Optical imaging is highly valued for its superior temporal and spatial resolution. This is particularly important in near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1 000-3 000 nm) imaging, which offers advantages such as reduced tissue absorption, minimal scattering, and low autofluorescence. These characteristics make NIR-II imaging especially suitable for deep tissue visualization, where high contrast and minimal background interference are critical for accurate diagnosis and monitoring. Currently, inorganic fluorescent probes—such as carbon nanotubes, rare earth nanoparticles, and quantum dots—offer high brightness and stability. However, they are hindered by ambiguous structures, larger sizes, and potential accumulation toxicity in vivo. In contrast, organic fluorescent probes, including small molecules and polymers, demonstrate higher biocompatibility but are limited by shorter emission wavelengths, lower quantum yields, and reduced stability. Recently, gold clusters have emerged as a promising class of nanomaterials with potential applications in biocatalysis, fluorescence sensing, biological imaging, and more. Water-soluble gold clusters are particularly attractive as fluorescent probes due to their remarkable optical properties, including strong photoluminescence, large Stokes shifts, and excellent photostability. Furthermore, their outstanding biocompatibility—attributed to good aqueous stability, ultra-small hydrodynamic size, and high renal clearance efficiency—makes them especially suitable for biomedical applications. Gold clusters hold significant potential for NIR-II fluorescence imaging. Atomic-precision gold clusters, typically composed of tens to hundreds of gold atoms and measuring only a few nanometers in diameter, possess well-defined three-dimensional structures and clear spatial coordination. This atomic-level precision enables fine-tuned structural regulation, further enhancing their fluorescence properties. Variations in cluster size, surface ligands, and alloying elements can result in distinct physicochemical characteristics. The incorporation of different atoms can modulate the atomic and electronic structures of gold clusters, while diverse ligands can influence surface polarity and steric hindrance. As such, strategies like alloying and ligand engineering are effective in enhancing both fluorescence and catalytic performance, thereby meeting a broader range of clinical needs. In recent years, gold clusters have attracted growing attention in the biomedical field. Their application in NIR-II imaging has led to significant progress in vascular, organ, and tumor imaging. The resulting high-resolution, high signal-to-noise imaging provides powerful tools for clinical diagnostics. Moreover, biologically active gold clusters can aid in drug delivery and disease diagnosis and treatment, offering new opportunities for clinical therapeutics. Despite the notable achievements in fundamental research and clinical translation, further studies are required to address challenges related to the standardized synthesis and complex metabolic behavior of gold clusters. Resolving these issues will help accelerate their clinical adoption and broaden their biomedical applications.

As China accelerates its efforts in deep space exploration and long-duration space missions, including the operationalization of the Tiangong Space Station and the development of manned lunar missions, safeguarding astronauts’ physiological and cognitive functions under extreme space conditions becomes a pressing scientific imperative. Among the multifactorial stressors of spaceflight, microgravity emerges as a particularly potent disruptor of neurobehavioral homeostasis. Dopamine (DA) plays a central role in regulating behavior under space microgravity by influencing reward processing, motivation, executive function and sensorimotor integration. Changes in gravity disrupt dopaminergic signaling at multiple levels, leading to impairments in motor coordination, cognitive flexibility, and emotional stability. Microgravity exposure induces a cascade of neurobiological changes that challenge dopaminergic stability at multiple levels: from the transcriptional regulation of DA synthesis enzymes and the excitability of DA neurons, to receptor distribution dynamics and the efficiency of downstream signaling pathways. These changes involve downregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase in the substantia nigra, reduced phosphorylation of DA receptors, and alterations in vesicular monoamine transporter expression, all of which compromise synaptic DA availability. Experimental findings from space analog studies and simulated microgravity models suggest that gravitational unloading alters striatal and mesocorticolimbic DA circuitry, resulting in diminished motor coordination, impaired vestibular compensation, and decreased cognitive flexibility. These alterations not only compromise astronauts’ operational performance but also elevate the risk of mood disturbances and motivational deficits during prolonged missions. The review systematically synthesizes current findings across multiple domains: molecular neurobiology, behavioral neuroscience, and gravitational physiology. It highlights that maintaining DA homeostasis is pivotal in preserving neuroplasticity, particularly within brain regions critical to adaptation, such as the basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum. The