ObjectiveThe controllability changes of structural brain network were explored based on the control and brain network theory in young smokers, this may reveal that the controllability indicators can serve as a powerful factor to predict the sleep status in young smokers. MethodsFifty young smokers and 51 healthy controls from Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct structural brain network based on fractional anisotropy (FA) weight matrix. According to the control and brain network theory, the average controllability and the modal controllability were calculated. Two-sample t-test was used to compare the differences between the groups and Pearson correlation analysis to examine the correlation between significant average controllability and modal controllability with Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) in young smokers. The nodes with the controllability score in the top 10% were selected as the super-controllers. Finally, we used BP neural network to predict the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in young smokers. ResultsThe average controllability of dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, lenticular nucleus putamen, and lenticular nucleus pallidum, and the modal controllability of orbital inferior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, gyrus rectus, and posterior cingulate gyrus in the young smokers’ group, were all significantly different from those of the healthy controls group (P<0.05). The average controllability of the right supplementary motor area (SMA.R) in the young smokers group was positively correlated with FTND (r=0.393 0, P=0.004 8), while modal controllability was negatively correlated with FTND (r=-0.330 1, P=0.019 2). ConclusionThe controllability of structural brain network in young smokers is abnormal. which may serve as an indicator to predict sleep condition. It may provide the imaging evidence for evaluating the cognitive function impairment in young smokers.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effects and difference in the effects of Arisaematis Rhizoma （AR） before and after processing （i.e.， Arisaematis Rhizoma Preparatum， ARP） with Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens-Alumen on allergic asthma in rats and to provide a basis for the theory of processing improving the efficacy. MethodA rat model of allergic asthma was established in 70 SD rats by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin （OVA）-aluminum hydroxide. The rats were administrated with the aqueous extracts of AR （1.2， 0.3 g∙kg^-1） and ARP （1.2， 0.3 g∙kg^-1） aqueous extracts by gavage， and montelukast sodium （0.001 g∙kg^-1） was used as the positive drug. The T helper cell type 1/type 2 （Th1/Th2） ratio in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） and percentages of inflammatory cells in BALF were determined. Polymerase chain reaction （PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA level of mucin 5AC （MUC5AC） in the lung tissue. The pathological changes in the lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and PAS staining. Immunohistochemical assay was employed to measure the expression of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase （JNK）， extracellular signal regulated protein kinase （ERK）， and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK） in rat lung tissue. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of ERK， p-ERK， JNK， p-JNK， p38， p-p38 in the lung tissue. The effects of AR and ARP were compared based on overall desirability. ResultCompared with the blank group， the levels of interleukin-12 （IL-12） and γ interferon （IFN-γ） in serum and BALF of rats in the model group were significantly lower （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the levels of interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-5 （IL-5） and interleukin-13 （IL-13） were significantly higher （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum and BALF contents of IL-12 and IFN-γ in rats in the montelukast sodium group， high-dose AR group and high-dose ARP group were significantly higher （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the contents of IL-4， IL-5 and IL-13 were significantly lower （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the serum contents of IFN-γ in rats in the low-dose AR group and low-dose ARP group were in BALF was significantly higher （P<0.05） and IL-4 and IL-13 were significantly lower （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the percentages of macrophages， lymphocytes， neutrophils， and eosinophils were reduced in BALF， and the expression of JNK/ERK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway and MUC5AC protein was inhibited in lung tissues. Overall assessment of the normalized analysis revealed that the ARP group was slightly more potent than the AR group after administration of the same dose. ConclusionAR and ARP can effectively treat allergic asthma by inhibiting JNK/ERK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway， and the effect is better after concoction， which can provide data support for its "concoction efficiency".

