ObjectiveTo establish a high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） for the quantitative analysis of multiple components in Gegen Qinlian tablets， and to comprehensively evaluate the quality of samples from different manufacturers by integrating chemical pattern recognition and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution（TOPSIS）， in order to provide a reference basis for quality evaluation and control of Gegen Qinlian tablets. MethodsHPLC was employed to determine the contents of 10 components in 28 batches of Gegen Qinlian tablets collected from 6 manufacturers， and taking the detection results as variables， SIMCA 14.1 and SPSS 26.0 were employed for cluster analysis（CA）， principal component analysis（PCA）， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） to identify key components affecting the quality. Then， TOPSIS analysis was employed to rank the quality of Gegen Qinlian tablets from the 6 manufacturers and establish a comprehensive quality evaluation method. ResultsA quantitative method for Gegen Qinlian tablets was established. After methodological validation， the method was found to be stable and reliable， and could be used for the quantitative analysis of this preparation. The contents of 3′-hydroxy puerarin， puerarin， 3′-methoxy puerarin， daidzein， coptisine hydrochloride， epiberberine， jatrorrhizine hydrochloride， berberine hydrochloride， palmatine hydrochloride and baicalin in 28 batches of samples were 3.58-7.35， 24.88-42.32， 4.20-9.36， 4.33-7.60， 2.52-6.44， 0.93-4.10， 0.58-3.05， 10.68-22.92， 0.82-4.82， 11.73-60.16 mg·g^-1， respectively. Among them， puerarin， berberine hydrochloride and baicalin all met the limit requirements for this preparation specified in the 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. CA and PCA clustered the 28 batches of samples into 5 categories， PCA extracted 2 principal components with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 90.588%， and OPLS-DA screened out 4 differential markers with variable importance in the projection（VIP） values>1.0， namely baicalin， 3′-hydroxy puerarin， coptisine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride， which might be the main components affecting the quality of Gegen Qinlian tablets. TOPSIS analysis showed that the comprehensive score of each evaluation index（C_i） values of different manufacturers were different. Among them， the C_i of manufacturer B was ranked higher， indicating potentially superior quality， while the C_i of manufacturer A was ranked lower， suggesting potentially inferior quality. ConclusionThis study establishes a quantitative method for Gegen Qinlian tablets， and the content uniformity of the same manufacturer is good， while there are differences in the contents of active components among different manufacturers. Through the chemical pattern recognition analysis， it is found that the content differences of Gegen Qinlian tablets may be related to baicalin， 3′-hydroxy puerarin， coptisine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride.

Objective To investigate the temporal changes in pathological damage and macrophage polarization in liver and spleen tissues of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and to preliminarily unravel the peripheral immune responses during the early stage of A. cantonensis infection. Methods Forty female BALB/c mice at ages of 6 to 8 weeks were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group and 7-, 14-, and 21-day infection groups, with 10 mice in each group. Each mouse in the infection groups was inoculated with 30 third-stage (L3) larvae of A. cantonensis by oral gavage, and five mice were randomly selected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, while mice in the control group were given the same volume of physiological saline and five mice were randomly selected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled. The histopathological changes of mouse liver and spleen tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the percentage of positive staining area and the co-localization positive rates of the macrophage surface antigens F4/80, CD86, and CD206 were quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, five mice were collected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, and five mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled for detection of macrophage markers CD86 and CD206 and macrophage phenotyping using flow cytometry, and the expression of M1 macrophage markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and