paper also discusses the dual-edged nature of DA plasticity: while adaptive remodeling of synapses and receptor sensitivity can serve as compensatory mechanisms under stress, chronic dopaminergic imbalance may lead to maladaptive outcomes, such as cognitive rigidity and motor dysregulation. Furthermore, we propose a conceptual framework that integrates homeostatic neuroregulation with the demands of space environmental adaptation. By drawing from interdisciplinary research, the review underscores the potential of multiple intervention strategies including pharmacological treatment, nutritional support, neural stimulation techniques, and most importantly, structured physical exercise. Recent rodent studies demonstrate that treadmill exercise upregulates DA transporter expression in the dorsal striatum, enhances tyrosine hydroxylase activity, and increases DA release during cognitive tasks, indicating both protective and restorative effects on dopaminergic networks. Thus, exercise is highlighted as a key approach because of its sustained effects on DA production, receptor function, and brain plasticity, making it a strong candidate for developing effective measures to support astronauts in maintaining cognitive and emotional stability during space missions. In conclusion, the paper not only underscores the centrality of DA homeostasis in space neuroscience but also reflects the authors’ broader academic viewpoint: understanding the neurochemical substrates of behavior under microgravity is fundamental to both space health and terrestrial neuroscience. By bridging basic neurobiology with applied space medicine, this work contributes to the emerging field of gravitational neurobiology and provides a foundation for future research into individualized performance optimization in extreme environments.

ObjectiveTobacco-related diseases remain one of the leading preventable public health challenges worldwide and are among the primary causes of premature death. In recent years, accumulating evidence has supported the classification of nicotine addiction as a chronic brain disease, profoundly affecting both brain structure and function. Despite the urgency, effective diagnostic methods for smoking addiction remain lacking, posing significant challenges for early intervention and treatment. To address this issue and gain deeper insights into the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence, this study proposes a novel graph neural network framework, termed TI-GNN. This model leverages functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to identify complex and subtle abnormalities in brain connectivity patterns associated with smoking addiction. MethodsThe study utilizes fMRI data to construct functional connectivity matrices that represent interaction patterns among brain regions. These matrices are interpreted as graphs, where brain regions are nodes and the strength of functional connectivity between them serves as edges. The proposed TI-GNN model integrates a Transformer module to effectively capture global interactions across the entire brain network, enabling a comprehensive understanding of high-level connectivity patterns. Additionally, a spatial attention mechanism is employed to selectively focus on informative inter-regional connections while filtering out irrelevant or noisy features. This design enhances the model’s ability to learn meaningful neural representations crucial for classification tasks. A key innovation of TI-GNN lies in its built-in causal interpretation module, which aims to infer directional and potentially causal relationships among brain regions. This not only improves predictive performance but also enhances model interpretability—an essential attribute for clinical applications. The identification of causal links provides valuable insights into the neuropathological basis of addiction and contributes to the development of biologically plausible and trustworthy diagnostic tools. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that the TI-GNN model achieves superior classification performance on the smoking addiction dataset, outperforming several state-of-the-art baseline models. Specifically, TI-GNN attains an accuracy of 0.91, an F1-score of 0.91, and a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.83, indicating strong robustness and reliability. Beyond performance metrics, TI-GNN identifies critical abnormal connectivity patterns in several brain regions implicated in addiction. Notably, it highlights dysregulations in the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with prior clinical and neuroimaging findings. These regions are well known for their roles in emotional regulation, reward processing, and impulse control—functions that are frequently disrupted in nicotine dependence. ConclusionThe TI-GNN framework offers a powerful and interpretable tool for the objective diagnosis of smoking addiction. By integrating advanced graph learning techniques with causal inference capabilities, the model not only achieves high diagnostic accuracy but also elucidates the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction. The identification of specific abnormal brain networks and their causal interactions deepens our understanding of addiction pathophysiology and lays the groundwork for developing targeted intervention strategies and personalized treatment approaches in the future.

