ObjectiveThe biosynthesis of heterophyllin B （HB）， a cyclopeptide from Pseudostellaria heterophylla， is regulated by various abiotic stresses. Elucidating the transcriptional regulatory mechanism underlying HB biosynthesis is of great guiding significance for the directional improvement of P. heterophylla varieties and the enhancement of HB content. MethodsBased on transcriptome data from different tissues of P. heterophylla， transcription factors （TFs） specifically upregulated and highly expressed in the phloem of tuberous roots were screened through a combination of Mfuzz time-series clustering， transcription factor family prediction， and correlation analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to analyze expression patterns of candidate TFs under abscisic acid （ABA） induction， and the dual-luciferase reporter assay was applied to verify their regulatory effects on HB precursor genes. ResultsContent determination showed that HB accumulated at the highest in the phloem of P. heterophylla tuberous roots （34 μg·g^-1 fresh weight）. Transcriptome analysis identified 15 868 up-regulated differentially expressed genes （DEGs）， among which 4 375 were specifically up-regulated in the phloem. From these， 25 TFs highly expressed in the phloem were screened. Correlation analysis revealed that the expression level of WRKY70 was significantly positively correlated with HB content， the expression of precursor genes prePhHB， and PhPOP1. Additionally， WRKY70 expression was significantly upregulated under ABA induction. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that WRKY70 specifically activated the transcriptional activity of the prePhHB promoter （Pro-prePhHB）. ConclusionHB is mainly accumulated in the phloem of P. heterophylla tuberous roots. WRKY70 positively regulates HB biosynthesis by directly activating the promoter activity of prePhHB. This study clarifies the key role of WRKY70 in the regulation of HB biosynthesis and provides an important theoretical basis for the in-depth analysis of the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying HB biosynthesis.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of oral use combined with targeted transdermal delivery of Osteoking in treating knee osteoarthritis(KOA)of cold-damp blockage type.Methods A total of 120 patients with KOA of cold-damp blockage type who admitted to Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese And West Medicine from September 2022 to September 2023 were randomly divided into the control group,oral use group,transdermal delivery group and combination group according to the random number table method,with 30 cases in each group.The control group was treated with Celecoxib Capsule orally,the oral use group was treated with Osteoking orally,the transdermal delivery group was treated with Osteoking by targeted transdermal delivery,and the combination group was treated with oral use combined with targeted transdermal delivery of Osteoking.One course of treatment covered 12 days,and all of the four groups were treated for two continuous courses.Before and after treatment,the scores of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome,Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)for pain,Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)for joint function,36-Item Short Form Health Survey(SF-36)for quality of life(QOL),as well as the levels of serum interleukin 1β(IL-1β),interleukin 6(IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)were observed in the patients of each group.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of patients in each group were evaluated.Results(1)After two courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the combination group was 96.67%(29/30),which was higher than those of the control group[73.33%(22/30)],oral use group and transdermal delivery group[both being 70.00%(21/30)],and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).However,no statistically significant difference of the total effective rate was presented among the control group,oral use group,and transdermal delivery group(P>0.05).(2)After treatment,the scores of TCM syndrome,VAS for pain and WOMAC for joint function in the four groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P<0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the scores of TCM syndrome,VAS for pain and WOMAC in the combination group were lower than those in the other three groups(P<0.05),while no statistically significant difference of the scores of TCM syndrome,VAS for pain and WOMAC were presented among the control group,oral use group,and transdermal delivery group(P>0.05).(3)After treatment,the QOL scores of the eight dimensions of SF-36 such as physical functioning(PF),bodily pain(BP),general health(GH),vitality(VT),role-physical(RP),social functioning(SF),role-emotional(RE),and mental health(MH)in the four groups were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P<0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the scores of each dimension of SF-36 in the combination group were significantly higher than those in the other three groups(P<0.05),while no statistically significant difference of the dimension score of SF-36 was presented among the control group,oral use group,and transdermal delivery group(P>0.05).(4)After treatment,the levels of serum inflammatory factors of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in the four groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P<0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the decrease of serum levels of inflammatory factors in the combination group were significantly superior to those in the other three groups(P<0.05),and the decrease in the control group and oral use group were all superior to those in the transdermal delivery group(P<0.05),while the difference between the control group and oral use group was not statistically significant(P>0.05).(5)During the trial,no serious adverse reactions were found in the patients of four groups,which is of high safety.Conclusion Oral use combined with targeted transdermal delivery of Osteoking is effective on improving the joint pain,joint function and QOL of patients with KOA of cold-damp blockage type,and can speed up the rehabilitation of patients.Its therapeutic mechanism may be related to the decrease of the expression level of inflammatory factors.

The quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions (TCMPs) is critical to clinical efficacy; however, evaluating their consistency and identifying sources of variability remain challenging. This study proposes an integrated strategy to assess the quality of 100 widely sold TCMPs. A "one-for-all" chromatographic method was employed to analyze 645 sample batches. This large-scale data collection enabled statistical evaluations, such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and similarity heatmap, to identify quality inconsistencies. The introduction of a TCM-specific mass spectrometry (MS) database allowed for rapid, automated annotation of chemicals across 100 prescriptions and facilitated the tracing of raw material sources. Results indicate that 19% of prescriptions exhibited chemical inconsistencies, which are associated with high market value, low pricing, and substantial price disparities. The MS database allowed rapid annotation of 761 and 673 compounds in positive and negative modes, respectively, in 100 TCMPs, with 73 prescriptions reported for the first time. The tracing efforts succeeded in identifying >40% of the raw material sources for 51 prescriptions. P93 (Yinianjin (YNJ)) is a case in which the chromatographic profiles from three manufacturers displayed inconsistencies. Analysis using the database traced divergent peaks to Rhei Radix et R hizoma (RRER). Verification with self-prepared samples confirmed that manufacturers utilized three distinct botanical sources. This integrated strategy provides a scalable framework for quality control in TCMPs.

OBJECTIVE: Humans are exposed to complex mixtures of environmental chemicals and other factors that can affect their health. Analysis of these mixture exposures presents several key challenges for environmental epidemiology and risk assessment, including high dimensionality, correlated exposure, and subtle individual effects. METHODS: We proposed a novel statistical approach, the generalized functional linear model (GFLM), to analyze the health effects of exposure mixtures. GFLM treats the effect of mixture exposures as a smooth function by reordering exposures based on specific mechanisms and capturing internal correlations to provide a meaningful estimation and interpretation. The robustness and efficiency was evaluated under various scenarios through extensive simulation studies. RESULTS: We applied the GFLM to two datasets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the first application, we examined the effects of 37 nutrients on BMI (2011-2016 cycles). The GFLM identified a significant mixture effect, with fiber and fat emerging as the nutrients with the greatest negative and positive effects on BMI, respectively. For the second application, we investigated the association between four pre- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and gout risk (2007-2018 cycles). Unlike traditional methods, the GFLM indicated no significant association, demonstrating its robustness to multicollinearity. CONCLUSION GFLM framework is a powerful tool for mixture exposure analysis, offering improved handling of correlated exposures and interpretable results. It demonstrates robust performance across various scenarios and real-world applications, advancing our understanding of complex environmental exposures and their health impacts on environmental epidemiology and toxicology.
Humans ; Environmental Exposure/analysis* ; Linear Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Environmental Pollutants ; Body Mass Index

Objective To systematically analyze the influencing factors of chronic liver disease patients' perception of symptoms based on the Andersen model,and to provide methodological reference for the study in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.Methods Based on the predisposing factors,enabling factors,demand factors,health behaviors,and health outcomes of the Andersen model,an influencing factor model was constructed.A community cluster convenience sample survey method was used to conduct a questionnaire star survey on chronic liver disease patients in multiple communities in Liwan,Guangzhou from November 2018 to March 2020.Univariate Mann-Whitney U test,Kruskal-Wallis H test,Spearman correlation analysis,and multivariate generalized linear hierarchical model analysis were performed.Results A total of 494 valid questionnaires were collected,and the median score for the patients' perception of the symptoms was 32(26,42)points.For the predisposing factors:age,education level,overtime status,and formal medical treatment;for the enabling factors:income and expenditure situation,personal history of hyperlipidemia;for the demand factors:cognition of medical and nursing integration,regular reexamination;and for the health behaviors:daily water intake,use of digital devices,and exercise and health care were all influencing factors(P＜0.05).Comparing the hierarchical models,health behaviors had the highest impact on the perception of the symptoms in chronic liver disease patients,followed by enabling factors,and demand factors had the lowest impact.Conclusion Medical staff should focus on the health behaviors of chronic liver disease patients with different predisposing factors,optimize the enabling factors,strengthen the guidance and intervention of demand factors,and provide comprehensive and personalized medical care plans.

Objective To establish a laser diffraction method for determining globule size distribution in medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve).Methods The Mastersizer 3000 laser particle size analyzer and Hydro EV wet sampling device were used,with water as the dispersion medium.Critical parameters,including refractive index,absorption coefficient,obscuration,measurement duration,stirring speed,and sonication parameters,were systematically optimized.Comparative evaluations were conducted across different computational models(Mie vs.Fraunhofer theories)and instrument platforms.Results The optimized optical parameters for particle size distribution analysis of medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve)were determined as follows:absorption rate 0.001,refractive index 1.52,measurement duration 10 s,stirring speed 1 200 r·min-1,with no sonication applied.Under these conditions,the method demonstrated satisfactory precision,repeatability,and robustness.Conclusions This method demonstrates operational simplicity,high accuracy,and excellent reproducibility,making it suitable for particle size distribution analysis of medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve).The established protocol provides a valuable reference for the development of particle size determination methods for emulsion formulations.

