AIM To evaluate the quality of Gegen Formula Granules.METHODS Linear calibration with two reference substances(LCTRS)was adopted in the predicting of retention time with puerarin and daidzein as internal standards.UPLC characteristic chromatograms were established.The contents of 3'-hydroxy puerarin,puerarin(internal standard),3'-methoxy puerarin,puerarin 6"-O-xyloside,puerarin apioside and daidzin were determined by quantitative determination analysis multi-components by a single marker(QAMS),after which their transfer rates were calculated.RESULTS Compared with relative retention time method,LCTRS demonstrated higher positional accuracy for characteristic peaks and wider application range for columns.There were 9 characteristic peaks in the characteristic chromatograms for 14 batches of formula granules and 15 batches of standard decoctions with the similarities of more than 0.95.The contents and transfer rates of various constituents in formula granules and standard decoctions were basically consistent.CONCLUSION The chemical constituents in formula granules and their standard decoctions of Puerariae lobatae Radix display good consistency,reliable preparation process is observable in the former.

Objective: Machine learning (ML) has been reported to have better predictive capability than traditional statistical techniques. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of ML algorithms and logistic regression (LR) for predicting depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Analyses were carried out in a national cross-sectional study involving 21,916 participants. The ML algorithms in this study included random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), and gradient boosting machine (GBM) methods. The performance indices were sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: LR and NN had the best performance in terms of AUCs. The risk of overfitting was found to be negligible for most ML models except for RF, and GBM obtained the highest sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, and F1-score. Therefore, LR, NN, and GBM models ranked among the best models. Conclusion Compared with ML models, LR model performed comparably to ML models in predicting depressive symptoms and identifying potential risk factors while also exhibiting a lower risk of overfitting.

OBJECTIVE: High-altitude hypoxia exposure often damages hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Nogo-A is an important axonal growth inhibitory factor. However, its function in high-altitude hypoxia and its mechanism of action remain unclear. METHODS: In an in vivo study, a low-pressure oxygen chamber was used to simulate high-altitude hypoxia, and genetic or pharmacological intervention was used to block the Nogo-A/NgR1 signaling pathway. Contextual fear conditioning and Morris water maze behavioral tests were used to assess learning and memory in rats, and synaptic damage in the hippocampus and changes in oxidative stress levels were observed. In vitro, SH-SY5Y cells were used to assess oxidative stress and mitochondrial function with or without Nogo-A knockdown in Oxygen Glucose-Deprivation/Reperfusion (OGD/R) models. RESULTS: Exposure to acute high-altitude hypoxia for 3 or 7 days impaired learning and memory in rats, triggered oxidative stress in the hippocampal tissue, and reduced the dendritic spine density of hippocampal neurons. Blocking the Nogo-A/NgR1 pathway ameliorated oxidative stress, synaptic damage, and the learning and memory impairment induced by high-altitude exposure. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate the detrimental role of Nogo-A protein in mediating learning and memory impairment under high-altitude hypoxia and suggest the potential of the Nogo-A/NgR1 signaling pathway as a crucial therapeutic target for alleviating learning and memory dysfunction induced by high-altitude exposure. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT available in www.besjournal.com.
Animals ; Oxidative Stress ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Rats ; Nogo Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypoxia/metabolism* ; Altitude ; Synapses ; Humans ; Altitude Sickness/metabolism*

Objective To examine the changing prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Burkholderia cepacia in 52 hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were collected from 52 hospitals between January 1,2015 and December 31,2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains was tested using Kirby-Bauer method or automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems according to a unified protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released in the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)guidelines(2023 edition).Results A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were isolated from all age groups,especially elderly patients.The proportion was 11.1％(1 032 strains)in children,significantly lower than the proportion in adults.About half(46.5％,4 310/9 261)of the strains were isolated from patients at least 60 years old and 42.3％(3 919/9 261)of the strains were isolated from young adults.Most isolates(71.1％)were isolated from sputum and respiratory secretions,followed by urine(10.7％)and blood samples(8.1％).B.cepacia isolates were highly susceptible to the five antimicrobial agents recommended in the CLSI M100 document(33rd edition,2023).B.cepacia isolates showed relatively higher resistance rates to meropenem and levofloxacin.However,the resistance rates to ceftazidime,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,and minocycline remained below 8.1％.The percentage of B.cepacia strains resistant to levofloxacin was the highest compared to other antibiotics in any of the three age groups(from 12.4％in the patients＜18 years old to 20.6％in the patients aged 60 years or older).Conclusions B.cepacia is one of the clinically important non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria.Accurate and timely reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results and ongoing antimicrobial resistance surveillance are helpful for rational prescription of antimicrobial agents and proper prevention and control of nosocomial infections.