italic>Salmonella has emerged as a promising tumor-targeting strategy in recent years due to its good tumor targeting ability and certain safety. In order to further optimize its therapeutic effect, scientists have tried to modify Salmonella, including its attenuation and drug loading. This paper summarizes the mechanism and research progress of Salmonella-mediated targeted tumor therapy, and introduces the strategies and related progress of its modification and optimization. At the same time, the advantages, current challenges and future development directions of Salmonella-mediated tumor therapy are summarized.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effects of Wumeiwan on oxidative stress injury of ulcerative colitis mice induced by dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)by regulating Kelch-like ECH related protein 1(Keap-1)-nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)signaling pathwayand.Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups:normal group,model group,positive control group,experimental-L,-H groups.UC mice model were induced by free access to 2％DSS water.Mice in normal and model group were orally administered with 0.9％NaCl,mice in positive control group were orally treated with Mesalazine solution(0.005 g·10 g-1·d-1),while mice in experimental groups were orally administered with Wumeiwan decoction at the dose of 0.13 and 0.26 g·10 g-1·d-1,respectively.All the drugs were administered for consecutive 7 days,1 times a day.The levels of disease activity index(DAI)and the colon length were scored.The levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)in colon tissue of mice were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)method.The level of Keap-1,Nrf2,HO-1 proteins in colon tissue were determined by Western blot method.Results The levels of DAI of seventh day in normal group,positive control group,experimental-L,-H groups were 0、(2.62±0.33),(1.87±0.35),(1.87±0.35)and(1.58±0.35);the colon lengths were(8.16±0.47)、(5.98±0.24),(7.58±0.38),(7.33±0.24)and(7.48±0.51)cm;the SOD mRNA were 1.01±0.16、0.40±0.01,1.43±0.45,0.65±0.01 and 0.83±0.02;the CAT mRNA were 1.01±0.20、0.45±0.01,0.84±0.02,0.68±0.07 and 0.87±0.05;the COX-2 mRNA were 1.03±0.33、16.65±0.60,4.78±0.25,14.07±0.60 and 7.39±0.15;the iNOS mRNA were 1.04±0.40、20.71±0.66,8.09±0.93,15.44±0.68 and 11.66±0.06;the levels of Keap-1 were 1.22±0.16、1.10±0.05,1.18±0.05,1.94±0.08 and 1.17±0.08;the levels of Nrf2 were 1.12±0.16、0.76±0.15,0.65±0.13,0.70±0.16 and 0.82±0.18;the levels of HO-1 were 1.34±0.15、1.00±0.12,0.89±0.10,1.50±0.18 and 1.40±0.13,respectively.Significant difference was found between normal group and model group(P＜0.01,P＜0.05);significant difference was also found between the experimental-L,-H groups and model group(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Conclusion Wumeiwan can inhibit oxidative stress in mice with UC,the mechanisms may be related to adjusted the expression of Keap-1-Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway protein in colon.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of ZKY001 eye drops with different concentrations in the treatment of corneal epithelial defects(CED)after primary pterygium excision.METHODS: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial. From March 15, 2022 to November 14, 2022, patients with primary pterygium who had undergone surgery were recruited from 12 tertiary hospitals across China. Using block randomization, 178 patients(178 eyes)were randomly assigned to 3 groups in a 1:1:1 ratio: 0.002% ZKY001 group(n=59), 0.004% ZKY001 group(n=59), and placebo group(n=60, receiving ZKY001 sham eye drops). Subjects in each group received 1 drop of the study drug 4 times per day for 4 d. The percentage of CED area recovery from baseline, the first complete healing time of CED area, the number of first complete healing cases of CED, and changes in visual analogue scale(VAS)scores for eye discomfort including eye pain, foreign body sensation, tearing and photophobia were observed.RESULTS: In terms of improvement in CED, there were no statistically significant differences among the three groups including the first healing time of CED, the percentage improvement in CED area compared to baseline, and the percentage of first healing cases at different follow-up visits(all P>0.05). Numerically, the first healing time of CED was shorter in the test groups compared to the placebo group(67.87±21.688 h for the 0.002% ZKY001 group, 61.48±22.091 h for the 0.004% ZKY001 group, and 68.85±20.851 h for the placebo group). On D1 morning, the percentage improvement in CED area compared to baseline was maximally different from the placebo