Zuoguiyin， which first recorded in Jingyue Quanshu written by ZHANG Jiebin in the Ming dynasty， was included in the Catalogue of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas（The Second Batch）. This study followed the Principles of Textual Research on Key Information of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas to determine the key information of Zuoguiyin in ancient and modern literature， such as the formula origin， the composition of the formula and the origin of the drugs. It was found that the composition， dosage， preparation and processing methods of Zuoguiyin were basically the same as the original formula. The original dosage of this formula is 41.03 g of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata（the fresh or dried tuberous roots of Rehmannia glutinosa， processed by wine stewing or wine steaming）， 7.46 g of Dioscoreae Rhizoma（the dried rhizomes of Dioscorea opposita）， 7.46 g of Lycii Fructus（the dried mature fruit of Lycium barbarum）， 3.73 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle（the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， processed by honey-roasted method）， 5.595 g of Poria（the sclerotium of Poria cocos）， 5.595 g of Corni Fructus（the dried mature fruit pulp of Cornus officinalis）. The method of administration is to add 600 mL of water to all the herbs， decoct to 140 mL and take before meals. The function of Zuoguiyin is to nourish Yin and tonify the kidney， and it is often used in the treatment of lumbar soreness and ejaculation， night sweating， dry mouth and throat， thirst and desire to drink， glossy red tongue， thin and rapid pulse， etc. Since ancient times， Zuoguiyin has been used to treat a variety of internal and gynaecological diseases as well as diseases of the nervous， circulatory and reproductive systems that are predominantly caused by kidney Yin deficiency. However， there is not much research on the modern application and therapeutic mechanism of this formula， and there is no standardized preparation in the market， so the degree of development and utilization is not high， and there is still a lot of room for research.

ObjectiveRapid and accurate identification of body fluid traces at crime scenes is crucial for case investigation. Leveraging the speed and sensitivity of nucleic acid detection technology based on SHERLOCK, our research focuses on developing a peripheral blood SHERLOCK-HBA detection system to detect mRNA in forensic practice. MethodsShort crRNA fragments targeting the blood-specific mRNA gene HBA were designed and screened, alongside RPA primers. Optimal RPA primers were selected based on specificity and amplification efficiency, leading to the establishment of the RPA system. The most efficient crRNA was chosen based on relative fluorescence units (RFU) generated by the Cas protein reaction, and the Cas protein reaction system was constructed to establish the SHERLOCK-HBA detection method. The RPA and Cas protein reaction systems in the SHERLOCK detection system were then individually optimized. A total of 79 samples of five body fluids were tested to evaluate the method’s ability to identify blood, with further verification through species-specific tests, sensitivity tests, mixed spots detection, aged samples, UV-irradiated samples, and actual casework samples. ResultsThe SHERLOCK reaction system for the peripheral blood-specific marker HBA was successfully established and optimized, enabling detection within 30 min. The method demonstrated a detection limit of 0.001 ng total RNA, better than FOB strip method and comparable to RT-PCR capillary electrophoresis. The system could detect target body fluids in mixed samples and identify blood in samples stored at room temperature for three years and exposed to UV radiation for 32 h. Detection of 11 casework samples showed performance comparable to RT-PCR capillary electrophoresis. ConclusionThis study presents a CRISPR/Cas-based SHERLOCK-HBA detection system capable of accurately, sensitively, and rapidly identifying blood samples. Introducing CRISPR/Cas technology to forensic body fluid identification represents a significant advancement in applying cutting-edge molecular biology techniques to forensic science.The method’s simplicity, shorter detection time, and independence from specialized equipment make it promising for rapid blood sample identification in forensic cases.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a diabetic ocular complication that can lead to poor vision and blindness. This experiment aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect and its mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) eye drops on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in rats. All experiments were approved by the Animal Research Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Animal welfare and the animal experimental protocols were strictly consistent with related ethics regulations of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. PZSHUTCM 211115004). Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ into rats. Two months later, PNS solution was dropped binocular twice per day at 6 h intervals at dose of 20, 40, and 80 mg·kg^-1 continuously for 1 month. The morphological structure and activation of microglia of the retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical assay. The disruption of the blood-retina barrier (BRB) was conducted by the Evans blue dye leakage assay. The number of acellular capillaries in the retina was assessed by digesting and hematoxylin-eosin staining assay. The number of retinal leukocyte adhesion was observed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-coupled concanavalin A lectin labeling assay. The serum expression of inflammatory factors was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot experiments were used to detect the expression of relevant proteins in retinal tissue and transcriptional activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). The results revealed that PNS eye drops significantly increased the thickness of the retina, decreased the number of acellular capillaries, and up-regulated the expression of the tight junction proteins claudin-1 and occludin, thereby alleviating BRB damage. In addition, PNS eye drops were also able to significantly reduce leukocyte adhesion and microglia activation, the expression of inflammatory factors in serum, and the nuclear translocation of retinal p65 proteins, effectively inhibiting the occurrence of retinal inflammation. The above results showed that PNS eye drops played a role in improving NPDR by inhibiting the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and reducing inflammation.