Objective To summarize the changing prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales based on the data of CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021 for improving antimicrobial treatment in clinical practice.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial automated susceptibility testing system according to the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 31st ed in 2021.Results Over the seven-year period(2015-2021),the overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 9.43％(62 342/661 235).The prevalence of CRE strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Citrobacter freundii,and Enterobacter cloacae was 22.38％,9.73％,and 8.47％,respectively.The prevalence of CRE strains in Escherichia coli was 1.99％.A few CRE strains were also identified in Salmonella and Shigella.The CRE strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.23±2.80)％,followed by blood(20.88±3.40)％and urine(18.40±3.45)％.Intensive care units(ICUs)were the major source of the CRE strains(27.43±5.20)％.CRE strains were resistant to all the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most non-β-lactam antimicrobial agents.The CRE strains were relatively susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxins with low resistance rates.Conclusions The prevalence of CRE strains was increasing from 2015 to 2021.CRE strains were highly resistant to most of the antibacterial drugs used in clinical practice.Clinicians should prescribe antimicrobial agents rationally.Hospitals should strengthen antibiotic stewardship in key clinical settings such as ICUs,and take effective infection control measures to curb CRE outbreak and epidemic in hospitals.

Objective To characterize the changing species distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of respiratory isolates in hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Commercial automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and disk diffusion method were used to test the susceptibility of respiratory bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents following the standardized technical protocol established by the CHINET program.Results A total of 589 746 respiratory isolates were collected from 2015 to 2021.Overall,82.6％of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria and 17.4％were Gram-positive bacteria.The bacterial isolates from outpatients and inpatients accounted for(6.0±0.9)％and(94.0±0.1)％,respectively.The top microorganisms were Klebsiella spp.,Acinetobacter spp.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus spp.,Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,Escherichia coli,and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Each microorganism was isolated from significantly more males than from females(P＜0.05).The overall prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)was 39.9％.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae was 1.4％.The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 67.8％and 41.3％,respectively.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli,K.pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii was 3.7％,20.8％,9.4％,29.8％,and 73.3％,respectively.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 96.1％in Moraxella catarrhalis and 60.0％in Haemophilus influenzae.The H.influenzae isolates from children(＜18 years)showed significantly higher resistance rates to β-lactam antibiotics than the isolates from adults(P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are still predominant in respiratory isolates associated with serious antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should be strengthened in clinical practice to support accurate etiological diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

Objective:To investigate the differences between high-frequency ultrasound-guided manual detorsion combined with surgery(MD+S)and surgery alone in the treatment of testicular torsion,and to provide some new evidence for the timely diagno-sis and treatment of the disease.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 134 cases of unilateral testicular torsion within 48 hours treated in our hospital by MD+S or by surgery alone from January 2015 to May 2022.We statistically analyzed the age distribution,and duration and degrees of testicular torsion,followed by comparison between the two groups.Results:In the 134 ca-ses,the median age of onset was 15(13-19)years old,the median onset-to-visit time was 15(8-25)hours,and the median de-gree of torsion was 360°(180°-1080°).Of the total number of patients,21 underwent testicular excision and the other 113 were treated with the testis preserved,with no statistically significant difference in age distribution between the two groups(P＞0.05),and a higher rate of testis resection in those with longer duration and greater angle of torsion(P＜0.05).Totally,33 of the patients were assigned to the MD+S group and 101 to the surgery alone group.According to the actual clinical conditions and excluding those with torsion time longer than 24 hours and torsion angle greater than 720 °,28 of the patients underwent ultrasound-guided MD+S(with 1 case of testis resection,3.6％),and 68 received surgery alone(with 7 cases of testis resection,10.3％).The rate of testis resection was higher in the surgery alone than that in the MD+S group,but with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05),which was considered to be related to the small sample size in this study.Conclusion:The popularization of testicular torsion knowledge can shorten the onset-to-visit time,and reasonable manual detorsion before emergency surgery can reduce the rate of testis resection.

