Background: Isoliquiritigenin, a key pharmacologically active compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, can be further modified into various high-value 5-deoxyflavones, demonstrating significant potential for pharmaceutical development. Currently, the supply of isoliquiritigenin primarily depends on plant extraction. However, heterologous synthesis using microbial cell factories presents a promising alternative, offering a solution to resource limitations caused by the dwindling availability of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Objective: This study aimed to employ heterologous synthesis in yeast strains for the stable and high-efficiency production of isoliquiritigenin. Methods: First, a stable chassis strain for isoliquiritigenin production was constructed by integrating optimized biosynthetic pathway enzyme genes. A type IV noncatalytic chalcone isomerase-like protein and a synthetic protein scaffold system were employed to enhance the metabolic channeling of key pathway enzymes. Subsequently, yeast metabolism was fine-tuned to balance precursor supply, and cofactor engineering strategies were implemented to increase nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH) availability, thereby ensuring the catalytic efficiency of the key enzyme chalcone reductase. Results: The engineered strain Y21-2 achieved a 24.4-fold increase in isoliquiritigenin titer compared to the original strain. Additionally, the proportion of the by-product naringenin chalcone was reduced by 67.8%, marking the first instance in which the ratio of C-5 hydroxylated by-products was minimized to 10.4% during the microbial synthesis of 5-deoxyflavones. Conclusion: This work provides a valuable reference for the efficient and sustainable production of isoliquiritigenin, laying a solid foundation for further pathway optimization and the biotechnological synthesis of other high-value natural 5-deoxyflavones.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of combination therapy of wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion and point-to-point needle insertion with medical ozone penetrating injection for allergic rhinitis (AR) and its effect on inflammation-related indexes. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with persistent AR were enrolled. The patients received medical ozone injection at bilateral Yingxiang (LI20)-to-Shangyingxiang (EX-HN8), and wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion at Dazhui (GV14), twice a week (with a 3-day interval) for 4 consecutive weeks. The total nasal symptoms score (TNSS), total non-nasal symptom score (TNNSS), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), and rhinitis control assessment test (RCAT) scores were evaluated before treatment, after treatment, and at the 8-week follow-up. Levels of eosinophil (EOS) count, immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-17 were measured before and after treatment. Clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment, and the recurrence rate was assessed at follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with those before treatment, the TNSS, TNNSS, and RQLQ scores were decreased (P<0.05), while the RCAT score was increased (P<0.05) after treatment and at follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences in above indexes between the post-treatment and follow-up (P>0.05). After treatment, the whole blood EOS count and serum levels of IgE, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, 17 cases were markedly effective, 12 cases were effective, and 2 cases were ineffective, resulting in a total effective rate of 93.5%. At follow-up, 2 cases relapsed, and the recurrence rate was 6.9%. CONCLUSION Combination therapy of wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion and point-to-point needle insertion with medical ozone injection can improve AR symptoms, reduce the recurrence rate, and enhance the quality of life. The mechanism may be associated with the regulation of immune-related indexes.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Moxibustion ; Adult ; Ozone/administration & dosage* ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Adolescent ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Immunoglobulin E/blood* ; Rhinitis, Allergic/immunology* ; Interleukin-4/immunology*

AIM: To investigate the impact of corneal fluorescein sodium(NaF)staining on the examination results of iTrace visual function analyzer(iTrace).METHODS: Prospective cohort study. Totally 100 patients(100 eyes)with ametropia who visited the outpatient department of Anhui Eye Hospital from April to November 2024 were recruited. They were divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 50 patients(50 eyes, and only the right eyes were selected for inclusion)in each group. In the experimental group, corneal staining was performed using fluorescein sodium staining test strips, while in the control group, 1 drop of 0.9% normal saline was instilled into the eyes. The iTrace examination was conducted before the intervention and at 5, 10, and 20 min after the intervention. The total corneal higher-order aberrations, spherical aberration, coma aberration, trefoil aberration, best sphere value(RO value), asphericity factor(Q value), and corneal vertical refractive power difference(IS value)at each time of examination were recorded and compared.RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the baseline levels between the two groups(all P>0.05). Intra-group comparison revealed that the total higher-order aberrations, spherical aberration, coma aberration, and trefoil aberration measured 5 min after NaF staining in the experimental group were significantly increased compared with those before staining(all P<0.05). Inter-group comparison showed that the changes(differences from the baseline)in the total corneal higher-order aberrations, spherical aberration, coma aberration, and trefoil aberration measured by iTrace 5 min after the intervention in the experimental group were significantly greater than those in the control group(all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the changes(differences from the baseline)of various iTrace parameters measured at 10 and 20 min after the intervention between the two groups(all P>0.05). There was no statistical significance in the RO value, Q value, and IS value in the two groups(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Corneal NaF staining can cause a short-term increase in the wavefront aberration values(total corneal higher-order aberrations, spherical aberration, coma aberration, trefoil aberration)measured by iTrace, and it gradually disappears with the passage of time. However, it has no impact on the measurement of corneal topography parameters(RO value, Q value, IS value).

