Aromatherapy refers to the method of using the aromatic components of plants in appropriate forms to act on the entire body or a specific area to prevent and treat diseases. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic molecules， such as limonene， linalool， linalool acetate， geraniol， and citronellol. These chemicals have been extensively studied and shown to have a variety of functions， including reducing anxiety， relieving depression， promoting sleep， and providing pain relief. Terpenoids are a class of organic molecules with relatively low lipid solubility. After being inhaled， they can pass through the nasal mucosa for transfer or penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream upon local application. Some of these substances also have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier， thereby exerting effects on the central nervous system. Currently， the academic community generally agrees that products such as essential oils and aromatherapy from aromatic plants have certain health benefits. However， the process of extracting a single component from it and successfully developing it into a drug still faces many challenges. Its safety and efficacy still need to be further verified through more rigorous and systematic experiments. This article systematically elaborated on the efficacy of aromatic substances， including plant extracts and natural small molecule compounds， in antibacterial and antiviral fields and the regulation of nervous system activity. As a result， a deeper understanding of aromatherapy was achieved. At the same time， the potential of these aromatic substances for drug development was thoroughly explored， providing important references and insights for possible future drug research and application.

  Objective  To evaluate the severity and features of pelvic coronal plane tilt in individuals with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who had lumbar curvature during the gait cycle.  Methods  AIS patients with lumbar curvature and patients with microcurvature (Cobb Angle less than 10 degrees) treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 2020 to February 2023 were retrospectively included. According to PUMC conservative classification system and Spinal Full-length Standing X-ray, AIS patients with lumbar curvature were enrolled. The bilateral iliac crest was used as the bony marker of the pelvic coronal surface, and the bilateral iliac crest height and its changes were measured during the standing position and walking cycle, so as to evaluate the degree of pelvic coronal tilt in AIS patients with lumbar curvature.  Results  A total of 209 AIS patients with lumbar curvature and 36 patients with microcurvature who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled. The proportion of AIS patients with lumbar curvature who had a "congruent" relationship between the higher iliac crest and the convex side of the spine in standing position (iliac crest lower on the convex side than on the concave side) was significantly higher in AIS patients with lumbar curvature than patients with microcurvature(58.9% vs. 30.6%, P=0.002). AIS patients with lumbar curvature had statistically different bilateral iliac crest height change values throughout the gait cycle (including minimum, maximum, swing phase minimum, and swing phase maximum) (all P < 0.001), and the iliac crest height change values on the convex side were significantly higher than those on the concave side (all P < 0.05), whereas the patients with microcurvature did not have any statistically significant bilateral iliac crest height change values throughout the gait cycle (all P > 0.05).  Conclusion  The height of the iliac crest on the convex side of the lumbar spine is lower than that on the concave side in the standing position of AIS patients with lumbar curvature, and the value of the change of the iliac crest on the convex side of the pelvis is greater than that on the concave side in walking to maintain the balance of the body, which may provide a new direction for the intervention in the clinical rehabilitation treatment of AIS patients with lumbar curvature.

