Sophorae Flavescentis Radix is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in China, and a large amount of pharmaceutical residue generated during its processing and production is discarded as waste, which not only wastes resources but also pollutes the environment. Therefore, elucidating the chemical composition of the residue of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and the differences between the residue and Sophorae Flavescentis Radix itself is of great significance for the comprehensive utilization of the residue. This study, based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technology combined with multivariate statistical methods, provides a thorough characterization, identification, and differential analysis of the overall components of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue. Firstly, 61 compounds in Sophorae Flavescentis Radix were rapidly identified based on their precise molecular weight, fragment ions, and compound abundance, using a self-constructed compound database. Among them, 41 compounds were found in the residue, mainly alkaloids and flavonoids. Secondly, through principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), 15 key compounds differentiating Sophorae Flavescentis Radix from its residue were identified. These included highly polar alkaloids, such as oxymatrine and oxysophocarpine, which showed significantly reduced content in the residue, and less polar flavonoids, such as kurarinone and kuraridin, which were more abundant in the residue. In summary, this paper clarifies the overall composition, structure, and content differences between Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue, suggesting that the residue of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix can be used as a raw material for the extraction of its high-activity components, with promising potential for development and application in cosmetics and daily care. This research provides a scientific basis for the future comprehensive utilization of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and its residue.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Sophora/chemistry* ; Flavonoids/chemistry* ; Alkaloids/chemistry*

Objective To analyze the literature on artificial intelligence in forensic research from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection Database,to explore research hotspots and developmen-tal trends.Methods A total of 736 articles on artificial intelligence in forensic medicine in the Web of Science Core Collection Database from 2012 to 2022 were visualized and analyzed through the litera-ture measuring tool CiteSpace.The authors,institution,country(region),title,journal,keywords,cited references and other information of relevant literatures were analyzed.Results A total of 736 articles published in 220 journals by 355 authors from 289 institutions in 69 countries(regions)were identi-fied,with the number of articles published showing an increasing trend year by year.Among them,the United States had the highest number of publications and China ranked the second.Academy of Forensic Science had the highest number of publications among the institutions.Forensic Science Inter-national,Journal of Forensic Sciences,International Journal of Legal Medicine ranked high in publica-tion and citation frequency.Through the analysis of keywords,it was found that the research hotspots of artificial intelligence in the forensic field mainly focused on the use of artificial intelligence technol-ogy for sex and age estimation,cause of death analysis,postmortem interval estimation,individual identification and so on.Conclusion It is necessary to pay attention to international and institutional cooperation and to strengthen the cross-disciplinary research.Exploring the combination of advanced ar-tificial intelligence technologies with forensic research will be a hotspot and direction for future re-search.

Objective To design a portable intelligent cleaner for medical lumen instruments to enhance cleaning efficiency.Methods The portable intelligent cleaner had a box-body shape and a shell made of 304 stainless steel,which was composed of a circuit control board,a micro pump,lithium batteries,a charging interface,a rinse tube and connectors.The circuit control board used a STM32G030C8T6 integraged circuit,which was equipped with a countdown digital tube to display the time left for cleaning;the micro pump and lithium batteries were placed at the inner wall of the box bottom,the charging interface and water inlet/outlet inteface were put on the outside of the front wall of the box bottom,the water inlet/outlet interface was connected with a silicon rinse tube linked to an adapter at its distal end,and the adapters with different calibers were compatible with sizes of medical lumen instruments.Totally 9 672 pieces of lumen instruments received by some hospital's disinfection supply center from May to October 2021 were divided into 2 groups with the convenience sampling method,with 4 836 pieces in each group.The odd-numbered instruments were enrolled into a control group and cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner and a lumen brush,and the even-numbered instruments were included into an experimental group and cleaned conventionally after pretreatment by the intelligent cleaner.The two groups were compared in terms of eaning efficiency and satisfaction.Results Testing by visual inspection,magnifying glass with light source and white stripe method showed that the experimental group behaved better than the control group in the cleaning qualification rate,whose satisfaction rate(100％)was also higher than that of the control group(86.53％),with all the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The portable cleaner with easy operation enhances the cleaning quality and efficiency for medical lumen instruments.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(10):114-117]

