Objective:To detect the expression levels of long non-coding RNAs(lncRNA)in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)and those with non-tuberculous lung diseases(non-TB), and to assess the performance of these lncRNA in the differential diagnosis of PTB.Methods:A total of 300 elderly patients with suspected PTB were recruited from Beijing Chest Hospital between January 2024 and September 2024, and were further divided into the PTB group and the non-TB lung disease group based on the results of mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)pathogenicity testing.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated using a lymphocyte separation solution, and RNA was extracted using the TRIzol method.Nine lncRNAs, previously identified as differentially expressed in PTB through our group's microarray analysis, were selected and detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the expression levels of these lncRNAs between the PTB and non-TB lung disease groups.The overall patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets in a 7∶3 ratio.Lasso regression was employed to select the characteristic variables, and a random forest algorithm was then used to construct the lncRNA diagnostic portfolio.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of individual lncRNAs and the combined panel in differentiating elderly patients with PTB from those with other non-TB lung diseases.Results:A total of 201 cases were included, with 105 confirmed elderly patients diagnosed with PTB(52.2%)and 96 elderly patients suffering from non-TB lung disease(47.8%).Compared to the elderly patients with non-TB lung disease, the expression levels of ENST00000417346.1, ENST00000620744.1, lncRNA PWP1, ENST00000583184.1, lncRNA ABHD17B, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000516057.1, and NR_003000 were significantly downregulated in the PTB patients, whereas the expression level of lncRNA BCL2L10 was significantly upregulated in the PTB patients.ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve(AUC)for each lncRNA ranged from 0.659 to 0.848.The diagnostic panel, which included NR_003000, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000583184.1, and ENST00000620744.1 as determined by Lasso analysis, exhibited AUC values of 0.917 and 0.906 in the training and validation sets, respectively.The performance of this panel was superior to that of each individual lncRNA.Conclusions:The random forest model, which incorporates NR_003000, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000583184.1, and ENST00000620744.1, demonstrates potential in differentiating between PTB and non-TB lung diseases.

Background:Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials.Microbial agents,as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners,have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research.Objective:Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents,alone or in combination,affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials.Methods:In this study,Epimedium pubescens Maxim.was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis)applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components.Additionally,this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development.Results:The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E.pubescens leaves by 20.30％to 33.66％and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40％to 29.94％.Meanwhile,microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome,promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Frankia and Paenibacillus),suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium,and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network.The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumula-tion of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome.Conclusion:These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere micro-biomes as mediated by microbial agents.They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

Background: Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials. Microbial agents, as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners, have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research. Objective: Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents, alone or in combination, affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials. Methods: In this study, Epimedium pubescens Maxim. was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis) applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components. Additionally, this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development. Results: The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E. pubescens leaves by 20.30% to 33.66% and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40% to 29.94%. Meanwhile, microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome, promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms (e.g., Frankia and Paenibacillus), suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium, and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network. The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumulation of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome. Conclusion: These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere microbiomes as mediated by microbial agents. They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

Background:Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials.Microbial agents,as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners,have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research.Objective:Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents,alone or in combination,affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials.Methods:In this study,Epimedium pubescens Maxim.was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis)applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components.Additionally,this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development.Results:The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E.pubescens leaves by 20.30％to 33.66％and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40％to 29.94％.Meanwhile,microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome,promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Frankia and Paenibacillus),suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium,and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network.The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumula-tion of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome.Conclusion:These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere micro-biomes as mediated by microbial agents.They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

