Concepts are the cornerstone of the development of disciplines. The concepts of TCM present that a superior concept contains more subordinate concepts. The superordinate concepts are often used to refer to different subordinate concepts, which can refer to both superior concepts themselves and non-specific subordinate concepts, that is, the characteristics of subordinate coverage and indefinite reference, which cause confusion in concept meaning, concept relationships, reasoning logic, and other problems. Nowadays, the TCM scholars pay little attention to this characteristic. Therefore, this article analyzed this characteristic, discussed its impact on the inheritance and development of TCM, and proposed that starting from the anchoring of concepts and entities to clarify the connotation of concepts, looking forward to provide new ideas for the definition of the concepts of TCM and the development of the discipline.

Background Previous studies have shown that bisphenol A exposure is associated with the risk of hypertension; however, most of them are cross-sectional and the conclusions are not consistent. Objective To evaluate the association between bisphenol A exposure and the incident risk of hypertension. Methods Based on a nested case-control design involving 1990 subjects derived from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort, a total of 1080 subjects were included in this study after excluding 887 hypertensive cases at baseline and 23 subjects with missing blood pressure data in follow-up visits. Epidemiological information was collected through questionnaire survey, and serum bisphenol A concentration was detected by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the potential association between serum bisphenol A level and the risk of hypertension incidence, and linear regression model was used to analyze the association between serum bisphenol A level and blood pressure changes between baseline and follow-up. Results The average age of the 1 080 participants was (62.03±7.45) years, of which 41.1% were male. During the follow-up period, a total of 477 (44.2%) developed hypertension. The median serum concentration of bisphenol A in the total population was 3.15 μg·L⁻¹, and the baseline bisphenol A concentration in the new case group (3.24 μg·L⁻¹) was higher than that in the control group (2.98 μg·L⁻¹) (P<0.05). After adjustment for selected covariates, the risk of hypertension increased by 12% (OR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.22) for each unit increase in naturally log-transformed bisphenol A; the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased by 1.88 (95%CI: 1.08, 2.69) mmHg and 1.14 (95%CI: 0.68, 1.61) mmHg, respectively. Compared with the low bisphenol A tertile group, the risk of hypertension in the middle tertile and high tertile groups increased by 39% (OR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.91) and 40% (OR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.93) respectively; the systolic blood pressure increased by 5.91 (95%CI: 3.06, 8.76) mmHg and 5.71 (95%CI: 2.82, 8.59) mmHg, and the diastolic blood pressure increased by 3.09 (95%CI: 3.06, 8.59) mmHg and 2.89 (95%CI: 1.22, 4.57) mmHg, respectively (P_trend<0.001). A positive association between serum bisphenol A level and hypertension was found among those who were female, never/former smokers, never/former drinkers, without family history of hypertension, with physical exercise, and with prehypertension at baseline (P_trend<0.05). There was no interaction between selected stratified variables and bisphenol A levels on hypertension (P_interaction>0.05). Conclusion Bisphenol A exposure is positively associated with the risk of hypertension.

Objective : To investigate the drug resistance and pathogenicity of six clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneu- moniae (Kp) ，and to provide a basis for prevention and treatment of Kp infection． Methods : The six strains from different hospitals were isolated ，cultured ，and identified by species-specific gene khe． Their whole genome se- quences (WGS) were obtained using next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) ．Based on the WGS，the cap- sular serotypes，sequence types (ST) and drug-resistance genes of six strains were identified．The capsular sero- type genes and virulence genes were validated or identified using PCR. Broth microdilution tests were conducted to validate their drug susceptibility，and mice were challenged with Kp aerosols by MicroSprayer aerosolizer to evaluate their pathogenicity. Results : The six strains were all serotype K2 but belonged to four ST types ( ST14 ，ST65， ST700，and ST86) ，and collectively carried six virulence genes and 23 drug-resistance genes．All the six strains were resistant to ampicillin，but only one strain was multidrug-resistant．Four strains exhibited high mucoid charac- teristics．Five strains could cause mortality in mice，which were preliminary identified as high virulence strains. Conclusion For the six Kp clinical isolates from different sources，only one strain named NY 13294 is both multi- drug-resistant and highly virulent，and other four highly virulent strains are resistant to one or two types of antibiot- ics.

