ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

Objective To investigate the application value of systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI)in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)and co-infection.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 579 ACLF patients with co-infection who were diagnosed and treated in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to March 2016,including demographic features,laboratory markers,and complications,and SIRI,Model for End-Stage Liver Disease(MELD)score,MELD combined with serum sodium concentration(MELD-Na)score,and Child-Pugh score were calculated.According to the results of follow-up on day 90,the patients were divided into survival group with 210 patients and death group with 369 patients.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the chi-square test were used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.The binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for 90-day death.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the ROC curve(AUC)were used to assess the performance of SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients with co-infection.The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed based on the optimal cut-off value of SIRI.Results Among the 597 ACLF patients with co-infection,384(66.32%)had HBV-related ACLF and 114(19.69%)had alcohol-related ACLF;as for the main infection sites,316(54.58%)had abdominal infection and 133(22.97%)had pulmonary infection;the 90-day mortality rate was 63.73%.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SIRI(odds ratio[OR]=1.177,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.117-1.239,P<0.05),blood ammonia(OR=1.009,95%CI:1.001-1.018,P<0.05),MELD-Na score(OR=1.047,95%CI:1.016-1.080,P<0.05),Child-Pugh score(OR=1.351,95%CI:1.054-1.730,P<0.05),age(OR=1.045,95%CI:1.021-1.070,P<0.05),comorbidity with hepatic encephalopathy(OR=2.269,95%CI:1.305-3.946,P<0.05),and comorbidity with acute kidney injury(OR=1.730,95%CI:0.990-3.023,P<0.05)were independent risk factors for 90-day death in ACLF patients with co-infection.The Pearson correlation analysis showed that SIRI was positively correlated with MELD-Na score(r=0.282,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(r=0.168,P<0.001).SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score had an AUC of 0.855,0.734,and 0.690,respectively,in predicting 90-day death,and SIRI had a higher predictive efficiency than MELD-Na score and Child-Pugh score(Z=4.922 and 6.289,both P<0.001),with a sensitivity of 76.7%and a specificity of 82.9%.In addition,SIRI combined with MELD-Na score or Child-Pugh score improved the predictive efficiency of MELD-Na score(0.854 vs 0.734,Z=6.899,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(0.858 vs 0.690,Z=8.725,P<0.001).The patients with high SIRI(≥4.08)had a 90-day survival rate of 11.29%(36/319),which was significantly lower than that in the patients with low SIRI(<4.08)(χ2=225.24,P<0.001).Conclusion SIRI is an independent risk factor for death in ACLF patients with co-infection and has a good clinical value in predicting prognosis,with the advantages of convenience and low costs.

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Objective To investigate the application value of systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI)in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)and co-infection.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 579 ACLF patients with co-infection who were diagnosed and treated in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to March 2016,including demographic features,laboratory markers,and complications,and SIRI,Model for End-Stage Liver Disease(MELD)score,MELD combined with serum sodium concentration(MELD-Na)score,and Child-Pugh score were calculated.According to the results of follow-up on day 90,the patients were divided into survival group with 210 patients and death group with 369 patients.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the chi-square test were used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.The binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for 90-day death.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the ROC curve(AUC)were used to assess the performance of SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients with co-infection.The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed based on the optimal cut-off value of SIRI.Results Among the 597 ACLF patients with co-infection,384(66.32%)had HBV-related ACLF and 114(19.69%)had alcohol-related ACLF;as for the main infection sites,316(54.58%)had abdominal infection and 133(22.97%)had pulmonary infection;the 90-day mortality rate was 63.73%.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SIRI(odds ratio[OR]=1.177,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.117-1.239,P<0.05),blood ammonia(OR=1.009,95%CI:1.001-1.018,P<0.05),MELD-Na score(OR=1.047,95%CI:1.016-1.080,P<0.05),Child-Pugh score(OR=1.351,95%CI:1.054-1.730,P<0.05),age(OR=1.045,95%CI:1.021-1.070,P<0.05),comorbidity with hepatic encephalopathy(OR=2.269,95%CI:1.305-3.946,P<0.05),and comorbidity with acute kidney injury(OR=1.730,95%CI:0.990-3.023,P<0.05)were independent risk factors for 90-day death in ACLF patients with co-infection.The Pearson correlation analysis showed that SIRI was positively correlated with MELD-Na score(r=0.282,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(r=0.168,P<0.001).SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score had an AUC of 0.855,0.734,and 0.690,respectively,in predicting 90-day death,and SIRI had a higher predictive efficiency than MELD-Na score and Child-Pugh score(Z=4.922 and 6.289,both P<0.001),with a sensitivity of 76.7%and a specificity of 82.9%.In addition,SIRI combined with MELD-Na score or Child-Pugh score improved the predictive efficiency of MELD-Na score(0.854 vs 0.734,Z=6.899,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(0.858 vs 0.690,Z=8.725,P<0.001).The patients with high SIRI(≥4.08)had a 90-day survival rate of 11.29%(36/319),which was significantly lower than that in the patients with low SIRI(<4.08)(χ2=225.24,P<0.001).Conclusion SIRI is an independent risk factor for death in ACLF patients with co-infection and has a good clinical value in predicting prognosis,with the advantages of convenience and low costs.

Objective To establish the distribution zoning of Ziziphus jujuba var.spinosa in Shanxi Province;To help the development of Z.jujuba var.spinosa industry in Shanxi Province.Methods Combined with the information of longitude and latitude of sample points from the forth national survey resources and environment factors data in Grid Database of Spatial Information of TCM Resources,the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS were applied to analyze the main environmental factors affecting the suitability distribution of Z.jujuba var.spinosa.Results Dominant ecological factors for the suitability distribution of Z.Jujuba var.spinosa were vegetation type,lowest temperature of coldest month,monthly precipitation in November,monthly precipitation in October,altitude,and slope.The reclassified suitability grid data of ArcGIS software showed that Z.jujuba var.spinosa suitability distribution area including 0.73×104 km2 of high suitability area,1.41×104 km2 of medium suitability area and 4.33×104 km2 of low suitability area.The potential suitable distribution areas of Z.jujuba var.spinosa were mainly concentrated in the central and southern Shanxi Province.Conclusion This study shows that the most suitable growth area of Z.jujuba var.spinosa is mainly located in central and southern Shanxi Province,which can provide reference for the development,utilization and standardized planting of wild resources of Z.jujuba var.spinosa.

Objective To grasp the main environmental factors affecting the growth of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao;To predict the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province;To provide references for the rational distribution of the resources in Shanxi Province.Methods This study utilized the sample point longitude and latitude information collected in the"Fourth Survey of Chinese Materia Medica Resources"database in Shanxi Province.The data were supplemented by searching the China Digital Herbarium and retrieving related literature records.347 sample points distribution data and environmental factors were added to the MaxEnt model.The main environmental factors and contribution rates affecting the geographical distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao were screened out.The ArcGIS software was used to divide the ecological suitable area of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province.Results The area under the ROC curve of the established MaxEnt model was 0.909,indicating that the model prediction results were accurate.The model screened 19 environmental factors.Among them,climate factor was the most important environmental factor,followed by biological factor and topographic factor,and soil factor had the least influence.The potential suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province were mainly distributed in the northern mountainous areas,presenting a trend of gradually decreasing suitability levels from north to south.Under the current climate conditions,the most suitable area for Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province was 15 424 km2,the suitable area was 19 856 km2,the sub suitable area was 59 436 km2,and the unsuitable area was 61 894 km2.Conclusion Based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS software,this study predicts the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province,which has certain reference value for the protection and rational distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao resources in Shanxi Province.

Objective To establish ecological suitability zone of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl in Shanxi Province;To study the quality regionalization of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl from different producing areas in Shanxi Province;To provide reference for reasonable planting and wild tending of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl.Methods Maximum entropy(MaxEnt)model and ArcGIS software were used to study the ecological suitability of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl in Shanxi Province;By screening the main environmental factors and combining them with the content of forsythoside and forsythoside A in Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl of different regions,a quality zoning of Forsythia suspensa Thunb.Vahl medicinal materials in Shanxi Province based on forsythoside,forsythoside A and environmental factors was constructed.Results The ecological suitable areas of Forsythia suspensa Thunb.Vahl in Shanxi Province were mainly distributed in the southern part of Shanxi Province,mainly in Linfen,Yuncheng,Changzhi,and Jincheng.The general contents of forsythoside and forsythoside A in the Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl medicinal material were gradually reduced from southern part to northern part of Shanxi Province.The comprehensive quality was high in southern part of Shanxi Province,mainly in Linfen,Changzhi,Yuncheng and Jincheng.Conclusion The results of this study are consistent with the actual survey.The southern part of Shanxi province is a suitable planting area for high quality Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl,which provides a reference for the standardized planting and wild tending of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl.

