Objective Taking typical cases of Western medicine as an example,this paper explores the connection between Chinese and Western medicine on the understanding of tongue elephants.Methods After collecting the literature with tongue diagram attached to the clinical imaging column published in NEJM magazine,extracting the symptoms,signs and Western medicine disease information recorded in the literature,the tongue diagram was diagnosed from three aspects:tongue quality,tongue moss and sublingual meridians,and whether the symptoms and signs of tongue correspond to a certain diagnosis result,and the results were analyzed.Results A total of 48 articles were included,including 6 literature on abnormal tongue dynamics,which could correspond to abnormal tongue morphology in traditional Chinese medicine.Thirty-four cases of abnormal tongue shape were found.Among them,12 cases could be diagnosed with corresponding TCM tongue diagnosis,including 7 cases of abnormal tongue shape and 5 cases of abnormal coating.The remaining 22 cases were secondary changes in tongue structure.There were 8 articles on abnormal tongue color,including 1 abnormal tongue color,1 abnormal sublingual chord,and 6 abnormal lichen color.Conclusion Starting from the form and function,explore the connection between Chinese medicine and Western medicine in their understanding of tongue diagnosis,and promote the objectification and standardization of Chinese medicine tongue diagnosis.

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

ObjectiveTo support intelligent clinical decision-making in traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）， this study utilized ontology and knowledge graph construction techniques to achieve the IT application of clinical practice guidelines. MethodBased on the principles of findability， accessibility， interoperability， and reusability （FAIR principles）， this study employed ontology techniques to construct an ontology for TCM clinical practice guidelines and built a knowledge graph using coronary heart disease as an example. Based on the Checklist for Reporting Practice Guidelines in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Recommendation Grading in TCM Clinical Guidelines/Consensus （T/CAS 530—2021），the ontology of TCM clinical practice guidelines was constructed using the seven-step ontology construction method. On this basis，the TCM diagnosis and treatment data from the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Stable Angina Pectoris in Coronary Heart Disease were stored in Neo4j in the form of triples through knowledge extraction，integration，and storage. ResultThe information in the clinical practice guidelines was divided into three categories： onset and prevention information， diagnosis information， and treatment information， and the TCM clinical practice guideline ontology was constructed. A total of 27 concepts related to TCM clinical diagnosis and treatment and 14 data attributes were obtained， and 12 conceptual relationships including hierarchical relationships and object attributes were established. By taking coronary heart disease as an example and the TCM clinical practice guideline ontology as the model layer， the knowledge map of TCM diagnosis and treatment guidelines for stable angina pectoris in coronary heart disease with 276 nodes and 336 relationships was constructed， realizing the visual display and query of the guideline content. ConclusionThe ontology of TCM clinical practice guidelines and the knowledge graph of stable angina pectoris in coronary heart disease constructed by combining the seven-step ontology construction method and Neo4j graph database technology are efficient and flexible，providing an intelligent TCM diagnosis and treatment scheme and promoting the standardization and objectification of TCM diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of functional gastrointestinal disorders（FGIDs）among officers and sailors on a long oceangoing voyage.Methods:A total of 307 officers and sailors on a hospital ship undertaking a long oceangoing mission were selected as study subjects and surveyed by the Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Adults. The multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors of FGIDs.Results:A total of 300 valid questionnaires were collected，and the valid rate was 97.7%（300 / 307）. The total prevalence of FGIDs in officers and sailors on the long oceangoing mission was 11.00%（ n=33），among which the prevalence of unspecified functional bowel disorder was the highest（3.33%），followed by functional dyspepsia（2.00%），functional constipation（1.67%），functional diarrhea（1.33%），nausea and vomiting（1.33%），etc. According to the univariate analysis，gender，body mass index（BMI），type of work，times of undertaking oceangoing mission，location of berthing cabin，seasickness，and eating instant noodles were associated with the occurrence of FGIDs（ P<0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis of the occurrence of FGIDs showed that the gender of male was a protective factor，while the decline of BMI and frequently eating mustard tuber were risk factors. Conclusion:The prevalence of FGIDs in officers and sailors on long oceangoing missions is relatively high，and the occurrence of FGIDs is related to gender，BMI，and eating mustard tuber.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of functional gastrointestinal disorders（FGIDs）among officers and sailors on a long oceangoing voyage.Methods:A total of 307 officers and sailors on a hospital ship undertaking a long oceangoing mission were selected as study subjects and surveyed by the Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Adults. The multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors of FGIDs.Results:A total of 300 valid questionnaires were collected，and the valid rate was 97.7%（300 / 307）. The total prevalence of FGIDs in officers and sailors on the long oceangoing mission was 11.00%（ n=33），among which the prevalence of unspecified functional bowel disorder was the highest（3.33%），followed by functional dyspepsia（2.00%），functional constipation（1.67%），functional diarrhea（1.33%），nausea and vomiting（1.33%），etc. According to the univariate analysis，gender，body mass index（BMI），type of work，times of undertaking oceangoing mission，location of berthing cabin，seasickness，and eating instant noodles were associated with the occurrence of FGIDs（ P<0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis of the occurrence of FGIDs showed that the gender of male was a protective factor，while the decline of BMI and frequently eating mustard tuber were risk factors. Conclusion:The prevalence of FGIDs in officers and sailors on long oceangoing missions is relatively high，and the occurrence of FGIDs is related to gender，BMI，and eating mustard tuber.

OBJECTIVETo establish a systematic method for isolation and identification of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria in the oral cavity.

