ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodoutang （MLC） improves obesity-type polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsThirty-six female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank control group （Con） and an obesity-type PCOS model preparation group. The model was induced by gavage with letrozole （1 mg·kg^-1） combined with a high-fat diet （HFD）. After model establishment， the obesity-type PCOS model preparation group was further divided into the model group （Mod， normal saline）， metformin group （Met， 0.3 g·kg^-1）， low-dose MLC group （MLC-L， 4.3 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose MLC group （MLC-M， 8.6 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose MLC group （MLC-H， 17.2 g·kg^-1）. Active components of MLC and targets of obesity-type PCOS were screened from databases， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and gene ontology（GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The gut microbiota structure was analyzed based on 16S rRNA sequencing and correlated with network pharmacology pathways. Body weight and estrous cycle were dynamically monitored. Ovarian morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， testosterone （T）， and estradiol （E₂）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K/PI3K （p-PI3K/PI3K）， phosphorylated Akt/Akt （p-Akt/Akt）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. ResultsNetwork pharmacology screening identified 124 active components of MLC and 408 overlapping targets between the herbal formula and the disease. Core targets such as Akt1 and Bcl-2 were revealed. As indicated by 16S rRNA sequencing， the abundances of Lachnospiraceae， Lachnoclostridium， and Dorea were increased in the MLC groups （P<0.05）， while the abundance of Veillonella was decreased （P<0.05）. KEGG correlation analysis integrating network pharmacology and gut microbiota data showed significant enrichment of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Animal experiments showed that， compared with the Mod group， body weight decreased to normal levels in the Met， MLC-M， and MLC-H groups. The estrous cycle became regular. The number of corpora lutea increased and cystic follicles decreased. Serum levels of T， FSH， and LH/FSH were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the E₂ level was increased （P<0.01）. Ovarian cell apoptosis was reduced （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased， whereas Bax protein expression was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionMLC can regulate gut microbiota structure， effectively improve ovarian pathology in rats with obesity-type PCOS， and inhibit ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodoutang （MLC） improves obesity-type polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsThirty-six female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank control group （Con） and an obesity-type PCOS model preparation group. The model was induced by gavage with letrozole （1 mg·kg^-1） combined with a high-fat diet （HFD）. After model establishment， the obesity-type PCOS model preparation group was further divided into the model group （Mod， normal saline）， metformin group （Met， 0.3 g·kg^-1）， low-dose MLC group （MLC-L， 4.3 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose MLC group （MLC-M， 8.6 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose MLC group （MLC-H， 17.2 g·kg^-1）. Active components of MLC and targets of obesity-type PCOS were screened from databases， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and gene ontology（GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The gut microbiota structure was analyzed based on 16S rRNA sequencing and correlated with network pharmacology pathways. Body weight and estrous cycle were dynamically monitored. Ovarian morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， testosterone （T）， and estradiol （E₂）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K/PI3K （p-PI3K/PI3K）， phosphorylated Akt/Akt （p-Akt/Akt）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. ResultsNetwork pharmacology screening identified 124 active components of MLC and 408 overlapping targets between the herbal formula and the disease. Core targets such as Akt1 and Bcl-2 were revealed. As indicated by 16S rRNA sequencing， the abundances of Lachnospiraceae， Lachnoclostridium， and Dorea were increased in the MLC groups （P<0.05）， while the abundance of Veillonella was decreased （P<0.05）. KEGG correlation analysis integrating network pharmacology and gut microbiota data showed significant enrichment of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Animal experiments showed that， compared with the Mod group， body weight decreased to normal levels in the Met， MLC-M， and MLC-H groups. The estrous cycle became regular. The number of corpora lutea increased and cystic follicles decreased. Serum levels of T， FSH， and LH/FSH were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the E₂ level was increased （P<0.01）. Ovarian cell apoptosis was reduced （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased， whereas Bax protein expression was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionMLC can regulate gut microbiota structure， effectively improve ovarian pathology in rats with obesity-type PCOS， and inhibit ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Naringenin (4,5,7-trihydroxyflavonoid) is a naturally occurring bioflavonoid found in citrus fruits, which plays an important role in metabolic syndrome, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the pharmacological mechanism and biological function of naringenin on anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor immunity have not yet been elucidated. Our study firstly demonstrates that naringenin inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells both in vivo and in vitro. Naringenin diminishes the ability of HCC cells to induce tube formation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and suppresses neovascularization in chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. Meanwhile, in vivo results demonstrate that naringenin can significantly upregulate level of CD8⁺ T cells, subsequently increasing the level of immune-related cytokines in the tumor immune microenvironment. Mechanistically, we found that naringenin facilitate the K48-linked ubiquitination and subsequent protein degradation of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met), which reduces the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Importantly, combination therapy naringenin with PD-L1 antibody or bevacizumab provided better therapeutic effects in liver cancer. Our study reveals that naringenin can effectively inhibit angiogenesis and anti-tumor immunity in liver cancer by degradation of VEGFA and c-Met in a K48-linked ubiquitination manner. This work enlightens the potential effect of naringenin as a promising therapeutic strategy against anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor immunity in HCC.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices. METHODS An orthogonal test design was used with pre-freezing time， drying time and drying temperature as indicators to screen for the optimal freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices. The peptide content， ethanol-soluble extract content， and freeze-drying rate of sheep placenta were used as indicators，the analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation （AHP-CRITIC） method was employed to determine the weight of each indicator and calculate the comprehensive score， which was verified using the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution （TOPSIS） model. RESULTS The optimal preparation process was found to be the pre-freezing time of 2 hours， the drying time of 16 hours， and the drying temperature of 30 °C. The average values of peptide content， ethanol-soluble extract content， and freeze-drying rate for three batches of samples were 5.883 mg/mL， 27.1%， and 95.77%， respectively； the comprehensive scores of three batches were 96.42， 99.18 and 99.58， with RSD of 1.75%. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully optimized the freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices， which can provide a reference for the quality standard setting and industrial production of this type of slice.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of hemodialysis patients with corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)in a single-center from Beijing.Methods:Patients with COVID-19 who re-ceived regular hemodialysis at Peking University Third Hospital from November 30,2022 to January 4,2023 were selected as the study objects.Clinical symptoms,severity and duration of symptoms during the period of virus positive were investigated in the form of questionnaires,and the basic information of the patients,as well as the results of blood tests(routine blood and blood biochemistry,etc.)before and af-ter infection,dialysis treatment and the outcome of the disease were collected by consulting medical re-cords.Results:A total of 203 subjects were included in this study,including 148 mild cases(72.91％),23 medium cases(11.33％),32 severe and critical cases(15.76％),and 16(7.88％)deaths occured during the follow-up.Clinical symptoms mainly included respiratory symptoms(among which 81.77％had cough,68.97％had expectoration),fever(81.28％)and fatigue(65.52％),and fatigue and weakness had the longest duration[9(5,15)days]among all symptoms.Twenty-six patients(12.8％)reduced the dialysis sessions[1(1,2)times],25 patients(12.32％)had the behavior of early finishing dialysis(27 times),reducing the dialysis time by 30.0(20.0,30.5)minutes.Univa-riate analysis showed that the hemoglobin,creatinine,urea nitrogen and ultrafiltration decreased signi-ficantly after infection(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in age,albumin,hemoglobin,creatinine levels and vascular access types among the patients with different clinical subtypes,and the changes of dialysis sessions,fever,expectoration and fatigue degree were also different among the patients with different clinical subtypes(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age(OR=1.051,95％CI:1.017-1.086,P=0.003)and albumin levels(OR=0.905,95％CI:0.803-1.019,P=0.098)corrected by fever,expectoration and fatigue levels were still associated with the oc-currence of pneumonia.Conclusion:The morbidity of pneumonia and the proportion of deaths in hemo-dialysis patients with COVID-19 were higher,and some clinical symptoms lasted for a longer time than the general population.During the infection period,the incidence of dialysis-related complications in-creased,hemoglobin and nutritional status decreased.Elderly patients and patients with low albumin level had a higher risk of developing pneumonia after infection.