This study aimed to characterize and identify the non-volatile components in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stems and leaves of Rhododendron tomentosum by using sensitive and efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with a self-built information database. By comparing with reference compounds, analyzing fragment ion information, searching relevant literature, and using a self-built information database, 118 compounds were identified from the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of R. tomentosum, including 35 flavonoid glycosides, 15 phenolic glycosides, 12 flavonoids, 7 phenolic acids, 7 phenylethanol glycosides, 6 tannins, 6 phospholipids, 5 coumarins, 5 monoterpene glycosides, 6 triterpenes, 3 fatty acids, and 11 other types of compounds. Among them, 102 compounds were reported in R. tomentosum for the first time, and 36 compounds were identified by comparing them with reference compounds. The chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum leaves and stems showed slight differences, with 84 common chemical components accounting for 71.2% of the total 118 compounds. This study systematically characterized and identified the non-volatile chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum for the first time. The findings provide a reference for active ingredient research, quality control, and product development of R. tomentosum.
Rhododendron/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms distinguishing metabolically healthy from unhealthy phenotypes within the same BMI categories remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between regional fat distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotypes in Chinese adults across different BMI categories. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involving 11833 Chinese adults aged 20 years and older. Covariance analysis, adjusted for age, compared the percentage of regional fat (trunk, leg, or arm fat divided by whole-body fat) between metabolically healthy and unhealthy participants. Trends in regional fat percentage with the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately by sex. RESULTS: In non-obese individuals, metabolically unhealthy participants exhibited higher percent trunk fat and lower percent leg fat compared to healthy participants. Additionally, percent trunk fat increased and percent leg fat decreased with the number of metabolic abnormalities. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as BMI, higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased odds of being metabolically unhealthy [highest vs. lowest quartile: ORs (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.35, 2.00) for men and 2.00 (1.63, 2.46) for women]. Conversely, compared with the lowest quartile, the ORs (95%CI) of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the highest quartile for percent arm and leg fat were 0.64 (0.53, 0.78) and 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) for men, and 0.72 (0.56, 0.93) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.59) for women, respectively. Significant interactions between BMI and percentage of trunk and leg fat were observed in both sexes, with stronger associations found in individuals with normal weight and overweight. CONCLUSIONS Trunk fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolically unhealthy phenotype, while leg and arm fat are protective factors. Regional fat distribution assessments are crucial for identifying metabolically unhealthy phenotypes, particularly in non-obese individuals.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Surveys ; Phenotype

Objective:This study aims to investigate the differences in hemostatic efficacy and patient comfort between an innovative domestically produced biodegradable nasal packing sponge and a traditional absorbent sponge following endoscopic nasal surgery. Methods:A prospective, randomized controlled trial design was utilized, including 30 patients who were divided into two groups according to random allocation, each receiving one of the two types of nasal packing. The study assessed the hemostatic efficacy, comfort, and safety of the materials by comparing the rates of no bleeding within 24 hours after packing, re-bleeding rates after 48 hours, pain ratings in the head and nasal areas, scores on a visual analog scale for nasal ocular symptoms, and safety indicators between the two groups. Results:The rates of no bleeding within 24 hours post-packing were 73.33% for both the experimental and control groups, with a no-bleeding rate of 100% after 48 hours in both groups. The pain rating in the head and nasal areas at various times post-packing was Grade Ⅰ（100%） in both groups, with no statistically significant difference（P=1.000）. The experimental groups sneezing score on the day of packing was（0.73±1.03）, lower than the control groups（2.27±1.67）, （P=0.007）; after 48 hours, the experimental groups sneezing score was（0.67±0.98）, also lower than the control groups（1.67±1.18）, （P=0.019）. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the Lund-Kennedy scoring during endoscopic examinations at the screening period, 7 days, 1 month, and 3 months post-packing（P>0.05）. Laboratory tests for other examination indicators were normal in both groups. Conclusion:The innovative domestically produced biodegradable nasal packing sponge not only provides hemostatic efficacy comparable to imported materials but also significantly improves patient comfort after surgery. It represents an economical and effective choice for nasal packing materials.
Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Surgical Sponges ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Epistaxis/prevention & control* ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Adult

