1.Insights on Peripheral Blood Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease
Yu-Meng LI ; Jing-Kai LIU ; Zi-Xuan CHEN ; Yu-Lin DENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):72-87
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder with profound impact on patients’ quality of life and long-term health, and early detection and intervention are particularly critical. In recent years, the search for precise and reliable biomarkers has become one of the key strategies to effectively address the clinical challenges of PD. In this paper, we systematically evaluated potential biomarkers, including proteins, metabolites, epigenetic markers, and exosomes, in the peripheral blood of PD patients. Protein markers are one of the main directions of biomarker research in PD. In particular, α‑synuclein and its phosphorylated form play a key role in the pathological process of PD. It has been shown that aggregation of α-synuclein may be associated with pathologic protein deposition in PD and may be a potential marker for early diagnosis of PD. In terms of metabolites, uric acid, as a metabolite, plays an important role in oxidative stress and neuroprotection in PD. It has been found that changes in uric acid levels may be associated with the onset and progression of PD, showing its potential as an early diagnostic marker. Epigenetic markers, such as DNA methylation modifications and miRNAs, have also attracted much attention in Parkinson’s disease research. Changes in these markers may affect the expression of PD-related genes and have an important impact on the onset and progression of the disease, providing new research perspectives for the early diagnosis of PD. In addition, exosomes, as a potential biomarker carrier for PD, are able to carry a variety of biomolecules involved in intercellular communication and pathological regulation. Studies have shown that exosomes may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD, and their detection in blood may provide a new breakthrough for early diagnosis. It has been shown that exosomes may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD, and their detection in blood may provide new breakthroughs in early diagnosis. In summary, through in-depth evaluation of biomarkers in the peripheral blood of PD patients, this paper demonstrates the important potential of these markers in the early diagnosis of PD and in the study of pathological mechanisms. Future studies will continue to explore the clinical application value of these biomarkers to promote the early detection of PD and individualized treatment strategies.
2.Acute Inflammatory Pain Induces Sex-different Brain Alpha Activity in Anesthetized Rats Through Optically Pumped Magnetometer Magnetoencephalography
Meng-Meng MIAO ; Yu-Xuan REN ; Wen-Wei WU ; Yu ZHANG ; Chen PAN ; Xiang-Hong LIN ; Hui-Dan LIN ; Xiao-Wei CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):244-257
ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.
3.Randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, multicenter, equivalence clinical trial of Jiuwei Xifeng Granules(Os Draconis replaced by Ostreae Concha) for treating tic disorder in children.
Qiu-Han CAI ; Cheng-Liang ZHONG ; Si-Yuan HU ; Xin-Min LI ; Zhi-Chun XU ; Hui CHEN ; Ying HUA ; Jun-Hong WANG ; Ji-Hong TANG ; Bing-Xiang MA ; Xiu-Xia WANG ; Ai-Zhen WANG ; Meng-Qing WANG ; Wei ZHANG ; Chun WANG ; Yi-Qun TENG ; Yi-Hui SHAN ; Sheng-Xuan GUO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1699-1705
Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent
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Child
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Child, Preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Double-Blind Method
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
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Tic Disorders/drug therapy*
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Treatment Outcome
4.Establishment of different pneumonia mouse models suitable for traditional Chinese medicine screening.
Xing-Nan YUE ; Jia-Yin HAN ; Chen PAN ; Yu-Shi ZHANG ; Su-Yan LIU ; Yong ZHAO ; Xiao-Meng ZHANG ; Jing-Wen WU ; Xuan TANG ; Ai-Hua LIANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4089-4099
In this study, lipopolysaccharide(LPS), ovalbumin(OVA), and compound 48/80(C48/80) were administered to establish non-infectious pneumonia models under simulated clinical conditions, and the correlation between their pathological characteristics and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes was compared, providing the basis for the selection of appropriate animal models for TCM efficacy evaluation. An acute pneumonia model was established by nasal instillation of LPS combined with intraperitoneal injection for intensive stimulation. Three doses of OVA mixed with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant were injected intraperitoneally on days one, three, and five and OVA was administered via endotracheal drip for excitation on days 14-18 to establish an OVA-induced allergic pneumonia model. A single intravenous injection of three doses of C48/80 was adopted to establish a C48/80-induced pneumonia model. By detecting the changes in peripheral blood leukocyte classification, lung tissue and plasma cytokines, immunoglobulins(Ig), histamine levels, and arachidonic acid metabolites, the multi-dimensional analysis was carried out based on pathological evaluation. The results showed that the three models could cause pulmonary edema, increased wet weight in the lung, and obvious exudative inflammation in lung tissue pathology, especially for LPS. A number of pyrogenic cytokines, inclading interleukin(IL)-6, interferon(IFN)-γ, IL-1β, and IL-4 were significantly elevated in the LPS pneumonia model. Significantly increased levels of prostacyclin analogs such as prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and PGD2, which cause increased vascular permeability, and neutrophils in peripheral blood were significantly elevated. The model could partly reflect the clinical characteristics of phlegm heat accumulating in the lung or dampness toxin obstructing the lung. The OVA model showed that the sensitization mediators IgE and leukotriene E4(LTE4) were increased, and the anti-inflammatory prostacyclin 6-keto-PGF2α was decreased. Immune cells(lymphocytes and monocytes) were decreased, and inflammatory cells(neutrophils and basophils) were increased, reflecting the characteristics of "deficiency", "phlegm", or "dampness". Lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils were significantly increased in the C48/80 model. The phenotype of the model was that the content of histamine, a large number of prostacyclins(6-keto-PGE1, PGF2α, 15-keto-PGF2α, 6-keto-PGF1α, 13,14-D-15-keto-PGE2, PGD2, PGE2, and PGH2), LTE4, and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid(5S-HETE) was significantly increased, and these indicators were associated with vascular expansion and increased vascular permeability. The pyrogenic inflammatory cytokines were not increased. The C48/80 model reflected the characteristics of cold and damp accumulation. In the study, three non-infectious pneumonia models were constructed. The LPS model exhibited neutrophil infiltration and elevated inflammatory factors, which was suitable for the efficacy study of TCM for clearing heat, detoxifying, removing dampness, and eliminating phlegm. The OVA model, which took allergic inflammation as an index, was suitable for the efficacy study of Yiqi Gubiao formulas. The C48/80 model exhibited increased vasoactive substances(histamine, PGs, and LTE4), which was suitable for the efficacy study and evaluation of TCM for warming the lung, dispersing cold, drying dampness, and resolving phlegm. The study provides a theoretical basis for model selection for the efficacy evaluation of TCM in the treatment of pneumonia.
