Germplasm degeneration occurs during the long-term cultivation of root-and rhizome-derived traditional Chinese medicine(RR-TCM), which seriously restricts the high-quality development of their industry. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the problem of germplasm degeneration through variety breeding. In this paper, based on previously published research articles, monographs, and news reports, the research progresses on the number and origins, breeding methods, and selection of new varieties of RR-TCM listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(Edition 2020) were summarized and analyzed. The results show that there are 169 kinds of RR-TCM listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(Edition 2020), originated from 223 origins with three breeding methods(i.e., seed propagation, vegetative reproduction, and tissue culture), and there are 215 species derived from seed propagation, 177 species derived from vegetative reproduction, and 164 species derived from tissue culture. To date, there are 62 origins breeding new varieties through conventional breeding, cross breeding, mutation breeding, ploidy breeding, or modern biotechnology breeding methods, including 57 origins breeding 145 new varieties through conventional breeding, 10 origins breeding 43 new varieties through mutation breeding, and seven origins breeding 12 new varieties through cross breeding method. They are used mainly to improve yield, disease resistance, and active ingredient content, but only a few new varieties have been widely used. This review will provide useful references in variety breeding, quality breeding, and standardized planting of RR-TCM.
Plant Breeding/methods* ; Plant Roots/growth & development* ; Rhizome/growth & development* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Plants, Medicinal/classification* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The differences in chemical quality characteristics between Xinjiang Rehmannia glutinosa and R. glutinosa were analyzed to provide a theoretical basis for the introduction and quality control of R. glutinosa. In this study, the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints of 6 batches of Xinjiang R. glutinosa and 10 batches of R. glutinosa samples were established. The content of iridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection(HPLC-DAD), high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection(HPLC-ELSD), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis). The determination results were analyzed with by chemical pattern recognition and entropy weight TOPSIS method. The results showed that there were 19 common peaks in the HPLC fingerprints of the 16 batches of R. glutinosa, and catalpol, aucubin, rehmannioside D, rehmannioside A, hydroxytyrosol, leonuride, salidroside, cistanoside A, and verbascoside were identified. Hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) and principal component analysis(PCA) showed that Qinyang R. glutinosa, Mengzhou R. glutinosa, and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were grouped into three different categories, and eight common components causing the chemical quality difference between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province were screened out by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). The results of content determination showed that there were glucose, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, polysaccharides, and nine glycosides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa samples, and the content of catalpol, rehmannioside A, leonuride, cistanoside A, verbascoside, sucrose, and glucose was significantly different between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa. The analysis with entropy weight TOPSIS method showed that the comprehensive quality of R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province was better than that of Xinjiang R. glutinosa. In conclusion, the types of main chemical components of R. glutinosa and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were the same, but their content was different. The chemical quality of R. glutinosa was better than Xinjiang R. glutinosa, and other components in R. glutinosa from two producing areas and their effects need further study.
Rehmannia/classification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Quality Control

Deep learning method can be used to automatically analyze electrocardiogram (ECG) data and rapidly implement arrhythmia classification, which provides significant clinical value for the early screening of arrhythmias. How to select arrhythmia features effectively under limited abnormal sample supervision is an urgent issue to address. This paper proposed an arrhythmia classification algorithm based on an adaptive multi-feature fusion network. The algorithm extracted RR interval features from ECG signals, employed one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) to extract time-domain deep features, employed Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D-CNN) to extract frequency-domain deep features. The features were fused using adaptive weighting strategy for arrhythmia classification. The paper used the arrhythmia database jointly developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Beth Israel Hospital (MIT-BIH) and evaluated the algorithm under the inter-patient paradigm. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm achieved an average precision of 75.2%, an average recall of 70.1% and an average F ₁-score of 71.3%, demonstrating high classification accuracy and being able to provide algorithmic support for arrhythmia classification in wearable devices.
Humans ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/diagnosis* ; Algorithms ; Electrocardiography/methods* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Deep Learning ; Classification Algorithms