Objective:To study the current status of longitudinal extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) in extremely preterm infants (EPIs) and to develop a prediction model based on clinical data from multiple NICUs.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2018, EPIs admitted to 32 NICUs in North China were retrospectively studied. Their general conditions, nutritional support, complications during hospitalization and weight changes were reviewed. Weight loss between birth and discharge > 1SD was defined as longitudinal EUGR. The EPIs were assigned into longitudinal EUGR group and non-EUGR group and their nutritional support and weight changes were compared. The EPIs were randomly assigned into the training dataset and the validation dataset with a ratio of 7∶3. Univariate Cox regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used in the training dataset to select the independent predictive factors. The best-fitting Nomogram model predicting longitudinal EUGR was established based on Akaike Information Criterion. The model was evaluated for discrimination efficacy, calibration and clinical decision curve analysis.Results:A total of 436 EPIs were included in this study, with a mean gestational age of (26.9±0.9) weeks and a birth weight of (989±171) g. The incidence of longitudinal EUGR was 82.3%(359/436). Seven variables (birth weight Z-score, weight loss, weight growth velocity, the proportion of breast milk ≥75% within 3 d before discharge, invasive mechanical ventilation ≥7 d, maternal antenatal corticosteroids use and bronchopulmonary dysplasia) were selected to establish the prediction model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the training dataset and the validation dataset were 0.870 (95% CI 0.820-0.920) and 0.879 (95% CI 0.815-0.942), suggesting good discrimination efficacy. The calibration curve indicated a good fit of the model ( P>0.05). The decision curve analysis showed positive net benefits at all thresholds. Conclusions:Currently, EPIs have a high incidence of longitudinal EUGR. The prediction model is helpful for early identification and intervention for EPIs with higher risks of longitudinal EUGR. It is necessary to expand the sample size and conduct prospective studies to optimize and validate the prediction model in the future.

Objective:To explore the application of an automatic slide-dropping instrument in bone marrow chromosomal karyotyping.Methods:The effects of manual and automatic dropping methods under different environmental humidity were retrospectively analyzed, and the repeatability of the automatic dropping method was analyzed.Results:No statistical difference was found between the results of automatic and manual dropping methods under the optimum ambient humidity and high humidity ( P>0.05). At low humidity, there was a statistical difference between the two methods ( P<0.05). With regard to the repeatability, the coefficient of variations of the automatic dropping method for the number of split phases, the rate of good dispersion and the rate of overlap were all lower than those of the manual dropping method. A statistical difference was also found in the number of split phases ( P<0.05) but not in the discrete excellent rate and overlapping rate between the two methods ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Better effect can be obtained by the automatic dropping instrument. It is suggested to gradually replace manual work with machine.

