OBJECTIVE To screen a single matrix， prepare dissolving microneedles of Pterocarya hupehensis total flavonoids（PHTF-MN）， and characterize it while evaluating its analgesic effects.METHODS Using microneedle morphology and puncture rate as evaluation indicators， the matrix was screened from polyvinyl alcohol （PVA）， polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 （PVP K30）， PVP K90， and sodium hyaluronate with relative molecular weights of 15 000 and 60 000 （HA 1.5w and HA 6w ）. PHTF-MN was prepared by the layer-by-layer casting method with the selected matrix， and the appearance and morphology， total flavonoid content， mechanical properties， puncture performance， dissolution properties， and drug release behavior of the obtained PHTF-MN were characterized. Using male BALB/c mice as test subjects and aspirin （ASA） as a positive control， the analgesic effects of the microneedles were evaluated using a formalin-induced pain model.RESULTS Blank microneedles prepared with 30% HA 1.5w exhibited optimal surface flatness and the membrane puncture rate （through 4 layers of parafilm membrane） reaching 78%. The PHTF-MNs （with PHTF contents of 10， 20， 30， 40， and 50 mg/g in the matrix） exhibited uniform arrays and intact tips， with RSDs for total flavonoid contents all below 7% （ n ＝8）. The single-needle puncture forces were 1.46 and 1.07 N （with PHTF contents of 30 and 50 mg/g in the matrix， respectively）. The skin penetration rate approached 100%， with visible puncture marks in the stratum corneum and drug residue （with a PHTF content of 50 mg/g in the matrix）. After 30 min of fixation， the needles had almost completely dissolved， and the skin retention rates all exceeded 90% （with PHTF contents of 10， 30， and 50 mg/g in the matrix， respectively）. The cumulative release within 8 h was （134.64±2.03） μg/cm 2 ， and the fit to the first-order kinetic equation （ R 2 ＝0.950 1） was highest （with a PHTF content of 50 mg/g in the matrix）. Low- and high-dose PHTF-MN （containing 85.26 and 145.03 μg of total flavonoids per patch， respectively； 1 patch/day） significantly shortened the cumulative time of phase Ⅱ pain response in mice （ P ＜0.05）， with pain inhibition rates （43.67% and 59.78%） comparable to those of ASA （53.70%）.CONCLUSIONS PHTF-MN using HA 1.5w as a single matrix was successfully prepared. This formulation features a simplified preparation process， uniform drug loading， favorable mechanical properties， resistance to fracture， and rapid dissolution. Its drug release behavior conforms to a first-order kinetic model， and its analgesic effect is comparable to that of ASA.

Objective: To examine the associations between three adipokines (omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide the basis for the prevention and control of DR. Methods: The T2DM patients hospitalized in Lishui TCM Hospital from August 2021 to May 2023 were selected and divided into three groups: no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group based on fundus fluorescein angiography. Data on gender, age, and course of T2DM were collected through questionnaires, and serum omentin-1, nesfatin-1, apelin, and related blood biochemical indicators were measured. The associations of omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin with DR were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model. Results: A total of 150 T2DM patients were enrolled, including 58 cases in the NDR group, 60 cases in the NPDR group, and 32 cases in the PDR group, with males accounting for 60.34%, 45.00% and 68.75%, respectively. The mean ages were (54.79±14.40), (57.03±12.20) and (57.72±10.70) years, respectively. The median (interquartile range) courses of T2DM were 7.00 (7.75), 10.00 (8.00) and 10.00 (5.00) years, respectively. Compared with the NDR group, the NPDR group had lower levels of omentin-1 and nesfatin-1 and higher level of apelin, while the PDR group had higher level of omentin-1 and lower level of apelin (all P<0.05). Compared with the NPDR group, the PDR group had higher levels of omentin-1 and nesfatin-1 and lower level of apelin (all P<0.05). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that omentin-1 level was statistically associated with NPDR (OR=0.503, 95%CI: 0.291-0.871) and PDR (OR=7.862, 95%CI: 2.956-20.910); nesfatin-1 (OR=0.971, 95%CI: 0.953-0.989) and apelin (OR=3.266, 95%CI: 1.817-5.868) levels were statistically associated with NPDR. Conclusion Serum levels of omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin were associated with different stages of DR among T2DM patients.