ObjectiveTo explore the scientific connotation of fried charcoal survivability of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos（LJF） by analyzing the correlation between the color change and the intrinsic components during the processing of LJF Carbonisata（LJFC）， and taking pH， charcoal adsorption and microscopic characteristics as indexes. MethodLJFC samples with different degrees of processing were prepared according to the stir-frying time of 0.0， 1.5， 3.0， 4.5， 6.0， 7.5， 9.0， 10.5 min（numbered S1-S8）， and the contents of gallic acid， chlorogenic acid， cryptochlorogenic acid， rutin， luteoloside， isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C were determined by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， and the L^*（brightness）， a^*（red-greenness） and b^*（yellow-blueness） of LJFC samples with different degrees of processing were determined by spectrophotometer， and the correlation analysis and principal component analysis（PCA） between the contents of seven representative components and the color of the samples were carried out by SPSS 26. 0 and SIMCA-P 14.1. Then pH， adsorption force and characteristic structure of different samples of LJFC were detected and the processing pattern of LJFC was analyzed. ResultThe results of quantitative analysis revealed that the contents of luteoloside， rutin， chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid A gradually decreased， and the contents of cryptochlorogenic acid， isochlorogenic acid C and gallic acid firstly increased and then decreased. The L^* and b^* of the sample powders decreased， and a^* showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. The L^* and b^* were positively correlated with the contents of chlorogenic acid， rutin， luteoloside， isochlorogenic acid A， b^* was positively correlated with the content of gallic acid， and a^* was positively correlated with the contents of cryptochlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid C. PCA revealed that samples could be clearly divided into 3 groups， S1-S2 as one group， S3-S5 as one group， and S6-S8 as one group， with S3 having the highest score. The results of regression analysis showed that only isochlorogenic acid C could be used to predict the contents of components by colorimetric values combined with regression equations. Physicochemical analysis showed that pH of LJFC increased with the increase of degree of charcoal stir-frying， while adsorption force showed a tendency of increasing and then decreasing， with the highest adsorption force in the S5 sample， and the non-glandular hairs， calcium oxalate clusters and pollen grains had a varying degree of decreasing with the deepening of processing degree， and the microstructures of S6-S8 samples were obviously charred with pollen grains almost invisible. ConclusionThe changes in chemical composition and color characteristics of LJFC during the processing have certain correlations， combined with the changes in physicochemical properties， S5 sample is found to be the optimal processed products， which can provide a reference for the processing standardization and quality evaluation of LJFC， and enrich the scientific connotation of fried charcoal survivability of LJF.

Objective To investigate the effect of quercetin on HCE-2 injury of human corneal epithelial cells induced by high osmotic pressure and its mechanism.Methods HCE-2 cells were randomly divided into control group(normal osmotic pressure),model group(high osmotic pressure),experimental-L group(high osmotic pressure+31.25 pg·mL-1 quercetin),experimental-M group(high osmotic pressure+62.50 μg·mL-1 quercetin),experimental-H group(high osmotic pressure+125.00 μg·mL-1 quercetin),erastin group(high osmotic pressure+125.00 μg·mL-1 quercetin+30.00 μmol·L-1 iron death inducer erastin).Cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit 8;reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels was detected by C11-BODIPY 581/591 probe staining;glutathione(GSH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels were determined by kit method;the expression levels of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),dihydrolactate dehydrogenase(DHODH)and ferroptosis suppressor protein 1(FSP1)were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Results The cell survival rates of control group,model group,experimental-H group and erastin group were(100.00±3.97)％,(50.05±5.83)％,(86.35±7.35)％and(58.32±4.66)％,respectively;ROS levels were 1.00±0.09,2.45±0.16,1.19±0.05 and 2.09±0.30,respectively;GPX4 protein levels were 1.09±0.11,0.34±0.03,0.91±0.12 and 0.30±0.04,respectively;FSP1 protein levels were 0.92±0.06,0.25±0.03,0.89±0.07 and 0.39±0.07,respectively;DHODH protein levels were 0.89±0.11,0.31±0.04,0.86±0.11,0.41±0.04,respectively.Compared with model group,the above indexes in control group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the differences between experimental-H group and model group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the above indexes in erastin group were significantly different from those in experimental-H group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Quercetin can ameliorate HCE-2 cell damage induced by high osmotic pressure by inhibiting iron death pathway.