M2 markers, including arginase 1 (Arg1), mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1) and chitinase-like protein 3 (Chil3) was quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. Results Proliferative lesions of the hepatocyte were observed in mouse liver tissues and the follicular structures of the mouse spleen white pulp were disrupted 21 days post-infection with A. cantonensis. Immunohistochemical staining showed that there were significant differences in the percentages of F4/80, CD86 and CD206 positive staining areas in the liver and spleen tissues among the four groups of mice (F = 242.40, 197.14, 183.19, 157.65, 242.35 and 146.24; all P values < 0.001), and the percentages of positive staining in the liver and spleen tissues of mice in the 14-day infection group [(4.45 ± 0.51)%, (3.74 ± 0.67)%, (8.32 ± 0.72)%, (16.56 ± 1.14)%, (11.62 ± 0.52)%, and (8.29 ± 0.72)%, respectively] and the 21-day infection group [(3.70 ± 0.11)%, (3.22 ± 0.43)%, (11.53 ± 1.03)%, (12.59 ± 1.05)%, (9.02 ± 0.83)%, and (11.67 ± 1.10)%, respectively] were higher than in the control group [(0.35 ± 0.16)%, (0.40 ± 0.02)%, (0.93 ± 0.05)%, (2.78 ± 0.26)%, (2.33 ± 0.20)%, and (1.85 ± 0.20)%, respectively] (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed significant differences in the positive rates of F4/80 co-localization with CD86 and CD206 in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 24.42, 25.28, 54.51 and 130.55; all P values < 0.001). Flow cytometry detected significant differences in the proportions of CD86⁺ and CD206⁺ macrophages in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 67.98, 18.41, 29.77, 172.80; all P values < 0.001), and the proportions of CD206⁺ macrophages in the liver and spleen of the 21-day infection group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(9.25 ± 2.55)% vs (3.83 ± 0.72)%, and (4.22 ± 0.56)% vs (0.47 ± 0.18)%, respectively] (both P values < 0.05). In addition, RT-qPCR assay quantified significant differences in the relative mRNA expression of M1 macrophage markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and Nos2) and M2 macrophage markers (Arg1, Chil3 and Mrc1) in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 41.30, 31.82, 199.33, 19.96, 62.01, 119.76, 23.67, 95.90, 72.27, 82.59, 123.41 and 29.75; all P values < 0.05). Conclusions A. cantonensis infection may cause progressive pathological damage in mouse liver and spleen tissues, accompanied by dynamic temporal changes in macrophage polarization. M1 macrophage polarization predominates at the early stage of A. cantonensis infection and shifts towards M2 polarization at the later stages, suggesting that M2 polarization may participate in immune regulation at late stages of A. cantonensis infection by suppressing excessive inflammatory responses and promoting tissue repair.

With the vigorous development of computers and internet, the construction of the information management system for Occupational Health Technical Service (OHTS) institutions in China has achieved impressive progress. But for the management of OHTS institutions, there are relatively few systems that can fully explore and utilize OHTS information. Base on this background, in light of the actual situation of the OHTS institution in Henan Province, an OHTS Information Management System was developed under the Java Spring Boot framework, with a MySQL database and a B/S multi-tier architecture. The platform integrates a vertical three-level network of ″provincial-municipal-county/district″ and a horizontal network involving health commissions, disease prevention and control bureaus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (occupational disease prevention and treatment institutes), and OHTS institutions. The system includes five core modules: dynamic management of institutional and personnel qualifications, full-process project supervision (including five categories of technical services such as pre-evaluation and control-effectiveness evaluation), multidimensional decision analysis (including eight statistical indicators of institutional distribution, equipment allocation, and occupational hazard factors), rapid generation and automated submission of various reports, and early warning and intelligent supervision. The system has been implemented in 61 OHTS institutions in Henan Province, improving the ″off-site supervision rate″ of supervision department and promoting the standardization and digital transformation of occupational health services.