There is a dynamic and progressive relationship in acute pancreatitis(AP),following the principle of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue transmission in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).The metabolic disorders prevalent in AP can be attributed to the"turbid tox-in"category in TCM,which runs throughout the disease as causative factors and pathologic products.The abnormal metabolism of sub-tle substances is the initiating factor of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue transmission.Disorders of energy metabolism lay the pathologic basis of tur-bid evil and stagnant heat in the Qi stage of AP.Changes in the metabolic environment further exacerbate the inflammatory response re-sulting in the exuberance of pathogenic heat and the accumulation of blood stasis and toxins,promoting AP from the Qi division into the Ying-Xue stage.Therefore,we propose that"holding the Qi-fen juncture"and restoring metabolic homeostasis may be the keys to ear-ly truncation of AP disease progression.This paper explores the pathogenesis connotation of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue transmission in AP from a metabolic perspective combined with the turbid toxin theory,which not only enriches the scientific connotation of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome differentiation but also provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of severe AP with TCM.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the current status of prevalence of hand eczema(HE)among the health care workers,explore the influencing factors and analyze the association with hand hygiene.METHODS A questionnaire survey was conducted for the health care workers.The health care workers who had HE were followed up by the dermatology department and were completed the assessment of severity.Logistic regression analysis was per-formed for the influencing factors.RESULTS The questionnaires were distributed to the health care workers of Shanghai First Peoples Hospital in Jul.2024,and 659 valid questionnaires were recycled.The prevalence rate of HE by self-report was 37.03％in recent almost one year.The finger and dorsal hand were the predilection sites of skin damage,with the symptom dominated by itching;dryness,desquamation and vesicles were the primary man-ifestations of skin damage,most of which(64.81％)were moderate.Wearing gloves in work environment and contact with hand sanitizer and disinfectants could make the HE symptoms ever more severe.The use of hand san-itizer/frequent hand washing with soap lye and prolonged glove-wearing were the leading causes of HE.The nurses were dominant among the health care workers with HE(P=0.003),and the proportion of those with allergic his-tory was even higher(P＜0.001).As for the health care workers who washed hands for surgeries,high volume of daily surgical procedures(OR=1.325,95％CI:1.121 to 1.567)and glove-wearing duration more than 120 min(OR=3.177,95％CI:1.087 to 9.281)were the risk factors for HE.As for the common hand-washing health care workers,daily hand washing more than 15 times(OR=3.199,95％CI:1.014 to 10.137),glove-wearing dura-tion more than 120 min(OR=2.216,95％CI:1.117 to 4.391)and use of powdered latex glove(OR=1.591,95％CI:1.058 to 2.390)were the risk factors for HE.CONCLUSION The prevalence rate of HE is high among the health care workers.It is necessary to attach great importance to the hand skin health of the health care work-ers and take comprehensive intervention measures for prevention of HE such as optimization of hand hygiene pro-cedure,enhancement of barrier protection and stress on occupational health education so as to achieve the dual goals of infection control and skin health.

Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis(referred to as bronchiectasis)is a common chronic airway disease.Neutrophils have traditionally been considered to play a dominant role in the airway inflammation of bronchiectasis.However,it has been discovered that approximately 20％to 30％of bronchiectasis patients exhibited elevated eosinophil counts(Sputum eosinophil ratio＞3％or blood eosinophil count＞300/μl)in their sputum and blood samples,referred to as eosinophilic bronchiectasis(EB).Based on this novel discovery of the inflammatory phenotype,some scholars have advocated treating bronchiectasis as an"inflammatory disease"rather than an"infectious disease"in a novel therapeutic approach.This article reviews the discovery and the latest research advancements of EB,exploring its pathophysiological basis,clinical characteristics,and treatment,with the aim to facilitate the understanding and management of EB.

BackgroundCognitive function is closely related to an individual's quality of life and social functioning， with approximately 20%~35% of patients with depressive disorder experiencing some degree of cognitive impairment even after clinical symptom remission. Existing evidence suggests that tACS can improve specific cognitive domains， such as memory function， while its effects on other cognitive dimensions， such as executive functioning， attention， and information processing speed， remain unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the effects of tACS on the multidimensional cognitive functions and emotional problems of patients with depressive disorder， thus to provide references for the treatment of depressive disorder. MethodsForty-nine patients with depressive disorder who were hospitalized in the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu from November 2022 to October 2024 and met the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）， were selected as study participants. Subjects were randomly divided into study group （n=23） and control group （n=26） based on Microsoft Excel. Both groups received sertraline treatment. The initial dose was 50 mg/day， which gradually titrated upward based on individual variability， drug tolerance， and therapeutic response， with a maintenance dose ranging from 100 to 200 mg/day. In addition， the study group underwent tACS therapy for 4 weeks， with 5 sessions per week， each lasting 20 minutes. The control group received sham stimulation， in which the stimulus was interrupted after the first 30 seconds. At baseline， the 4^th week， and the 12^th week of treatment， patients were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）， Hamilton Anxiety Scale （HAMA）， and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery （MCCB）. ResultsRepeated measures analysis of variance indicated that both the time effect and the time×group interaction effect for HAMD-17 scores were statistically significant between the two groups （F=260.437， 25.309， P<0.01）. At week 12 of treatment， the HAMD-17 score in the study group was lower than that in the control group （t=4.236， P<0.01）. For HAMA scores， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=248.082， 4.506， 9.500， P<0.05 or 0.01）. At weeks 4 and 12， study group reported lower HAMA scores compared with control group （t=4.580， 2.608， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Regarding the MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=70.331， 27.882， 51.679， 5.560， 10.948， 7.860， 8.490， 3.874， 5.025， P<0.05 or 0.01）. After intervention， the study group showed significantly higher MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite at both week 4 （t=-2.149， -3.530， -2.740， P<0.05） and week 12 （t=-3.534， -3.576， -3.838， P<0.01） when compared to the control group. ConclusionThe combined tACS and sertraline therapy may demonstrate superior efficacy to pharmacotherapy alone in the short term for improving attention/vigilance， verbal learning， overall cognitive function， and anxiety symptoms in patients with depressive disorders. Based on the 12-week outcomes， the combined tACS and sertraline therapy not only sustaine its previously observed advantages in improving cognitive domains and anxiety symptoms， but also demonstrate potentially superior efficacy over monotherapy in alleviating depressive symptoms. ［Fund by Clinical Medical Research Transformation Special Project of Anhui Province （number， 202204295107020065）］

