Objective: To investigate the current status of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among freshmen in junior and senior high schools in Lanzhou, so as to provide scientific basis for improving the tuberculosis prevention and control strategy in schools. Methods: The screening results of 74 516 freshmen in senior and boarding junior high schools in Lanzhou during 2023 and 2024 were collected. The Chi square test and multivariate Logistic regression model were applied to analyze LTBI level, strongly positive risk for tuberculin skin test (TST) and related factors of the freshmen. Results: During 2023 and 2024, the screening rate of tuberculosis among freshmen in senior and boarding junior high schools in Lanzhou was 93.45%, of which the positive rate for TST was 5.71%, the infection rate for LTBI was 3.80%, and the strongly positive rate for TST was 1.24%. There were statistically significant differences in the screening rate of tuberculosis among freshmen in different years, grades, regions, school types and districts ( χ 2=5.34, 2 463.88, 3 516.13, 132.34, 4 436.56, all P <0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that senior high schools ( OR =1.62, 2.18) and urban areas ( OR =2.08, 3.07 ) were all related factors for LTBI and strong positivity for TST among freshmen; schools located in Xigu District, Honggu District, Yongdeng County, Yuzhong County, and Lanzhou New Area ( OR =3.57, 5.67, 9.12, 3.70, 3.64) were related factors of strong positivity for TST among freshmen (all P <0.05). Conclusions The LTBI level among freshmen in senior and boarding junior high schools in Lanzhou is relatively low. Grades and regions are related factors for LTBI and strong positivity for TST.

Kui was first recorded in The Rites of Zhou and is the earliest domesticated wild vegetable in China. In the Qi Min Yao Shu, Kui was called “the master of all vegetables” and has a long history of application in China. As a medicine, Kuizi was first recorded in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, which has a history of more than 2 000 years of medicinal use and a long history of clinical application. By researching the ancient and modern herbal literature, the first herbs texts of Kui were examined, various recorded texts, confused products and the history of the original medicinal use were clarified. It was concluded that the ancient herbal texts recorded the base plant of Kui as Malva verticillata L. belonging to family Malvaceae, which provided scientific basis for the development and utilization of Kui.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanism of decoctions from four kinds of processed products of Aconiti Radix Lateralis Praeparata（ARLP） in deficiency-cold syndrome. MethodsA total of 36 SD rats were randomly divided into the control group， model group， Shengfupian（SFP） group， Paofuzi（PFZ） group， Heishunpian（HSP） group and Paofupian（PFP） group with 6 rats in each group. Except for the control group， rats in other groups were administered hydrocortisone sodium succinate via intramuscular injection to induce a cold deficiency syndrome model. After 14 consecutive days， each ARLP decoction pieces was administered via continuous gastric lavage at a dose of 12 g·kg^-1·d^-1 for 7 d， while the control and model groups received an equivalent volume of physiological saline. After the end of administration， body weight， spleen weight and thymus weight were measured for calculating the spleen and thymus indexes. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of adrenal tissue. The fully automatic biochemistry analyzer was used to measure the total cholesterol（TC）， triglyceride（TG）， lactic dehydrogenase（LDH） and lactate（LAC） levels in serum. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was employed to measure the contents of 17-hydroxycorticosteroid（17-OHCS）， cortisol（CORT）， triiodothyronine（T₃）， thyroxine（T₄）， thyrotropin（TSH）， immunoglobulin（Ig） M， IgG， cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP） and cyclic guanosine monophosphate（cGMP）. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of protein kinase A（PKA）， cAMP response element-binding protein（CREB）， silent information regulator 1（Sirt1） and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α（PGC-1α）. And high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the content of major alkaloids， followed by Pearson correlation analysis with pharmacodynamic indicators. ResultsAfter modeling， compare with the control group， the model rats exhibited symptoms such as lethargy and loose stools， mild abnormalities were observed in adrenal tissue structure， and both spleen and thymus indices were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. Thyroid， adrenal and immune system functions were suppressed， with decreased serum cAMP level and significantly elevated cGMP level（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the adrenal injury by hydrocortisone sodium succinate were repaired and the spleen index were increased significantly in all four ARLP groups（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The thymus index in SFP and PFZ groups were increased significantly（P<0.05）. The contents of T₃， TSH， 17-OHCS and CORT were increased significantly in SFP and PFZ groups（P<0.05）. In addition， the content of IgG in SFP， PFZ and PFP groups were increased significantly（P<0.01）， while the content of IgM in PFZ and HSP groups were also increased significantly（P<0.05）. Regarding the cyclic nucleotide system， PFZ significantly elevated cAMP level while reducing cGMP level（P<0.05）， exhibiting the most pronounced effect among the four decoction pieces. For energy metabolism indicators， PFZ significantly improved abnormal markers including TC， TG， LDH， and LAC（P<0.05）. HSP showed marked improvement effects on TG， LDH， and LAC（P<0.05）. Both PFZ and SFP significantly elevated the expression levels of PKA， CREB， Sirt1， and PGC-1α proteins（P<0.01）. Additionally， the diester alkaloids in ARLP showed a strong positive correlation with TG， IgG， and CORT， a strong negative correlation with LAC， a moderate positive correlation with T₄， and moderate negative correlations with cAMP and spleen index. Monomeric alkaloids showed strong positive correlations with TG and IgG， strong negative correlations with LAC， moderate positive correlations with CORT and T₄， and moderate negative correlations with cAMP and spleen index. However， the content of water-soluble alkaloids showed strong positive correlations with TC， LDH， 17-OHCS， T₃， TSH， and thymus index， moderate positive correlations with cAMP， CORT， T₄， and spleen index， and moderate negative correlation with cGMP. ConclusionAmong different processed ARLP decoction pieces， PFZ processed according to ZHANG Zhongjing's method exhibits the most potent warming and cold-dispelling effects. Its pharmacological actions are mediated through regulating the thyroid， adrenal， immune， cyclic nucleotide systems， and material-energy metabolism pathways. Among these， water-soluble alkaloids show strong or moderate correlations with more indicators of deficiency-cold syndrome and exhibit the highest content in PFZ. Therefore， PFZ processed according to ZHANG Zhongjing's method may exert its warming and cold-dispelling effects through water-soluble alkaloids.

ObjectiveMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS); however, its underlying neurological pathogenic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Endogenous formaldehyde (FA), a metabolic byproduct of methylation-demethylation cycles, has recently been implicated in neurotoxicity, oxidative damage, and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate whether excessive FA contributes to myelin sheath demyelination in mice and to evaluate the protective effects and mechanisms of two FA-elimination strategies: sodium bisulfite (NaHSO₃), a classical FA scavenger, and polyethylene glycol-modified astaxanthin nanoparticles (PEG-ATX@NPs), a brain-targeted nano-antioxidant formulation. MethodsA chronic demyelination model was established by feeding female C57BL/6J mice a diet containing 0.2% cuprizone (CPZ) for four weeks, followed by a two-week intervention period. Eighty mice were randomly assigned to four groups: NS (normal saline), CPZ+NS, CPZ+NaHSO₃, and CPZ+PEG-ATX@NPs. Behavioral tests, including open-field, Y-maze, and pole-climbing assays, were conducted to assess locomotor activity, motor coordination, and working memory. FA levels in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord were measured using an Na-FA fluorescent probe and quantified via in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging. Neuroinflammatory responses were evaluated by measuring TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels using ELISA, while oxidative stress was assessed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) fluorescence intensity. Demyelination was examined via Luxol fast blue staining, and microglial activation was analyzed by Iba1 immunofluorescence. Correlation analyses were performed to explore relationships among FA levels, inflammatory cytokines, ROS intensity, and behavioral parameters. ResultsCompared with the NS group, mice in the CPZ+NS group exhibited significant weight loss, impaired motor coordination and memory, and markedly reduced myelin regeneration (P<0.05). FA levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly elevated in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord (P<0.05). FA-associated fluorescence in brain and spinal tissues, as well as ROS intensity across all tissues examined, also increased substantially (P<0.05). CPZ treatment induced pronounced microglial activation and severe demyelination in the corpus callosum (P<0.01). Both NaHSO₃ and PEG-ATX@NPs effectively reduced FA accumulation in the brain and spinal cord, attenuated demyelination, suppressed microglial activation, decreased inflammatory cytokine levels, and improved motor and cognitive performance. These results confirm that CPZ induced severe demyelination accompanied by oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and abnormal FA accumulation. Following intervention with either NaHSO₃ or PEG-ATX@NPs, endogenous FA levels in the CNS were substantially reduced. Both treatments alleviated demyelination and significantly decreased the number of activated microglia. Levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord were downregulated. Behavioral performance improved significantly, as evidenced by enhanced locomotor activity, better coordination, and improved memory function. These findings indicate that both FA-scavenging agents mitigate CPZ-induced biochemical and behavioral abnormalities. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that excessive endogenous FA is closely associated with cognitive impairment, inflammatory dysregulation, and demyelination in a CPZ-induced chronic demyelination mouse model. Clearing abnormally elevated FA effectively reduces neuroinflammation, suppresses microglial overactivation, decreases oxidative stress, and alleviates demyelination, ultimately improving motor and cognitive outcomes in mice. These results suggest that targeting endogenous FA represents a promising therapeutic strategy for MS and other demyelinating disorders. Further investigations are warranted to explore the long-term safety, dosage optimization, and molecular pathways involved in FA-mediated neurotoxicity.

ObjectiveMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS); however, its underlying neurological pathogenic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Endogenous formaldehyde (FA), a metabolic byproduct of methylation-demethylation cycles, has recently been implicated in neurotoxicity, oxidative damage, and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate whether excessive FA contributes to myelin sheath demyelination in mice and to evaluate the protective effects and mechanisms of two FA-elimination strategies: sodium bisulfite (NaHSO₃), a classical FA scavenger, and polyethylene glycol-modified astaxanthin nanoparticles (PEG-ATX@NPs), a brain-targeted nano-antioxidant formulation. MethodsA chronic demyelination model was established by feeding female C57BL/6J mice a diet containing 0.2% cuprizone (CPZ) for four weeks, followed by a two-week intervention period. Eighty mice were randomly assigned to four groups: NS (normal saline), CPZ+NS, CPZ+NaHSO₃, and CPZ+PEG-ATX@NPs. Behavioral tests, including open-field, Y-maze, and pole-climbing assays, were conducted to assess locomotor activity, motor coordination, and working memory. FA levels in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord were measured using an Na-FA fluorescent probe and quantified via in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging. Neuroinflammatory responses were evaluated by measuring TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels using ELISA, while oxidative stress was assessed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) fluorescence intensity. Demyelination was examined via Luxol fast blue staining, and microglial activation was analyzed by Iba1 immunofluorescence. Correlation analyses were performed to explore relationships among FA levels, inflammatory cytokines, ROS intensity, and behavioral parameters. ResultsCompared with the NS group, mice in the CPZ+NS group exhibited significant weight loss, impaired motor coordination and memory, and markedly reduced myelin regeneration (P<0.05). FA levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly elevated in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord (P<0.05). FA-associated fluorescence in brain and spinal tissues, as well as ROS intensity across all tissues examined, also increased substantially (P<0.05). CPZ treatment induced pronounced microglial activation and severe demyelination in the corpus callosum (P<0.01). Both NaHSO₃ and PEG-ATX@NPs effectively reduced FA accumulation in the brain and spinal cord, attenuated demyelination, suppressed microglial activation, decreased inflammatory cytokine levels, and improved motor and cognitive performance. These results confirm that CPZ induced severe demyelination accompanied by oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and abnormal FA accumulation. Following intervention with either NaHSO₃ or PEG-ATX@NPs, endogenous FA levels in the CNS were substantially reduced. Both treatments alleviated demyelination and significantly decreased the number of activated microglia. Levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum, corpus callosum, and spinal cord were downregulated. Behavioral performance improved significantly, as evidenced by enhanced locomotor activity, better coordination, and improved memory function. These findings indicate that both FA-scavenging agents mitigate CPZ-induced biochemical and behavioral abnormalities. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that excessive endogenous FA is closely associated with cognitive impairment, inflammatory dysregulation, and demyelination in a CPZ-induced chronic demyelination mouse model. Clearing abnormally elevated FA effectively reduces neuroinflammation, suppresses microglial overactivation, decreases oxidative stress, and alleviates demyelination, ultimately improving motor and cognitive outcomes in mice. These results suggest that targeting endogenous FA represents a promising therapeutic strategy for MS and other demyelinating disorders. Further investigations are warranted to explore the long-term safety, dosage optimization, and molecular pathways involved in FA-mediated neurotoxicity.