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Objective To investigate the morphological characteristics of Dermatophagoides farinae at different developmental stages. Methods The cultured D. farinae was isolated, and the external morphological features of mites at various developmental stages were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), including egg, larva, nymph and adult stages. Results The D. farinae egg appeared a long oval shape, and the larval mites had three pairs of legs. The nymph had four pairs of legs and underdeveloped genital pores containing genital setae and anal setae, and adult mites appeared long and oval in shape, with decorative patterns on epidermis, and had four pairs of legs. In male adult mites, remarkable thickening of the leg I and thicker and longer leg III than the leg IV were seen, and ventral genital regions were found between the basal segments of legs III and IV; the anus was surrounded by a circular peri-anal ring, with a pair of anal suckers and anal setae within the ring. In the female adult mites, slender legs III and IV with an equal length were seen, and a “λ-shape” genital hole was observed on the ventral surface, with a crescent-like genital plate in the anterior part, and the anus appeared a longitudinal slit. Conclusions An SEM observation of the external morphology of D. farinae provides understandings of the morphological characteristics of D. farinae, which is of great significance for the classification and identification.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tibetan medicine Ruyi Zhenbao Pills (RZPs) in the treatment of patients with motor and sensory dysfunction after stroke. METHODS: A total of 120 convalescent stroke patients hospitalized in the Rehabilitation Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from June 2017 to December 2019 were enrolled in this trial. Patients were assigned to control (60 cases) and research (60 cases) groups by computer random assignment. All patients received internal treatment and modern rehabilitation training. On this basis, the research group was given oral RZPs for 4 weeks, while the control group was given oral placebo. The primary outcome was motor function of the affected side evaluated by simplified Fugl-Meyer Motion Assessment Scale (FMA-M). The secondary outcomes included sensory function, activity of daily living (ADL), quality of life, balance function, and pain, which were assessed by Fugl-Meyer Sensory Assessment Scale (FMA-S), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Special Scale of the Quality of Life (SS-QOL), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively. All of the assessments were performed before treatment, and 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. Vital signs, liver and kidney functions, routine blood test, blood coagulation profile, and routine urinalysis of patients were monitored. RESULTS: After 4-week treatment, the FMA-M, BBS and FMA-S scores in the research group significantly increased compared with the control group (P<0.05). At 8-week follow-up, the BBS and MBI scores in the research group were higher than the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the 2 groups in the SS-QOL and VAS scores at 4 and 8 weeks (P>0.05). Moreover, after treatment, there was no significant difference in vital signs, liver and kidney functions, blood coagulation function, blood routine and urinalysis between the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION RZPs improved limb motor, balance, and sensory functions of stroke patients during recovery period with good safety. (Trial registration No. NCT04029701).
Activities of Daily Living ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome

Aim To explore the effeet of soy isofla- vones (SI) on p-amyloid 1 -42 ( Ap, _42 ) -induced hippocampal neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis and the underlying mechanism.Methods The prima¬ry hippocampal neurons cultured in vitro were divided into control group (control), Ap,_42 treatment group f model) , SI low-dose group ( Sl-L, 10 mg • L 1 ) , and SI medium-dose group (SI-M, 20 mg • L_l ) and SI high-dose group (SI-H, 40 mg • L 1 ).The model group was treated with 30 (xmol • L"1 Ap, _42 for 48 h; the SI-L, SI-M and SI-H groups were treated with SI for 2 hours, and Ap,_42 was treated for 48 h; the con¬trol group was routinely cultured for 48 h.MTT method was used to detect the survival rate of hippocampal neurons; TUNEL staining was used to detect the apop¬tosis rate of hippocampal neurons; Western blot was used to detect COX-2, TNF-a, NF-kB p65 , P-NF-kB p65, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 protein expression levels.Results Compared with the control group, the surviv¬ al rate of hippocampal neurons was significantly re- duced (P <0.01) , and the apoptotie rate significantly increased (P<0.01).COX-2, TNF-a, p-NF-KB p65 , caspase-3 protein expressions markedly increased (P <0.05 or P <0.01 ) , and the expression of Bcl-2 protein significantly decreased in the model group ( P <0.01 ).Compared with the model group, the surviv¬al rate of hippocampal neurons, Bcl-2 protein in-creased, and the apoptotic rate, the expression of COX-2, TNF-a, p-NF-KB p65 , caspase-3 protein de¬creased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01 ) in SI each dose group.Conclusion SI can reduce the hippocampal neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis induced by APi _42 by inhibiting the activation of NF-kB p65 signa¬ling pathway.