Pyroptosis is an identified programmed cell death that has been highly linked to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dynamics. However, the crucial proteins for modulating dynamic ER membrane curvature change that trigger pyroptosis are currently not well understood. In this study, a biotin-labeled chemical probe of potent pyroptosis inducer α-mangostin (α-MG) was synthesized. Through protein microarray analysis, reticulon-4 (RTN4/Nogo), a crucial regulator of ER membrane curvature, was identified as a target of α-MG. We observed that chemically induced proteasome degradation of RTN4 by α-MG through recruiting E3 ligase UBR5 significantly enhances the pyroptosis phenotype in cancer cells. Interestingly, the downregulation of RTN4 expression significantly facilitated a dynamic remodeling of ER membrane curvature through a transition from tubules to sheets, consequently leading to rapid fusion of the ER with the cell plasma membrane. In particular, the ER-to-plasma membrane fusion process is supported by the observed translocation of several crucial ER markers to the "bubble" structures of pyroptotic cells. Furthermore, α-MG-induced RTN4 knockdown leads to pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-dependent conventional caspase-3/gasdermin E (GSDME) cleavages for pyroptosis progression. In vivo, we observed that chemical or genetic RTN4 knockdown significantly inhibited cancer cells growth, which further exhibited an antitumor immune response with anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1). In translational research, RTN4 high expression was closely correlated with the tumor metastasis and death of patients. Taken together, RTN4 plays a fundamental role in inducing pyroptosis through the modulation of ER membrane curvature remodeling, thus representing a prospective druggable target for anticancer immunotherapy.
Pyroptosis/immunology* ; Humans ; Endoplasmic Reticulum/immunology* ; Animals ; Nogo Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Xanthones/pharmacology* ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Mice, Nude

Objective To discuss the application of enhanced MRI-based radiomics nomogram in predicting the efficacy of initial transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)in patients with intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods A total of 195 patients with advanced HCC(CNLC Ⅱ b-Ⅲb),who received initial TACE at the Affiliated Fifth Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University(Center 1)from January 2019 to March 2024,at the Lishui Municipal People's Hospital(Center 2)from July 2021 to June 2023,and at the Rui'an Municipal People's Hospital(Center 3)from January 2022 to January 2024,were enrolled in this study.A total of 134 patients from Center 1 were randomly divided into a training set(n=94)and an internal validation set(n=40)at a 7∶3 ratio;and other 61 patients from Center 2 and Center 3 were selected as the external validation set.Based on the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(mRECIST)criteria,the early efficacy of the initial TACE procedure was evaluated.The patients were divided into an effective group and an ineffective group.The tumor contours were delineated on the arterial,portal,and equilibrium phase images of enhanced MRI,and the corresponding radiomics features were extracted.Based on reduced-dimensional features,the Logistic regression,support vector machine,lightweight gradient boosting machine,and multi-layer perceptron models were established.Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen independent predictive factors,and a nomogram was established in conjunction with the optimal radiomics score.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)was used to evaluate the performance of the model,and decision curve analysis was adopted to calculate the net benefits.Results After screening,9 key radiomics features were obtained.The lightweight gradient boosting machine model showed good prediction performance.The AUCs of the training set,internal validation set,and external validation set were 0.909,0.836 and 0.783 respectively,which was selected as the optimal radiomics model.The nomogram constructed based on AFP level,peritumoral enhancement,and optimal radiomics score could further improve its performance,with AUC values of 0.962,0.890 and 0.821 in the training set,internal validation set,and external validation set respectively.Decision curve analysis showed that this model could bring higher net benefits to patients.Conclusion The nomogram constructed based on the enhanced MRI-based radiomics combined with AFP level and peritumoral enhancement can effectively predict the efficacy of the initial TACE in patients with intermediate to advanced HCC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between the composition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and depression/anxiety/sleep disturbances (D/A/S) in patients with chronic pain.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at 13 tertiary hospitals across China, enrolling patients who experienced chronic pain between November 2023 and May 2024. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and TCM constitution categories were used to assess the patients. The association between the TCM constitution and the D/A/S ratio was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 1107 patients (63.2% women) were analyzed. Compared with those with a balanced constitution, patients who had qi-deficiency and yin-deficiency were at a higher risk of depression. Qi-deficiency and yin-deficiency were associated with anxiety. Sleep disturbances were common in patients with qi-deficiency constitution (odds ratio [OR]: 2.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42–3.81), yang-deficiency constitution (OR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.26–2.98), yin-deficiency constitution (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.24–3.32), blood stasis constitution (OR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.01–4.22), and qi-stagnation constitution (OR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.35–5.25).ConclusionIn patients with chronic pain, specific TCM constitutions may be associated with D/A/S. Further longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the potential causal relationships between TCM constitution types and these conditions.