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the chronological changes in postoperative complications in surgical ulcerative colitis patients over the past decade in China and to investigate the potential parameters that contributed to the changes. Methods: Ulcerative colitis patients who underwent surgery during 2008–2017 were retrospectively enrolled from 13 hospitals in China. Postoperative complications were compared among different operation years. Risk factors for complications were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 446 surgical ulcerative colitis patients were analyzed. Fewer short-term complications (24.8% vs. 41.0%, P=0.001) and more laparoscopic surgeries (66.4% vs. 25.0%, P<0.001) were found among patients who received surgery during 2014–2017 than 2008–2013. Logistic regression suggested that independent protective factors against short-term complications were a higher preoperative body mass index (odds ratio [OR], 0.870; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.785–0.964; P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR, 0.391; 95% CI, 0.217–0.705; P=0.002) and elective surgery (OR, 0.213; 95% CI, 0.067–0.675; P=0.009). The chronological decrease in short-term complications was associated with an increase in laparoscopic surgery. Conclusions Our data revealed a downward trend of short-term postoperative complications among surgical ulcerative colitis patients in China during the past decade, which may be due to the promotion of minimally invasive techniques among Chinese surgeons.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadly diseases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which presents a significant public health challenge. Treatment of TB relies on the combination of several anti-TB drugs to create shorter and safer regimens. Therefore, new anti-TB agents working by different mechanisms are urgently needed. FtsZ, a tubulin-like protein with GTPase activity, forms a dynamic Z-ring in cell division. Most of FtsZ inhibitors are designed to inhibit GTPase activity. In Mtb, the function of Z-ring is modulated by SepF, a FtsZ binding protein. The FtsZ/SepF interaction is essential for FtsZ bundling and localization at the site of division. Here, we established a yeast two-hybrid based screening system to identify inhibitors of FtsZ/SepF interaction in M. tuberculosis. Using this system, we found compound T0349 showing strong anti-Mtb activity but with low toxicity to other bacteria strains and mice. Moreover, we have demonstrated that T0349 binds specifically to SepF to block FtsZ/SepF interaction by GST pull-down, fluorescence polarization (FP), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and CRISPRi knockdown assays. Furthermore, T0349 can inhibit bacterial cell division by inducing filamentation and abnormal septum. Our data demonstrated that FtsZ/SepF interaction is a promising anti-TB drug target for identifying agents with novel mechanisms.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.01.022.].

Cadmium (Cd) is a common heavy metal in the environment. Cd²⁺ may penetrate the blood-brain barrier and produce neurotoxicity, thus inducing various neurodegenerative diseases. Celastrol is an effective component of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F., which has many pharmacological effects such as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory. Here we explored the effect of celastrol on the corresponding neurotoxicity induced by Cd²⁺. Cell proliferation test, cell membrane integrity test, and cell morphology were observed to analyze the effect of Cd²⁺ on the viability of HMC3. The neurotoxicity of Cd²⁺ and the effect of celastrol on the corresponding neurotoxicity induced by Cd²⁺ were analyzed by nitric oxide (NO) test, lipid peroxidation (MDA) test, and Western blotting. When the concentration of Cd²⁺ reached 40 μmol/L, the inhibition rate of HMC3 cell proliferation was (57.17±8.23)% (P < 0.01, n=5), compared with the control group. The cell activity continued to reduce when the Cd²⁺ concentration further increased. When the concentration of Cd²⁺ was higher than 40 μmol/L, the cell membrane of HMC3 was significantly damaged, and the damage was dose-dependent. Upon increasing the Cd²⁺ concentration, the cell morphology began to change and the adhesion also became worse. Cd²⁺ significantly increased the amount of NO released by HMC3 cells, while celastrol effectively inhibited the NO release of HMC3 cells induced by Cd²⁺. Cd²⁺ greatly increased the release of MDA in HMC3 cells, and the level of MDA decreased rapidly upon the addition of 10^-7 mol/L celastrol. Cd²⁺ increased the expression of p-PI3K protein, and the levels of p-PI3K protein and p-AKT protein were inhibited by the addition of celastrol (10^‒7 mol/L, 10^‒6 mol/L), thus preventing cell apoptosis. In conclusion, celastrol inhibits Cd²⁺ induced microglial cytotoxicity and plays a neuroprotective role.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis ; Cadmium/toxicity* ; Nitric Oxide/pharmacology* ; Pentacyclic Triterpenes ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology*

Objective:To analyze the situation of influenza vaccination among primary healthcare workers, find out the problems, and explore the strategies and measures to promote influenza vaccination among grass-roots medical staff.Methods:From April to May 2021, key insider interviews and literature research were carried out based on the perspectives of influenza vaccine suppliers (influenza vaccine manufacturers), consumers (primary medical institutions and primary healthcare workers), and managers (governments at all levels, health administrative departments and disease prevention and control departments). The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis technique was used to comprehensively evaluate the current situation of influenza vaccination among grass-roots healthcare workers, and a SWOT analysis matrix was established.Results:Influenza vaccination of grass-roots healthcare workers have advantages and opportunities, including primary medical and health institutions' vital influenza vaccination accessibility, influenza vaccine safety is higher, COVID-19 outbreak improves the public awareness of respiratory infectious diseases and vaccine production enthusiasm, coronavirus vaccination has strengthened the capacity of the vaccine distribution system. There are also disadvantages and threats such as the high price of influenza vaccine, insufficient supply, low awareness of influenza vaccine vaccination among grass-roots healthcare workers, lack of demand assessment mechanism on influenza vaccine, poor vaccine deployment, structural imbalance in vaccine supply in different areas, and severe vaccine waste. SWOT analysis matrix of the influenza vaccination status of grass-roots healthcare workers was established, forming dominant opportunity (SO) strategy, dominant threat (ST) strategy, inferior opportunity (WO) strategy, and inferior threat (WT) strategy.Conclusion:Measures should be taken by the supplier, the demand—side, and the management side to improve the influenza vaccine coverage rate of primary healthcare workers, but the emphasis should be on the coordination and management of the management side.

