ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the mechanism by which Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula improves metabolism-neuroplasticity and treats unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction by regulating the metabolic balance of glutamate （Glu）/γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）. Methods48 Sprague-Dawley （SD） adult rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group， model group， Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula groups with low， medium， and high doses （9.20， 18.39， 36.78 g·kg^-1）， and betahistine group （1.62 mg·kg^-1）. A unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction （vestibular dysfunction） model was established by intratympanic injection of chloroform into the right ear， while the control group received intratympanic injection of normal saline. Drugs were administered once daily for seven consecutive days. During the period， behavioral tests were performed to evaluate the behaviors of rats after unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the neuronal morphology in the medial vestibular nucleus. Golgi staining was employed to assess the number of dendritic spines of neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-ESI-MS/MS） was utilized to detect Glu/GABA. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expressions of neuronal nuclei （NeuN）， growth-associated protein 43 （GAP-43）， and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）. Western blot and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were applied to determine the expressions of glutamate-immunoreactive （Glu-IR）， GABA， GFAP， postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD-95）， and GAP-43. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the model group presented with head deviation， balance disorder， increased tail suspension score， nuclear consolidation of medial vestibular nerve neurons， and decreased Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. The number of dendritic spines in neurons and NeuN-positive cells decreased. The content of Glu decreased. The content of GABA increased （Glu/GABA decreased）. The expression of GAP-43 was down-regulated， and GFAP was up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expressions of Glu-IR， PSD-95， and GAP-43 proteins， as well as Glu-IR mRNA decreased， while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， the head deviation， imbalanced behavior， and tail suspension scores in each treatment group decreased， with alleviated neuronal injury and recovered Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. The number of dendritic spines of neurons increased， and the number of NeuN-positive cells rebounded. The content of Glu increased， and the content of GABA decreased （Glu/GABA increased）. GFAP was down-regulated， and GAP-43 was up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expressions of Glu-IR， PMD-95， and GAP-43 proteins， as well as Glu-IR mRNA increased， while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA decreased. The effect was more significant in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula can alleviate vestibular dysfunction， and its mechanism may be associated with regulating the metabolic balance of Glu/GABA， mitigating neural damage， improving synaptic plasticity （promoting GAP-43 expression and inhibiting GFAP expression）， and facilitating vestibular compensation.

Radiotherapy is a crucial treatment modality for head and neck tumors. However, while effectively killing tumor cells, it significantly disrupts the homeostasis of the oral microecology, which is closely associated with various complications such as radiation-induced oral mucositis. Literature review indicates that as radiotherapy doses accumulate and treatment durations extend, the richness and diversity of the oral microbiota show a declining trend, with the genus Streptococcus decreasing most markedly. In contrast, radiotherapy selectively promotes the proliferation of bacterial phyla such as Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, which are rich in opportunistic pathogens. Mechanistically, radiotherapy activates the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway, triggering chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, damaging the epithelial barrier, suppressing local immunity, and causing damage to organs such as the salivary glands. It can also induce systemic diseases via the oral-gut axis, forming a multi-level, interconnected pathogenic network. In terms of interventions, treatment strategies including probiotics and prebiotics have shown promising efficacy against side effects such as radiation-induced oral mucositis. Saliva-based oral microbiota transplantation is an emerging strategy that is expected to become widely utilized for restoring oral microecological balance. Existing interventions provide preliminary pathways for clinical practice, but this field still faces several key scientific questions. The association between oral microecology and systemic diseases remains largely correlative, lacking causal evidence. Furthermore, critical parameters for oral microbiota transplantation, such as donor screening criteria, transplantation protocols, and long-term safety, are not yet well-defined. Therefore, future research should focus on conducting large-scale clinical trials to establish standardized protocols and safety evaluation systems for oral microecological interventions, and explore combined treatment therapies such as probiotics, prebiotics, and microbiota transplantation to advance the development of personalized precision modulation. These will enable more effective management of radiotherapy-induced oral microecological dysbiosis and improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients with head and neck tumors.

