Background Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) can disrupt the metabolic homeostasis of the liver and accelerate the progression of liver diseases, but there are few studies on the effects of sub-chronic PM_2.5 exposure on the liver metabolome. Objectives To investigate the effects of sub-chronic exposure to concentrated PM_2.5 on hepatic metabolomics in mice by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and to identify potentially affected metabolites and metabolic pathways. Methods Twelve male C57BL/6J (6 weeks old) mice were randomly divided into two groups: a concentrated PM_2.5 exposure group and a clean air exposure group. The mice were exposed to concentrated PM_2.5 using the "Shanghai Meteorological and Environmental Animal Exposure System" at Fudan University. The exposure duration was 8 h per day, 6 d per week, for a total of 8 weeks. The mice's liver tissues were collected 24 h after the completion of exposure. LC-MS was performed to assess changes in the hepatic metabolome. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis and t-test were employed to identify differentially regulated metabolites between the two groups under the conditions of variable important in projection (VIP)≥1.0 and P<0.05. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis was performed using MetaboAnalyst 5.0 software and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Results A total of 297 differentially regulated metabolites were identified between the concentrated PM_2.5 exposure group and the clean air group. Among these metabolites, 142 were upregulated and 155 were downregulated. A total of 38 metabolic pathways were altered, with 7 pathways showing significant perturbation (P<0.05). These pathways involved amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, as well as cofactor and vitamin metabolism. The 7 significant metabolic pathways were pantothenic acid and coenzyme A biosynthesis; purine metabolism; amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism; arginine biosynthesis; alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and fructose and mannose metabolism. Conclusion The results from metabolomics analysis suggest that sub-chronic exposure to PM_2.5 may disrupt hepatic energy metabolism and induce oxidative stress damage. Aspartic acid, succinic acid, ornithine, fumaric acid, as well as purine and xanthine derivatives, were identified as potential early biomarkers of hepatic response to sub-chronic PM_2.5 exposure.

ObjectiveTo investigate the genetic polymorphism and structure of 47 autosomal microhaplotypes in the Han population in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, and to evaluate the forensic efficiencies and forensic parameters. MethodsThe DNA library of unrelated individual samples was prepared according to MHSeqTyper47 kit manual and sequenced on the MiSeq FGx platform. Microhaplotype genotyping and sequencing depth statistics were processed using MHTyper. The genetic information of samples was then evaluated. The fixation index and genetic distance between the Jiangsu Changshu population and the reference populations in the 1000 Genomes Project phase 3 (1KG) were calculated, and forensic parameters were evaluated. ResultsThe fixation index and genetic distance between the Han population in Changshu, Jiangsu, and the CHB (Han Chinese in Beijing, China) reference population in 1KG were the lowest. The effective allele number (A_e) of each locus is also the closest between the two populations. The combined matching probability (CMP) of the Changshu Han population is close to the 5 populations of the East Asian reference super-population in 1KG, which is 1.25×10^-36, and the combined probability of exclusion reached 0.999 999 999 964 1. ConclusionThis study reported the genetic polymorphism and allele frequency of 47 microhaplotypes in a Han population in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province. This information provides a data basis for 47 microhaplotypes in forensic applications. In addition, the polymorphism differences between the 1KG reference population and the Han population in Changshu, Jiangsu were compared, and the genetic structure of 47 microhaplotypes in the Han population in Changshu, Jiangsu was revealed. In general, the reference data of the East Asian super-population in 1KG is more in line with the genetic characteristics of Han population in Changshu, Jiangsu.

The current status of exoskeletons was introduced in enhancing individual soldier's battlefield rescue capabilities,promoting the integrated use of battlefield rescue equipment,protecting medical personnel on the battlefield and assisting injured soldiers in rehabilitation training.The challenges of exoskeletons faced in human-machine interaction,power supply endurance,heavy overall structure,restricted movement and high cost were analyzed when applied to medical service support,and some suggestions were proposed accordingly including enhancing technology research and development,integrated application,communication and cooperation and personnel training.References were provided for the application of exoskeletons in China's medical service support.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):71-75]