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Zuoguiwan on the ovarian function in the rat model of cyclophosphamide-induced premature ovarian failure （POF） based on the changes of ferroptosis pathway. MethodForty SD rats were randomized into blank， model， and low- and high-dose （2， 8 g·kg^-1， respectively） Zuoguiwan groups， with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the other groups except the normal group were intraperitoneally injected with CTX at a dose of 50 mg·kg^-1 on the first day and 8 mg·kg^-1 from the second day to the fifteenth day for the modeling of POF. After modeling， the rats were administrated with corresponding drugs or normal saline by gavage for four weeks. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in the ovarian tissue. The mitochondria of the ovarian tissue was observed by electron microscopy. The serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， estradiol （E₂）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， anti-Mullerian hormone （AMH）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， catalase （CAT）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and iron ion were measured by biochemical methods and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， ferritin heavy chain （FTH1）， and acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4 （ACSL4）. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showcased significantly increased atretic follicles， atrophied， fragmented， and vacuolated mitochondria， and reduced， loose， and disordered cristae in mitochondria. Compared with the model group， high-dose Zuoguiwan increased mature follicles， the volume of mitochondria in the ovary， alleviated the vacuolation， and improved the number and arrangement of mitochondrial cristae. Compared with the blank group， the modeling elevated the levels of iron， MDA， FSH， and LH， up-regulated the expression of GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the activities of SOD and CAT， lowered the levels of E₂ and AMH， and down-regulated the expression of ACSL4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， drug interventions lowered the levels of iron， MDA， FSH， and LH， down-regulated the expression of GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the activity of CAT， elevated the levels of E₂ and AMH， and up-regulated the expression of ACSL4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionZuoguiwan may inhibit the occurrence of ferroptosis by regulating the SLC7A11/GPX4 axis， thereby improving the ovarian function of POF rats.

ObjectiveTo identify the functions of the AP2/ERF family members in Pinellia ternata and promote the genetic improvement of P. ternata varieties. MethodWe identified and conducted a systematic bioinformatics analysis of the AP2/ERF family member genes in P. ternata based on the three generations of transcriptome data. Real-time polymerase Chain reaction　（Real-time） PCR was employed to determine the expression pattern of AP2/ERF genes in different tissues and under different stress conditions. ResultA total of eight full-length AP2/ERF family members were identified from the transcriptome data， which were classified into three sub-gene families： AP2， ERF， and DREB. The deduced AP2/ERF proteins in P. ternata had the length of 251-512 aa， the theoretical pI of 5.29-11.72， the instability index of 45.90-82.41， subcellular localization in the nucleus， and conserved domains and motifs. AP2/ERF genes were expressed in different tissues of P. ternata， with high expression levels in the leaf. The stress response experiments showed that PtERF1 mainly responded to NaCl stress. The expression of PtERF2 and PtERF4 was significantly up-regulated under low temperature and polyethylene glycol （PEG）-simulated stress. PtERF3 responded to both low temperature and NaCl stress. The expression of PtERF5 was induced by high temperature， low temperature， NaCl and PEG stress. The expression of PtERF7 was up-regulated under high temperature， while that of PtERF8 under low temperature. ConclusionThe AP2/ERF genes in P. ternata can respond to stress and have the potential functions of regulating photosynthesis and improving root stress resistance.

Objective:To evaluate the application efficacy of enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in primary hospitals.Methods:A total of 116 patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery from January 2017 to December 2018 at our hospital were enrolled in this study.According to the perioperative rehabilitation program, 116 patients were divided into the group A(n=67, receiving enhanced recovery after surgery)and the group B(n=49, receiving traditional recovery after surgery).Results:The incidences of preoperative thirst and hunger were lower in the group A than in the group B(11.9% vs.53.1%, 16.4% vs.51.0%, χ2=23.10 and 15.83, respectively, P<0.001). The levels of CRP and blood glucose in the two groups were significantly higher after operation than before operation, and reached the peak values on the 3rd day after the operation.At different time points after operation, CRP levels and blood glucose levels were higher in the group B than in the group A(all P<0.05). On the 7th day after operation, blood glucose level was recovered to the preoperative level in the group A, while it was not so in the group B. The incidence of complication in the group A was similar to the group B(7.46% vs.12.2%, χ2=0.75, P>0.05). The hospitalization period was shorter and the hospitalization cost was less in the group A than in the group B(8.16±1.33)d vs.(15.39±2.81)d, (46100±1800)yuan vs.(56900±5600)yuan, t=10.98 and 9.96, P=0.000). Conclusions:The application of enhanced recovery after surgery is beneficial for perioperative safety, can reduce surgical stress response, promote postoperative recovery, shorten hospitalization time after surgery and reduce hospitalization costs in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

