Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

AIM:To observe the effect of continuous light on the structure and differential metabolites of gut microbiota in mice.METHODS:The mice were randomly divided into normal light(light/dark,LD)group and 24-hour continuous light(light/light,LL)group.The body weight,fasting blood glucose,serum free fatty acids,serum triacylglycerol and serum total cholesterol levels of each group of mice were measured after 10 weeks.Fresh feces were collected,and 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to study the effect of continuous light on the diversity,structure,and species composition of gut microbiota in mice.Additionally,liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)analysis was per-formed to observe the effect of continuous light on the metabolites in mice.RESULTS:Compared with the LD group,the body weight,fasting blood glucose and lipid levels of the LL group were increased(P＜0.05).At the phylum level,the proportion of Firmicutes in the LL group increased,while the proportion of Bacteroidetes decreased.At the class level,the abundance of norank_f_Muribaculaceae and Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 in the LL group decreased significantly,while the abundance of Lactobacillus,Turicibacter and Odoribacter increased significantly.Non-targeted metabolomics analysis iden-tified 65 and 73 differential metabolites under positive and negative modes,involving six major metabolic pathways,in-cluding ABC transporters,purine metabolism,pyrimidine metabolism,secondary bile acid biosynthesis,protein digestion and absorption,and choline metabolism in cancer.CONCLUSION:The structure and metabolites of gut microbiota in mice exposed to continuous light are relatively specific,and inosine may be a key biomarker and potential therapeutic tar-get for biological clock disorders.

The feasibility for the development of road-rail medical vehicles was discussed.The gap between China's ground medical evacuation system and medical evacuation requirements was analyzed,and the limitations of the existing mobile medical units in China were introduced.The key points for developing road-rail medical vehicles were discussed.The road-rail medical vehicle would be an ideal tool for casualty treatment and rapid evacuation at war time and peace time,which could be a future development direction of the road-rail vehicle and medical train.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(10):84-90]

Objective:To develop a nutritional management protocol for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy based on evidence-based methodology, and to evaluate its clinical effectiveness.Methods:Relevant literature on nutritional management in radiotherapy for HNC patients was systematically searched. After evidence extraction, a preliminary protocol was drafted and finalized through expert consensus. The finalized protocol included five timepoints during hospitalization, covering six components and 35 nursing and clinical care items. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. Using convenience sampling, 100 HNC patients admitted to Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital from October 2022 to June 2024 were enrolled. Patients treated between October 2022 and July 2023 formed the control group ( n=50), and those treated from September 2023 to June 2024 comprised the intervention group ( n=50). The control group received routine care, while the intervention group was managed with the evidence-based nutrition protocol. Body weight and nutrition-related laboratory indicators were measured before radiotherapy, at week 4, and at the end of week 6. Results:At week 4 of radiotherapy, the intervention group had a higher lymphocyte count than the control group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). At week 6, total serum protein, serum albumin, and lymphocyte counts were all higher in the intervention group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The evidence-based nutritional management protocol developed for HNC patients undergoing radiotherapy effectively improves nutritional status. It provides a valuable reference for healthcare professionals in clinical practice.

Toxin-antitoxin(TA)systems serve as central hubs of bacterial adaptive regulation and play critical roles in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tb)and Bordetella pertussis(B.per-tussis).This review summarizes the functional evolution and therapeutic potential of TA systems in M.tb and B.pertussis.It systematically outlines the molecular mechanisms and pathogenic functions of TA sys-tems in these two pathogens.M.tb relies on type Ⅱ TA systems(e.g.,VapBC,MazEF)to drive persis-ter formation and antibiotic tolerance through toxin-mediated ribonuclease activity that cleaves host nucle-ic acids or DarT/DarG-mediated DNA modification.In contrast,B.pertussis utilizes a unique tempera-ture-sensing PhtA/PhtB system to release adenylate cyclase toxin,which targets the host cAMP signaling pathway to achieve immune evasion.Both pathogens employ TA toxins to suppress host defenses-such as VapC cleaving tRNA and RelE degrading NF-κB components.Their high-frequency mutation sites(e.g.,the VapC47-Ser46Leu mutation frequency＞50 000 in M.tuberculosis)reveal strong positive selec-tion pressure,closely associated with persister phenotypes and virulence evolution.This review further discusses therapeutic strategies,including small-molecule inhibitors targeting toxin-antitoxin interactions,TA-deletion attenuated vaccines,and antitoxin-based immunization approaches.Finally,it highlights the need for future research to elucidate TA-host interaction networks and develop nanocarrier delivery tech-nologies to advance breakthroughs in precision therapy for tuberculosis and pertussis.