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder for which no effective pharmacological treatments are currently available. One of the pharmacological targets that merits further research is the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), which is found on pancreatic acinar cells and responds to the neuropeptide substance P (SP) that participates in AP. Although a few studies have stated the involvement of SP/NK1R in neurogenic inflammation in AP development, the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that following activation of NK1R by SP, β-arrestin1, a scaffold protein of NK1R, down-regulated transcription of Adss, Adsl, and Ampd in the purine nucleotide cycle, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial function through fumarate depletion. Interestingly, we identified magnolol as a new and natural NK1R inhibitor with a non-nitrogenous biphenyl core structure. It exhibited a beneficial effect on AP by restoring purine nucleotide cycle metabolic enzymes and fumarate levels. Our study not only provides new therapeutic strategies, leading compounds, and drug translation possibilities for AP, but also provides important clues for the study of downstream mechanisms driven by SP in other diseases.

Biosensors based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) are crucial for early diagnosis, less invasive treatment, and drug evaluation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, existing technologies often suffer from enzyme conformational changes, leading to altered activity and loss and reduced sensor efficacy. To address this challenge, we developed a novel right-side-out-oriented red blood cell membrane-coated electrochemical biosensors (ROCMCBs) to evaluate AChE inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) as potential anti-AD agents. The developed right-side-out-oriented coating based on immunoaffinity not only fully exposed the binding sites of AChE on the cell membrane but also ensured its conformation and stability as a peripheral membrane-anchoring protein, which was conducive to maintaining its biological activity and producing optimal interaction with drugs. At the same time, the biosensors exhibited a satisfactory sensitivity (limit of detection = 0.41 pmol/L). Ultimately, six potentially active compounds against AD (baicalin, geniposide, gastrodin, berberine, rhynchophylline, and senkyunolide A) were rapidly identified and evaluated from TCMs. This project provides a promising strategy for developing cell membrane-coated electrochemical biosensors. The application of cell membrane-coated electrochemical biosensors with well-defined cell membrane orientation further expands new perspectives and methods for AChE-targeted anti-AD research.

OBJECTIVE: Microcirculatory disturbance is pathologically critical to acute pancreatitis (AP), which can be effectively alleviated by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas that activate blood flow. However, there has been no evidence-based research to date. Therefore, a well-designed systematic review and meta-analysis is necessary to elucidate the therapeutic transformative benefit of improving microcirculation during AP. This study aims to confirm the therapeutic efficacy of TCM formulas and explore the potential mechanisms underlying their effects on AP treatment. METHODS: Studies from eight databases including Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, and Chinese VIP, were screened for the eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The APACHE II score and effectiveness rate were set as primary outcomes, while mortality rate, complications, total hospital stays, serum amylase recovery time, the time until the disappearance of abdominal pain, microcirculation indicators, and inflammation indicators were chosen as secondary outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were subsequently conducted. Network pharmacology analysis was performed to analyze potential bioactive components with relevant targets of the core herbs included in the TCM formulas for activating blood flow. RESULTS: A total of 51 RCTs (n = 3 721) were included. Compared with conventional western medical treatments alone, TCM groups were associated with lower APACHE II score (SMD =  - 1.36, 95% CI: -2.01 to - 0.71, P = 0.000) and higher effectiveness rate (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.26, P = 0.000). Furthermore, the formulas for activating blood flow demonstrated significant efficacy in improving both microcirculation and inflammation indicators. Additionally, six core Chinese herbal medicines including Rhei Radix et Rhizoma with the highest frequency, Aurantii Fructus Immaturus, Paeoniae Radix Rubra, Bupleuri Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and Corydalis Rhizoma were filtered out from the adopted TCM formulas. Finally, 166 shared targets between the six herbs and AP were identified. KEGG analysis indicated that lipid and atherosclerosis pathway is highly related to microcirculation. CONCLUSION TCM formulas for activating blood flow significantly improve microcirculation and alleviate AP. Further high-quality, well-designed RCTs and deep mechanism exploration are required.

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic