Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， through its multi-target and systematic regulatory effects， has demonstrated unique advantages in the treatment of gastric precancerous lesions （GPL）. At present， TCM theoretical research on GPL is mainly reflected in three aspects， the integration of macroscopic syndrome differentiation， the inflammation-carcinoma transformation mechanism， as well as the systematization and scientization of theoretical inheritance from famous TCM practitioners. High-quality evidence-based research findings serve as the foundation for clinical practice guidelines on GPL， and TCM has gained international academic recognition in the field of GPL prevention and treatment. Research on TCM mechanisms has yielded a series of important outcomes in the aspects of signaling pathways， gene expression regulation， cellular epigenetics， histone modification， and intestinal microecology. It is proposed that future research on GPL should focus on four key directions， establishing multi-omics data， exploring targeted intervention strategies on key regulatory nodes， advancing the standardization process of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine prevention and treatment technologies， and constructing stratified screening and intervention platforms. The in-depth integration of TCM microcosmic mechanism of action with its macroscopic syndrome differentiation and treatment system， coupled with interdisciplinary research， will provide valuable references for the clinical treatment and scientific research of GPL.

Objective To establish a stable and reliable sepsis model of rat after liver transplantation (LT) for clinical translational research and analyze its characteristics. Methods The "two-sleeve method" was used to establish the in situ LT model of SD rats, and the sepsis model was constructed through cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) at 3 d after the operation. SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation group (Sham group), LT group, and LT + CLP group, with 6 rats in each group. The changes in body weight, rectal temperature and survival rate were compared, and the sepsis score was used for evaluation. The levels of blood biochemical indicators [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), urea (Urea), creatinine (Cr), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)] and inflammatory factors [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] in each group were detected, and the pathological changes and cell apoptosis in different organs were observed. Results Compared with the Sham group, the body weight of the LT group and LT + CLP group decreased (all P<0.05). The rectal temperature of the LT + CLP group showed a continuous downward trend after the operation, the sepsis score increased sharply after the operation, and the survival rate dropped to 16.7%, and the differences between the Sham group, LT group and LT + CLP group were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The levels of ALT, AST, Urea, Cr, CK, LDH, and serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α in the LT + CLP group were higher than those in the Sham group and LT group rats within 72 hours after the operation(all P<0.05). The pathological examination of the LT + CLP group showed severe tissue structure destruction, necrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in multiple organs, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining showed an increased level of cell apoptosis in multiple organs. Conclusions Using liver transplantation combined with CLP, a stable animal model of liver transplantation infection is successfully established, which exhibits a high mortality rate, significant multi-organ damage and intense inflammatory response, providing an ideal animal model for transplantation infection research.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among college students in Yangzhou from 2020 to 2024, so as to provide a scientific basis for developing prevention and control strategies. Methods: An epidemiological investigation was conducted among 162 college students with PTB, and 7 134 of their contacts were screened. Data were obtained from the tuberculosis information management system and on campus screening records. Using descriptive epidemiological methods, trends in incidence, seasonal distribution, and bacteriological characteristics were analyzed. Results: From 2020 to 2024, the annual average incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis among college students in Yangzhou was 29.42 per 100 000, showing an overall fluctuating downward trend ( χ 2=12.36, P <0.01). Cases were mainly concentrated in summer and autumn, with the highest proportion in autumn (41.36%, 67/162), followed by summer (23.46%, 38/162). The proportion of etiologically positive cases increased from 37.21% in 2020 to 71.43% in 2024; among positive cases, the proportion of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) decreased from 66.67% (10/15) to 26.67% (4/15). The etiological positive rate was higher in females than in males ( χ 2= 11.76 , P <0.01). Comparison of screening methods showed that among index cases, the LTBI detection rate of the recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein skin test (C-TST) was higher than that of the tuberculin skin test (TST), but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ 2=0.65, P =0.42); among close contacts, the detection rate of TST was higher than that of C-TST (15.1%,10.1%; χ 2=5.23, P <0.05). Conclusion From 2020 to 2024, the annual average incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis among college students in Yangzhou showed an overall fluctuating downward trend, with differences in TB infection screening methods and gender.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to provide a scientific basis for the safety management of drinking water by assessing the contamination levels of 21 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water samples collected from the Yangtze River Delta region. MethodsSolid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was employed to determine 21 PFASs in 6 source water samples, 20 treated water samples, and 60 tap water samples collected from 5 administrative districts in the Yangtze River Delta region across four seasons in 2023. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare differences in PFAS concentrations among the three types of water samples, followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction. Removal efficiencies of target compounds were also calculated. ResultsAmong the 86 samples, 14 PFASs were detected, with 7 compounds detected in 100% of samples. The total concentrations of PFASs in source water, treated water, and tap water ranged from 63.85 to 190.54 ng·L^-¹, 55.75 to 774.36 ng·L^-¹, and 40.72 to 689.80 ng·L^-¹, respectively. The compounds with the highest median concentrations were perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) (40.19, 15.20, and 14.05 ng·L^-¹), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (29.69, 32.62, and 34.24 ng·L^-¹), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (17.65, 39.45, and 36.83 ng·L^-¹), and potassium perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) (16.99, 24.38, and 23.89 ng·L^-¹). Notably, concentrations of PFOA (7.71‒71.63 ng·L^-¹) and PFOS (-¹) in tap water were below the regulatory limits specified in GB 5749‒2022 Standards for Drinking Water Quality (PFOA: 0.000 08 mg·L^-1, PFOS: 0.000 04 mg·L^-1). Significant seasonal variations in PFAS concentrations were observed, with total PFAS levels in March being higher than those in September and November (adjusted P<0.001, and P=0.006), and levels in May being higher than those in September (adjusted P=0.037). The removal efficiencies of PFASs in the water treatment plants ranged from -14% to 34%. ConclusionPFAS contamination is widespread in source water, treated water, and tap water in the Yangtze River Delta region, and concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in all tested water samples comply with the Chinese national standards for drinking water quality (GB 5749‒2022). The use of PFASs should be continuously regulated to ensure water safety.

ObjectiveTo construct a competing endogenous RNA （ceRNA） network involving long non-coding RNA NOTCH1 （lncRNA NOTCH1） and investigate whether Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） ameliorates gastric mucosal injury via regulating ferroptosis through the lncRNA NOTCH1/microRNA-138-5p （miR-138-5p）/silent information regulator 1 （SIRT1） axis. MethodsLncRNA sequencing and bioinformatics tools were used to construct the ceRNA network involving lncRNA NOTCH1. In the animal experiments， a chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） model was induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） in mice. Mice were randomized into normal， model， Morodan （2.0 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （7.6， 3.8， 1.9 g·kg^-1， respectively） XLHZ groups （n=10）. Transmission electron microscopy was adopted to assess gastric pathology. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， SIRT1， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Western blot was adopted to quantify the protein levels of SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 in the gastric tissue. In the cell experiment， dual-luciferase assay was employed to verify the targeting among lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， and SIRT1. MNNG was used to treat GES-1 cells for disease modeling. The effects of NOTCH1 mimics on the expression of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， and SIRT1， as well as the effects of miR-138-5p inhibitor on the expression of miR-138-5p and SIRT1， were observed. The rescue experiment with XLHZ was designed with five groups： GES-1， GES-1+MNNG （Model）， Model+XLHZ， Model+NOTCH1 inhibitor+XLHZ， and Model+NOTCH1 inhibitor+miR-138-5p mimics+XLHZ. Real-time PCR and immunofluorescence assay were employed to measure the mRNA levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 and the Fe²⁺ content， respectively， in GES-1 cells. ResultsThe modeled mice showed mitochondrial damage with shrinkage and cristae loss， downregulated mRNA/protein levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， GPX4， and upregulated expression of miR-138-5p （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， drug treatments reduced mitochondrial structural damage and the membrane density decreased， partially recovered the crista structure， downregulated the expression of miR-138-5p， and upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the cell experiments， the dual-luciferase assays confirmed lncRNA NOTCH1 bound to miR-138-5p and miR-138-5p bound to SIRT1， both suppressing luciferase activity （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank control group， the model group showed decreased expression of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， GPX4， increased expression of miR-138-5p， and enhanced Fe²⁺ fluorescence （P<0.01）. NOTCH1 mimics or miR-138-5p inhibitor reversed these changes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Rescue experiments showed that NOTCH1 inhibitor reversed XLHZ-induced miR-138-5p decrease and SIRT1 increase （P<0.01）， while miR-138-5p overexpression suppressed SIRT1 expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results confirmed that lncRNA NOTCH1 negatively regulated miR-138-5p， which in turn negatively regulated SIRT1. ConclusionXLHZ effectively alleviates gastric mucosal injury and curbs CAG progression by inhibiting ferroptosis through modulation of the lncRNA NOTCH1/miR-138-5p/SIRT1 axis.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in ameliorating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating lysosomal iron metabolism. MethodsIn the animal experiments， a mouse model of CAG was established through a combined modeling approach， including free drinking of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG， 100 mg·L^-1）， gavage of ranitidine （8 g·L^-1）， and irregular feeding. Mice were randomly assigned into the normal， model， Morodan （2.0 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （7.2， 3.8， 1.9 g·kg^-1， respectively） XLHZ groups. In the cell experiments， GES-1 cells were treated with MNNG to construct a cell model of CAG， and cells were allocated into the GES-1， GES-1+MNNG （Model）， and Model+XLHZ groups. The general physical conditions of mice in each group were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to detect the pathological morphology of the gastric mucosa. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the ultrastructure of gastric mucosal cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to measure the serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in the serum. Western blot was used to determine the protein levels of lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 （LAMP1）， nuclear receptor coactivator 4 （NCOA4）， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 3 （Steap3）， and transient receptor potential mucolipin 1 （TRPML1） in the gastric tissue. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the positive expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine （8-OHdG） in the gastric tissue. Fluorescent probe method was used to detect the levels of Fe²⁺ and reactive oxygen species （ROS）. Immunofluorescence assay was applied to observe the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1. ResultsThe animal experiments showed that compared with the normal group， the model group exhibited poor mental status and hair condition， accompanied by decreased locomotor activity， food and water intake， and even reduced body weight. HE staining results showed that the gastric mucosal epithelium of model mice presented poor continuity， significantly decreased mucosal thickness， irregular gastric fovea morphology with widened spacing， dilated glandular cavities， reduced and disarranged glands with obvious atrophy， and extensive inflammatory cell infiltration. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the mitochondria were markedly shrunken with condensed and deeply stained matrix， drastically reduced and irregularly arranged cristae， and even vacuolization， and the outer mitochondrial membrane shrank and ruptured. In addition， the model group showed elevated serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， declined serum level of IL-10 （P<0.01）， upregulated protein levels of LAMP1， NCOA4， Steap3， and TRPML1 （P<0.01）， downregulated protein level of FTH1 （P<0.01） in the gastric tissue， reduced positive expression of GPX4 （P<0.01）， and increased positive expression of 8-OHdG （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all the treatment groups showed improved mental state and hair appearance， increased locomotor activity， food and water intake， as well as gradual body weight gain in mice. HE staining demonstrated that the gastric mucosal epithelium of mice in each treatment group was continuous and intact， with normalized gastric fovea morphology， narrowed glandular cavities， increased and neatly arranged glands， and alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the mitochondria in mice from each treatment group possessed intact structures with recovered normal volume， increased and regularly arranged cristae， and homogeneous density of the mitochondrial membrane. The mice treated with high and medium doses of XLHZ exhibited declined serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β （P<0.01） and elevated serum level of IL-10 （P<0.01）. Low-dose XLHZ reduced serum IL-1β level in mice （P<0.05）. The expression levels of LAMP1， NCOA4， Steap3 and TRPML1 protein in gastric tissue of mice in XLHZ high- and medium-dose groups were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression level of FTH1 protein was increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The positive expression of GPX4 in the gastric tissue was increased in the high- and medium-dose XLHZ groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and that of 8-OHdG was decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. The cell experiments showed that compared with the GES-1 group， the fluorescence intensities of Fe²⁺ and ROS， as well as the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1， were significantly increased in the GES-1 + MNNG group （P<0.01）. Compared with the GES-1 + MNNG group， the fluorescence intensities of Fe²⁺ and ROS were markedly decreased in the Model + XLHZ group （P<0.01）， while the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1 was reduced （P<0.05）. ConclusionXLHZ can effectively regulate lysosomal iron metabolism and ameliorate gastric mucosal and cellular injury induced by CAG.

ObjectiveTo construct a competing endogenous RNA （ceRNA） network involving long non-coding RNA NOTCH1 （lncRNA NOTCH1） and investigate whether Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） ameliorates gastric mucosal injury via regulating ferroptosis through the lncRNA NOTCH1/microRNA-138-5p （miR-138-5p）/silent information regulator 1 （SIRT1） axis. MethodsLncRNA sequencing and bioinformatics tools were used to construct the ceRNA network involving lncRNA NOTCH1. In the animal experiments， a chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） model was induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） in mice. Mice were randomized into normal， model， Morodan （2.0 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （7.6， 3.8， 1.9 g·kg^-1， respectively） XLHZ groups （n=10）. Transmission electron microscopy was adopted to assess gastric pathology. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， SIRT1， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Western blot was adopted to quantify the protein levels of SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 in the gastric tissue. In the cell experiment， dual-luciferase assay was employed to verify the targeting among lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， and SIRT1. MNNG was used to treat GES-1 cells for disease modeling. The effects of NOTCH1 mimics on the expression of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， and SIRT1， as well as the effects of miR-138-5p inhibitor on the expression of miR-138-5p and SIRT1， were observed. The rescue experiment with XLHZ was designed with five groups： GES-1， GES-1+MNNG （Model）， Model+XLHZ， Model+NOTCH1 inhibitor+XLHZ， and Model+NOTCH1 inhibitor+miR-138-5p mimics+XLHZ. Real-time PCR and immunofluorescence assay were employed to measure the mRNA levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， miR-138-5p， SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 and the Fe²⁺ content， respectively， in GES-1 cells. ResultsThe modeled mice showed mitochondrial damage with shrinkage and cristae loss， downregulated mRNA/protein levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， GPX4， and upregulated expression of miR-138-5p （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， drug treatments reduced mitochondrial structural damage and the membrane density decreased， partially recovered the crista structure， downregulated the expression of miR-138-5p， and upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， and GPX4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the cell experiments， the dual-luciferase assays confirmed lncRNA NOTCH1 bound to miR-138-5p and miR-138-5p bound to SIRT1， both suppressing luciferase activity （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank control group， the model group showed decreased expression of lncRNA NOTCH1， SIRT1， Nrf2， GPX4， increased expression of miR-138-5p， and enhanced Fe²⁺ fluorescence （P<0.01）. NOTCH1 mimics or miR-138-5p inhibitor reversed these changes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Rescue experiments showed that NOTCH1 inhibitor reversed XLHZ-induced miR-138-5p decrease and SIRT1 increase （P<0.01）， while miR-138-5p overexpression suppressed SIRT1 expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results confirmed that lncRNA NOTCH1 negatively regulated miR-138-5p， which in turn negatively regulated SIRT1. ConclusionXLHZ effectively alleviates gastric mucosal injury and curbs CAG progression by inhibiting ferroptosis through modulation of the lncRNA NOTCH1/miR-138-5p/SIRT1 axis.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in ameliorating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating lysosomal iron metabolism. MethodsIn the animal experiments， a mouse model of CAG was established through a combined modeling approach， including free drinking of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG， 100 mg·L^-1）， gavage of ranitidine （8 g·L^-1）， and irregular feeding. Mice were randomly assigned into the normal， model， Morodan （2.0 g·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （7.2， 3.8， 1.9 g·kg^-1， respectively） XLHZ groups. In the cell experiments， GES-1 cells were treated with MNNG to construct a cell model of CAG， and cells were allocated into the GES-1， GES-1+MNNG （Model）， and Model+XLHZ groups. The general physical conditions of mice in each group were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to detect the pathological morphology of the gastric mucosa. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the ultrastructure of gastric mucosal cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to measure the serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in the serum. Western blot was used to determine the protein levels of lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 （LAMP1）， nuclear receptor coactivator 4 （NCOA4）， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 3 （Steap3）， and transient receptor potential mucolipin 1 （TRPML1） in the gastric tissue. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the positive expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine （8-OHdG） in the gastric tissue. Fluorescent probe method was used to detect the levels of Fe²⁺ and reactive oxygen species （ROS）. Immunofluorescence assay was applied to observe the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1. ResultsThe animal experiments showed that compared with the normal group， the model group exhibited poor mental status and hair condition， accompanied by decreased locomotor activity， food and water intake， and even reduced body weight. HE staining results showed that the gastric mucosal epithelium of model mice presented poor continuity， significantly decreased mucosal thickness， irregular gastric fovea morphology with widened spacing， dilated glandular cavities， reduced and disarranged glands with obvious atrophy， and extensive inflammatory cell infiltration. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the mitochondria were markedly shrunken with condensed and deeply stained matrix， drastically reduced and irregularly arranged cristae， and even vacuolization， and the outer mitochondrial membrane shrank and ruptured. In addition， the model group showed elevated serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， declined serum level of IL-10 （P<0.01）， upregulated protein levels of LAMP1， NCOA4， Steap3， and TRPML1 （P<0.01）， downregulated protein level of FTH1 （P<0.01） in the gastric tissue， reduced positive expression of GPX4 （P<0.01）， and increased positive expression of 8-OHdG （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all the treatment groups showed improved mental state and hair appearance， increased locomotor activity， food and water intake， as well as gradual body weight gain in mice. HE staining demonstrated that the gastric mucosal epithelium of mice in each treatment group was continuous and intact， with normalized gastric fovea morphology， narrowed glandular cavities， increased and neatly arranged glands， and alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the mitochondria in mice from each treatment group possessed intact structures with recovered normal volume， increased and regularly arranged cristae， and homogeneous density of the mitochondrial membrane. The mice treated with high and medium doses of XLHZ exhibited declined serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β （P<0.01） and elevated serum level of IL-10 （P<0.01）. Low-dose XLHZ reduced serum IL-1β level in mice （P<0.05）. The expression levels of LAMP1， NCOA4， Steap3 and TRPML1 protein in gastric tissue of mice in XLHZ high- and medium-dose groups were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression level of FTH1 protein was increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The positive expression of GPX4 in the gastric tissue was increased in the high- and medium-dose XLHZ groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and that of 8-OHdG was decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. The cell experiments showed that compared with the GES-1 group， the fluorescence intensities of Fe²⁺ and ROS， as well as the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1， were significantly increased in the GES-1 + MNNG group （P<0.01）. Compared with the GES-1 + MNNG group， the fluorescence intensities of Fe²⁺ and ROS were markedly decreased in the Model + XLHZ group （P<0.01）， while the co-localization of FTH1 and LAMP1 was reduced （P<0.05）. ConclusionXLHZ can effectively regulate lysosomal iron metabolism and ameliorate gastric mucosal and cellular injury induced by CAG.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of sex on phenotypic stability in mouse models of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP) or paclitaxel (PTX), and to explore potential mechanisms underlying phenotypic heterogeneity in female mice. MethodsTwenty-eight wild-type specific pathogen-free (SPF) C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were selected for synchronous back hair removal. On the 9th day after hair removal (T0), the mice were randomly divided into a wild-type female CYP group, a wild-type male CYP group, a female negative control group and a male negative control group. Mice in the CYP groups were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of 120 mg/kg CYP, and mice in the