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.

Background The quality of occupational health technical services is directly linked to the protection of workers' health rights and the efficacy of occupational disease prevention and control. However, the industry still faces critical challenges: sporadic instances of institutional non-compliance and persistent irregularities in professional practice continue to undermine overall service performance. Objective To assess the current quality status of occupational health technical services in Zhejiang Province and propose countermeasures for quality improvement, providing a scientific basis for policy optimization and service delivery quality enhancement. Methods A total of 69 occupational health technical service institutions in Zhejiang Province that obtained formal accreditation as of April 30, 2024, were sampled, including 3 public institutions and 66 private institutions (comprising 3 formerly Class-A, 28 formerly Class-B, 11 formerly Class-C, and 24 newly certified institutions). Following the Technical Protocol for Quality Monitoring of Occupational Health Technical Service in Zhejiang Province and the Technical Protocol for Proficiency Testing of Occupational Health Detection in Zhejiang Province, a quality assessment task force comprising national and provincial experts was established. Evaluation was conducted across four dimensions: qualification maintenance and compliance, standardization of technical services, authenticity of technical services, and proficiency testing, utilizing a combination of document review, on-site inspections, and technical skill assessments. Results The occupational health technical service institutions in Zhejiang Province were predominantly private entities (82.5%), with significant disparities in overall service quality. The pass rates for qualification maintenance and compliance, technical service standardization, technical service authenticity, and the excellence rate for laboratory proficiency testing were 81.5%, 80.7%, 97.3%, and 90.4%, respectively. Regarding qualification maintenance, the pass rates for "environmental conditions" (49.8%, 56.7%) and "instrumentation and equipment" (58.2%、65.6%) were significantly lower for formerly Class-C and newly certified institutions compared to other categories. In terms of technical standardization, "standardized on-site inspections" recorded the lowest pass rate (67.4%), with newly certified institutions at only 48.0%. Regarding technical service authenticity, formerly Class-C institutions exhibited issues such as missing raw chromatograms for blank samples (85.7% pass rate). In laboratory proficiency testing, public and formerly Class-A institutions achieved 100% excellence rates, but the performance of formerly Class-C and newly certified institutions was comparatively weak; specifically, the failure rate for organic analysis in formerly Class-C institutions reached 20%; the failure rate for dust testing items in newly certified institutions was 10.3%. Conclusion The overall quality of occupational health technical services in Zhejiang Province still requires significant improvement, particularly in basic institutional conditions, the standardization of on-site inspections, and laboratory proficiency in organic and dust analysis. Formerly Class-C and newly certified institutions should be the primary focus of quality management efforts. Differentiated regulatory strategies are recommended, alongside strengthening interim and ex-post supervision to gradually enhance the quality of occupational health technical services across all institutions.