Objective To evaluate the clinical application value of medical tissue glue in the treatment of acute hemoptysis by bronchial arterial embolization(BAE).Methods The clinical data of 78 patients who underwent emergency BAE for hemoptysis were retrospectively collected.Among them,18 patients who underwent embolization with medical tissue glue were selected as a study group,and other 18 patients who underwent embolization with absorbent gelatin sponge particles and spring coil were selected as a control group.The technical success rates,average surgical operation time,average surgical cost,postoperative hemoptysis recur-rence rate,and incidence of adverse reactions of the two groups were compared and analyzed.Results The technical success rates of the two groups were both 100％.There were no statistically significant differences in recurrence rate of postoperative hemoptysis and incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P＞0.05).The average surgical operation time of study group and control group were 53.4 min[(53.4±2.2)min]and 65.4 min[(65.4±2.8)min],and the average surgical cost were 3 651 yuan[(3 651±102.7)yuan]and 5 094 yuan[(5 094±136.3)yuan],respectively.Compared with the control group,the average surgical operation time and aver-age surgical cost of the study group were shorter,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with absorbent gelatin sponge particles combined with spring coil embolization,the use of medical tissue glue for embolization is also safe and effective in the treatment of acute hemoptysis patients by BAE.The average surgical operation time is shorter,and the surgical cost for patients is lower.It is worth promoting in clinical practice.

Objective To study the effects of Chrysanthemum Flos on blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR)and evaluate its antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo.Methods SHR were randomly divided into model,control and experimental-L,-H groups with 10 rats per group,and 10 WKY rats as blank group.Experimental-H,-L groups were given 2.10 and 0.525 g·kg-1 Chrysanthemum Flos extract by gavage;control group received 5.25 mg·kg-1 losartan by gavage;blank and model groups were given the same volume of 0.9％NaCl solution by gavage.Rats in each group were gavaged once a day for 8 weeks.After 8 weeks of continuous intragastric administration,the systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)were observed.The contents of catalase(CAT),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GSH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in serum were measured with kit colorimetry method.The in vitro free radical scavenging rates of Chrysanthemum Flos extract were detected by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)and 2,2'-amino-di(2-ethyl-benzothiazoline sulphonic acid-6)ammonium salt(ABTS)methods.Results The SBP of blank,model,control and experimental-H,-L groups were(132.00±2.45),(204.00±4.55),(171.00±2.16),(181.00±3.74)and(184.67±4.78)mmHg;the DBP were(73.33±4.03),(175.67±3.40),(120.33±0.94),(125.33±2.87)and(125.67±2.36)mmHg;the contents of serum CAT were(9.24±3.99),(8.40±2.98),(9.24±2.42),(8.59±2.70)and(8.49±1.47)U·mL-1;the contents of serum SOD were(122.40±12.30),(75.30±28.37),(125.39±31.35),(110.92±26.14)and(103.37±22.31)U·mL-1;the contents of serum GSH were(117.93±10.18),(78.29±23.68),(118.57±26.08),(109.89±20.52)and(98.73±14.71)U·mL-1;the contents of serum MDA were(8.36±2.08),(8.45±3.38),(8.22±3.04),(7.09±3.21)and(7.24±3.32)nmol·L 1,respectively.Compared with model group,the differences of above indicators in control group and experimental-H,-L groups were statistically significant(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Chrysanthemum Flos extract showed certain free radical scavenging ability in vitro.The highest scavenging rates of DPPH and ABTS were 90.29％and 92.67％,respectively.Conclusion Chrysanthemum Flos extract had good antihypertensive activity.The antioxidation ability might be its antihypertensive mechanisms.