negative control groups were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline. Subsequently, the phenotypic changes of the CIA model induced by CYP were continuously observed and photographed. Eleven 6-week-old SPF female C57BL/6J mice underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX group). Following successful surgery, these mice and five XY (Sry⁻) mice bred from Four Core Genotypes breeding stock were used to establish the chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) model using the same protocol. Serum was collected from mice in the OVX group, wild-type female CYP group, and wild-type male CYP group on T7 after CYP administration for steroid hormone analysis by mass spectrometry to evaluate the effects of gonadal estrogen and sex chromosome background changes on the stability of the CYP-induced female alopecic phenotype. Finally, twenty SPF C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks (half male and half female) were randomly divided into a PTX low-dose group and a PTX high-dose group. On the 9th day after simultaneous hair removal, PTX was injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 80 mg/kg or 120 mg/kg, respectively. Mice from the PTX low-dose group and the PTX high-dose group were continuously observed and photographed to compare the intra-group consistency of the phenotypes of female and male mice. Six SPF C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were used to repeat the construction method of the PTX low-dose group, and the hair follicle histological examination was performed at T0, T4, T7, T14 and T21, respectively, to observe the damage caused by PTX to hair follicle regeneration. ResultsThe phenotypes of CYP-induced male CIA mice are stable and reproducible. There are obvious individual differences in the alopecia phenotype in the CYP-induced female CIA model mice, which may be mainly caused by the differences in the relevant estrogens in the estrous cycle. The difference between OVX+CYP group and XY (Sry⁻) +CYP group disappeared, suggesting that ovarian-derived hormones and XY (Sry⁻) sex chromosome background may be involved in the formation of phenotypic heterogeneity of CYP-induced alopecia in female mice. The mice in the high-dose PTX group and the low-dose PTX group showed a relatively consistent alopecia and regrowth process, and there was no significant sex difference. ConclusionCYP-induced CIA is strongly influenced by sex, and ovariectomy or alteration of the sex chromosome background can improve the consistency of CYP-induced alopecic phenotypes in female mice. PTX-induced CIA shows good phenotypic consistency in both female and male mice, indicating broad applicability across sexes. Taken together, the choice of animal sex in CIA model construction, mechanistic studies, and evaluation of anti-alopecia interventions should take into account the type of chemotherapeutic agent, the study objective, and the required degree of phenotypic stability. Sex should therefore be considered an important variable in model standardization and interpretation of experimental findings.

Objective To distinguish Cremastra appendiculata(D.Don)Makino,Pleione yunnanensis Rolfe and Pleione bulbocodioides,and its easily confusing products Oreorchis patens and Iphigenia indica Kunth using the ITS sequence in DNA barcodes;To explore the genetic diversity of Cremastra appendiculata germplasm resources.Methods Three different original Cremastra appendiculata,Pleione yunnanensis Rolfe and Pleione bulbocodioides,and their easily confusing products Cremastrae Pseudobulbus of Oreorchis patens and Iphigenia indica Kunth were selected as the research objects,and the genomic DNA of the above samples were extracted by the modified CTAB method,and then the ITS sequences were amplified,sequenced and spliced by PCR technology.The Kimura 2-Parameter(K2P)model was used to calculate the genetic distance,and the phylogenetic tree was constructed with the help of neighbour joining method(NJ)for genetic relationship analysis.Results Except for the Iphigenia indica Kunth species that were not found during the BLAST search,the BLAST comparison results of the other samples were higher than 95%.At the same time,the results of phylogenetic tree showed that Cremastra appendiculata,Pleione yunnanensis Rolfe and Pleione bulbocodioides were clustered into one branch,respectively,and the easily confusing products were also respectively clustered into one branch.Conclusion The ITS sequence in DNA barcodes can be used to accurately distinguish Cremastra appendiculata,Pleione yunnanensis Rolfe and Pleione bulbocodioides,and its easily confusing products Oreorchis patens and Iphigenia indica Kunth.