AIM To investigate the protective effects of the aqueous extract of Bulbophyllum kwangtungense Schltr.on D-galactose(D-gal),an oxidative stress-induced liver damage in rats.METHODS 60 Male SD rats were randomly divided into the normal control group,the model group,the resveratrol group(20 mg/kg),and low-dose,medium-dose,and high-dose B.kwangtungense aqueous extract groups(750,1 500 and 3 000 mg/kg).Except for those of the normal control group,the rats of the other groups were subcutaneously injected with D-gal(200 mg/kg)in the back of neck to establish a liver damage model.Simultaneously,each group underwent the corresponding drug administration by gavage(10 mL/kg)once daily for 42 days.After the treatment period,the rats had their peripheral blood and liver tissues collected for the calculation of the liver index;their serum AST and ALT activities,hepatic SOD and GSH-Px activities,and MDA levels measured;their hepatic pathological changes observed using HE staining;their hepatic mRNA expressions of Nrf2,NQO-1 and HO-1 detected by RT-qPCR;and their hepatic protein expressions of Nrf2,NQO-1,HO-1,Bax,Bcl-2 and cleaved Caspase-3 measured by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with medium-dose or high-dose B.kwangtungense aqueous extract showed increased liver index level(P＜0.01);decreased serum AST and ALT activities(P＜0.01);increased hepatic SOD and GSH-Px activities(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);reduced MDA levels(P＜0.01);alleviated pathological liver damage and increased hepatic mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2,NQO-1 and HO-1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and reduced protein expressions of cleaved Caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION The aqueous extract of B.kwangtungense is protective of rats with D-gal-induced liver injury,and the underlying mechanism may associate with the inhibition of oxidative stress and the suppression of hepatocellular apoptosis mediated by the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway.

AIM To study the protective effect of Gynura divaricate polysaccharide on gouty nephropathy(GN)induced by dry yeast combined with adenine in rats.METHODS Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group,the model group,the allopurinol group(42 mg/kg),and the low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose G.divaricate polysaccharide groups(140,280,560 mg/kg).All the rats except those of the normal group were induced into GN models by intragastrical dosing of yeast(5 g/kg)and adenine(100 mg/kg)and intervened with corresponding drug administration simultaneously.After 35 days,the rats had their levels of creatinine(Cr)and uric acid(UA)in serum and urine detected and their fraction excretion of uric acid(FEUA)value determined;their kidney mass and volume measured and their levels of kidney index and density calculated;their renal pathological changes checked by HE staining;their renal GLUT9,URAT1,ABCG2 and OAT1 mRNA expressions dectected by RT-qPCR;and their renal GLUT9,URAT1,ABCG2 and OAT1 protein expressions dectected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,each dose of G.divaricate polysaccharide group displayed decreased levels of kidney mass,kidney volume and kidney index(P＜0.01);increased levels of kidney density(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased serum levels of UA and Cr(P＜0.01);increased urine levels of UA and Cr(P＜0.01);increased FEUA value(P＜0.01);decreased GLUT9,URAT1 mRNA and protein expressions(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and increased ABCG2,OAT1 mRNA and protein expressions(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and more alleviated renal histological aberrations.CONCLUSION G.divaricate polysaccharide exerts good protective effects against yeast/adenine-induced GN in rats probably through down-regulating protein expression of GLUT9,URAT1 and up-regulating ABCG2 and OAT1.

Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic high ligation of spermatic cord vein in patients with chronic prostatitis and varicocele prostatitis.Methods:A total of 90 varicocele patients were selected from January 2016 to December 2020,including 33 patients with chronic prostatitis.Changes of white blood cell count,National Institutes of Health chronic prostatitis symp-tom index(NIH-CPSI)score and serum testosterone level in the expressed prostate secretion(EPS)were observed before and after the operation of laparoscopic high ligation of spermatic vein.Results:All patients were followed up three months after the surgery.There was no significant difference in the white blood cell counts in EPS,NIH-CPSI score,and serum testosterone level in patients with vari-cocele-only who underwent high ligation surgery after the operation.However,the white blood cell count in the EPS of patients with chronic prostatitis was lower than that before 3 months of operation([12.39±4.23]× 10 9/L vs[21.36±5.05]× 10 9/L).The NIH-CPSI score was significantly lower than that before operation([12.71±6.21]vs[26.76±8.43]).And the serum testosterone level was higher than that before operation([4.34±1.77]ng/ml vs[2.36±1.05]ng/ml).Conclusion:Laparoscopic high liga-tion of the spermatic vein in patients with chronic prostatitis and varicocele could effectively reduce the number of white blood cells in the EPS,boost the level of serum testosterone and improves symptoms of chronic prostatitis.