group, and the numerical difference advantage was maintained at subsequent follow-up visits. The number of first healing cases in the CED area at different follow-up visits was higher in the test groups than the placebo group. In terms of improvement in ocular discomfort, the total VAS scores were lower in the test groups compared to the placebo group, mainly due to reductions in foreign body sensation and pain scores. At D3, the 0.004% ZKY001 group showed statistically significant improvement in foreign body sensation(P<0.017). In terms of safety, the overall incidence of adverse events was low(9.0%)and similar among groups.CONCLUSION: The use of ZKY001 eyedrops after primary pterygium surgery can safely improve the CED repair, and alleviate postoperative symptoms caused by CED.

Extracting extracts of secondary metabolites from the karst cave fungus Metarhizium anisopliae NHC-M3-2 from the Yilingyan Scenic Area in Guangxi. Ten compounds were isolated and purified from fungal secondary metabolites using thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. 7-Hydroxy-3-hydroxypropyl-5,6-dimethylisochrome-1-one (1) and 7-hydroxy-3,5,6-trimethyl-isochromen-1-one (2) were new isocoumarin compounds, N-acetyl phenylalanine (3), chaetosumin J (4), 2-one-13-hydroxy-3,5,8,7(11)-eudesmatetraen-12,8-olide (5), 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde (6), irpexolaceus B (7), irlactin L (8), cytochalasin K (9), and helvolic acid (10), a total of 8 known compounds. The structure of the compound was determined using methods such as NMR and mass spectrometry. The tumor cytotoxicity of the compound was evaluated using the CCK-8 method. The results showed that the IC₅₀ of compound 2 on HepG2 cells was 29.83 µmol·L^-1, and compound 9 on HCT116 cells was 27.44 µmol·L^-1.

This paper applied gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), network pharmacology and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (¹H NMR) metabolomics techniques to study the material basis and mechanism of action of Ning Shen Essential Oil in anti-insomnia. The main volatile components of Ning Shen Essential Oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the insomnia-related targets were predicted using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analytical Platform (TCMSP) and the databases of GeneCards, OMIM and Drugbank. The insomnia model of rats was replicated by intraperitoneal injection of 4-chloro-DL-phenylalanine (PCPA). Animal experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Ethics No.: SDUTCM20221025010). The modulating effect of Compound Ning Shen Essential Oil on anxiety behavior of rats was evaluated by behavioral related indexes. The serum levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenotropic corticotropic hormone (ACTH) and melatonin (MT) were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Rat serum and hippocampus were taken for nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) metabolomics to detect the changes of endogenous metabolites in rat serum hippocampus, to designate the differential metabolites and to construct metabolic pathways. The results showed that the exercise distance in the open field experiment and the number of times and time to enter the open arm in the elevated cross maze experiment of the rats in the model group were significantly reduced (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The behavioral indexes of rats improved to different degrees after the administration of Ning Shen Essential Oil. The serum CRH and ACTH levels of rats in the model group increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the MT level decreased significantly (P < 0.01); After the intervention, serum CRH and ACTH levels were reduced to different degrees, and MT levels could be regressed. ¹H NMR metabolomics screened 10 potential biomarkers related to insomnia, which involved in 6 potential metabolic pathways. A total of 35 components of Ning Shen Essential Oil were detected by GC-MS, the main component targets of Ning Shen Essential Oil and insomnia disease targets were intersected, a total of 172 intersecting genes were screened, and 26 core targets were identified. The study demonstrated that Ning Shen Essential Oil had protective effects against PCPA-induced insomnia in rats, which was probably correlated with regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) related hormones and metabolism of amino acids, lipids and choline.