OBJECTIVE: Salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus (SPF) is widely used as a phytoestrogen-like agent in the treatment of osteoporosis. However, due to improper clinical use or misuse, resulting in liver damage. In this study, network pharmacology was employed to analyze the mechanism of cholestatic liver damage. An adeno-associated virus overexpressing SULT1E1 (rAAV8-SULT1E1) was constructed and the hepatotoxicity of SPF, psoralen, and isopsoralen was determined. METHODS: By utilizing three databases inclding TCMSP, TCMID, and BATMAN- TCM, the targets of the three databases were summarized, and a total of 45 psoralen compounds were included. Network pharmacology analysis was then performed. The adenoviral vectors were injected into the tail vein of C57BL6 mice to elucidate the role of SULT1E1 in SPF-induced cholestasis-mediated hepatotoxicity in vivo. SPF (10 g/kg), psoralen, and isopsoralen (50 mg/kg each) were intragastrically administered to mice for 30 d. B-ultrasound and samples were collected and examined for follow-up experiments. RESULTS: A total of 854 targets were predicted for 45 active components, with 151 cholestasis-mediated hepatotoxicity-related disease targets obtained for SPF. A total of 126 pathways were enriched based on KEGG pathway analysis, with the "estrogen signaling pathway" identified as one of the top 20 pathways. In terms of pathological hepatic changes, treated mice had visually swollen hepatocytes, dilated bile ducts, and elevated serum biochemical markers, which were more prominent in mice treated with isopsoralen than in those treated with other compounds. Notably, the overexpression of SULT1E1 could reverse liver damage in each treatment group. B-ultrasound was used to observe the size of the gallbladder in vivo. The size of the gallbladder was found to significantly increase on day 30 after treatment in the SPF-, psoralen-, and isopsoralen-treated groups, especially the SPF group. Compared with the expression levels in the negative control group (rAAV8-empty + con), the expression levels of FXR, Mrp2, Bsep, SULT1E1, SULT2A1, Ntcp, and Nrf2 decreased, whereas those of CYP7a1 and IL-6 increased in the SPF-, psoralen-, and isopsoralen-treated groups. CONCLUSION The overexpression of SULT1E1 could alleviate the decreased or increased expression of indicators, indicating that SULT1E1 is an important target gene for SPF-induced liver damage. The severity of liver damage was significantly lower in the rAAV8-SULT1E1 groups than in the rAAV8-empty groups.

Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pathogen-associated biomarkers is vital for the early diagnosis and therapy of bacterial infections. Herein, we developed a close-packed and ordered Au@AgPt array coupled with a cascade triggering strategy for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and colorimetric identification of the Staphylococcus aureus biomarker micrococcal nuclease (MNase) in serum samples. The trimetallic Au@AgPt nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) molecules to SERS-enhanced oxidized TMB (oxTMB), accompanied by the color change from colorless to blue. In the presence of S. aureus, the secreted MNase preferentially cut the nucleobase AT-rich regions of DNA sequences on magnetic beads (MBs) to release alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which subsequently mediated the oxTMB reduction for inducing the colorimetric/SERS signal fade away. Using this "on-to-off" triggering strategy, the target S. aureus can be recorded in a wide linear range with a limit of detection of 38 CFU/mL in the colorimetric mode and 6 CFU/mL in the SERS mode. Meanwhile, the MNase-mediated strategy characterized by high specificity and sensitivity successfully discriminated between patients with sepsis (n = 7) and healthy participants (n = 3), as well as monitored the prognostic progression of the disease (n = 2). Overall, benefiting from highly active and dense "hot spot" substrate, MNase-mediated cascade response strategy, and colorimetric/SERS dual-signal output, this methodology will offer a promising avenue for the early diagnosis of S. aureus infection.

ObjectiveTo analyze the changes in the degree of coordination of China's major epidemic prevention and control efforts before and after the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), so as to explore the impact of epidemic prevention and control measures on coordination dynamics. MethodsA total of 3 864 policy documents related to epidemic prevention and control from January 2000 to December 2020 across 31 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) in China were systematically collected. Contents specific to collaborative and cooperative efforts were extracted, and the extent of interdepartmental coordination were quantified to assess the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control efforts. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was adopted to statistically analyze the differences between the indicators before and after the epidemic. ResultsThe average overall coordination level for major epidemic prevention and control in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) increased from 43.06% to 97.62%, and the average coordination levels in the eastern, central, and western China soared from 42.29%, 37.50%, and 47.46%, to 98.81%, 96.20%, and 97.46%, respectively, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). In terms of department categorization, coordination levels in the professional departments and the key support departments peaked at 100.00%, while other support departments rose to 95.43%, with an increase of 77.15%, 181.85%, and 139.89%, respectively, exhibiting noteworthy statistically significant differences (all P<0.001). ConclusionThe scope of coordination departments of China’s major epidemic prevention and control exists a remarkable surge following the COVID-19 outbreak, notable heightened coordination is particularly observed among the key support departments. Future endeavors should prioritize the roles played by diverse departments in epidemic prevention and control, enhancing both the clarity of departmental responsibilities and the effectiveness of interdepartmental coordination.