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVES: To report the development, validation, and findings of the Multi-dimensional Attention Rating Scale (MARS), a self-report tool crafted to evaluate six-dimension attention levels. METHODS: The MARS was developed based on Classical Test Theory (CTT). Totally 202 highly educated healthy adult participants were recruited for reliability and validity tests. Reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability. Structural validity was explored using principal component analysis. Criterion validity was analyzed by correlating MARS scores with the Toronto Hospital Alertness Test (THAT), the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), and the Attention Network Test (ANT). RESULTS: The MARS comprises 12 items spanning six distinct dimensions of attention: focused attention, sustained attention, shifting attention, selective attention, divided attention, and response inhibition.As assessed by six experts, the content validation index (CVI) was 0.95, the Cronbach's alpha for the MARS was 0.78, and the test-retest reliability was 0.81. Four factors were identified (cumulative variance contribution rate 68.79%). The total score of MARS was correlated positively with THAT (r = 0.60, P < 0.01) and ACS (r = 0.78, P < 0.01) and negatively with ANT's reaction time for alerting (r = -0.31, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS The MARS can reliably and validly assess six-dimension attention levels in real-world settings and is expected to be a new tool for assessing multi-dimensional attention impairments in different mental disorders.
Humans ; Adult ; Male ; Attention/physiology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Young Adult ; Psychometrics

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized primarily by oral and periocular dryness. Astragalus-Salvia (AS) and Ophiopogon-Dendrobium (OD) represent two frequently utilized herb pairs in SS treatment. While the combination of AS-OD herb pairs demonstrates clinical efficacy in alleviating SS symptoms, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. This investigation sought to assess the therapeutic effects and elucidate the potential mechanisms of AS-OD in non-obese diabetic (NOD)/Ltj mice with SS. The study utilized NOD/Ltj mice as SS models, administering AS-OD treatment for 10 weeks at doses of 113.1, 226.2, and 339.3 mg·d^-1·20 g^-1. Results demonstrated that AS-OD improved SS symptoms, evidenced by enhanced salivary flow rate, decreased anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La antibody levels, increased swimming duration, and reduced lactate (LA) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in NOD/Ltj mice. AS-OD reduced lymphocyte infiltration, enhanced Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) expression in the submandibular gland, decreased inflammatory cytokine levels in the submandibular gland, and reduced the T helper type 17/regulatory T lymphocyte (Th17/Treg) cell ratio in the spleen. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses indicated AS-OD's involvement in regulating phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase 3/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK1/STAT3) pathways, with inhibitory effects validated in both NOD/Ltj mice submandibular gland and A-253 cells. Furthermore, AS-OD enhanced cell viability and reduced A-253 cell apoptosis through the PI3K/AKT pathway. In A-253 cells, AS-OD reduced inflammatory cytokine levels, CXC chemokine ligand 9/10 (CXCL9/10), and T-cell chemotaxis by inhibiting the JAK1/STAT3 pathway. AS-OD mitigates SS by suppressing inflammation and immune responses through the PI3K/AKT and JAK1/STAT3 pathways.
Animals ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics* ; Sjogren's Syndrome/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Janus Kinase 1/genetics* ; Humans ; Female ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; Male

ObjectiveTo investigate the significance of different non-treatment thresholds or upper limits of normal （ULN） of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in evaluating significant liver pathological injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection， and to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment. MethodsThis study was conducted among 733 patients with chronic HBV infection who were hospitalized in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital from January 2015 to December 2023 and underwent liver biopsy and histopathological examination， and all patients had a persistent ALT level of ≤40 U/L and positive HBV DNA （>30 IU/mL）. According to the treatment threshold or ULN of ALT， the patients were divided into group 1 with 575 patients （≤35 U/L for male patients， ≤25 U/L for female patients）， group 2 with 430 patients （≤30 U/L for male patients， ≤19 U/L for female patients）， group 3 with 443 patients （≤27 U/L for male patients， ≤24 U/L for female patients）， group 4 with 446 patients （≤25 U/L）， group 5 with 158 patients （>35 U/L for male patients， >25 U/L for female patients）， and group 6 with 145 patients （>30 — ≤35 U/L for male patients， >19 — ≤25 U/L for female patients）. Groups 2， 5， and 6 were compared to analyze the severity of liver pathological injury in patients with different ALT levels and the constituent ratio of patients with significant liver pathological injury， and groups 1， 2， 3， and 4 were compared to investigate the value of different ULN or non-treatment thresholds of ALT in determining liver inflammation grade （G）， liver fibrosis stage （S）， and the treatment indication based on liver pathology. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups； a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test or the Tambane’s test was used for further comparison between two groups； the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； a Ridit analysis was used for comparison of ranked data. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis （forward stepwise） was performed with whether liver pathology met the treatment indication （≥G2 and/or ≥S2） as the dependent variable and related factors with a significant impact on the dependent variable （P <0.05） as the independent variable. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted， and the area under the ROC curve （AUC）， as well as sensitivity， specificity， positive predictive value， negative predictive value， positive likelihood ratio， and negative likelihood ratio， was used to assess the diagnostic value of different non-treatment thresholds of ALT. ResultsAmong the 733 patients， 259 （35.33%） had ≥G2 liver inflammation， 211 （28.79%） had ≥S2 liver fibrosis， and 306 （41.75%） had treatment indication （≥G2 and/or ≥S2）. There was a significant difference in liver inflammation grade （G0 — G4） between groups 2， 5， and 6 （χ²=22.869， P <0.001）， and there were also significant differences in the constituent ratios of patients with ≥G2 or ≥G3 liver inflammation between the three groups （χ²=21.742 and 14.921， P<0.001 and P=0.001）. There was a significant difference in liver fibrosis stage （S0 — S4） between groups 2， 5， and 6 （χ²=16.565， P<0.001）， and there were also significant differences in the constituent ratios of patients with ≥S2， ≥S3 or S4 liver fibrosis between the three groups （χ²=13.264， 13.050， and 6.260， P=0.001， 0.001， and 0.044）. There were significant differences between groups 2， 5， and 6 in the constituent ratios of patients with or without treatment indication based on liver pathology （χ²=20.728， P<0.001）. There were significant differences between groups 2， 5， and 6 in the constituent ratio of male patients （χ²=24.836， P<0.05）， age （F=5.710， P<0.05）， ALT （F=473.193， P<0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST） （F=107.774， P<0.05）， ALT/AST ratio （F=40.167， P<0.05）， γ-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （H=15.463， P<0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI） （H=63.024， P<0.05）， and LIF-5 （5 indicators for liver inflammation and fibrosis） （H=46.397， P<0.05）. In groups 1 — 4， compared with the patients without treatment indication， the patients with treatment indication had a significantly lower constituent ratio of patients with positive HBeAg， significantly lower levels of platelet count （PLT） and HBV DNA， and significantly higher age， ALT， AST， GGT， APRI， FIB-4， and LIF-5 （all P<0.05）. The Logistic regression analysis showed that age （odds ratio ［OR］=1.044， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.025 — 1.063， P<0.001）， GGT （OR=1.022， 95%CI： 1.007 — 1.038， P=0.003）， and HBV DNA （OR=0.839， 95%CI： 0.765 — 0.919， P<0.001） were influencing factors for treatment indication based on liver pathology in group 1； HBeAg （OR=1.978， 95%CI： 1.269 — 3.082， P=0.003）， age （OR=1.048， 95%CI： 1.025 — 1.071， P<0.001）， GGT （OR=1.016， 95%CI： 1.001 — 1.031， P=0.041）， and PLT （OR=0.995， 95%CI： 0.991 — 1.000， P=0.049） were influencing factors in group 2； age （OR=1.040， 95%CI： 1.014 — 1.066， P=0.002）， ALT （OR=1.047， 95%CI： 1.005 — 1.092， P=0.029）， HBV DNA （OR=0.817， 95%CI： 0.736 — 0.907， P<0.001）， and LIF-5 （OR=7.382， 95%CI： 1.151 — 47.330， P=0.035） were influencing factors in group 3； age （OR=1.054， 95%CI： 1.031 — 1.077， P<0.001）， ALT （OR=1.061， 95%CI： 1.016 — 1.107， P=0.008）， and HBV DNA （OR=0.825， 95%CI： 0.743 — 0.917， P<0.001） were influencing factors in group 4. The diagnostic performance for identifying ≥G2 liver inflammation， ≥S2 liver fibrosis， and treatment indication in groups 1 — 4 had an AUC of >0.7； group 1 showed the lowest sensitivity （28.76%） and the highest specificity， positive predictive value， positive likelihood ratio， and negative likelihood ratio in judging treatment indication； group 2 had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value and the lowest negative likelihood ratio； groups 3 and 4 had similar diagnostic indicators. ConclusionIn patients with chronic HBV infection and a persistently low ALT level， the severity of liver histopathological injury and the constituent ratio of significant liver histopathological injury decrease with the reduction in ALT level. A higher non-treatment threshold or ULN of ALT can help to identify the patients requiring treatment （with a higher specificity）， while a lower non-treatment threshold or ULN of ALT can help to identify the patients who do not require treatment （with a higher sensitivity）.