BACKGROUND:Numerous clinical studies have suggested a close relationship between obesity and osteoporosis,but whether there is a genetic causal effect between obesity and osteoporosis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the association between obesity and osteoporosis using summary data from a large-scale genome-wide association study(GWAS)through Mendelian randomization analysis. METHODS:Obesity data were derived from summary statistics of the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits(GIANT)and the UK Biobank(UKBB).Osteoporosis data were obtained from the Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis(GeFOS)consortium,including two bone density phenotypes:total body bone mineral density(BMD)and heel BMD.The inverse variance-weighted method was the primary analysis,with the Mendelian randomization method based on Egger regression(MR-Egger)and weighted median method as supplementary approaches to calculate the causal association between genetic variations related to obesity and osteoporosis.Sensitivity analyses were conducted to validate the reliability of the results.Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q test.Horizontal pleiotropy was assessed through the MR-Egger intercept test.Leave-one-out analysis was performed to evaluate the potential influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms on the combined inverse variance-weighted estimates. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Impact of obesity on osteoporosis:In addition to body mass index and forearm BMD,body mass index,waist-to-hip ratio,body mass index-adjusted waist-to-hip ratio,and whole-body body mass index,heel BMD,forearm BMD,lumbar spine BMD,and femoral neck BMD were causally related to each other.Further Meta-analysis revealed that obesity increased the risk of BMD(odds ratio=1.07,95%confidence interval:1.03-1.12,P<0.01).(2)Impact of osteoporosis on obesity:Apart from arm BMD and lumbar spine BMD as exposure factors showing causal relationships with obesity,other datasets indicated no causal effect between total body BMD,heel BMD,femoral neck BMD,and obesity.Additional meta-analysis demonstrated that BMD did not increase the risk of obesity(odds rate=0.99,95%confidence interval:0.98-1.01,P<0.01).There is a causal relationship between obesity and osteoporosis,suggesting that obesity may be a risk factor for osteoporosis.However,no causal association is found between osteoporosis and obesity.

Objective To investigate the effect of spleen on hepatic macrophages mediated activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)in mice with liver fibrosis.Methods Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups.Mice in Group A and Group B were injected intraperitoneally with CCl4 to establish liver fibrosis mouse model,while those in Group C were injected with corn oil as normal control.Four weeks later,mice with liver fibrosis received splenectomy(Spx)or sham operation(Sham),respectively.After continuous injection for 2 weeks,liver homogenates(L-Homo)were prepared and liver cells were isolated from the three groups.Expressions of IL-1β,IL-13,TGF-β,TNF-α,PDGF-β and VEGF in the liver homogenates of the three groups were detected by Luminex multifactor analysis.The expressions of these cytokines in liver macrophages(L-Mψ)and other non-parenchymal cells of Sham and Spx mice were analyzed by Real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and flow cytometry.Macrophage cell line RAW264.7 or bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)were treated with liver homogenates from the Sham and Spx groups.Then the differently treated RAW264.7 cells were analyzed for mRNA expressions of cytokines and glutamine metabolism-related molecules by RT-qPCR,or transwell co-cultured with hepatic stellate cell line JS1.After co-culture,the survival and extracellular matrix expression of JS1 cells were analyzed.For comparison,Student's t test(between two groups)or one-way analysis of variance(among multiple groups)were used.Results Compared with normal control group,the concentrations of IL-1β,IL-13,TGF-β and TNF-α in the L-Homo of model group were significantly increased and showed higher levels in Sham group than in Spx group.Moreover,the hepatic macrophages were indicated as the major source of these cytokines.Consistently,macrophages treated with liver homogenate of Sham mice had increased expressions of IL-1β,TGF-β and TNF-α and glutaminase(GLS).After co-culture with macrophages treated with liver homogenate of Sham group rather than Spx group,JS1 expressed higher expressions of α-SMA and collagens.Conclusion The spleen is involved in regulating the secretion of cytokines by hepatic macrophages and enhancing their ability to activate hepatic stellate cells.

In order to develop a positive quality control products for the detection of porcine repro-ductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV)nucleic acid by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR),the positive quality control products of PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 M genes were prepared using armored RNA technology of MS2 phage.PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 M genes were amplified,purified and recovered,and ligated into pET28b vector containing MS2 mature enzyme protein gene and capsid protein.After transformed into BL21(DE3),the gene products were in-duced by IPTG and purified by PEG6000 precipitation method to prepare the armored RNA virus-like particles(AR-PRRSV)containing PRRSV M gene.Following the performance evaluation,as the positive quality control products of PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 M genes,AR-PRRSV1M and AR-PRRSV2M were calculated using YY/T 1652-2019 standard.Results showed that it had a good u-niformity,stable storage for the armored virus-like particles at-20,4,25 ℃ for 60 d,and 37 ℃ for 30 d.The prepared armored virus-like particles AR-PRRSV1M and AR-PRRSV2M were deter-mined by digital quantitative PCR(ddPCR)after preliminary quantification by RT-qPCR.The 104 copies/μL of AR-PRRSV1M and AR-PRRSV2M ddPCR fixation was(1.33+0.50)× 104 cop-ies/μL.The above results indicates that the AR-PRRSVM can be used as the quality control of the whole detection process(nucleic acid extraction,reverse transcription and RT-qPCR).

miR-135 is a highly conserved miRNA in mammals and includes miR-135a and miR-135b.Recent studies have shown that miR-135b is a key regulatory factor in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.It is involved in regulating the pathological process of myocardial infarction,myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury,cardiac hypertrophy,atrial fibrillation,diabetic cardiomyopathy,atherosclerosis,pulmonary hyperten-sion,cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury,Parkinson's disease,and Alzheimer's disease.Obviously,miR-135b is an emerging player in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and is expected to be an important target for the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.However,the crucial role of miR-135b in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and its underlying mechanism of action has not been reviewed.Therefore,in this review,we aimed to comprehensively summarize the role of miR-135b and the signaling pathway mediated by miR-135b in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.Drugs targeting miR-135b for the treatment of diseases and related patents,highlighting the importance of this target and its utility as a therapeutic target for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases,have been discussed.