In recent years, immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) as the representative drug has become an important treatment method for advanced malignant tumors. Preclinical studies have found that disorders of the gut microbiota can reduce the clinical benefit of patients treated with ICI. The latest data indicate that antibiotics may further affect the occurrence and development of tumors and the efficacy of immunotherapy by changing the abundance and composition of intestinal microbiota. To sum up the role of anti-biotics in the immunotherapy of advanced malignant tumor may provide a new idea for the optimization of treatment strategies for patients with advanced cancer.

Objective:To investigate the effects of allicin on the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of rat vascular endothelial cells (RVES), and to explore the influencing mechanism of allicin on epidural fibrosis.Methods:According to the results of preliminary experiments, RVECs were divided into control group (0 mg/L), low concentration group (25 mg/L), medium concentration group (50 mg/L) and high concentration group (100 mg/L). The morphology, viability, migration rate, cell cycle, apoptosis rate and cell lumen formation ability were measured using fluorescence microscope, AnnexinV-FITC double staining, PI/RN-asestaining, scratch assay and Transwell experiments test. Western Blot was used to measure the protein expression level of JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, PCNA, Bax and Bcl-2 protein. Using random number method, 36 adult male SD rats were divided into sham operation group, saline group and allicin group, with 12 rats in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to analysis the epidural fibrosis in each group.Results:With the increase of concentration of allicin, cell viability, cell migration and lumen formation ability significantly lower than that of control group ( P<0.05). With the increase of allicin concentration, the percentage of cells in the G1 and S phases gradually decreased ( P<0.05), the percentage of cells in the G2 phase and the apoptosis rate gradually increased ( P<0.05), and the cells were blocked in the G2/M phase. With the increase of allicin concentration, the protein expression levels of JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, PCNA and Bcl-2 were gradually down-regulated ( P<0.05), while the protein expression level of Bax was gradually up-regulated ( P<0.05), the ratio of p-STAT3/STAT3 was decreased ( P<0.05), and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was increased ( P<0.05). There was no death, infection or abnormal gait in all the experimental animals. Dense scar tissue could be observed in the extradural area of the sham operation group and the epidural area of the control group, but there was obvious space between the epidural scar and the dura mater in the allicin group, and the density of collagen, the number of blood vessels, and the protein density of p-STAT3 were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Allicin inhibits angiogenesis and the severity of epidural scar after laminectomy, and the mechanism may be through inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway of vascular endothelial cells.

Objective     To analyze the perioperative outcomes of uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy compared with three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. Methods     Data were extracted from the Western China Lung Cancer Database, a prospectively maintained database at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Perioperative outcomes of the patients who underwent uniportal or three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer during January 2014 through April 2021 were analyzed by using propensity score matching. Altogether 5 817 lung cancer patients were enrolled who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy (uniportal: 530 patients; three-port: 5 287 patients). After matching, 529 patients of uniportal and 1 583 patients of three-port were included. There were 529 patients with 320 males and 209 females at median age of 58 (51, 65) years in the uniportal group and 1 583 patients with 915 males and 668 females at median age of 58 (51, 65) years in the three-port group. Results     Uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (20 mL vs. 30 mL, P<0.001), longer operative time (115 min vs. 105 min, P<0.001) than three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the number of lymph node dissected, rate of conversion to thoracotomy, incidence of postoperative complication, postoperative pain score within 3 postoperative days, length of hospital stay, or hospitalization expenses. Conclusion     Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is safe and effective, and the overall perioperative outcomes are comparable between uniportal and three-port strategies, although the two groups show differences in intraoperative blood loss.