Objective:To identify the factors influencing acute kidney injury (AKI) following abdominal surgery in elderly patients and develop a predictive model based on the LASSO regression.Methods:The medical records of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status classificationⅠ-Ⅳ patients, aged ≥60 yr, with operation time ≥ 2 h, undergoing elective abdominal surgery under anesthesia in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from May 2021 to May 2023, were retrospectively collected. AKI was diagnosed based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes organization guidelines. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on whether AKI occurred within 7 days after surgery: AKI group and non-AKI group. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm was performed to reduce the dimension of unbalanced factors between AKI group and non-AKI group and the known risk factors for AKI. A nomogram prediction model was developed by integrating the optimized features derived from the LASSO regression model into multivariate logistic regression analysis. Internal validation was performed using the Bootstrap method, and the predictive ability and accuracy of the prediction model were assessed through the calibration curve, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, Brier index and decision curve analysis.Results:Five hundred and ninety patients were finally included in this study, with 62 cases (10.5%) suffered postoperative AKI. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased age ( OR=1.06, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.01-1.11, P=0.048), higher ASA classification ( OR=2.32, 95% CI 1.21-4.45, P=0.011), preoperative coronary heart disease ( OR=1.89, 95% CI 1.01-3.61, P=0.049), and longer surgical duration ( OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.02, P=0.004) were risk factors for AKI after abdominal surgery, and the intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine ( OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.08-0.59, P=0.003) and increased postoperative albumin concentrations ( OR=0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98, P=0.017) were protective factors for postoperative AKI in elderly patients ( P<0.05). A risk prediction model was constructed based on the 9 identified factors of age, ASA classification, Charlson Comorbidity Index, preoperative coronary heart disease, preoperative hemoglobin concentration, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, surgical duration, intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine and postoperative albumin concentration. A nomogram was plotted to visualize the model and verify it, showing that the Brier score of the model was 0.079, with a discrimination of 0.844, sensitivity of 84.4%, and specificity of 70.2%. Two hundred bootstrap resamples were used for internal validation, yielding a receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.821 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.79 to 0.90. The clinical decision curve indicated significant net benefits when the threshold probability of the model was between 0.03 and 0.45. Conclusions:Increased age, higher ASA classification, preoperative coronary heart disease, and longer surgical duration are risk factors, and the intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine and increased postoperative albumin concentrations are protective factors for postoperative AKI in elderly patients. The AKI prediction model following abdominal surgery developed based on age, ASA classification, Charlson Comorbidity Index, preoperative coronary heart disease, preoperative hemoglobin concentration, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, surgical duration, intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine and postoperative albumin concentration has good predictive value in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of the compatibility of Schisandra chinensis on Psoralea corylifolia -induced oxidative damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress in L 02 hepatocytes，and to provide reference for clinical use of the compatibility attenuation of P. corylifolia -S. chinensis . METHODS L02 cells were divided into blank control group ，P. corylifolia model group （1 200 μg/mL P. corylifolia ，calculated by crude drug ），P. corylifolia -S. chinensis low-dose，medium-dose and high-dose groups （1 200 μg/mL P. corylifolia combined with 600，1 200，2 400 μg/mL S. chinensis ，respectively，calculated by crude drug ）. After the cells in each group were cultured in culture medium or drug solution for 48 hours，the levels of aspartate aminotransferase（AST）and alanine aminotransferase （ALT）were detected ；the levels of glutathione （GSH），superoxide dismutase （SOD）and malondialdehyde （MDA）in cell