This study used kidney metabolomics to investigate the underlying mechanisms of Guilingji (GLJ) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) rats. The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 8), i.e., control group, model group, positive drug (Ginkgo biloba tablet, donepezil) group, GLJ group (low and high dose group). The MCI rat model was replicated using subcutaneous injection of D-galactose into the back of the neck along with a semi-high-fat diet for a total of 8 weeks, and drug was administered from the 5th week for 4 weeks. The kidney function and renal pathological changes of each group of rats were tested. And LC-MS based kidney metabolomics coupled with multivariate data analysis were conducted to explore the potential biomarkers, and corresponding metabolic pathways were then determined. After administration of GLJ, the level of urea nitrogen was decreased compared with those of the model group, and the abnormalities of morphology in kidney tissues were improved. The positive drugs (ginkgo biloba tablet and donepezil) had no significant modulating effect on renal function indexes. Ginkgo biloba tablet can lessen the pathological injury of kidney tissue, and donepezil had no improvement on renal histopathology. A total of 23 MCI related differential metabolites were identified in kidney, and 17 metabolites were signifcantly restored by GLJ compared with those of the model group. Additionally, we found that the cysteine and methionine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism were significantly involved in the regulatory effect of GLJ. The results illuminate the "cong shen zhi nao" mechanism of GLJ, and also provide a research basis for the clinical use of GLJ for the treatment of MCI. The animal experiment of this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanxi University (approval number: 2020DW121).

The breakage pattern of unit particles during the production of oral solid dosage forms (OSD) is closely related to the quality of intermediate or final products. To accurately characterize the particles and study the evolution law of particle breakage, the Bonding model of the discrete element method (DEM) was used to investigate the breakage patterns of model parameters, particle shape and process conditions (loading mode and loading rate) on the dynamic breakage, force-time curve, breakage rate, maximum breakage size ratio and fracture strength of particles. The results showed that the particle breakage force was positively correlated with normal strength and bonded disk scale, negatively correlated with normal stiffness per unit area and tangential stiffness per unit area, and weakly correlated with tangential strength. The particle breakage rate was negatively correlated with the aspect ratio of the particles, and the maximum breakage size ratio was positively correlated with the aspect ratio of the particles; among the three loading modes, the breakage rate of compression breakage model was the largest, the breakage rate of shear breakage model was the second largest, and the breakage rate of wear breakage model was the smallest; the maximum breakage size ratio was positively correlated with the loading rate, the loading mode and the loading rate had no mutual influence on particle breakage rate, but had mutual influence on the maximum breakage size ratio. The research results will provide a theoretical basis for the shift of OSD from batch manufacturing to advanced manufacturing.

In this study, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were used as excipients to prepare solid dispersion (SD) of scutellarin. The SD of scutellarin were prepared by melting method with cumulative dissolution rate as the index of investigation. The preparation conditions of SD of scutellarin were optimized by single factor experiment, which investigated the type of the carrier material, the type of DESs, and the ratio of the drug to the carrier. The optimum preparation conditions of DESs-SD were as follows: using Poloxamer 407 as the carrier material, PEG 200/urea (2∶1) as the DESs system, and the ratio of carrier, DESs, and drug was 6∶1∶1. The drug loading capacity of scutellarin in SD was 12.53% under the optimum preparation conditions. Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope exhibited that scutellarin was amorphous form in the SD system. Furthermore, the stability of the DESs-based SD of scutellarin was evaluated by high temperature, high humidity, and strong light tests, which showed that the cumulative dissolution rate and scutellarin content of SD decreased with time under these conditions. Finally, the result of pharmacokinetic studies indicated that the oral absorption of the scutellarin could be increased using DESs as an excipient in the preparation of SD. The animal experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval number: FJTCMIACUC 2023048). Consequently, this research offers a novel and effective approach for using DESs to enhance the oral bioavailability of active substances with low water solubility.