AIM: To investigate the clinical effect and stability of biological amnion membrane coverage combined with corneal bandage lens for patients with chemical burns of ocular surface.METHODS: Retrospective study. The clinical data of 49 cases(49 eyes)of patients with chemical burns of ocular surface treated in our hospital between December 2018 and August 2021 were collected. They were divided into the biological amnion membrane coverage group and the biological amnion membrane coverage combined with corneal bandage lens group according to the surgical method. The loss time of biological amniotic membrane, postoperative pain score, repair rate and time of ocular surface, visual acuity and complications were compared between the two groups.RESULTS: The ocular pain scores of the two groups were 2.208±0.758(the biological amnion membrane coverage group)and 2.063±0.800(the biological amnion membrane coverage combined with corneal bandage lens group)at 1d after surgery, respectively(P>0.05). But at the 3d and 7d after surgery, pain scores were 1.844±0.762 and 1.150±0.582, 1.684±0.820 and 0.750±0.514, respectively(all P<0.05). The loss time of biological amniotic membrane in the biological amnion membrane coverage combined with corneal bandage lens group was 10.75±2.63d, which was longer than that in the biological amnion membrane coverage group(7.60±2.22d; P<0.05). Moreover, it has better ocular surface repair effect than the biological amnion membrane coverage group. At 6mo after operation, visual acuity in the two groups was 0.30(0.10, 0.55)and 0.30(0.20, 0.58), respectively(P>0.05). Additionally, there was no differences in the complications of both groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:Biological amnion membrane coverage has effective treatment effects on patients with chemical burns of ocular surface, and it can delay the loss time of biological amniotic membrane, increase repair rate of ocular surface and alleviate postoperative discomfort if combined with corneal bandage lens.

We conducted a prospective study to assess the non-inferiority of adjuvant chemotherapy alone versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) as an alternative strategy for patients with early-stage (FIGO 2009 stage IB-IIA) cervical cancer having risk factors after surgery. The condition was assessed in terms of prognosis, adverse effects, and quality of life. This randomized trial involved nine centers across China. Eligible patients were randomized to receive adjuvant chemotherapy or CCRT after surgery. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). From December 2012 to December 2014, 337 patients were subjected to randomization. Final analysis included 329 patients, including 165 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 164 in the adjuvant CCRT group. The median follow-up was 72.1 months. The three-year PFS rates were both 91.9%, and the five-year OS was 90.6% versus 90.0% in adjuvant chemotherapy and CCRT groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the PFS or OS between groups. The adjusted HR for PFS was 0.854 (95% confidence interval 0.415-1.757; P = 0.667) favoring adjuvant chemotherapy, excluding the predefined non-inferiority boundary of 1.9. The chemotherapy group showed a tendency toward good quality of life. In comparison with post-operative adjuvant CCRT, adjuvant chemotherapy treatment showed non-inferior efficacy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer having pathological risk factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy alone is a favorable alternative post-operative treatment.
Female ; Humans ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Neoplasm Staging ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects* ; Adjuvants, Immunologic ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To study the effects of dihydromyricetin (DMY) on the proliferation, apoptosis and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell KYSE150 and KYSE410. Methods: KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells were treated with different concentrations of DMY (0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 μmol/L) for 24 hours. The median inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) values of KYSE150 and KYSE410 were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method. Then 0.5‰ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as control group, dihydromyricetin (DMY), dihydromyricetin and transforming growth factor-β1 (DMY+ TGF-β1), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were used as experimental group. Cell proliferation and apoptosis rates were measured by clonal formation and flow cytometry. Transwell invasion and wound healing assay were used to detect cell invasion and migration. The protein expression levels of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, Smad2/3, phosphorylation-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Vimentin were detected by western blot. Results: The IC₅₀ values of DMY on KYSE410 and KYSE150 cells were 100.51 and 101.27 μmol/L. The clone formation numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 in DMY group [(0.53±0.03) and (0.31±0.03)] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.10) and (1.00±0.05), P<0.05]. The apoptosis rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(1.84±0.22)% and (2.80±0.07)%] were higher than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.18)% and (1.00±0.07)%, P<0.05]. The invasion numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(0.42±0.03) and (0.29±0.05)] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.08) and (1.00±0.05), P<0.05]. The migration rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(0.65±0.14)% and (0.40±0.17)%] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.10)% and (1.00±0.08)%, P<0.05]. The clone formation numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 in TGF-β1 group [(1.01±0.08) and (0.99±0.25)] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.73±0.10) and (0.58±0.05), P<0.05]. The apoptosis rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(0.81±0.14)% and (1.18±0.10)%] were lower than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(1.38±0.22)% and (1.85±0.04)%, P<0.05]. The invasion numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(1.19±0.11) and (1.39±0.11)] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.93±0.09) and (0.93±0.05), P<0.05]. The migration rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(1.87±0.19)% and (1.32±0.04)%] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.86±0.16)% and (0.77±0.12)%, P<0.05]. The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group were higher than those in DMSO group, while the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was lower than that in DMSO group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of p-Smad2/3, Smad2/3 and Vimentin in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group were lower than those in DMSO group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group were lower than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group, and the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was higher than that in DMY+ TGF-β1 group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY+ TGF-β1 group were lower than those in DMY group, and the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was higher than that in DMY group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of p-Smad2/3, Smad2/3 and Vimentin in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group (P<0.05). Conclusion: DMY can inhibit the proliferation and EMT of ESCC mediated by TGF-β1 and promote cell apoptosis.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Caspase 9/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide/pharmacology* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ; Flavonols ; Humans ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/pharmacology* ; Vimentin/metabolism* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/pharmacology*