Objective:To investigate the supervisor-student relationship experience of nursing postgraduates from the perspective of humanistic care, identify the influencing factors for students' care experience, and provide a reference for building a good supervisor-student relationship pattern with humanistic care.Methods:Objective sampling was used to enroll 15 nursing postgraduates from colleges and universities in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Beijing, and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. A semi-structured interview was then conducted in the students. Nvivo 12 software and the Colaizzi seven-step analysis method were used for sorting and analysis of the interview data.Results:Five themes and 15 sub-themes (namely, daily interpersonal interaction, academic interaction, emotional communication, internal growth, and professional literacy) were extracted. Among these themes, equal communication and mental health care were of particular concern to the students. The nursing postgraduates also expected their tutors to provide care in their daily life and help them develop three essential values.Conclusions:The supervisor-student relationship from the perspective of humanistic care is becoming more individualized and diversified. The tutors should provide multidimensional care to nursing postgraduates based on the students' personal characteristics. Meanwhile, they should focus on developing students' humanistic care abilities to cultivate high-level nursing professionals with a high humanistic care foundation.

Risks of food safety induced by small molecule drug residues in animal food and environment have become an increasing public concern,so it is necessary to develop highly sensitive and easy-to-operate techniques to detect small molecules.Herein,a metasurface plasma resonance(MetaSPR)sensor chip coupled with gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)was developed for detection of enrofloxacin(ENR)based on competitive immunoassay.The detection range of the sensor for ENR was 0.025-3.2 ng/mL,and the detection limit(3σ)was 20 pg/mL.The biosensor showed excellent performance including high selectivity,good stability,ease to operate and high throughput,etc.The developed method was applied to detection of ENR residues in real samples,with recoveies of 96.0% -105.0%.The proposed sensing strategy provided new technique reference for detection of other small molecules in the field of residue analysis in food safety and environment monitoring.

For middle-aged and elderly patients with conditions such as spinal fractures and degenerative spinal diseases, spinal internal fixation is a core surgical procedure for reconstructing spinal stability, heavily relying on the biomechanical stability provided by pedicle screw systems. Whereas, these patients are often complicated by osteoporosis that can significantly compromise the stability of the bone-pedicle screw interface, leading to a marked increase in pedicle screw loosening and surgical failure rates. The bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique, which involves injecting bone cement into the vertebral body or screw trajectory to optimize the mechanical properties of the bone-pedicle screw composite, has been proven to significantly enhance fixation strength and effectively prevent screw-related failures, thereby reducing the incidence of internal fixation failure in high-risk populations undergoing spinal fusion. However, the widespread clinical application of this technique has faced challenges such as inaccurate clinical decision-making (indication and contraindication selection), non-standardized operative practices, and insufficient awareness of complication prevention, resulting in considerable variability in clinical outcomes and even severe complications. To address this, Prof. Luo Fei from First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University initiated the project and the Chinese Association Orthopaedic Surgeons organized relevant experts to develop the Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique ( version 2025), based on current evidence. The guidelines put forward 8 recommendations regarding the clinical value, scope of application, and operational standards of the technique, aiming to provide evidence-based medical support and technical standardization for clinical decision-making.