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the public health governance capacity of 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces, providing a scientific evaluation basis for building a "Healthy Yangtze River Delta". MethodsA comprehensive collection of policy documents, public information reports, and research literature related to public health governance capacity in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces was conducted, totaling 6 920 policy documents, 1 720 information reports, and 1 200 literature pieces. Based on the evaluation standards for an appropriate public health system established by the research team, the basic status of public health governance capacity was assessed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the 40 cities. ResultsIn 2022, the public health governance capacity score for the 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces was (562.5±38.0) points. In terms of specific areas, the emergency response field received the highest score of (791.4±49.7) points, while the chronic disease prevention and control field received the lowest score of (368.2±29.6) points. The Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Anhui region has largely achieved the strategic priority of health, gradually improved public health legal regulations, and established a basic organizational framework with a solid foundation for information and data infrastructure. However, challenges still need to be addressed, such as unstable government funding for public health, unclear departmental responsibilities, and barriers to information interoperability. ConclusionThe public health governance capacity of the 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Province has been at a moderate level, but disparities have still existed across regions and fields. In the future, while continuing to deepen existing advantages, it is essential to accurately identify the causes of problems, establish a long-term and stable investment mechanism, enhance information connectivity mechanisms, further clarify departmental responsibilities, and promote the achievement of the "Healthy Yangtze River Delta" goal.

ObjectiveTo investigate the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the level of serum homocysteine (Hcy) in association with the incidence of stroke in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. MethodsBased on the chronic disease risk factor surveillance cohort in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, excluding those with stroke in baseline survey, T2DM patients who joined the cohort from January 2016 to October 2020 were selected as the research subjects. During the follow-up period, a total of 318 new-onset ischemic stroke patients were selected as the case group, and a total of 318 individuals matched by gender without stroke were selected as the control group. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to adjust for confounding factors and explore the serum TyG index and the Hcy biochemical indicator in association with the risk of stroke. ResultsThe Cox proportional hazards regression results showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients with 10 μmol·L⁻¹-¹ and Hcy>15 μmol·L⁻¹ was 1.532 times (95%CI: 1.017‒2.309 times, P=0.041) and 1.738 times (95%CI: 1.119‒2.699 times, P=0.014) higher respectively, compared to T2DM patients with Hcy≤10 μmol·L⁻¹. T2DM patients with TyG>9.074 had 1.396 times higher risk of stroke (95%CI: 1.091‒1.787, P=0.008) compared to those with TyG≤9.074. The study found that urea and α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) were independent risk factors for the incidence of stroke in T2DM patients. For every unit increase in urea andα1-AT, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients increased by 233.6% (HR=3.336, 95%CI: 1.588‒7.009, P=0.001) and 11.3% (HR=1.113, 95%CI: 1.028‒1.205, P=0.008), respectively. Cumulative risk curves showed that Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and TyG>9.074 accelerated the time to stroke occurrence in T2DM patients. ConclusionElevated levels of Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and a higher TyG index are risk factors for stroke in T2DM patients. Effective interventions for Hcy and TyG should be conducted for diabetic patients to reduce the incidence of stroke.

Landsteiner established classical rules through incomplete inductive reasoning. Although theoretical incompleteness and application limitations existed due to the limited number of early observation samples, this flaw not only fails to diminish its milestone significance in the history of transfusion medicine, but also vividly illustrates the objective law that scientific cognition possesses historical limitations. Through a systematic review of the research history of ABO blood groups, this study is the first to propose that abnormal phenomena such as weak agglutination, discrepancies between forward and reverse typing, and false concordance are actually inherent reactive characteristics of weak phenotypes. This breakthrough transcends traditional judgment standards and constructs a more universal ABO blood group detection and interpretation model. It not only expands the boundaries of Landsteiner's rules, but also provides practical solutions for clinical laboratories to handle complex samples.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL