ObjectiveTo characterize the quality differences among different germplasm and introduced varieties of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium roots（BSR）， and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms， providing a basis for high-quality production and quality control. MethodsWild BSR from Yulin（YLW） served as the quality reference， we conducted comparative analysis among YLW， locally domesticated wild germplasm in Yulin（YLC3）， Daqing germplasm introduced and cultivated in Yulin（YLDQC3）， and locally cultivated germplasm in Daqing（DQC3）. A combination of traditional pharmacognostic methods and modern multi-omics analyses was employed， including macroscopic traits（appearance， odor）， microscopic features（proportions of cork， phloem， xylem）， cell wall component contents（hemicellulose， cellulose， lignin）， carbohydrate contents（starch， water-soluble polysaccharides）， marker compound contents（ethanol-soluble extracts， total saponins， liposoluble extracts， and saikosaponins A， B₂， C， D）， metabolomics， and transcriptomics， in order to systematically characterize quality differences and investigate molecular mechanisms among these samples. ResultsMacroscopically， Yulin-produced BSR（YLW， YLC3， YLDQC3） exhibited significantly greater weight， length， and upper and middle diameters than Daqing-produced BSR（DQC3）. Odor-wise， YLW and YLC3 had a a fragrance taste， YLDQC3 had a rancid oil odor， and DQC3 had a sweet and fragrant taste. Microscopically， Yulin germplasm（YLW， YLC3） and Daqing germplasm（YLDQC3， DQC3） shared similar structural features， respectively. However， Yulin germplasm showed significantly higher proportions of cork and phloem， as well as stronger xylem vessel staining intensity compared to Daqing germplasm. Regarding various component contents， Yulin germplasm contained significantly higher levels of ethanol-soluble extracts， total saponins， and saikosaponins A， B₂， C， D， while Daqing germplasm had significantly higher levels of hemicellulose， starch， and liposoluble extracts. After introduction to Yulin， the Daqing germplasm（YLDQC3） showed increased starch， water-soluble polysaccharides and liposoluble extracts contents， decreased cell wall component content， but no significant difference in other component contents. Metabolomics revealed that saponins and terpenes accumulated significantly in Yulin germplasm， while alcohols and aldehydes accumulated predominantly in Daqing germplasm. Transcriptomics indicated similar gene expression patterns within the same germplasm but specificity between different germplasms. Integrative metabolomic-transcriptomic analysis identified 145 potential key genes associated with the saikosaponin biosynthesis pathway， including one acetyl-coenzyme A（CoA） acetyltransferase gene（ACAT）， one 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase gene（HMGS）， two hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA（HMG-CoA） reductase genes（HMG）， one phosphomevalonate kinase gene（PMK）， one 1-deoxy-D-xylose-5-phosphate synthase gene（CLA）， one hydroxymethylbuten-1-aldol synthase gene（HDR）， two farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase genes（FPPS）， one squalene synthase gene（SQS）， one β-amyrin synthase gene（BAS）， 102 cytochrome P450（CYP450） gene family members， and 32 uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase（UGT） gene family members. ConclusionAmong the three cultivated types， YLC3 most closely resembles YLW in appearance， microscopic features， contents of major bioactive constituents， metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles. Yulin germplasm exhibits superior saponin synthesis capability compared to Daqing germplasm， and Yulin region is more suitable for the growth of B. scorzonerifolium. Based on these findings， it is recommended that artificial cultivation in northern Shaanxi and similar regions utilize the local Yulin germplasm source cultivated for at least three years.

Objective:To assess the value of preoperative salivary cortisol morning/night secretion ratio (AM/PM ratio) in predicting acute postoperative pain in patients.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study. A total of 120 patients, aged 18-64 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ or Ⅱ, with body mass index of 18-28 kg/m 2, undergoing elective single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy from January to October 2023 in Subei People′s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, were selected, and their anxiety and depression status was evaluated by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Mood Measurement Scale (HADS) before surgery. Saliva samples were collected in the morning and evening 1 day before operation, and the cortisol concentration was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ratio of morning cortisol concentration to night cortisol concentration before operation was calculated (cortisol AM/PM ratio). The patients were divided into two groups according to the highest numerical rating scale (NRS) score within 48 h after surgery: no or mild pain group with the highest NRS score ≤3 and moderate to severe pain group with the highest NRS score ≥ 4. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors of moderate to severe acute pain after surgery, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive value. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, preoperative HADS anxiety score, preoperative HADS depression score and preoperative cortisol AM/PM ratio were independent risk factors for moderate to severe acute pain after surgery ( P<0.05). The results of the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of preoperative cortisol AM/PM ratio in predicting moderate to severe acute postoperative pain was 0.803 (95% confidence interval 0.708-0.898, P<0.001), the optimal cut-off value was 3.46, the sensitivity was 71.1%, and the specificity was 87.7%. Conclusions:Preoperative salivary cortisol morning/night secretion ratio can predict the occurrence of acute postoperative pain in patients.