The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

ObjectiveTo describe the characteristics of the nasopharyngeal microbiota in children under 5 years of age in Haidong City, Qinghai Province and analyze its associated factors, so as to provide basic data for the evolution and development of nasopharyngeal microbiota in children. MethodsA total of 230 community children from Haidong City, Qinghai Province were included in the study. Participants’ basic information was collected by local volunteers from parents/guardians at enrollment. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to identify the bacterial diversity and abundance of nasopharyngeal microbial community. Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the characteristics of the nasopharyngeal microbiota, compare the differential species, and investigate the correlation with age. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in either Chao1 index or Shannon index of nasopharyngeal microbial communities among children with different ages (P>0.05). Besides, the structure of nasopharyngeal microbiota in children of different ages was different, either (P=0.020). Age, ethnicity and delivery mode, to some extent, could explain the differences in the structure of nasopharyngeal microbiota in children. There were statistically significant differences in the abundance of Dolosigranulum, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium in the nasopharyngeal microbiota of children with different ages (P<0.05). Differential analysis revealed that Corynebacterium was found to be over-represented in children under 1 year of age, while Dolosigranulum was found to be over-represented in children between 2 and 3 years old. Furthermore, the results of correlation analysis showed that, Moraxella was positively correlated with Corynebacterium, Dolosigranulum and Streptococcus, but negatively correlated with Pseudomonas. In addition, a strong positive correlation was detected between the Dolosigranulum and Corynebacterium. ConclusionThe diversity of nasopharyngeal microbial community among children under 5 years in Haidong City, Qinghai Province is stable. However, there are differences in the species structure, mainly in the abundance difference of Dolosigranulum, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium. This study provides basic data on the evolution and maturation of nasopharyngeal microbial communities in early childhood, which can provide a scientific basis for the early prevention and diagnosis of respiratory tract infections in children.

To investigate the correlation between vitamin D nutritional status and insulin resistance in pubertal adolescents.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 32 consecutive IDS patients who underwent UEDD surgery. Clinical features, laboratory data (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: Definite microorganisms were identified in 27 patients (84.3%), with 24 (88.9%) meeting cure criteria. The cure rate was significantly higher in the detected pathogen group compared to the undetected pathogen group (88.9% vs. 80%; χ²=19.36, p<0.0001). Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) provided faster diagnosis (41.72±6.81 hours) compared to tissue culture (95.74±35.47 hours, p<0.05). The predominant causative pathogen was Mycobacterium tuberculosis, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Significant improvements were observed in Visual Analog Scale pain scores, from a mean of 7.9 preoperatively to 1.06 at 1 year postoperatively. The Oswestry Disability Index revealed a similar trend, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). Conclusions UEDD is a viable alternative to traditional open surgery for managing IDS in high-risk patients. UEDD offers a dual therapeutic-diagnostic advantage during the initial admission phase, enabling simultaneous debridement, neurological decompression, and targeted biopsy in a single intervention. Compared with traditional tissue culture, mNGS enables rapid microbiological diagnosis and extensive pathogen coverage.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 32 consecutive IDS patients who underwent UEDD surgery. Clinical features, laboratory data (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: Definite microorganisms were identified in 27 patients (84.3%), with 24 (88.9%) meeting cure criteria. The cure rate was significantly higher in the detected pathogen group compared to the undetected pathogen group (88.9% vs. 80%; χ²=19.36, p<0.0001). Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) provided faster diagnosis (41.72±6.81 hours) compared to tissue culture (95.74±35.47 hours, p<0.05). The predominant causative pathogen was Mycobacterium tuberculosis, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Significant improvements were observed in Visual Analog Scale pain scores, from a mean of 7.9 preoperatively to 1.06 at 1 year postoperatively. The Oswestry Disability Index revealed a similar trend, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). Conclusions UEDD is a viable alternative to traditional open surgery for managing IDS in high-risk patients. UEDD offers a dual therapeutic-diagnostic advantage during the initial admission phase, enabling simultaneous debridement, neurological decompression, and targeted biopsy in a single intervention. Compared with traditional tissue culture, mNGS enables rapid microbiological diagnosis and extensive pathogen coverage.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 32 consecutive IDS patients who underwent UEDD surgery. Clinical features, laboratory data (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: Definite microorganisms were identified in 27 patients (84.3%), with 24 (88.9%) meeting cure criteria. The cure rate was significantly higher in the detected pathogen group compared to the undetected pathogen group (88.9% vs. 80%; χ²=19.36, p<0.0001). Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) provided faster diagnosis (41.72±6.81 hours) compared to tissue culture (95.74±35.47 hours, p<0.05). The predominant causative pathogen was Mycobacterium tuberculosis, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Significant improvements were observed in Visual Analog Scale pain scores, from a mean of 7.9 preoperatively to 1.06 at 1 year postoperatively. The Oswestry Disability Index revealed a similar trend, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). Conclusions UEDD is a viable alternative to traditional open surgery for managing IDS in high-risk patients. UEDD offers a dual therapeutic-diagnostic advantage during the initial admission phase, enabling simultaneous debridement, neurological decompression, and targeted biopsy in a single intervention. Compared with traditional tissue culture, mNGS enables rapid microbiological diagnosis and extensive pathogen coverage.

Background Exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) may impair lung function through various mechanisms; however, it remains uncertain whether BaP induces ferroptosis in lung tissue cells, resulting in lung function impairment. Objective To investigate the ferroptosis of lung tissue cells triggered by subchronic BaP exposure in mice and its correlation with lung injury, and to explore the function of ferroptosis in BaP-induced lung tissue damage. Method Seventy-two healthy 3-weeks-old male C57BL/6J mice were acclimatized for 1 week and then randomly divided into six groups: control group (corn oil 10 mL·kg⁻¹), low-dose BaP group (2.5 mg·kg⁻¹), medium-dose BaP group (5 mg·kg⁻¹), high-dose BaP group (10 mg·kg⁻¹), BaP+ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) group (10 mg·kg⁻¹+1 mg·kg⁻¹), and Fer-1 group (1 mg·kg⁻¹), with 12 mice each group. Corn oil and BaP were administered via gavage every other day, followed by an intraperitoneal injection of Fer-1 the subsequent day, throughout a period of 90 d. Whole-body plethysmography was applied to detect lung function; hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and Masson staining were used to observe lung tissue injury and fibrosis; microscopy of alveolar epithelial cells was conducted to reveal mitochondrial morphology; biochemical assays were used to measure the content of tissue iron, malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH), as well as the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px); Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analyses were performed to reveal the protein and mRNA expression of ferroptosis markers. Results Compared to the control group, the high-dose BaP group showed a significant increase in expiration time (Te) (P<0.01), and a significant decrease in ratio rate of achieving peak expiratory flow (Rpef), tidal volume (TVb), peak inspiratory flow (PIF), minute volume (MVb), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) (P<0.05 or 0.01). Based on the results of HE and Masson staining, partial destruction of alveolar structures, thickening of alveolar walls, infiltration of inflammatory cells, significant thickening of tracheal walls and a large deposition of collagen fibers in lung tissue were observed in the medium- and high-dose BaP groups. By microscopy, the alveolar epithelial cells exposed to low-dose BaP showed condensed chromatin, and the mitochondria exposed to medium and high-dose BaP showed wrinkles, increased mitochondrial membrane density, and diminished mitochondrial cristae. Compared to the control group, in the medium- and high-dose BaP groups, the lung tissue iron content and the expression levels of ACSL4 protein and mRNA significantly elevated (P<0.01 or 0.05), while the mRNA expression level of SLC7A11 significantly decreased (P<0.05); in the high-dose BaP group, the MDA content, COX2 protein, and PTGS2 mRNA expression levels significantly increased (P<0.05 or 0.01), GSH content and GSH-Px activity, GPX4 protein and mRNA expression levels, and the expression level of SLC7A11 protein significantly decreased (P<0.01 or 0.05). The ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 markedly reversed respiratory function, morphology, mitochondrial alterations, and the aforementioned ferroptosis-related biochemical indicators. Conclusion Subchronic exposure to BaP can induce ferroptosis in mice lung tissue cells, resulting in compromised lung function.

This paper aims to contribute to guaranteeing the stable development and enhancing the understanding of ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica so that the national strategy and industrial demand can be better served. It first introduces current traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)policy and industrial development status from five aspects, including policy guarantee, theoretical support, technological innovation, standardization system, and brand influence. Then, the paper analyzes the development dilemma of TCM agriculture in production and quality increase and ecological environment protection. It also proposes the development goals of ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica that meet the current industrial development demand, which are reducing chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and carbon emissions, improving quality, increasing efficiency, and protecting ecological environment. In addition, the new development goals are interpreted through case studies. Finally, this paper proposes four development strategies for ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica: conducting research on the pattern and spatial and temporal variations of nationwide TCM production areas; studying the internal and external ecological memories of medicinal plant growth from the perspectives of genetic variations and environmental adaptation variations and elucidating their contributions to the formation of quality; carrying out selection and breeding of stress-resistant varieties for ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica, the optimization of key technologies for soil improvement and restoration and green prevention and control against diseases and pests, and the improvement of quality; carrying out research on the quality assurance and value realization of ecological products made from TCM. This research can provide guidance for policy formulation, theoretical development of the discipline, and the enhancement of industrial technology for ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica.
Agriculture/methods* ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry* ; Ecosystem ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The medicinal materials of Bawei Chenxiang Pills(BCPs) were extracted via three methods: reflux extraction by water, reflux extraction by 70% ethanol, and extraction by pure water following reflux extraction by 70% ethanol, yielding three extracts of ST, CT, and CST. The efficacy of ST(760 mg·kg~(-1)), CT(620 mg·kg~(-1)), and CST(1 040 mg·kg~(-1)) were evaluated by acute myocardial ischemia(AMI) and p-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA)-induced insomnia in mice, respectively. Western blot was further utilized to investigate their hypnosis mechanisms. The main chemical components of different extracts were identified by the UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS technique. The results showed that CT and CST significantly increased the ejection fraction(EF) and fractional shortening(FS) of myocardial infarction mice, reduced left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole(LVIDd) and left ventricular internal dimension at end-systole(LVIDs). In contrast, ST did not exhibit significant effects on these parameters. In the insomnia model, CT significantly reduced sleep latency and prolonged sleep duration, whereas ST only prolonged sleep duration without shortening sleep latency. CST showed no significant effects on either sleep latency or sleep duration. Additionally, both CT and ST upregulated glutamic acid decarboxylase 67(GAD67) protein expression in brain tissue. A total of 15 main chemical components were identified from CT, including 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromone and 6-methoxy-2-(2-phenylethyl) chromone. Six chemical components including chebulidic acid were identified from ST. The results suggested that chromones and terpenes were potential anti-myocardial ischemia drugs of BCPs, and tannin and phenolic acids were potential hypnosis drugs. This study enriches the pharmacological and chemical research of BCPs, providing a basis and reference for their secondary development, quality standard improvement, and clinical application.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Mice ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy* ; Myocardial Ischemia/drug therapy*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the pillar for the development of motherland medicine, and animal medicine has a long history of application in China, characterized by wide resources, strong activity, definite efficacy, and great benefits. It has significant potential and important status in the consumption market of raw materials of TCM. In the context of global climate change, farming system alterations, and low renewability, the depletion of wild medicinal animal resources has accelerated. Accordingly, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild resources of animal medicinal materials has become a problem that garners increasing attention and urgently needs to be solved. This paper summarizes the current situation of domestic and foreign medicinal animal breeding and research progress in industrial application in recent years and points out the issues related to standardized breeding, germplasm selection and breeding, and quality evaluation standards for medicinal animals. Furthermore, this paper discusses standardized breeding, quality standards, resource protection and utilization, and the search for alternative resources for rare and endangered medicinal animals. It proposes that researchers should systematically carry out in-depth basic research on animal medicine, improve the breeding scale and level of medicinal animals, employ modern technology to enhance the quality standards of medicinal materials, and strengthen the research and development of alternative resources. This approach aims to effectively address the relationship between protection and utilization and make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of medicinal animal resources and the animal-based Chinese medicinal material industry.
Animals ; Breeding ; China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Conservation of Natural Resources