Objective:To detect the expression levels of long non-coding RNAs(lncRNA)in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)and those with non-tuberculous lung diseases(non-TB), and to assess the performance of these lncRNA in the differential diagnosis of PTB.Methods:A total of 300 elderly patients with suspected PTB were recruited from Beijing Chest Hospital between January 2024 and September 2024, and were further divided into the PTB group and the non-TB lung disease group based on the results of mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)pathogenicity testing.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated using a lymphocyte separation solution, and RNA was extracted using the TRIzol method.Nine lncRNAs, previously identified as differentially expressed in PTB through our group's microarray analysis, were selected and detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the expression levels of these lncRNAs between the PTB and non-TB lung disease groups.The overall patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets in a 7∶3 ratio.Lasso regression was employed to select the characteristic variables, and a random forest algorithm was then used to construct the lncRNA diagnostic portfolio.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of individual lncRNAs and the combined panel in differentiating elderly patients with PTB from those with other non-TB lung diseases.Results:A total of 201 cases were included, with 105 confirmed elderly patients diagnosed with PTB(52.2%)and 96 elderly patients suffering from non-TB lung disease(47.8%).Compared to the elderly patients with non-TB lung disease, the expression levels of ENST00000417346.1, ENST00000620744.1, lncRNA PWP1, ENST00000583184.1, lncRNA ABHD17B, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000516057.1, and NR_003000 were significantly downregulated in the PTB patients, whereas the expression level of lncRNA BCL2L10 was significantly upregulated in the PTB patients.ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve(AUC)for each lncRNA ranged from 0.659 to 0.848.The diagnostic panel, which included NR_003000, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000583184.1, and ENST00000620744.1 as determined by Lasso analysis, exhibited AUC values of 0.917 and 0.906 in the training and validation sets, respectively.The performance of this panel was superior to that of each individual lncRNA.Conclusions:The random forest model, which incorporates NR_003000, ENST00000607464.1, ENST00000583184.1, and ENST00000620744.1, demonstrates potential in differentiating between PTB and non-TB lung diseases.

Objective To screen the specific cytokines of tuberculous pleural effusion(plTB)by using liquid array technique to establish a diagnostic model and discuss its application value.Methods A total of 86 patients with plTB(plTB group)were included,including 41 patients in the confirmed plTB group and 45 patients in the clinically diagnosed plTB group.There were 42 other patients with pleural effusion in the control group.Seventeen cytokines in pleural effusion were analyzed by liquid array technology.Interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-2,IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8,IL-9,IL-10,gamma-interferon-induced protein 10(IP-10),IL-15,IL-17F,IL-27,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α,monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1),the expression levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-3a(MIP-3α),macrophage colony-stimulating factor(M-CSF)and β-interferon(IFN-β)were detected.Difference factors between the confirmed plTB group and the control group were screened,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn in the confirmed plTB patients.IP-10,IL-27 and MCP-1 with AUC>0.850 and specificity>80%were combined to diagnose plTB,and were compared with adenylate deaminase(ADA)and T-SPOT.TB in pleural effusion to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy.Results The levels of IL-2,IP-10,IL-27,TNF-α and MCP-1 were higher in the confirmed plTB group than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The sensitivity and specificity of IP-10,IL-27 and MCP-1 in the diagnosis of plTB were 87.8%and 81.0%.The sensitivity of three-factor combined diagnosis in 45 patients with plTB was still as high as 86.7%,and there was no significant difference in sensitivity compared with that in the diagnosed plTB group(P＞0.05).In the plTB group,the sensitivity of IP-10,IL-27 and MCP-1 combined detection was 87.2%,which was higher than that of T-SPOT.TB(81.4%)and ADA(54.7%).Conclusion The application of liquid array technology to the joint detection of pleural effusion IP-10,IL-27 and MCP-1 can provide help for the diagnosis of plTB.