Objective:To analyze the advantages of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) compared with traditional tumor markers in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.Methods:From February 2021 to June 2022, 230 lung cancer patients (138 males, 92 females; age (61.1±12.3) years), 96 benign lung disease patients (62 males, 34 females; age (60.2±14.8) years; including 43 cases of lung benign placeholder and 53 cases of pulmonary infection), and 60 healthy volunteers (40 males, 20 females; age (62.8±11.4) years) from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were prospectively collected. Serum HE4, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) and carbohydrate antigen (CA)125 were detected by electrochemical analysis. The expression of HE4 in tumor tissues of 55 patients with lung cancer was detected by immunohistochemical method. χ2 test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test and Bonferroni correction method were used to analyze data. The diagnostic efficiencies of HE4 and other tumor markers were evaluated by ROC curve analysis and the difference of AUCs was analyzed by Delong test. Results:The positive expression rate of HE4 in adenocarcinoma tissue was significantly higher than that in non-adenocarcinoma tissue (93.1%(27/29) vs 23.1% (6/26); χ2=28.01, P<0.001). The level of serum HE4 in the lung cancer group (70.70(51.93, 109.05) pmol/L) was significantly higher than that in the pulmonary benign placeholder group (59.80(48.20, 73.50) pmol/L) and the healthy control group (55.25(44.60, 74.25) pmol/L), and that in the pulmonary infection group (97.90(76.62, 155.00) pmol/L) was higher than that in the lung cancer group ( H=46.19, all P<0.008 (Bonferroni correction method)). The levels of serum HE4 were significantly different in age, sex, smoking, disease stage and pathological types in early stage ( z values: from -5.07 to 9.83, all P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis indicated that the optimal cut-off value of serum HE4 for diagnosing lung cancer was 79.22 pmol/L, with the sensitivity and specificity of 41.30%(95/230) and 83.33%(50/60). Compared with other traditional tumor markers, serum HE4 and CA125 showed the higher diagnostic value (AUC CA125 (0.695)>AUC HE4(0.656)>AUC CEA(0.614)>AUC CYFRA21-1(0.599)>AUC ProGRP (0.501)>AUC NSE (0.470)). The combination of HE4 with other traditional tumor markers significantly improved the diagnostic efficacy (AUC=0.750; z=2.75, P=0.006). Conclusions:HE4 is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma by immunohistochemistry. Serum HE4 exhibits a great application value in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, and plays an important role in assessment of patients′ conditions.

Objective:To explore the relationship between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level and related clinical factors in healthy females, and establish and validate equation of correlation between age and serum AMH level for healthy females.Methods:From March 2015 to December 2016, a total of 602 females who measured serum AMH level in Department of Nuclear Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively enrolled. All cases had relatively complete clinical data, and were divided into healthy group (484 cases, 20-52 years) and case group (118 cases, 20-42 years; patients with menstrual disorders). Relationships between serum AMH level and estradiol (E2), tesosterone (T), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luetinizing hormone (LH), body mass index (BMI) of healthy group were analyzed by Spearman rank correlation. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to analyze the relationship between history of gestation and serum AMH level. Serum AMH level of health group was processed to establish predictive equation for serum AMH level. Internal ( n=27) and external ( n=37) validation group were chosen from healthy females with serum AMH level measured to validate the equation, and signed rank test was used to analyze the data. Difference between serum AMH level in case group and healthy group with corresponding age was explored by independent-sample t test. Results:Serum AMH levels were positively correlated with E2 and T ( rs values: 0.263, 0.334, both P<0.001), and negatively correlated with FSH, LH, BMI ( rs values: from -0.515 to -0.110, all P<0.005). Predictive equation was established as LogAMH=-1.208+ 0.1×age-0.000 042×age 3 ( R2=0.735, P<0.001). No statistically significant difference was found between real serum AMH levels and calculated serum AMH levels in the internal and external validation groups ( z values: -1.62 and -1.52, both P>0.05). Females in case group ( n=118) and control group ( n=446) were divided into two sub-groups respectively (<35 years and ≥35 years), and serum AMH levels of case group were lower than those of control group with corresponding age ( t values: 18.64, 11.70, both P<0.001). Conclusions:In healthy females, serum AMH level is related to some clinical data. The equation between serum AMH level and age established in the study may provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.