AIM To explore the differential metabolites of different aged Citrus reticulate'Chachi'and their processed cakes.METHODS Non-targeted metabolomics technology of GC-TOF-MS was used to analyze the chemical constituents.The data was processed by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis,and the differential metabolites were identified.RESULTS A total of 74 differential metabolites were identified,including 16 glycosides,14 organic acids and their derivatives,11 amino acids and their derivatives,and 4 flavonoids.Comparative analysis revealed 40 and 30 differential metabolites between fresh C.reticulate'℃hachi'and 3-year or 5-year aged samples,respectively.Furthermore,27 and 34 differential metabolites were identified between the 3-year or 5-year aged samples and their corresponding processed cakes,respectively.Differential metabolites among fresh,aged C.reticulate'Chachi',and processed cakes were predominantly enriched in 6 metabolic pathways,including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.Specifically,differential metabolites between 3-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were significantly enriched in 4 pathways,such as ABC transporters.Differential metabolites between 5-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were mainly enriched in 5 pathways,including carbon metabolism.CONCLUSION Non-targeted metabolomics technology can elucidate the chemical compositional differences among fresh/aged and processed cakes of C.reticulate'Chachi',laying a foundation for the research into C.reticulate'Chachi'aging processing techniques and the development of processed products.

Objective To establish a laser diffraction method for determining globule size distribution in medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve).Methods The Mastersizer 3000 laser particle size analyzer and Hydro EV wet sampling device were used,with water as the dispersion medium.Critical parameters,including refractive index,absorption coefficient,obscuration,measurement duration,stirring speed,and sonication parameters,were systematically optimized.Comparative evaluations were conducted across different computational models(Mie vs.Fraunhofer theories)and instrument platforms.Results The optimized optical parameters for particle size distribution analysis of medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve)were determined as follows:absorption rate 0.001,refractive index 1.52,measurement duration 10 s,stirring speed 1 200 r·min-1,with no sonication applied.Under these conditions,the method demonstrated satisfactory precision,repeatability,and robustness.Conclusions This method demonstrates operational simplicity,high accuracy,and excellent reproducibility,making it suitable for particle size distribution analysis of medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C8～24Ve).The established protocol provides a valuable reference for the development of particle size determination methods for emulsion formulations.

AIM To explore the differential metabolites of different aged Citrus reticulate'Chachi'and their processed cakes.METHODS Non-targeted metabolomics technology of GC-TOF-MS was used to analyze the chemical constituents.The data was processed by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis,and the differential metabolites were identified.RESULTS A total of 74 differential metabolites were identified,including 16 glycosides,14 organic acids and their derivatives,11 amino acids and their derivatives,and 4 flavonoids.Comparative analysis revealed 40 and 30 differential metabolites between fresh C.reticulate'℃hachi'and 3-year or 5-year aged samples,respectively.Furthermore,27 and 34 differential metabolites were identified between the 3-year or 5-year aged samples and their corresponding processed cakes,respectively.Differential metabolites among fresh,aged C.reticulate'Chachi',and processed cakes were predominantly enriched in 6 metabolic pathways,including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.Specifically,differential metabolites between 3-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were significantly enriched in 4 pathways,such as ABC transporters.Differential metabolites between 5-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were mainly enriched in 5 pathways,including carbon metabolism.CONCLUSION Non-targeted metabolomics technology can elucidate the chemical compositional differences among fresh/aged and processed cakes of C.reticulate'Chachi',laying a foundation for the research into C.reticulate'Chachi'aging processing techniques and the development of processed products.

Objective To systematically analyze the influencing factors of chronic liver disease patients' perception of symptoms based on the Andersen model,and to provide methodological reference for the study in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.Methods Based on the predisposing factors,enabling factors,demand factors,health behaviors,and health outcomes of the Andersen model,an influencing factor model was constructed.A community cluster convenience sample survey method was used to conduct a questionnaire star survey on chronic liver disease patients in multiple communities in Liwan,Guangzhou from November 2018 to March 2020.Univariate Mann-Whitney U test,Kruskal-Wallis H test,Spearman correlation analysis,and multivariate generalized linear hierarchical model analysis were performed.Results A total of 494 valid questionnaires were collected,and the median score for the patients' perception of the symptoms was 32(26,42)points.For the predisposing factors:age,education level,overtime status,and formal medical treatment;for the enabling factors:income and expenditure situation,personal history of hyperlipidemia;for the demand factors:cognition of medical and nursing integration,regular reexamination;and for the health behaviors:daily water intake,use of digital devices,and exercise and health care were all influencing factors(P＜0.05).Comparing the hierarchical models,health behaviors had the highest impact on the perception of the symptoms in chronic liver disease patients,followed by enabling factors,and demand factors had the lowest impact.Conclusion Medical staff should focus on the health behaviors of chronic liver disease patients with different predisposing factors,optimize the enabling factors,strengthen the guidance and intervention of demand factors,and provide comprehensive and personalized medical care plans.