Background Obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction (OMGD) is due to the meibomian gland duct obstruction and/or meibum abnormal secretion.Meibomian gland morphological change is important to clinical observation.Objective This study aimed to image the meibomian gland structures and the morphological changes in eyes with OMGD using a non-contact infrared meibography system (Keratograph 5M).Methods A case-control study was performed in Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from January to June in 2015.Sixty OMGD patients and 60 age-matched healthy controls were recruited.Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was employed for the assess of ocular surface symptoms,and slit-lamp examination was performed for the observation of lid margin and meibomian gland orifices.Meibomian gland secretion scores and Keratograph 5M examination the morphological changes of the meibomian glands.According to OSDI questionnaire,the patients of OMGD were classified into mild group (12.0 ＜ OSDI ≤ 22.0) (23 eyes),moderate group (22.0 ＜ OSDI ≤ 32.0) (21 eyes) and severe group (32.0 ＜ OSDI ≤ 100.0) (16 eyes).Partial or complete loss of the meibomian glands (meibomian dropout) was scored from grade 0 (no loss) through out grade 3 (lost area was ＞2/3 of the total meibomian gland area).Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before the examination.Results The OSDI,meibomian gland orifices,meibomian gland secretion scores and meibomian gland dropout scores were significantly higher,and BUT was dramatically shorter in the OMGD group than those in the normal group,showing significant differences between the two groups (Z =-9.425,-8.954,-7.781,all at P＜0.05).The BUT was (6.10± 1.91) s and (10.67-±2.11)s,and meibomian gland dropout scores were 1.35±0.90 and 0.88±0.64 in the OMGD group and normal control group,showing significant differences between the two groups (t=3.276,-12.418,both at P＜0.05).OSDI,meibomian gland secretion scores and meibomian gland dropout scores were significantly in three intergroups (H=52.121,13.642,37.180,all at P＜0.05).BUT,meibomian gland orifices were significantly different among the mild,moderate and severe OMGD (F=58.191,8.474,both at P＜0.05).OSDI showed a significantly high positive correlation with meibomian gland orifices,meibomian gland secretion scores and meibomian gland dropout scores (r =0.708,P =0.000;r =0.759,P =0.000;r =0.270,P =0.003).BUT showed negative correlation with meibomian parameters (r=-0.692,P=0.000;r=-0.691,P=0.000;r=-0.192,P=0.036).Conclusions Keratograph 5M provides an effective noninvasive method in assessing the image of the meibomian gland structures and meibomian gland dropout.There are differences in the ocular surface and meibomian glands between the OMGD patients and normal persons.

Objective To understand the homology of sequence type 562 (ST562) strains of Burkholderia pseudomallei which circulated in two separate continents (Asia and Australia) at different times.Methods Spe Ⅰ restriction fragments and 4-locus multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA-4) profiles were extracted from MSHR5858 (ST562 Australia strain) and 350105 (ST562 historical strain of Hainan) genomes respectively by in silico analysis and then compared with the PFGE and MLVA-4 results of five ST562 clinical isolates from Hainan to test their homology.Synteny and homology between MSHR5858 and 350105 genomes were evaluated with bioinformatics methods.Results Five ST562 clinical strains from Hainan shared same PFGE pattern (similarity ＞97％) and this pattern coincided to the map of Spe Ⅰ restriction fragments of Australian strain MSHR5858.The amounts of genomic restriction fragments (Spe Ⅰ) for MSHR5858 and 350105 were 31 and 34 respectively,with 31 of them matched by each other.Five ST562 clinical strains of Hainan were distinct by MLVA-4 profiles,among which HPPH43 (MLVA-4 profile:10,8,10,8) was close to Australia strain MSHR5858 (10,8,8,6),containing identical repeat numbers at VNTR loci 2341k and 1788k;while HK003 (11,8,15,7) and HK061 (11,8,17,7) similar to Hainan historical strain 350105 (11,8,11,8),with same repeat numbers at loci 2341k and 1788k also.High-degree synteny and consistency on genomic contents were observed between 350105 and MSHR5858,indicating a similar origin for the 2 strains.Conclusion All inter-continental and historical ST562 strains ofB.pseudomallei had similar genomic characteristics,supporting the assumption that they had a common origin.Also,it is possible that Hainan historical strain 350105 is the ancestor of all circulating ST562 strains.