Wild castor grows in the high-altitude tropical desert of the African Plateau,a region known for high ultraviolet radiation,strong light,and extremely dry condition.To investigate the potential genetic basis of adaptation to both highland and tropical deserts,we generated a chromosome-level genome sequence assembly of the wild castor accession WT05,with a genome size of 316 Mb,a scaffold N50 of 31.93 Mb,and a contig N50 of 8.96 Mb,respectively.Compared with cultivated castor and other Euphorbiaceae species,the wild castor exhibits positive selection and gene family expansion for genes involved in DNA repair,photosynthesis,and abiotic stress responses.Genetic variations associated with positive selection were identified in several key genes,such as LIG1,DDB2,and RECGI,involved in nucleotide excision repair.Moreover,a study of genomic diversity among wild and cultivated accessions revealed genomic regions containing selection signatures associated with the adaptation to extreme environments.The identification of the genes and alleles with selection signatures provides insights into the genetic mechanisms under-lying the adaptation of wild castor to the high-altitude tropical desert and would facilitate direct improvement of modern castor varieties.

The consistency of drug quality is related to the clinical efficacy and safety,which is highly valued by the government and relevant industries. Compared with chemical medicine,traditional Chinese medicine originates from the nature,and is greatly influenced by natural factors,such as the place of origin,cultivation and processing technology,climate. The quality consistency of traditional Chinese medicine is poor. The quality consistency has become the pain point and difficulty of the development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry,which seriously affects the stability and controllability of clinical efficacy and the reproducibility or recognition of modern research results. It is also a bottleneck for Chinese patent medicine to enter the international market. Mixed batch blending technology is an effective method for the scientific guarantee of the quality consistency in other industries and disciplines,and widely applied in liquor making industry,tobacco industry and perfume industry. Overseas,mixed batch blending technology has been successfully applied in guaranteeing the quality consistency of Ginkgo biloba preparations Jinnado. It has been used in the production of Chinese formulations in Japan for more than 30 years. In recent years,mixed batch blending technology has been introduced into the pharmaceutical field to ensure the quality consistency of traditional Chinese medicine,and relevant research has gradually increased.This manuscript reviews the application of blending technology in other disciplines,summarizes the algorithm principles and software systems of mixed batch blending in traditional Chinese medicine or natural medicine,explains the specific implementation process of mixed batch blending technology,and looks forward to the application prospects of artificial intelligence and other new technologies,in the hope of providing new ideas and technologies for breaking through the problem of quality consistency,and boosting the high-quality and high-level development of Chinese medicine industry in the new era.
Algorithms ; Drug Industry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Reproducibility of Results ; Technology

This paper expatiates on the effective application of domestic and foreign daily living ability assessment scale in the elderly's daily living ability assessment, subsidy, care policy assessment and insurance compensation. It analyzes and discusses the problems in the application of the daily living activity ability scale, and provide suggestions for Chinese pension service institutions.