group and L-DOPA group received intragastric administration once daily for 28 consecutive days， at doses of 100 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg， respectively. The open field test and rotarod test were used to evaluate motor function. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the number of tyrosine hydroxylase （TH）-positive neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Transmission electron microscopy was adopted to observe the ultrastructure of mitochondria in the substantia nigra. Biochemical assays were used to determine the levels of glutathione （GSH）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） in substantia nigra tissues. Western blot was applied to detect the protein expression of TH， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 （Keap-1） and heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） in substantia nigra tissues. ResultsCompared with the control group， mice in the PD group exhibited markedly impaired motor function， significantly decreased T-SOD activity， obvious reductions in the number of TH-positive neurons and GSH content， as well as elevated MDA and ROS levels in the substantia nigra （P<0.01）. Compared with the PD group， mice in the GCs group showed improved motor function， increased T-SOD activity， higher number of TH-positive neurons and elevated GSH content， accompanied by decreased MDA and ROS levels （P<0.05）. In the control group， mitochondria in the substantia nigra displayed normal morphology without obvious blurred membrane structures or vacuolar degeneration. The PD group presented mitochondrial swelling， disordered cristae and vacuolar changes， whereas these mitochondrial pathological alterations were alleviated in the GCs group. Compared with the control group， the protein levels of TH， Nrf2 and HO-1 were significantly downregulated， while Keap-1 protein expression was markedly upregulated in the PD group （P<0.01）. Compared with the PD group， the GCs group showed significant upregulation of TH， Nrf2 and HO-1 protein levels and a notable reduction in Keap-1 protein level （P<0.05）. ConclusionGCs ameliorate motor dysfunction and attenuate dopaminergic neuronal and mitochondrial damage in MPTP-induced PD model mice. These effects may be associated with modulation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway-related protein expression， enhancement of antioxidant capacity， and alleviation of oxidative stress.

Forensic microbiology,a pivotal discipline within forensic science,focuses on microorganisms as the primary subject of study and applies life science technologies to analyze microbial evidence in criminal and civil investigations.Tissue source inference plays a crucial role in forensic investigations,facilitating case assessment and crime scene reconstruction.The application of microbiome analysis in tissue source inference benefits from the tissue specificity and spatiotemporal stability of human microbial communities.This article provides a systematic review of recent advances in tissue source inference based on microbiome analysis,covering technological development,research trends,and practical applications.Finally,the challenges confronted in practice in forensic microbiology and the future prospects for its development are summarized.

Objective: To explore the clinical application value of deep convoluti onal neural network for automatic detection and classification of benign and malignant thyroid nodules ultrasound images. Methods: A total of 1 012 ultrasound images of thyroid nodules were retrospectively selected and labeled. The YOLOv5 network model was constructed to accurately locate the location of thyroid nodules and automatically trim the area of the nodules. At the same time , a GoogLeNet network model was constructed to classify benign and malignant nodules after reduction. Results : In the collected data set , the mean accuracy of the target detection network for thyroid nodule location detection was 96. 2% . Meanwhile , the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUC of the classification network for benign and malignant nodules were 0. 885 ,0. 822 ,0. 866 and 0. 92 respectively ,which were significantly higher than those of the AlexNet model (0. 81) , VGG model (0. 86) and MobileNet model (0. 76) . Conclusion The deep convo⁃ lutional neural network model has high localization and recognition ability for benign and malignant thyroid nodules in ultrasound images ,which is helpful to improve the accuracy of automatic image diagnosis.

In the original publication Fig. 1D and supplementary material is incorrect. The correct figure and supplementary material is provided in this correction.

Recently we have established a new culture condition enabling the derivation of extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells, which, compared to conventional pluripotent stem cells, possess superior developmental potential and germline competence. However, it remains unclear whether this condition permits derivation of EPS cells from mouse strains that are refractory or non-permissive to pluripotent cell establishment. Here, we show that EPS cells can be robustly generated from non-permissive NOD-scid Il2rg mice through de novo derivation from blastocysts. Furthermore, these cells can also be efficiently generated by chemical reprogramming from embryonic NOD-scid Il2rg fibroblasts. NOD-scid Il2rg EPS cells can be expanded for more than 20 passages with genomic stability and can be genetically modified through gene targeting. Notably, these cells contribute to both embryonic and extraembryonic lineages in vivo. More importantly, they can produce chimeras and integrate into the E13.5 genital ridge. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of generating EPS cells from refractory mouse strains, which could potentially be a general strategy for deriving mouse pluripotent cells. The generation of NOD-scid Il2rg EPS cell lines permits sophisticated genetic modification in NOD-scid Il2rg mice, which may greatly advance the optimization of humanized mouse models for biomedical applications.

Objective To evaluate the inhibitory effect of asiaticoside on bleomycin-induced skin cicatrization. Methods Thirty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups:negative control group,model control group,and asiaticoside group,ten in each group.In model control group and asiaticoside group,1 mg·mL-1bleomycin was subcutaneously injected into the dorsal skin of mice every day;4 h later,1 mL 0.9% sodium chloride solution 1 mL asiaticoside(20 mg·mL-1) was injected into the lesion skin in the model control group and the asiaticoside group,respectively.In the negative control group, the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution was subcutaneously injected into the dorsal skin of the mice at the two time points every day.After 21 days,skin specimens were harvested to observe the histomorphology and detect myofibroblast proliferation and expression of inflammatory factors. Results The skin scar was significantly attenuated in the asiaticoside group as compared with the model control group,and the dermal thickness measured exhibited a gradual decrease in asiaticoside group.The expression of α-antismooth muscle antisbidy and infiltration of inflammatory cells were significantly lower in the asiaticoside group than in the model control group. Conclusion Asiaticoside inhibits the development of skin scar of mice by regulating proliferation and differentiation of myofibroblasts and down-regulating inflammatory cells.

Objective: To study the relationship between the whole blood zinc concentration and prostate carcinoma and to explore the diagnostic value of the whole blood zinc concentration combined with blood serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 95 patients with prostate carcinoma and 91 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia were selected between July 2005 and October 2008 in Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University and The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School. The whole blood zinc concentration was analyzed by atomic absorption spectometry. The serum PSA was analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Results: The volumes of the whole blood zinc concentration were 4.73±1.51 μg/mL in the prostate carcinoma group and 6.82±1.63 μg/mL in the benign prostate hyperplasia group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.001). The serum PSA general distribution was significantly different between the two groups (P＜0.01). There was no significant difference in the serum PSA of 4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL between the two groups (P=0.14). Compared with that in the benign prostate hyperplasia group, the area under ROC curve for the whole blood zinc concentration in the prostate carcinoma group was 0.82. The diagnostic accuracy was optimal with 5.24μg/mL set as the cut-off value of the whole blood zinc concentration and the Youden's index was 0.46 when it was combined with serum PSA 4.0 ng/mL (connection in series). The specificity was 75%, up to 2.34 times of serum PSA applied alone. Meanwhile, the Youden's index was 0.51, achieving 2.22 times. It was not helpful for the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma that the two diagnostic tools were in parallel by which the Youden's index was only 0.14. Conclusion: Detection of the whole blood zinc concentration is beneficial for differentiation of prostate carcinoma from benign prostate hyperplasia. Combined with serum PSA (connection in series), it can significantly impove diagnostic efficiency when PSA was 4.0～10.0ng/mL. Detection of the whole blood zinc concentration can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of prostate cancer and worths clincal application.