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic relapsing intestinal inflammation and encompasses ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). IBD has emerged as a global healthcare problem. Clinically efficacious therapeutic agents are deficient. This study concentrates on models of ulcerative colitis with the objective of discovering novel therapeutic strategies. Previous investigations have established that schisandrin A demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects in vitro, concurrently enhancing the transcriptional activity of farnesoid X receptor (FXR). FXR inversely modulates the transcriptional activity of NF-κB, which has an important role in regulating inflammatory responses. Consequently, the current study was to explore the safeguarding influence of schisandrin A on ulcerative colitis and delineate the mechanism by which it regulates this effect through the FXR signaling pathway. The effect of schisandrin A on the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors was evaluated in RAW264.7 cells. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the relationship between schisandrin A and FXR targeting. The animal experiments were performed in accordance with the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval No. PZSHUTCM2304250005). Acute ulcerative colitis was induced in wild-type or FXR knockout C57BL/6 mice by drinking 3% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) for 7 days, and schisandrin A was administered via gavage for a continuous treatment period of 7 days. The body weight and faecal were monitored daily. The mRNA levels of inflammatory factors in colon tissue and FXR target genes were measured by RT-qPCR. The findings revealed that schisandrin A, in vitro, impeded the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation in mRNA levels of inflammatory factors and schisandrin A could augment transcriptional activity of FXR. In wild-type mice, schisandrin A significantly improved weight loss, colon shortening, loose stools and blood in stools in mice with acute ulcerative colitis, and schisandrin A significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors genes and significantly increased the expression of FXR target genes in colon tissues. In FXR knockout mice, the administration of schisandrin A failed to yield ameliorative effect on acute ulcerative colitis in mice. In conclusion, schisandrin A can reduce intestinal inflammation through the FXR signaling pathway to alleviate acute ulcerative colitis in mice. Implications arise that Schisandra lignans could serve as lead compounds for drug development aimed at inflammatory bowel disease.

This paper investigates the effect of myricetin (MYR) on renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and common bile duct ligation (CBDL) in mice and its mechanism. The animal experiment has been approved by the Ethics Committee of China Pharmaceutical University (NO: 2022-10-020). Thirty-five ICR mice were divided into control, UUO, UUO+MYR, CBDL and CBDL+MYR groups. H&E and Masson staining were used to detect pathological changes in kidney tissues. Western blot (WB) was used to detect the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in renal tissue, and total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity detection kit (WST-8) was used to detect the changes of total SOD in renal tissue of CBDL mice. In vitro, HK-2 cells and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1, 10 ng·mL^-1) were used to induce fibrotic model, and high glucose (30 mmol·L^-1) was used to induce oxidative stress model, and then treated with different concentrations of MYR, WB was used to detect the expression of fibrosis and oxidative stress-related proteins, while NIH/3T3 cells were treated with different concentrations of MYR, and their effects on cell proliferation were detected by 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (Brdu). The results showed that the renal lesions in UUO group and CBDL group were severe, collagen deposition was obvious, the expression of collagen-Ⅰ (COL-Ⅰ), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin (FN), vimentin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) protein was up-regulated, and the activity of SOD enzyme in CBDL group was significantly decreased. MYR partly reversed the above changes after treatment. MYR inhibited the proliferation of NIH/3T3 cells but had no effect on the proliferation of HK-2 cells, and decreased the upregulation of PAI-1, FN and vimentin in HK-2 cells stimulated by TGF-β1. MYR can also up-regulate the down-regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in HK-2 cells stimulated by high glucose. To sum up, MYR can improve renal fibrosis in vivo and in vitro, probably by inhibiting the proliferation of fibroblasts and activating Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway to inhibit oxidative stress.