Based on whole-genome identification of the TPS gene family in Perilla frutescens and screening, cloning, bioinformatics, and expression analysis of the synthetic enzyme for the insect-resistant component germacrene D, this study lays the foundation for understanding the biological function of the TPS gene family and the insect resistance mechanism in P. frutescens. This study used bioinformatics tools to identify the TPS gene family of P. frutescens based on its whole genome and predicted the physicochemical properties, systematic classification, and promoter cis-elements of the proteins. The relative content of germacrene D was detected in both normal and insect-infested leaves of P. frutescens, and the germacrene D synthase was screened and isolated. Gene cloning, bioinformatics analysis, and expression profiling were then performed. The results showed that a total of 99 TPS genes were identified in the genome, which were classified into the TPS-a, TPS-b, TPS-c, TPS-e/f, and TPS-g subfamilies. Conserved motif analysis showed that the TPS in P. frutescens has conserved structural characteristics within the same subfamily. Promoter cis-element analysis predicted the presence of light-responsive elements, multiple hormone-responsive elements, and stress-responsive elements in the TPS family of P. frutescens. Transcriptome data revealed that most of the TPS genes in P. frutescens were highly expressed in the leaves. GC-MS analysis showed that the relative content of germacrene D significantly increased in insect-damaged leaves, suggesting that it may act as an insect-resistant component. The germacrene D synthase gene was screened through homologous protein binding gene expression and was found to belong to the TPS-a subfamily, encoding a 64.89 kDa protein. This protein was hydrophilic, lacked a transmembrane structure and signal peptide, and was predominantly expressed in leaves, with significantly higher expression in insect-damaged leaves compared to normal leaves. In vitro expression results showed that germacrene D synthase tended to form inclusion bodies. Molecular docking showed that farnesyl pyrophosphate(FPP) fell into the active pocket of the protein and interacted strongly with six active sites. This study provides a foundation for further research on the biological functions of the TPS gene family in P. frutescens and the molecular mechanisms underlying its insect resistance.
Perilla frutescens/chemistry* ; Plant Proteins/chemistry* ; Multigene Family ; Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane/metabolism* ; Alkyl and Aryl Transferases/chemistry* ; Phylogeny ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

Aim To investigate the protective role and mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 in myocardial inflamma-tion injury and fibrosis induced by chronic lipopolysac-charide(LPS)exposure in mice.Methods A chro-nic LPS-induced mouse model was established and ran-domly assigned to six groups:control,LPS(200 μg·kg-1),Rg1(5,10,20 mg·kg-1)and Tempol(50 mg·kg-1)groups.Cardiac function was evaluated by using echocardiography,and histopathological changes in myocardial tissue were assessed via hematoxylin-eo-sin(HE)staining,Masson's trichrome staining,and periodic acid-Schiff(PAS)staining.The expression levels of TRPC6,AIM2,NLRP3,cleaved caspase-1,IL-1β,and IL-6 were detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with the control group,the cardiac function of LPS group significantly decreased,the de-gree of myocardial injury and fibrosis was aggravated,and the expressions of TRPC6,AIM2,NLRP3,IL-1 βand IL-6 significantly increased.Compared with the LPS model group,Rg1 treatment significantly improved the cardiac function,alleviated myocardial injury and fibrosis,and inhibited the expression of TRPC6,the activation of AIM2/NLRP3 inflammasomes and the ex-pression of inflammatory factors.Conclusions Gin-senoside Rg1 can inhibit the activation of AIM2/NL-RP3 inflammasomes by down-regulating TRPC6 signa-ling,thereby reducing the chronic myocardial inflam-matory injury and fibrosis caused by chronic LPS expo-sure.

Thousands of variant gene sequences of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerged since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Dec.2019.Alpha(B.1.1.7),Beta(B.1.351),Gamma(P.1),Delta(B.1.617.2)and Omicron(B.1.1.529)were the most representative variants.With the continuous emergence of new variants,the predomi-nant strain in the global pandemic as of Jan.2025 is the Omicron BA.2.86-derived mutant,JN.1.The effectiveness of drugs against Omicron variants remains a key research focus in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections.The infectiousness and pathogenicity of the variants altered remarkably due to mutations in the genome on S protein of the mutant strains,and these emerging variants are more likely to evade immunity and were more infectious than the previous prevalent variants.During the process of combating with the constantly emerging novel variants,drugs showed various effects on treatment of diseases caused by different variants.New drugs and treatment coun-termeasures are constantly updated with the prevalence of various variants.The current status of research on pres-ent drugs for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and the therapeutic effects on emerging variants are reviewed in the article so as to provide reference for prevention and treatment of the upcoming evolved variants.