Objective:To explore the clinical application of portable head and neck magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device in neurosurgery.Methods:A total of 213 patients with brain diseases who were scanned by portable head and neck MRI device in Center of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University from June to September 2022 were selected. The portable head and neck MRI images and 3.0T conventional MRI images of 10 randomly selected patients were compared; the differences in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of different sequences were analyzed. Thirty-one patients accepted tracheal intubation/tracheotomy, or ventilator-assisted breathing were selected as special patient group, and another 30 patients were as general patient group; the differences in comprehensive diagnostic scores of portable head and neck MRI images were compared. Noise intensity differences in different sequences between 3.0T conventional MRI and portable head and neck MRI were statistically compared. Twenty hospitalized volunteers with normal hearing in our center from July to August 2022 were selected, conventional 3.0T MRI and portable head and neck MRI were performed successively, and the noise intensity of different sequences in them was evaluated by using a 5-point system.Results:Compared with those in 3.0T conventional MRI images, the SNR and CNR of T1WI, T2WI, and Liquid attenuated reverse recovery sequence (FLAIR) sequences in portable head and neck MRI images were significantly lower ( P<0.05). No significant difference was noted in the comprehensive diagnostic scores of portable head and neck MRI images between special patients and general patients ( P>0.05). Compared with that in the 3.0T conventional MRI, the noise intensity of different sequences in portable head and neck MRI was significantly reduced ( P<0.05). These volunteers had significantly reduced noise intensity scores of different sequences in portable head and neck MRI compared with that in conventional 3.0T MRI ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Portable head and neck MRI device is easy to use, enjoying high safety, imaging quality and suitability, which meets the clinical needs for neurosurgery patients.

Post-translational modification of host proteins induced by pathogenic microorganism plays a critical role in the development, treatment and prevention of diseases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb) is an intracellular pathogen that causes tuberculosis. The post-translational modification induced by Mtb infection is essential in the development and progression of tuberculosis. In recent years, it has been found that Mtb-induced host protein acetylation plays an important role in the regulation of host immunity against tuberculosis, which significantly affects the development of tuberculosis. This review focused on the role and mechanism of Mtb in regulating host protein acetylation, aiming to provide reference for future investigation on potential immunotherapy for tuberculosis.

Objective:To observe the characteristics of the phagocytosis and bactericidal function of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR- Mtb)-infected macrophage model, and the changes of the immune response and metabolic function in the process of phagocytosis and bactericidal function, aiming to provide reference for studying the role and mechanism of macrophages in the occurrence and development of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB). Methods:We established MDR- Mtb and H37Rv-infected macrophage models, and used the colony-forming unit (CFU), Magnetic Luminex ? Assay and Cholesterol Assay kit to observe the effects on phagocytosis and bactericidal function, the secretion of Th1(IL-12/23 p40, IL-27 and TNF-α) and Th2 cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) and cholesterol metabolism. The data were analyzed by SPSS25.0 software. The data were expressed as Mean± SD and analyzed by t test or F test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:(1) After MDR- Mtb-infected macrophages, the intracellular CFU gradually increased and reached the highest at 24 h, while the extracellular CFU gradually decreased and reached the lowest at 24 h. The intracellular CFU at 48 h was lower than that at 24 h, while the extracellular CFU was higher than that at 24 h ( P<0.05). Both intracellular and extracellular CFU at 48 h were close to those at 4 h ( P>0.05). The intracellular CFU was lower than the H37Rv group at 8-48 h, while the extracellular CFU was higher than the H37Rv group ( P<0.05). (2) The level of IL-12/23 p40, IL-27, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 of MDR-TB group were higher than those of blank group ( P<0.05), but the level of TNF-α and IL-6 at 24 h and 48 h were higher than that at 4 h ( P<0.05). IL-12/23 p40 and TNF-α at 48 h and IL-6 at 24 h were lower than those of the H37Rv group, while IL-27 at 48 h was higher than that of the H37Rv group ( P<0.05). (3) The levels of cholesterol of MDR-TB group at 24 h and 48 h were lower than those of 4 h and blank group ( P<0.05), but the level of cholesterol was similar to the H37Rv group at any time ( P>0.05). (4) TNF-α reached the highest when the intracellular CFU reached the highest at 24 h, and IL-6 reached the highest when the intracellular CFU decreased at 48 h. With the decreasing of cholesterol expression, the intracellular CFU increased and then decreased. Conclusions:MDR- Mtb could induce the phagocytosis and bactericidal function of macrophages, increase the expression of Th1 and Th2 cytokines and promote the utilization and consumption of cholesterol, but this function was weaker than that of H37Rv strain.