Radar-based non-contact health monitoring technology (RBNHMT) has emerged as a transformative paradigm in continuous health sensing, enabling non-invasive and continuous monitoring of physiological parameters and behavioral patterns by transmitting electromagnetic waves, analyzing the reflected signals, and detecting subtle bodily movements—ranging from millimeter-scale chest wall displacements due to respiration to micro-scale vibrations associated with cardiac activity—ultimately transforming them into quantifiable health data. Distinguished by its non-contact operation, inherent privacy preservation, and adaptability to diverse scenarios, RBNHMT exhibits stronger resistance to environmental interference than conventional contact-based monitoring, and has solidified its position as a prominent and dynamic research focus in the field of non-contact health monitoring. Currently, significant and multifaceted progress has been made across several key areas. In human activity recognition (HAR), systems leveraging micro-Doppler signatures or point cloud sequences achieve high-precision detection of gait, gestures, and fall events, with state-of-the-art deep learning-based models achieving accuracy rates exceeding 99% in controlled experimental settings. For vital sign and sleep monitoring, it not only tracks respiratory and heart rates continuously but also extracts clinically relevant metrics such as heart rate variability (HRV) for autonomic nervous system assessment and estimates blood pressure through indirect methods like pulse transit time analysis, while maintaining robustness in dynamic settings through advanced motion compensation algorithms. In sleep monitoring, it further enables sleep posture classification and apnea event detection. In emotion and stress recognition, it provides a non-intrusive approach for psychological assessment by analyzing autonomic-response physiological signal patterns or behavioral features. Furthermore, its applications in auxiliary medical diagnosis have expanded to promising interdisciplinary areas such as non-contact heart sound auscultation, radar-based screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and emerging research into breast cancer detection using microwave and millimeter-wave imaging techniques. However, several challenges impede its practical deployment. Signal quality is significantly compromised by multipath interference in complex indoor environments and clutter from static objects, and by motion artifacts in dynamic scenarios where gross body movements obscure the subtle physiological signals. Algorithmically, separating signals from multiple targets in close proximity and calibrating for substantial individual physiological differences, such as body habitus, baseline vital signs, remain difficult and limit generalizability. Hardware design also faces the challenge of balancing power consumption, cost, integration, and performance, often requiring trade-offs that constrain miniaturization, battery life, or measurement sensitivity. Future advancement, therefore, requires collaborative and targeted innovation across multiple dimensions. Algorithmically, developing adaptive signal processing models based on emerging paradigms such as few-shot learning (for user-specific calibration with minimal data) and reinforcement learning (for dynamic noise suppression) is essential. At the hardware level, highly integrated radar SoCs with embedded processing capabilities and advanced packaging technologies are crucial for achieving the dual goals of device miniaturization and cost reduction without sacrificing performance. At the system level, fusing radar data with complementary modalities such as infrared and acoustic sensing can create a synergistic, multi-modal framework that significantly enhances perceptual robustness and reliability in complex, real-world environments. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis that systematically summarizes the relevant theoretical foundations and application progress, and offers an in-depth analysis of the current technical bottlenecks. It aims to provide a clear development path and a foundational academic reference for the in-depth integration and practical application of RBNHMT in critical scenarios including rehabilitation engineering, smart elderly care, in-vehicle health monitoring, and beyond, thereby offering innovative technical support for the vision of universal, proactive, and personalized health management.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the correlation between balance function and core muscle activation in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), compared to healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 24 AIS patients and 25 healthy controls were recruited. The limits of stability (LOS) test were conducted to assess balance function, while surface electromyography was used to measure the activity of core muscles, including the internal oblique, external oblique, and multifidus. Diaphragm thickness was measured using ultrasound during different postural tasks. Center of pressure (COP) displacement and trunk inclination distance were also recorded during the LOS test. Results: AIS patients showed significantly greater activation of superficial core muscles, such as the internal and external oblique muscles, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Diaphragm activation was lower in AIS patients during balance tasks (p < 0.01). Although no significant difference was observed in COP displacement between the groups, trunk inclination was significantly greater in the AIS group during certain tasks (p < 0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest distinct postural control patterns in AIS patients, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions to improve balance and core muscle function in this population.

Chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG）， a common digestive system disease， has an unclear pathogenesis. Currently， it is mostly believed to be related to Helicobacter pylori （Hp） infection， immune factors， dietary factors， bile reflux， long-term use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs， and other factors. Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death mechanism that is iron-dependent and characterized by disruption of iron metabolism and accumulation of lipid peroxides. More and more studies have found that ferroptosis is closely related to the onset of CAG. Professor LI Diangui， a master of traditional Chinese medicine， first proposed the turbid toxin theory， which holds that spleen deficiency and turbid toxin is the main pathogenic mechanism of CAG. Abnormal iron metabolism regulation is a prerequisite for the accumulation of turbid toxin in CAG， and ferroptosis is in accordance with the pathogenic mechanism （spleen deficiency and turbid toxin） of CAG. This article explores the pathological mechanism of spleen deficiency and turbid toxin in CAG from the perspectives of iron metabolism， oxidative stress， and lipid peroxidation， providing theoretical support of traditional Chinese medicine for the modern research on CAG. It enriches the modern scientific connotation of the turbid toxicity theory and provides new ideas and breakthrough points for the clinical treatment of CAG.

Chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG）， a common digestive system disease， has an unclear pathogenesis. Currently， it is mostly believed to be related to Helicobacter pylori （Hp） infection， immune factors， dietary factors， bile reflux， long-term use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs， and other factors. Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death mechanism that is iron-dependent and characterized by disruption of iron metabolism and accumulation of lipid peroxides. More and more studies have found that ferroptosis is closely related to the onset of CAG. Professor LI Diangui， a master of traditional Chinese medicine， first proposed the turbid toxin theory， which holds that spleen deficiency and turbid toxin is the main pathogenic mechanism of CAG. Abnormal iron metabolism regulation is a prerequisite for the accumulation of turbid toxin in CAG， and ferroptosis is in accordance with the pathogenic mechanism （spleen deficiency and turbid toxin） of CAG. This article explores the pathological mechanism of spleen deficiency and turbid toxin in CAG from the perspectives of iron metabolism， oxidative stress， and lipid peroxidation， providing theoretical support of traditional Chinese medicine for the modern research on CAG. It enriches the modern scientific connotation of the turbid toxicity theory and provides new ideas and breakthrough points for the clinical treatment of CAG.

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), a treasure of the Chinese nation, contains abundant chemical components and demonstrates unique pharmacological activities, showing important values in clinical applications. With profound connotations and broad application prospects, TCM urgently needs us to further explore and conduct systematic research. Puerarin is a small-molecule natural isoflavonoid carbon glycoside extracted from plants of Pueraria. It is also the main active ingredient of Puerariae Lobata Radix, a Chinese herbal medicine with both medicinal and edible values. Puerarin has a variety of pharmacological effects such as blood pressure-lowering, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-ischemia-reperfusion injury, antithrombotic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting, nerve cell-protecting, and intestinal microbiota-regulating effects. It is also an active ingredient that has been widely studied. This article comprehensively reviews the research progress in the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of puerarin over the years, aiming to provide references and theoretical support for the in-depth research and development as well as clinical application of puerarin.
Isoflavones/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Pueraria/chemistry*