Objective:To develop a prediction model for postoperative prognosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma(CCA)based on the expression of silence information regulator 2(SIRT2).Methods:The differential expression of SIRT2 between CCA and normal tissues was analyzed using TCGA and GEO databases.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was used to explore potential mechanisms of SIRT2 in CCA.The expression of SIRT2 protein in CCA tissues and normal tissues(including 44 pairs of specimens)was also detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC)in 89 resectable CCA patients who underwent surgical treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between January 2016 and December 2021.The relationship between SIRT2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of CCA patients was analyzed.A survival prediction model for patients with resectable CCA was constructed with COX regression results,the calibration curve and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)were used to evaluate the performance of the constructed model,and the predictive power between this model and the American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC)/TNM staging system(8th edition)was compared.Results:SIRT2 mRNA was overexpressed in CCA tissues as shown in TCGA and GEO databases.IHC staining showed that SIRT2 protein expression in CCA tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissues.GSEA results showed that elevated SIRT2 expression may be involved in multiple metabolism-related signaling pathway,such as fatty acid metabolism,oxidative phosphorylation and amino acid metabolism.SIRT2 expression was related to serum triglycerides level,tumor size and lymph node metastasis(all P<0.05).The survival analysis results showed that patients with higher SIRT2 expression had a significantly lower overall survival(OS)than patients with lower SIRT2 expression(P<0.05).Univariate COX regression analysis suggested that pathological differentiation,clinical stage,postoperative treatment and SIRT2 expression level were associated with the prognosis of CCA patients(all P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that clinical stage and SIRT2 expression level were independent predictors of OS in postoperative CCA patients(both P<0.05).A nomogram based on SIRT2 for prediction of survival in postoperative CCA patients was constructed.The C-index of the model was 0.675,and the area under the time-dependent ROC curve(AUC)for predicting survival in the first,second,and third years was 0.879,0.778,and 0.953,respectively,which were superior to those of AJCC/TNM staging system(8th Edition).Conclusions:SIRT2 is highly expressed in CCA tissues,which is associated with poor prognosis in patients with resectable CCA.The nomogram developed based on SIRT2 may have better predictive power than the AJCC/TNM staging system(8th edition)in prediction of survival of postoperative CCA patients.

Objective:To develop a prediction model for postoperative prognosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma(CCA)based on the expression of silence information regulator 2(SIRT2).Methods:The differential expression of SIRT2 between CCA and normal tissues was analyzed using TCGA and GEO databases.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was used to explore potential mechanisms of SIRT2 in CCA.The expression of SIRT2 protein in CCA tissues and normal tissues(including 44 pairs of specimens)was also detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC)in 89 resectable CCA patients who underwent surgical treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between January 2016 and December 2021.The relationship between SIRT2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of CCA patients was analyzed.A survival prediction model for patients with resectable CCA was constructed with COX regression results,the calibration curve and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)were used to evaluate the performance of the constructed model,and the predictive power between this model and the American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC)/TNM staging system(8th edition)was compared.Results:SIRT2 mRNA was overexpressed in CCA tissues as shown in TCGA and GEO databases.IHC staining showed that SIRT2 protein expression in CCA tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissues.GSEA results showed that elevated SIRT2 expression may be involved in multiple metabolism-related signaling pathway,such as fatty acid metabolism,oxidative phosphorylation and amino acid metabolism.SIRT2 expression was related to serum triglycerides level,tumor size and lymph node metastasis(all P<0.05).The survival analysis results showed that patients with higher SIRT2 expression had a significantly lower overall survival(OS)than patients with lower SIRT2 expression(P<0.05).Univariate COX regression analysis suggested that pathological differentiation,clinical stage,postoperative treatment and SIRT2 expression level were associated with the prognosis of CCA patients(all P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that clinical stage and SIRT2 expression level were independent predictors of OS in postoperative CCA patients(both P<0.05).A nomogram based on SIRT2 for prediction of survival in postoperative CCA patients was constructed.The C-index of the model was 0.675,and the area under the time-dependent ROC curve(AUC)for predicting survival in the first,second,and third years was 0.879,0.778,and 0.953,respectively,which were superior to those of AJCC/TNM staging system(8th Edition).Conclusions:SIRT2 is highly expressed in CCA tissues,which is associated with poor prognosis in patients with resectable CCA.The nomogram developed based on SIRT2 may have better predictive power than the AJCC/TNM staging system(8th edition)in prediction of survival of postoperative CCA patients.