culture medium were detected ；reactive oxygen species （ROS）level and mitochondrial membrane potential in cells were detected ；mRNA and protein expressions of glucose-regulated protein 78（GRP-78）and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK）were detected. RESULTS Compared with blank control group ，the levels of AST，ALT，MDA and ROS ，mRNA and protein expressions of GRP- 78 and PERK were increased significantly in P. corylifolia model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；while GSH and SOD levels ，mitochondrial membrane potential were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with P. corylifolia model group ，above indexes of P. corylifolia -S. chinensis low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups were all improved significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS The compatibility of P. corylifolia -S. chinensis can alleviate P. corylifolia -induced oxidative damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress of L 02 cells.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of internal administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and external application of hot election bag combined with acupuncture on urinary retention after stroke with kidney qi deficiency type.Methods:A total of 106 patients admitted to Chengde Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to December 2020 who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the random number table method, with 53 in each group. The control group was treated with conventional western medicine therapy and bladder function training, while the observation group was treated with TCM, acupuncture and external application on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 28 days. Before and after treatment, TCM syndrome scores were performed, and the maximum urinary capacity and residual urine volume were recorded by abdominal B-ultrasound to evaluate the bladder function of the patients. The improvement time of urinary pain, first urination time, catheter indwelling time, length of hospital stay and adverse reactions during treatment were observed and recorded, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.Results:The total effective rate was 96.2% (51/53) in the observation group and 84.9% (45/53) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=3.98, P=0.046). The residual urine volume of the observation group after treatment [(54.23±6.23) ml vs. (91.24±11.25) ml, t=20.95] was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.01), and the maximum urinary bladder volume [(366.23±30.23) ml vs. (259.63±26.23) ml, t=19.39] was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.01). After treatment, the TCM syndrome score of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( t=13.25, P<0.01), and the bladder function score of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( t=13.53, P<0.01). The improvement time of urinary pain, first urination time, catheter indwelling time and hospital stay in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t=5.73, 17.91, 6.76, 9.67, all Ps <0.01). No adverse reactions occurred in the two groups during treatment. Conclusion:The combination of TCM, hot compress therapy and acupuncture plus routine therapy can treat the patients with urinary retention after stroke and kidney qi deficiency type with good bladder function, improved symptoms and fast recovery and safety.

Volatile oil microemulsion gel of traditional Chinese medicine has the dual characteristics of microemulsion and gel， which can improve the solubility and stability of drugs， promote drug absorption and achieve long-term sustained release effect. In recent years， it has been widely used in clinical diseases such as internal medicine， gynecology and pediatrics. In this paper， the characteristics， prescription design， molding process and quality evaluation of volatile oil microemulsion gel of traditional Chinese medicine were reviewed by searching relevant literature. The results showed that the volatile oil microemulsion gel had the characteristics of improving the stability of the drug， increasing the transdermal penetration of the drug， strong adhesion， easy to wash， convenient preparation， etc. The prescription design consists of oil phase， surfactant， cosurfactant and gel matrix. The molding process includes the molding process of microemulsion and the molding process of gel， and the formation of microemulsion mainly uses the pseudo-ternary phase diagram method. The quality evaluation can be divided into 2 parts： volatile oil of traditional Chinese medicine and microemulsion gel. The quality evaluation of volatile oil can be studied qualitatively and quantitatively. Microemulsion gel should meet the relevant requirements and be tested for in vitro release and transdermal absorption.

