ObjectiveHistorically documented Zhejiang Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（Baizhu） possesses premium characteristics such as phoenix-like head and crane-like neck， pronounced sweetness， and fragrant aroma. However， its current market circulation is low， and the processed products with Zhejiang-style characteristics are at the risk of being lost. This study aims to preserve the ancient Zhejiang-style processing techniques and evaluate them using modern scientific methods. MethodsMultidimensional intelligent sensory evaluation was used to digitally characterize the "quality-structure" of the external appearance of nine-steamed and nine-processed Baizhu medicinal materials（intermediate processed products） and the "odor-taste" of the internal quality of its decoction pieces（slices）， and the appearance parameters were digitally characterized by colorimeter， texture analyzer， electronic nose and electronic tongue， the chemical composition was analyzed via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS）. Then， cluster analysis on the differences in odor between the medicinal materials（intermediate processed products） and decoction pieces（slices） of nine-steamed and nine-processed Baizhu was conducted， as well as the differences in taste between water-soluble and alcohol-soluble extracts of the decoction pieces（slices）， and the correlation analysis of chroma value-alcohol-soluble extract content-component response value. ResultsThe nine-steamed and nine-processed Baizhu had a dark brown to black epidermis， a brownish-yellow to brownish-gray cross-section， a slightly tough texture， a faint odor， and a slightly sweet， bitter and pungent taste. Texture analyzer measurements revealed minimal adhesion and maximum recovery in the middle section of the characteristic processed Baizhu， consistent with the processing endpoint of thorough steaming and cooking. The head section showed the highest internal hardness， elasticity and chewiness， indicating a denser texture in this area. The electronic nose sensor could clearly distinguish the difference between the medicinal materials and its decoction pieces， with a more significant clustering effect at 60 ℃ for 30 minutes compared to ambient temperature headspace for 2 hours， highlighting the significant impact of the baking degree before slicing on the quality. The electronic tongue taste signal map clearly distinguished the differences between water-soluble and alcohol-soluble extracts of nine-steamed and nine-processed Baizhu decoction pieces， and the addition of auxiliary materials during processing could enhance its alcohol-soluble extract content. A total of 82 chemical components were identified in the characteristic processed Baizhu. After processing， the contents of 58 components increased， while 24 components decreased. Correlation analysis revealed significant negative correlations（P<0.01） between ethanol-soluble extract content and colorimetric values of brightness（L^*）， yellow-bule value（b^*）， and total color difference（E^*_ab）. E^*_ab showed marked negative correlations（P<0.05） with the response values of isochlorogenic acid A and C. ConclusionThis study establishes a modern intelligent sensory evaluation model for multidimensional holographic characterization of nine-steamed and nine-processed Baizhu， clarifying the correlation between increased isochlorogenic acid content and the visual color appearance after different steaming cycles， as well as its intrinsic alcohol-soluble extracts. This provides a reference for quality evaluation and processing standards of the Zhejiang-style characteristic processed products.

Despite therapy with potent antiviral agents, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients remain at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While metabolites have been rediscovered as active drivers of biological processes including carcinogenesis, the specific metabolites modulating HCC risk in CHB patients are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that baseline plasma from CHB patients who later developed HCC during follow-up exhibits growth-promoting properties in a case-control design nested within a large-scale, prospective cohort. Metabolomics analysis reveals a reduction in long-chain acylcarnitines (LCACs) in the baseline plasma of patients with HCC development. LCACs preferentially inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro at a physiological concentration and prevent the occurrence of HCC in vivo without hepatorenal toxicity. Uptake and metabolism of circulating LCACs increase the intracellular level of acetyl coenzyme A, which upregulates histone H3 Lys14 acetylation at the promoter region of KLF6 gene and thereby activates KLF6/p21 pathway. Indeed, blocking LCAC metabolism attenuates the difference in KLF6/p21 expression induced by baseline plasma of HCC/non-HCC patients. The deficiency of circulating LCACs represents a driver of HCC in CHB patients with viral control. These insights provide a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce HCC risk further in the antiviral era.