BACKGROUND: B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) therapy yield remarkable responses in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM). Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) reportedly exhibits distinct advantages in addressing the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity in the distribution and genetic variations in R/RMM. METHODS: Herein, the ctDNA of 108 peripheral blood plasma samples from patients with R/RMM was thoroughly investigated before administration of anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy to establish its predictive potential. Flow cytometry is used primarily to detect subgroups of T cells or CAR-T cells. RESULTS: In this study, several tumor and T cell effector-mediated factors were considered to be related to treatment failure by an integrat analysis, including higher percentages of multiple myeloma (MM) cells in the bone marrow (P = 0.013), lower percentages of CAR-T cells in the peripheral blood at peak (P = 0.037), and higher percentages of CD8+ T cells (P = 0.034). Furthermore, there is a substantial correlation between high ctDNA level (>143 ng/mL) and shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high levels of ctDNA (>143 ng/mL), MM-driven high-risk mutations (including IGLL5 [P = 0.004], IRF4 [P = 0.024], and CREBBP [P = 0.041]), number of multisite mutations, and resistance-related mutation (ERBB4, P = 0.040) were independent risk factors for PFS. CONCLUSION: Finally, a ctDNA-based risk model was built based on the above independent risk factors, which serves as an adjunct non-invasive measure of substantial tumor burden and a prognostic genetic feature that can assist in predicting the response to anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy. REGISTERATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100046474) and National Clinical Trial (NCT04670055, NCT05430945).

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major metabolic disease endangering global health, with diabetic nephropathy (DN) as a primary complication lacking curative therapy. Sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum (GLP), an herbal medicine, has been used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. In this study, DN was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-fat diet (HFD), and the protective mechanisms of GLP were investigated through transcriptomic, metabolomic, and network pharmacology (NP) analyses. Our results demonstrated that GLP intervention ameliorated renal damage and inflammation levels in DN rats. Integrative metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis revealed that GLP treatment modulated glucose and cellular energy metabolisms by regulating relevant genes. GLP significantly suppressed the inflammations by impacting glucose and energy metabolism-related gene expression (Igfbp1 and Angptl4) and enhanced metabolic biomarkers of 4-Aminocatechol. In addition, NP analysis further indicated that GLP may efficiently alleviate DN via immune-related pathways. In conclusion, this study provides supportive evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP supplements, highlighting their potential for promising clinical applications in treating DN.

Background Occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic is a potential risk factor for blood pressure elevation. Current studies mainly focus on the relationship between a single metal and blood pressure. However, mixed metal exposure often exists in the actual working environment, and the interactive effects of polymetallic interactions on blood pressure and the dose-effect relationship remain unclear yet. Objective To explore the influence proportion of occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic on blood pressure and their interactive effects. Methods From January to December 2021, workers from a smelter in southern China were selected. Demographic characteristics, height, weight, and blood pressure of workers were collected through questionnaire and physical examination. At the same time, their urine samples were collected and the levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and corrected by urinary creatinine (Cr). Linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic and blood pressure. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was applied to evaluate the dose-effect relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic exposures and blood pressure and the effect weight of each metal on blood pressure. Generalized linear regression and additive/multiplicative scaling were used to identify interactive effects of the three metals on blood pressure. Results A total of 1075 workers were included in this study, with a mean age of (44.68±5.11) years and mean working seniority of (24.66±5.23) years. There were 891 males (88.9%) and 184 were females (17.1%); 24.7% workers were drinkers and 45.7% workers were smokers; 302 workers (28.1%) reported hypertension and 37 of them were taking antihypertensive drugs. The P₅₀ (P₂₅, P₇₅) levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were 6.11 (3.71, 11.08), 3.88 (2.68, 5.44), and 26.04 (19.99, 35.11) μg·g⁻¹, respectively. After adjusting for gender, age, working seniority, body mass index, smoking, drinking, and the usage of antihypertensive drugs, systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by 0.772 and 0.418 mmHg respectively for 10% increase in lead, cadmium, and arsenic mixed exposure. Urinary cadmium, among the three single exposures, had the greatest effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight (w)=0.523 and 0.551 respectively. The interaction of urinary lead and urinary cadmium was positively correlated with the occurrence of hypertension, multiplicative interaction OR (OR_int)=1.88 (95%CI: 1.09, 3.63), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP)=1.19 (95%CI: 0.40, 8.18). Conclusion This study shows that mixed exposure to lead, cadmium, and arsenic has a positive relationship with blood pressure, in which cadmium plays a major role. Co-exposure to lead and cadmium has a positive interactive effect on hypertension development and systolic blood pressure elevation.