METHODSSamples of the saliva, dental plaque and periapical granulation tissue were collected from 20 subjects with healthy oral condition and from 8 patients with different oral diseases. The bacteria in the samples were identified by morphological identification, VITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing.

RESULTSVITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing showed an agreement rate of 22.39% in identifying the bacteria in the samples. We identified altogether 63 bacterial genus (175 species), among which Streptococcus, Actinomyces and Staphylococcus were the most common bacterial genus, and Streptococcus anginosus, Actinomyces oris, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus mitis were the most common species. Streptococcus anginosus was commonly found in patients with chronic periapical periodontitis. Streptococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus aureus were common in patients with radiation caries, and in patients with rampant caries, Streptococcus mutans was found at considerably higher rate than other species.

CONCLUSIONAerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria are commonly found in the oral cavity, and most of them are gram-positive. 16s rRNA gene sequencing is more accurate than VITEK automatic microorganism identification in identifying the bacteria.

Actinomyces ; isolation & purification ; Dental Caries ; Dental Plaque ; microbiology ; Humans ; Mouth ; microbiology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics ; Saliva ; microbiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; isolation & purification ; Streptococcus ; isolation & purification

Objective To establish a systematic method for isolation and identification of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria in the oral cavity. Methods Samples of the saliva, dental plaque and periapical granulation tissue were collected from 20 subjects with healthy oral condition and from 8 patients with different oral diseases. The bacteria in the samples were identified by morphological identification, VITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Results VITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing showed an agreement rate of 22.39%in identifying the bacteria in the samples. We identified altogether 63 bacterial genus (175 species), among which Streptococcus, Actinomyces and Staphylococcus were the most common bacterial genus, and Streptococcus anginosus, Actinomyces oris, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus mitis were the most common species. Streptococcus anginosus was commonly found in patients with chronic periapical periodontitis. Streptococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus aureus were common in patients with radiation caries, and in patients with rampant caries, Streptococcus mutans was found at considerably higher rate than other species. Conclusion Aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria are commonly found in the oral cavity, and most of them are gram-positive. 16s rRNA gene sequencing is more accurate than VITEK automatic microorganism identification in identifying the bacteria.

Objective To establish a systematic method for isolation and identification of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria in the oral cavity. Methods Samples of the saliva, dental plaque and periapical granulation tissue were collected from 20 subjects with healthy oral condition and from 8 patients with different oral diseases. The bacteria in the samples were identified by morphological identification, VITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Results VITEK automatic microorganism identification and 16s rRNA gene sequencing showed an agreement rate of 22.39%in identifying the bacteria in the samples. We identified altogether 63 bacterial genus (175 species), among which Streptococcus, Actinomyces and Staphylococcus were the most common bacterial genus, and Streptococcus anginosus, Actinomyces oris, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus mitis were the most common species. Streptococcus anginosus was commonly found in patients with chronic periapical periodontitis. Streptococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus aureus were common in patients with radiation caries, and in patients with rampant caries, Streptococcus mutans was found at considerably higher rate than other species. Conclusion Aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria are commonly found in the oral cavity, and most of them are gram-positive. 16s rRNA gene sequencing is more accurate than VITEK automatic microorganism identification in identifying the bacteria.

Objective To investigate the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in sinusoidal capillarization in liver cirrhotic rats. Methods The SD rats were intraperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) twice a week for 8 weeks to induce liver cirrhosis. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group (n= 10), model control group (n= 15) and rofecoxib treated group (received 10 mg/kg of rofecoxib daily, n = 15). Liver histopathology was examined by light microscopy, and sinusoidal ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the level of basement membrane proteins (collagen type Ⅳ, laminin) and their localizations in liver were determined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively, and the microvessel density was detected following vWF (yon Willebrand factor) immunolabeling on liver tissue sections. Results Fibrotic areas were reduced in rofecoxib treated group compared with that in model group (30.7±8.9 vs 23.5±6.5,P<0. 05). The light and electron microscopy showed that the pathologic changes including loss or reduction in number of sinusoidal endothelial fenestrate, the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the Disse's space and development of subendothelial basal lamina (basement membrane formation) were more severe in model group than those in rofecoxib treated group. Compared with model group, administration of rofecoxib resulted in significant decrease in microvessel density (11.3 ± 1.6 vs. 6.4 ±0. 7, P<0. 01). Rofecoxib could significantly decrease the expression of type Ⅳ collagen and laminin at protein levels (3.0±0.5 and 3.0±0.5, respectively) when compared with model group (3.8±0.4 and 3.7±0. 5, respectively). Conclusion The results indicate that early administration of rofecoxib may reduce sinusoidal capillarization.

Objective To investigate the role of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX 2) in the forming of portal hypertension and whether a selective COX 2 inhibitor can reduce the portal hypertension or not. Methods Cirrhotic Sprague Dawley rat was induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) intraperitoneally for 8 weeks. The animals were divided into three groups: 10 normal rats served as control group; the other 15 rats, which received CCl 4 intraperitoneally twice a week and rofecoxib (10 mg/kg) by gavages daily, served as treatment group; another 15 rats, which were induced cirrhosis by CCl 4 but given placebo (saline solution ) instead of rofecoxib, served as placebo group. After 8 weeks of CCl 4 induction, portal pressure was measured, and the levels of thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2), and prostaglandin (PG)E 2 in the liver tissues were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Furthermore, liver histopathological analysis was performed in H E and Masson's trichrome staining sections. Results Portal pressure in the rats of rofecoxib group was significantly decreased compared to that in the placebo group [(11.95?1.05) mm Hg vs. (13.45?1.15) mm Hg; P