Objective To investigate the status quo of indwelling needles use in the hospitals at all lev-els in Chongqing city,and to evaluate the normalization and safety of indwelling needles use by referring to Nursing Practice Standards for Intravenous Therapy.Methods A self-designed questionnaire was used in July 2023 to conduct a cross-sectional survey on the use of indwelling needles in the hospitals at all levels in Chongqing city.Results A total of 30 807 patients in 77 hospitals were included,among them 62.67%used indwelling needles.The closed type indwelling needles accounted for 88.87%and the safety type indwelling needles accounted for 41.74%.Non-needle infusion connectors accounted for 37.78%,and steel needle con-nected with heparin caps accounted for 51.69%.95.66%of puncture site was in the upper limb,the non-cor-rosive drug infusion accounted for 87.57%,and the complications occurrence rate was 2.46%.Among the 6 419 surveyed nurses,75.51%removed indwelling needles based on clinical indications.There were statistically significant differences in the usage rates of closed type indwelling needles and non-needle infusion connectors among hospitals at different levels(P<0.05).There were also statistically significant differences in the inci-dence rates of complication and phlebitis(P<0.05).Conclusion The overall application of indwelling needles in the hospitals at all levels in Chongqing city is generally standardized,but the use of safety type indwelling needles and needle-free infusion connectors still needs to be improved.

Objective This study aims to investigate the effect of berberine (Ber) on foam cell formation induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in macrophages and to explore the mechanism's association with the ACE2-Ang(1-7)-Mas axis. Methods They were randomly divided into blank group, model group (RAW264.7 cells induced with 60 μg/mL ox-LDL), and berberine group (the model treated with berberine interventions at 2.5, 5, and 10 μmol/L concentrations). Lipid accumulation within the cells was assessed by Oil Red O staining, and the content of lipid droplets in each group was quantitatively analyzed by enzymatic method. The content of total cholesterol (TC) and free cholesterol (FC) in foam cells were detected by enzymatic method. The levels of oxidative stress factors (malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH)), inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured using corresponding relevant reagent kits. The mRNA and protein expressions of ACE2 and Mas were evaluated through quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. The levels of AngII and Ang(1-7) were detected by ELISA. Results Compared with the model group, the berberine groups exhibited reduced lipid droplet accumulation and a dose-dependent decrease in intracellular lipid content. Berberine significantly lowered TC and FC levels in foam cells and reduced the CE/TC ratio. The levels of the oxidative factor MDA were significantly reduced, while the levels of the antioxidant factors SOD and GSH were markedly increased. Inflammatory factors TNF-α and NO were significantly decreased. The expression of the ACE2-Ang(1-7)-Mas signaling pathway was significantly activated, and the effect was more pronounced in the Ber group with high-concentration compared to the group with low-concentration, demonstrating a dose-dependent response. Conclusion Berberine can inhibit macrophage foam cell formation, potentially through upregulation of the ACE2-Ang(1-7)-Mas signaling pathway, thereby contributing to the alleviation of atherosclerosis.
Berberine/pharmacology* ; Foam Cells/cytology* ; Animals ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Mice ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ; Angiotensin I/genetics* ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/genetics* ; Peptide Fragments/genetics* ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Mas ; Lipoproteins, LDL/pharmacology* ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*