OBJECTIVE To improve the solubility of the insoluble drug aprepitant, solve the problem of solubilization in acid and crystallization and precipitation in alkali of aprepitant, select polymer carriers with different functions, prepare ternary solid dispersions, and investigate their performance. METHODS Binary solid dispersions were prepared by solvent-melt method, and the solubility and dissolution rate were used as indicators to screen the solubilization-enhancing carrier materials. The crystallization inhibition performance of each polymer in different concentrations of drug solutions was investigated by the medium transfer method, and the best precipitation inhibitor was screened. The ternary solid dispersions were prepared by hot melt extrusion technique, and the ternary solid dispersion prescriptions were preferably selected with the indexes of solubility and crystal inhibition time. The presence of the drug in the carrier was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, and the dynamic solubility and physical stability of the ternary solid dispersion in simulated intestinal fluid under accelerated conditions were investigated. RESULTS The binary solid dispersion prepared by hydrophilic polymer PVP K30 showed fast dissolution and good solubilization, the enterosoluble polymer HPMCAS showed superior crystal inhibition and prolonged the supersaturation point of aprepitant, and the ternary solid dispersion with a mass ratio of 1∶1∶3(APR∶PVP K30∶HPMCAS) was rapidly and completely released in acid(95% dissolution at 120 min). The ternary solid dispersions were completely released and maintained the solution in a highly supersaturated stable state at 6 h when the pH of the medium was shifted to 6.8, which significantly increased the dissolution degree and dissolution rate relative to the APR, and the drug existed in the carrier matrix in an amorphous form, while being able to maintain the amorphous state for at least three months under accelerated conditions. CONCLUSION Based on the physicochemical properties of different polymers, the ternary solid dispersion prepared in this work not only significantly improves the solubility of aprepitant by coordinating the dissolution rate and crystallization inhibition effect, but also solves the problem of aprepitant dissolution in stomach and precipitation in intestine, with good dissolution characteristics.

In recent years,with the continuous progress of DNA extraction and detection technology,cell-free DNA(cfDNA)has been widely used in the life science field,and its potential application value in forensic identification is becoming more and more obvious.This paper reviews the concept,formation mechanism,and classification of cfDNA,etc.,and describes the latest research progress of cfDNA in personal identification of crime scene touch DNA samples and non-invasive prenatal pater-nity testing(NIPPT).Meanwhile,this paper summarizes the potential application of cfDNA in injury inference,and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of common cfDNA analysis methods and techniques,and its application prospects,to provide a new idea for the wide application of cfDNA in the field of forensic science.

Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty(ICPP)from Hainan province.Methods A total of 216 cases of ICPP girls admitted to Hainan Women and Children's Medical Centre from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected.The frequency statistics and grading of TCM syndromes in the included ICPP girls were carried out,and the distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes were discussed on the basis of the analysis of the three TCM syndrome types of yin deficiency and fire exuberance syndrome,qi and blood insufficiency syndrome and incoordination between heart and kidney syndrome.Results(1)The age of ICPP onset in 216 girls were between 4 and 10 years old,with an average onset age of(7.15±1.06)years.The highest incidence rate of ICPP was found in the girls aged over 7 years old while less than 8 years old,which was 49.54%.(2)Of the three TCM syndrome types,yin deficiency and fire exuberance syndrome accounted for the highest proportion(147 cases,68.06%),followed by the qi and blood insufficiency syndrome(41 cases,18.98%)and the incoordination between heart and kidney syndrome(28 cases,12.96%).(3)The common 16 TCM symptoms(frequency＞25.0%)in descending order of frequency were aversion to heat and night sweating,feverish sensation in soles and palms,breast distension and pain,irritability,thready and rapid pulse,dry stools,dry throat and mouth,hot flushes,excessive intake of fat and sweet food,red tongue with less fur,depression,mental weakness,flushed cheeks,insomnia and dreaminess,red tongue with yellow fur,and bitterness and dryness in the mouth.(4)The distribution of the age in ICPP girls with various syndromes was as follows:yin deficiency and fire exuberance syndrome and qi and blood insufficiency syndrome were more common in the ICPP girls aged over 7 years old while less than 8 years old(accounting for 58.50%and 51.22%),and incoordination between heart and kidney syndrome was more common in ICPP girls aged over 8 years old while less than 9 years old(accounting for 89.29%).Conclusion Yin deficiency and fire exuberance syndrome is the common TCM syndrome that accounts for the highest proportion in ICPP girls from Hainan province.The study of the distribution of TCM syndromes in girls with precocious puberty will be helpful for the observation of the early clinical symptoms of precocious puberty and early diagnosis of the disease,and can provide clues and evidence for the clinical diagnosis and medication for girls with ICPP.