The interest in covalent drugs has resurged in recent decades, spurring the development of numerous specialized computational docking tools to facilitate covalent ligand design and screening. Herein, we present CarsiDock-Cov, a new paradigm distinguishing itself as the first deep learning (DL)-guided approach for covalent docking. CarsiDock-Cov retains the core components of its non-covalent predecessor, leveraging a DL model pretrained on millions of docking complexes to predict protein-ligand distance matrices, along with a dedicated-designed geometric optimization procedure to convert these distances into refined binding poses. Additionally, it incorporates several key enhancements specifically tailored to optimize the protocol for covalent docking applications. Our approach has been extensively validated on multiple public datasets regarding the docking and screening of covalent ligands, and the results indicate that our approach not only achieves comparably improved applicability compared to its non-covalent predecessor, but also exhibits competitive performance against various state-of-the-art covalent docking tools. Collectively, our approach represents a significant advance in covalent docking methodology, offering an automated and efficient solution that shows considerable promise for accelerating covalent drug discovery and design.

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an irreversible sensorineural hearing loss that severely endangers workers’ health, making early screening crucial. This article reviewed the research progress on early screening methods for occupational NIHL, introduced the testing mechanisms of three core screening methods—tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, and extended high-frequency audiometry —and summarized their clinical application advantages and limitations. It is proposed that multimodal combined detection (e.g., the combination of tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, and extended high-frequency audiometry) can significantly improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of early screening. Meanwhile, future studies with prospective cohort design are encouraged to verify the long-term monitoring value of each method and to strengthen the joint development of screening technologies with cutting-edge approaches such as machine learning, in order to further improve screening efficiency and provide stronger protection for workers’ hearing health.

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of the combined concentrated liquid extract of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi root (P. lobata, Ge Gen) and Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (H. dulcis, Zhi Ju Zi) against ethanol-induced liver damage in vitro, using a human hepatoma cell line G2 (HepG2) cell model. Methods: HepG2 cells were cultured in medium containing 4% ethanol to establish a model of alcoholic liver damage. The cells were then treated with the combined extract obtained via cryogenic extraction. Biochemical assays and Western blot analyses were performed to assess the levels of oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzymes, and inflammatory cytokines. In addition, activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway was examined to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of the extract. Results: Treatment with the extract contributed to a significant reduction in the release of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in the ethanol-treated HepG2 cells; promoted the elevated expression of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione, indicating enhanced antioxidant defenses; and showed strong free radical-scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals. In addition, by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway, treatment promoted increases in the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and its downstream targets, subsequently inhibiting apoptosis. Moreover. inflammatory responses were mitigated, as indicated by reductions in the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, and we detected reduction in the levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, thereby indicating hepatoprotective effects. Conclusion The combined P. lobata root and H. dulcis extract was established to have notable antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, effectively alleviating ethanol-induced liver damage in vitro. These findings highlight the potential applicability of this extract as a candidate for treating alcoholic liver disease.

Objective To investigate differential patterns of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in prefron-tal cortical regions between major depressive disorder patients with or without psychotic symptoms during verbal flu-ency task(VFT)performance using functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS).Methods A total of 108 pa-tients with major depression who were hospitalized in the psychiatric department of the hospital from July 2023 to April 2024 were selected as the study objects.They were divided into two groups(n=60)with or without psychotic symptoms(n=48).fNIRS devices were used to measure and compare the changes in the relative concentration of cerebral hemoglobin in 52 brain channels between the two groups during VFT.Re-sults Compared with the unaccompanied group,the relative concentration of cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin in channel 13 was higher(0.003±0.001 vs.0.002±0.001),and the relative concentration of cerebral oxygen-ated hemoglobin in channel 33 was lower(0.003±0.001 vs.0.007±0.002),the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the relative concentration of oxygenated hemo-globin in other brain areas between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion There are abnormal oxygen activ-ity in brain functional areas associated with psychotic symptoms,and fNIRS technique is helpful for early as-sessment of cerebral aerobic function in depressed patients with psychotic symptoms.