Objective:To study the relationship between microRNA (miRNA, miR)-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, miR-let-7b-3p and fluoride induced articular cartilage injury in rats.Methods:Using the factorial design, thirty 3-week-old specific pathogen free grade male Wistar rats (weighted 125 - 150 g) were selected and randomly divided into a control group, a 25 mg/L fluoride group, and a 50 mg/L fluoride group using a random number table method, with 10 rats in each group. The control group drank distilled water, while the fluoride exposure groups drank distilled water with fluoride ion concentrations of 25 and 50 mg/L, respectively. Five rats were euthanized in each group at 3 and 6 months of feeding, respectively. Visual observation was used to observe the occurrence of dental fluorosis in rats, and fluoride ion selective electrode method was used to detect the fluoride level in blood, urine, and cartilage. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and safranin O-fast green staining were used to observe the pathological changes of articular cartilage, and Mankin score was used to evaluate the grading of cartilage injury. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-let-7b-3p in cartilage.Results:After 3 and 6 months of fluoride exposure, no dental fluorosis was observed in the control group, while rats in the 25 and 50 mg/L fluoride groups showed varying degrees of dental fluorosis. There were statistically significant differences in the levels of blood fluoride (mg/L: 0.11 ± 0.04, 0.57 ± 0.32, 0.29 ± 0.06, 0.07 ± 0.01, 0.31 ± 0.05, 0.38 ± 0.06), urine fluoride (mg/L: 1.81 ± 0.58, 13.18 ± 2.29, 66.11 ± 20.74, 2.35 ± 1.08, 14.79 ± 3.87, 28.32 ± 4.79), and cartilage fluoride (mg/kg: 341.83 ± 44.07, 612.99 ± 174.72, 991.26 ± 227.32, 338.29 ± 72.53, 957.09 ± 195.86, 1 535.53 ± 89.01) among in rats the control group, 25 mg/L fluoride group, and 50 mg/L fluoride group ( F = 7.76, 42.78, 40.54, 23.10, 18.96, 80.81, P < 0.05). In the 50 mg/L fluoride group, there were statistically significant differences in the levels of urine fluoride and cartilage fluoride of rats exposed for different times ( t = 4.45, - 3.80, P < 0.05). The Mankin score grading for cartilage injury showed that at 3 months of fluoride exposure, there were 4, 0, and 0 rats with normal cartilage in the control group, 25 mg/L fluoride group, and 50 mg/L fluoride group, 1, 4, and 1 rats with mild injury, and 0, 1, and 4 rats with moderate injury, respectively. At 6 months of fluoride exposure, there were 4, 0, and 0 rats with normal cartilage in the control group, 25 mg/L fluoride group, and 50 mg/L fluoride group, 1, 3, and 0 rats with mild injury, 0, 1, and 3 rats with moderate injury, and 0, 1, and 2 rats with severe injury, respectively. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR results showed that fluoride exposure dose had individual effects on the expression of miR-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-let-7b-3p in cartilage ( F = 8.68, 7.97, 9.34, 10.14, P < 0.05). There was no individual effect of fluoride exposure time on the expression of miR-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-let-7b-3p in cartilage ( F = 0.00, 0.15, 0.63, 0.53, P > 0.05). However, there was no interaction effect between fluoride exposure time and dose on the above-mentioned miRNA ( F = 0.68, 0.05, 0.22, 0.24, P > 0.05). The correlation analysis results showed that miR-675-3p and miR-675-5p in cartilage were negatively correlated with blood fluoride, urine fluoride, and cartilage fluoride ( r = - 0.37, - 0.42, - 0.56, - 0.53, - 0.57, - 0.53, P < 0.05), while miR-29b-3p and miR-let-7b-3p were positively correlated with urine fluoride and cartilage fluoride ( r = 0.58, 0.40, 0.48, 0.47, P < 0.05). The results of ordered logistic regression analysis showed that miR-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-let-7b-3p were influencing factors of dental fluorosis grading ( OR = 0.13, 0.04, 1.55, 2.58, P < 0.05) and Mankin score grading ( OR = 0.04, 0.06, 1.41, 1.58, P < 0.05). Conclusion:MiR-675-3p, miR-675-5p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-let-7b-3p may be involved in the process of fluoride induced articular cartilage injury.

Aim To investigate the effect of linarin on improving cognitive behavior of APP/PS1 mice,and to explore the therapeutic effect of linarin on A β deposi-tion and neuroinflammation and its correlation.Meth-ods APP/PS1 transgenic mice were randomly divid-ed into the model group,high-dose group,medium-dose group,low-dose group and positive control group.C57BL/6J mice were set as the normal group.Morris water maze was used to evaluate the learning and mem-ory abilities of mice.TUNEL staining was used to de-tect the apoptosis of neurons in the CA1 region of mice.IHC was used to detect the expression levels of Aβ42 and GFAP.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of BACE1 and PS-1.Results Com-pared with the normal group,mice of the model group showed lower NCP,shorter target quadrant travel,less target quadrant residence time percentage(all P＜0.01),higher apoptosis rate of neurons in the CA1 re-gion(P＜0.01),significantly higher protein expres-sion levels of A β42 and GFAP(all P＜0.01),and significantly higher protein expression levels of BACE1 and PS-1(all P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the medium-dose group,high-dose group and positive control group showed higher NCP,longer tar-get quadrant travel,more target quadrant residence time percentage(all P＜0.05),lower apoptosis rate of neurons in the CA1 region(P＜0.01),significantly lower protein expression levels of A β42 and GFAP(all P＜0.01),and significantly lower protein expression levels of BACE1 and PS-1(all P＜0.01).Conclu-sions Linarin can inhibit two key enzymes to reduce the decomposition of APP and the generation of A β42,thereby inhibiting the activation of astrocytes,allevia-ting neuroinflammation,improving the core pathologi-cal features of AD,and thus significantly improving learning and memory impairment in APP/PS1 mice.