Isolated male epispadias typically presents with preputial defects and dorsal urethral dehiscence. A less common subtype, known as concealed epispadias, is distinguished by an intact prepuce. Despite its clinical relevance, there is limited literature on this variant. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 86 pediatric patients with isolated male epispadias treated in Beijing Children's Hospital (Beijing, China) from May 2004 to July 2023, including 19 cases of concealed epispadias and 67 of nonconcealed epispadias. We compared clinical characteristics, preoperative diagnostics, surgical techniques, postoperative outcomes, and sexual function during follow-up between the concealed and nonconcealed groups. No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding surgical methods, postoperative complications, or rates of urinary incontinence. However, notable distinctions were found in the age at initial diagnosis, timing of surgery, frequency of incontinence, location of the urethral meatus, and postoperative urinary incontinence scores (all P < 0.05). Given the absence of penopubic epispadias in concealed cases, we categorized glans and penile epispadias within nonconcealed epispadias as distal epispadias ( n = 40) and subsequently compared them with concealed epispadias cases. The postoperative urinary incontinence scores did not differ significantly between the concealed and distal epispadias groups. These findings suggest that concealed epispadias represents a relatively milder form of the condition, characterized by the absence of penopubic involvement, lower rates of urinary incontinence, and favorable surgical outcomes. However, the intact prepuce in concealed cases underscores the need for careful identification and early diagnosis.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Epispadias/classification* ; China ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; Urinary Incontinence/epidemiology* ; Urethra/surgery* ; Infant ; Penis/surgery* ; Adolescent ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods* ; East Asian People

The prevalence of Class III malocclusion varies among different countries and regions. The populations from Southeast Asian countries (Chinese and Malaysian) showed the highest prevalence rate of 15.8%, which can seriously affect oral function, facial appearance, and mental health. As anterior crossbite tends to worsen with growth, early orthodontic treatment can harness growth potential to normalize maxillofacial development or reduce skeletal malformation severity, thereby reducing the difficulty and shortening the treatment cycle of later-stage treatment. This is beneficial for the physical and mental growth of children. Therefore, early orthodontic treatment for Class III malocclusion is particularly important. Determining the optimal timing for early orthodontic treatment requires a comprehensive assessment of clinical manifestations, dental age, and skeletal age, and can lead to better results with less effort. Currently, standardized treatment guidelines for early orthodontic treatment of Class III malocclusion are lacking. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the etiology, clinical manifestations, classification, and early orthodontic techniques for Class III malocclusion, along with systematic discussions on selecting early treatment plans. The purpose of this expert consensus is to standardize clinical practices and improve the treatment outcomes of Class III malocclusion through early orthodontic treatment.
Humans ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III/classification* ; Orthodontics, Corrective/methods* ; Consensus ; Child

Artemisiae Scoporiae Herba is derived from Artemisia scoparia or A. capillaris. The accurate identification of the herbs, particularly when dealing with bulk samples, is critical for ensuring the quality and efficacy of the medicinal product. This study aimed to establish a comprehensive molecular approach by combining multiple markers for the precise identification of Artemisiae Scoporiae Herba. The ITS2 from A. scoparia, A. capillaris, and other common Artemisia species were retrieved from GenBank. MEGA was used to build a phylogenetic tree with these sequences, and the effectiveness of ITS2 in species identification was assessed. The analysis revealed that while ITS2 could distinguish Artemisiae Scoporiae Herba from other closely related species of Artemisia, it was insufficient to differentiate between A. scoparia and A. capillaris. To address this limitation, the chloroplast genome of A. capillaris was assembled and compared with the published chloroplast genomes of A. scoparia and A. capillaris, on the basis of which a DNA mini-barcode was developed. The rpoA-rps11 region was selected as the target for the development of mini-barcode due to its potential for distinguishing between these two species. Specific primers were designed to differentiate A. scoparia from A. capillaris. The ITS2 sequences and the newly developed mini-barcode were used together for Sanger sequencing to identify individual samples of Artemisiae Scoporiae Herba, while DNA metabarcoding was employed for the identification of bulk samples. The identification results of representative individual samples and bulk samples from different regions consistently confirmed A. capillaris. This study established a method that combined ITS2 and mini-barcode to identify bulk samples of Artemisiae Scoporiae Herba from different regions. This approach overcomes the limitations of morphological and chemical methods, enhancing species identification accuracy and supporting a stable supply of medicinal materials.
Artemisia/classification* ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic/methods* ; Phylogeny ; DNA, Plant/genetics* ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics*