Atopic dermatitis（AD）is a chronic，recurrent inflammatory skin disease.The pathogenesis of AD is complicated，involving many factors such as genetic，immune，and skin barrier.Previous studies have attributed skin barrier dysfunction to the changes in skin microbiota caused by immune disorders.In recent years，researchers have found that abnormal immune regulation related to the gut microbiota may be an important factor that leads to the development of AD.Gut microbiota dysbiosis and metabolomic disorders are of great significance to explore the pathogenesis of AD.The treatment of AD is currently focused on topical anti-inflammatory drugs，but the long-term efficacy is poor.Therefore，the treatment of fecal microbiota transplantation based on correcting gut microbiota dysbiosis came into being.This article summarized the current research status of gut microbiota dysbiosis in the occurrence and progression of AD，and the application progress and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation in children with AD，providing reference for the etiological analysis and clinical intervention of AD.

Objective To explore the phenotypic conversion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the lungs of mice with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)-affected mice. Methods A total of 20 newborn C57BL/6 mice were divided into air group and hyperoxia group, with 10 mice in each group. The BPD model was established by exposing the newborn mice to hyperoxia. Lung tissues from five mice in each group were collected on postnatal days 7 and 14, respectively. Histopathological changes of the lung tissues was detected by HE staining. The expression level of surfactant protein C (SP-C) in the lung tissues was examined by Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry was performed to assess the proportion of FOXP3⁺ Tregs and RORγt⁺FOXP3⁺ Tregs in CD4⁺ lymphocytes. The concentrations of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and IL-6 in lung homogenate were measured by using ELISA. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between FOXP3⁺Treg and the expression of SP-C and the correlation between RORγt⁺FOXP3⁺ Tregs and the content of IL-17A and IL-6. Results The hyperoxia group exhibited significantly decreased levels of SP-C and radical alveolar counts in comparison to the control group. The proportion of FOXP3⁺Tregs was reduced and that of RORγt⁺FOXP3⁺Tregs was increased. IL-17A and IL-6 concentrations were significantly increased. SP-C was positively correlated with the expression level of RORγt⁺FOXP3⁺ Tregs. RORγt⁺FOXP3⁺ Tregs and IL-17A and IL-6 concentrations were also positively correlated. Conclusion The number of FOXP3⁺ Tregs in lung tissue of BPD mice is decreased and converted to RORγt⁺ FOXP3⁺ Tregs, which may be involved in hyperoxy-induced lung injury.
Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Interleukin-17 ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 ; Hyperoxia ; Interleukin-6 ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; Lung

Transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery (TIPIC) syndrome is a relatively rare disease, and ultrasound is the first screening method for initial diagnosis of the disease. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has unique advantages in the follow-up of patients with TIPIC syndrome. This paper reports a patient with TIPIC syndrome who was treated with acute left neck pain. The inflammation was significantly relieved and subsided after treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The ultrasound changes of carotid artery lesions in this patient during follow-up were analyzed, and the application value of CEUS in the follow-up diagnosis of this disease was summarized, in the hope of providing clinical reference.

Objective To summarize the experience of integrative palliative care at Peking Union Medi-cal College Hospital and provide a reference for promoting the integrative palliative care model.Methods Twenty cases receiving integrative palliative care at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were collected.The clinical characteristics,reasons for initiating integrative palliative care,the process of integrative palliative care,and feedback from these cases were summarized.Results Insomnia(11 cases,55％)and pain(9 cases,45％)were the most common symptoms requiring control in the 20 cases.The integrative palliative care team assisted in medical decision-making for 17 cases(85％),prepared end-of-life for 9 cases(45％),assisted in the transfer for 3 cases(15％),and provided comfort care for all the 20 cases(100％).Conclusions The integrative palliative care model can help alleviate suffering in end-of-life patients and provide support to patients'families and the original medical teams.This model is worth further promotion within class A tertiary hospitals.