Objective: To explore the effect of Sirt1 on the function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A rat COPD model was established via smoking and endotoxin administration for three months. The peripheral circulating EPCs were isolated by gradient centrifugation, and their functions, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and Sirt1 expression were examined. The function changes of EPCs in the presence or absence of Sirt1 agonist and inhibitor were estimated; meanwhile, the expressions of Sirt1, FOXO3a, NF-κB, and p53 were also evaluated. Results: The proliferation, adhesion, and migration of EPCs decreased while the apoptosis rate was increased in the COPD rats. The expression of Sirt1 protein in EPCs of the COPD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). The overexpression of the Sirt1 gene using a gene transfection technique or Sirt1 agonists (SRT1720) improved the proliferation, migration, and adhesion, and decreased the apoptosis of EPC. However, Sirt1 inhibitor (EX527) decreased EPC functions in the COPD group. The effect of Sirt1 expression on EPC function may be related to reduction of FOXO3a and increase of NF-κB and p53 activity. Conclusions: Increased expression of Sirt1 can improve the proliferation and migration of EPCs and reduce their apoptosis in COPD rats. This change may be related to FOXO3a, NF-κB, and p53 signaling pathways.

Objective:To explore the effects of Tiaoren Tongdu Acupuncture on motor function and corticospinal tract (CST) remodeling after cerebral infarction. Methods:From February, 2017 to December, 2020, 54 patients with cerebral infarction were randomly divided into control group (n = 27) and acupuncture group (n = 27), each group was divided into subgroups 1, 2 and 3 according to the impairment of corticospinal tract, with nine cases for each subgroup. All the patients received routine medicine, while the acupuncture group received Tiaoren Tongdu Acupuncture, for four weeks. They were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after treatment, and scanned with diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion tensor tractography, to obtain the fractional anisotropy (FA) and the bilateral FA ratio (rFA). Results:The scores of FMA and MBI, and FA and rFA increased in both groups (t > 2.841, P < 0.05) after treatment, and increased more in the acupuncture group than in the control group (t > 2.140, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Tiaoren Tongdu Acupuncture can promote the recovery of CST to improve motor function for patients with cerebral infarction.

Objective To analyze the sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene (COI) and 18S ribosomal RNA gene (18S rRNA), so as to identify the feasible DNA barcodes for 4 species of cheyletid mites and improve the DNA barcoding database for cheyletid mites. Methods Cheyletid mite samples were collected from small-scale flour mills in Fuyang, Wuhu and Tongling cities of Anhui Province from May 2018 to July 2019, extracted and morphologically identified. Then, genomic DNA was extracted from a single cheyletid mite, and the COI and 18S rRNA gene sequences were obtained by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing. The obtained sequences were aligned using the BLAST software. Multiple sequence alignment was done using the software ClustalX version 1.83 using the known gene sequences from cheyletid mites. The genetic distance was calculated using the software MEGA X, and the phylogenetic tree was created using the maximum likelihood method. Results The DNA barcoding results of Cheyletus malaccensis, C. carnifex and Cheletomorpha lepidopterorum were consistent with the morphological identification, while no sequences pertaining to Eucheyletia reticulate were retrieved in the GenBank database. The proportions of A + T were 69.6% and 55.1% in the COI and 18S rRNA sequences of 4 cheyletid mites species, respectively, and the numbers of base substitutions were 137 and 46, respectively. There were 154 to 321 and 58 to 99 inter-species variation loci in the COI and 18S rRNA gene sequences of 4 cheyletid mites species, respectively, and the intra-species genetic distance was all 0.020 or less in the COI and 18S rRNA gene sequences of 4 cheyletid mites species, with inter-species genetic distance of 0.235 to 0.583 and 0.078 to 0.114, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI and 18S rRNA genes showed that all four species of cheyletid mites were clustered into a branch with a 100% supportive rate, which was consistent with the morphological identification. Conclusion Mitochondrial COI gene is superior to 18S rRNA gene as DNA barcodes for 4 species of cheyletid mites, which is more suitable to be used to investigate the phylogenetic relationship of at genus and species levels.