Objective To investigate the effects of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) specific inhibitor L-iminoethyl ornithine hydrochloride (L-NIO) for all the fluorine in vitro cultivation of SH-SY5Y cells apoptosis,eNOS mRNA and protein expression,and effect of nitric oxide (NO) content and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity change.Methods The SH-SY5Y cells cultured in vitro were divided into control group,low fluoride group,high fluoride group,L-NIO group,low fluoride with L-NIO group,high fluoride with L-NIO group,n =3.The control group added equal volume culture liquid with the experimental group,the concentration of sodium fluoride (NaF) in the low fluoride group and the high fluoride group were 0.2 and 2.0 mmol/L,respectively.The L-NIO group added 3 μmol/L L-NIO,the low fluoride with L-NIO group and the high fluoride with L-NIO group were added to 0.2 mmol/L NaF and 3 μmol/L L-NIO,2.0 mmol/L NaF and 3 μmol/L L-NIO,respectively.The incubation time was 48 h.The expression level of eNOS protein in cells was detected by Western blotting.The expression level of eNOS mRNA in cells was detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR method.The apoptosis of cells was detected by flow cytometry,NO content and NOS activity in cell culture liquid were detected by nitrate reductase and colorimetric assay.Results Compared with the control group (1.000 ± 0.026),the expression of eNOS protein in the low and high fluoride groups (1.108 ± 0.071,1.349 ± 0.057) increased (P ＜ 0.05),and the L-NIO group (0.755 ± 0.148) decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the low fluoride group,the high fluoride group increased and the low fluoride with L-NIO group (0.802 ± 0.115) decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the high fluoride group,high fluoride with L-NIO group (0.988 ± 0.135) decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group (1.000 ±0.018),the expression of eNOS mRNA in the low and high fluoride groups (1.809 ± 0.099,2.416 ± 0.295) increased (P ＜ 0.05),the L-NIO group (0.609-± 0.077) decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the low fluoride group,the high fluoride group was elevated(P ＜ 0.05),the low fluoride with L-NIO group (1.040 ± 0.034) decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the high fluoride group,high fluoride with L-NIO group (1.233 ± 0.152) decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group [(1.66 ± 0.07)％],the cell apoptosis rate in the low and high fluoride groups [(8.81 ± 0.27)％,(17.60 ± 0.20)％] increased,L-NIO group [(1.03 ± 0.04)％] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the low fluoride group,the high fluoride group increased and the low fluoride with L-NIO group [(6.03 ± 0.10)％] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the high fluoride group,the high fluoride with L-NIO [(12.12 ± 0.08)％] decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group [(2.773 ± 0.145)μmol/L],the content of NO in the cell culture medium in the low and high fluoride groups [(8.251 ± 1.047),(14.287 ± 1.062) μmol/L] increased (P＜ 0.05),and the L-NIO group [(1.648 ± 0.155) μmol/L] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the low fluoride group,the high fluoride group was elevated (P ＜ 0.05),the low fluoride with L-NIO group [(4.622 ± 0.252) μmol/L] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the the high fluoride group,high fluoride with L-NIO group [(7.899 ± 0.385) μmol/L] decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group [(0.507 ± 0.041) U/ml],the activity of NOS in the cell culture medium in the low and high fluoride groups [(0.772 ± 0.032),(2.258 ± 0.062) U/ml] increased (P ＜ 0.05),and the L-NIO group [(0.346 ±0.015) U/ml] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the low fluoride group,the high fluoride group was elevated (P ＜0.05),the low fluoride with L-NIO group [(0.637 ± 0.026) U/ml] decreased (P ＜ 0.05);compared with the the high fluoride group,high fluoride with L-NIO group [(1.161 ± 0.071) U/ml] decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Excessive fluoride can lead to overexpression of eNOS protein and mRNA in SH-SY5Y cells,increase of apoptosis rate,increase the content of NO in cell culture and enhance the activity of NOS.After co-culture of L-NIO and fluorine,it can antagonize the damage of fluorine to SH-SY5Y cells and play a certain neuroprotective effect.