Calcined oyster is a commonly used shellfish traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice in China. During the processing of oysters, their microscopic characteristics are destroyed, and open-fire calcination can damage the DNA of oysters, making it difficult to identify the primary source. The establishment of a specific polymerase chain reaction(PCR) method for the identification of calcined oysters can provide a guarantee for the safety and clinical efficacy of the medicine and its processed products. With Ostrea gigas as an example, the DNA extraction method of decoction pieces and formula particles of calcined oysters was improved, and high-quality DNA was obtained. Based on the specific single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) sites of O. gigas and the other two species, the specific identification primers were designed, and the site-specific identification method of formula granules of calcined oyster(O. gigas) was established. The specificity and applicability of the method were investigated. The results showed that when the annealing temperature was 54 ℃, and the cycle was 44 times, the PCR amplified products of calcined oyster(O. gigas) and its formula granules produced a single bright identification band at 102 bp, while the other two species of oysters, O. talienwhanensis Crosse and O. rivularis Gould, had no band. In this study, DNA extraction and PCR identification of animal medicinal materials by calcination were established for the first time, which provided a tool for solving the difficult identification of calcined decoction pieces and ensuring drug safety.
Animals ; Ostrea/classification* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; DNA/genetics*

BACKGROUND: To combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have used contact tracing apps, including Japan's voluntary-use contact-confirming application (COCOA). The current study aimed to identify industry and workplace characteristics associated with the downloading of this COVID-19 contact tracing app. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of full-time workers used an online survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of industry and workplace characteristics with contact tracing app use. RESULTS: Of the 27,036 participants, 25.1% had downloaded the COCOA. Workers in the public service (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.45) and information technology (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.20-1.58) industries were more likely to use the app than were those in the manufacturing industry. In contrast, app usage was less common among workers in the retail and wholesale (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-0.99) and food/beverage (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.94) industries, but further adjustment for company size attenuated these associations. Workers at larger companies were more likely to use the app. Compared with permanent employees, the odds of using the app were higher for managers and civil servants but lower for those who were self-employed. CONCLUSIONS Downloading of COCOA among Japanese workers was insufficient; thus, the mitigating effect of COCOA on the COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be limited. One possible reason for the under-implementation of the contact tracing app in the retail and wholesale and food/beverage industries is small company size, as suggested by the fully adjusted model results. An awareness campaign should be conducted to promote the widespread use of the contact tracing app in these industries.
Adult ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Contact Tracing/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Industry/classification* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mobile Applications/statistics & numerical data* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smartphone ; Workplace/statistics & numerical data*

Recently, as the elderly population increases, the incidence of total knee arthroplasty has increased, with a concomitant increase in the frequency of periprosthetic fractures. To determine the treatment plan for fractures, the treatment method should be determined by the patient's age, osteoporosis, fixation status of the implant, and type of fracture. In recent years, operative treatment with reduction and stable fixation, rather than non-operative treatment, was used to promote early joint movement and gait. On the other hand, it is necessary to select an appropriate operative method to reduce complications of surgery, such as nonunion and infection, and expect a good prognosis. In this review, periprosthetic fractures were divided into femur, tibia, and patella fractures, and their causes, risk factors, classification, and treatment are discussed.
Aged ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Classification ; Femur ; Gait ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Knee ; Methods ; Osteoporosis ; Patella ; Periprosthetic Fractures ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Tibia

Although the incidence of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures after hip arthroplasty is expected to increase, these complex fractures are still challenging complications. To obtain optimal results for these fractures, thorough clinical and radiographic evaluation, precise classification, and understanding of modern management principles are mandatory. The Vancouver classification system is a simple, effective, and reproducible method for planning proper treatments of these injuries. The fractures associated with a stable femoral stem can be effectively treated with osteosynthesis, though periprosthetic femoral fractures associated with a loose stem require revision arthroplasty. We describe here the principles of proper treatment for the patients with periprosthetic femoral fractures as well as how to avoid complications.
Arthroplasty ; Classification ; Femoral Fractures ; Femur ; Hip ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Periprosthetic Fractures