Objective: To explore the ability of computed-tomography (CT) radiomic features to predict the Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and the therapeutic response of advanced lung adenocarcinoma to EGFR- Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 253 patients diagnosed as advanced lung adenocarcinoma, who underwent EGFR mutation detection, and those with EGFR sensitive mutation were treated with TKIs. Using the Lasso regression model and the 10 fold cross-validation method, the radiomic features of predicted EGFR mutation status and the screening of TKIs for sensitive populations were obtained. 715 radiomic features were extracted from unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase, respectively. Results: The area under curve (AUC) values of the multi-phases including unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase of the EGFR mutation status validation group were 0.763, 0.807 and 0.808, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi-phases were 5, 18 and 23, respectively, which could distinguish the EGFR mutation status. The AUC values of the multi-phases of the EGFR-TKIs sensitive validation group were 0.730, 0.833 and 0.895, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi-phases were 3, 7 and 22, respectively, which can be used to screen the superior population for TKIs treatment. The efficiency of radiomic features extracted from venous phase in predicting EGFR mutant status and EGFR-TKIs sensitivity was significantly superior than those of unenhanced and arterial phase. Conclusions The radiomic features of CT scanning can be used as the radiomics biomarker to predict the EGFR mutation status of lung adenocarcinoma and to further screen the dominant population in TKIs therapy, which provides the basis for targeted therapy.

Objective To explore the ability of computed?tomography ( CT) radiomic features to predict the Epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutation status and the therapeutic response of advanced lung adenocarcinoma to EGFR? Tyrosine kinase inhibitors ( TKIs ) treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 253 patients diagnosed as advanced lung adenocarcinoma, who underwent EGFR mutation detection, and those with EGFR sensitive mutation were treated with TKIs. Using the Lasso regression model and the 10 fold cross?validation method, the radiomic features of predicted EGFR mutation status and the screening of TKIs for sensitive populations were obtained.715 radiomic features were extracted from unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase, respectively. Results The area under curve (AUC) values of the multi?phases including unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase of the EGFR mutation status validation group were 0.763, 0.807 and 0.808, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi?phases were 5, 18 and 23, respectively, which could distinguish the EGFR mutation status. The AUC values of the multi?phases of the EGFR?TKIs sensitive validation group were 0.730, 0.833 and 0.895, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi?phases were 3, 7 and 22, respectively, which can be used to screen the superior population for TKIs treatment. The efficiency of radiomic features extracted from venous phase in predicting EGFR mutant status and EGFR?TKIs sensitivity was significantly superior than those of unenhanced and arterial phase. Conclusions The radiomic features of CT scanning can be used as the radiomics biomarker to predict the EGFR mutation status of lung adenocarcinoma and to further screen the dominant population in TKIs therapy, which provides the basis for targeted therapy.

Objective To explore the ability of computed?tomography ( CT) radiomic features to predict the Epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutation status and the therapeutic response of advanced lung adenocarcinoma to EGFR? Tyrosine kinase inhibitors ( TKIs ) treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 253 patients diagnosed as advanced lung adenocarcinoma, who underwent EGFR mutation detection, and those with EGFR sensitive mutation were treated with TKIs. Using the Lasso regression model and the 10 fold cross?validation method, the radiomic features of predicted EGFR mutation status and the screening of TKIs for sensitive populations were obtained.715 radiomic features were extracted from unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase, respectively. Results The area under curve (AUC) values of the multi?phases including unenhanced, arterial phase and venous phase of the EGFR mutation status validation group were 0.763, 0.807 and 0.808, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi?phases were 5, 18 and 23, respectively, which could distinguish the EGFR mutation status. The AUC values of the multi?phases of the EGFR?TKIs sensitive validation group were 0.730, 0.833 and 0.895, respectively. The number of radiomic features extracted from the multi?phases were 3, 7 and 22, respectively, which can be used to screen the superior population for TKIs treatment. The efficiency of radiomic features extracted from venous phase in predicting EGFR mutant status and EGFR?TKIs sensitivity was significantly superior than those of unenhanced and arterial phase. Conclusions The radiomic features of CT scanning can be used as the radiomics biomarker to predict the EGFR mutation status of lung adenocarcinoma and to further screen the dominant population in TKIs therapy, which provides the basis for targeted therapy.