Animals
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Disease Models, Animal
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Mice
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Pneumonia/genetics*
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Male
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Humans
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Cytokines/immunology*
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Female
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Lipopolysaccharides/adverse effects*
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Lung/drug effects*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal
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Ovalbumin
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Mice, Inbred BALB C
5.Development and application on a full process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system based on generative artificial intelligence.
Wanjie YANG ; Hao FU ; Xiangfei MENG ; Changsong LI ; Ce YU ; Xinting ZHAO ; Weifeng LI ; Wei ZHAO ; Qi WU ; Zheng CHEN ; Chao CUI ; Song GAO ; Zhen WAN ; Jing HAN ; Weikang ZHAO ; Dong HAN ; Zhongzhuo JIANG ; Weirong XING ; Mou YANG ; Xuan MIAO ; Haibai SUN ; Zhiheng XING ; Junquan ZHANG ; Lixia SHI ; Li ZHANG
Chinese Critical Care Medicine 2025;37(5):477-483
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), has already brought, and will continue to bring, revolutionary changes to our daily production and life, as well as create new opportunities and challenges for diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the medical field. Haihe Hospital of Tianjin University collaborates with the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, Tianjin University, and other institutions to carry out research in areas such as smart healthcare, smart services, and smart management. We have conducted research and development of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system based on GenAI in the field of smart healthcare. The development of this project is of great significance. The first goal is to upgrade and transform the hospital's information center, organically integrate it with existing information systems, and provide the necessary computing power storage support for intelligent services within the hospital. We have implemented the localized deployment of three models: Tianhe "Tianyuan", WiNGPT, and DeepSeek. The second is to create a digital avatar of the chief physician/chief physician's voice and image by integrating multimodal intelligent interaction technology. With generative intelligence as the core, this solution provides patients with a visual medical interaction solution. The third is to achieve deep adaptation between generative intelligence and the entire process of patient medical treatment. In this project, we have developed assistant tools such as intelligent inquiry, intelligent diagnosis and recognition, intelligent treatment plan generation, and intelligent assisted medical record generation to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of the diagnosis and treatment process. This study introduces the content of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system, aiming to provide references and insights for the digital transformation of the healthcare industry.
Artificial Intelligence
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Humans
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Delivery of Health Care
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Generative Artificial Intelligence
6.Rapid Screening of 34 Emerging Contaminants in Surface Water by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS
Chen-Shan LÜ ; Yi-Xuan CAO ; Xiao-Xi MU ; Hai-Yan CUI ; Tao WANG ; Zhi-Wen WEI ; Ke-Ming YUN ; Meng HU
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(1):30-36
Objective To establish a rapid screening method for 34 emerging contaminants in surface water by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS).Methods The pretreatment conditions of solid phase extraction(SPE)were op-timized by orthogonal experimental design and the surface water samples were concentrated and ex-tracted by Oasis? HLB and Oasis? MCX SPE columns in series.The extracts were separated by Kine-tex? EVO C18 column,with gradient elution of 0.1%formic acid aqueous solution and 0.1%formic acid methanol solution.Q-TOF-MS'fullscan'and'targeted MS/MS'modes were used to detect 34 emerging contaminants and to establish a database with 34 emerging contaminants precursor ion,prod-uct ion and retention times.Results The 34 emerging contaminants exhibited good linearity in the con-centration range respectively and the correlation coefficients(r)were higher than 0.97.The limit of de-tection was 0.2-10 ng/L and the recoveries were 81.2%-119.2%.The intra-day precision was 0.78%-18.70%.The method was applied to analyze multiple surface water samples and 6 emerging contaminants were detected,with a concentration range of 1.93-157.71 ng/L.Conclusion The method is simple and rapid for screening various emerging contaminants at the trace level in surface water.
7.Expert consensus on cryoablation therapy of oral mucosal melanoma
Guoxin REN ; Moyi SUN ; Zhangui TANG ; Longjiang LI ; Jian MENG ; Zhijun SUN ; Shaoyan LIU ; Yue HE ; Wei SHANG ; Gang LI ; Jie ZHNAG ; Heming WU ; Yi LI ; Shaohui HUANG ; Shizhou ZHANG ; Zhongcheng GONG ; Jun WANG ; Anxun WANG ; Zhiyong LI ; Zhiquan HUNAG ; Tong SU ; Jichen LI ; Kai YANG ; Weizhong LI ; Weihong XIE ; Qing XI ; Ke ZHAO ; Yunze XUAN ; Li HUANG ; Chuanzheng SUN ; Bing HAN ; Yanping CHEN ; Wenge CHEN ; Yunteng WU ; Dongliang WEI ; Wei GUO
Journal of Practical Stomatology 2024;40(2):149-155
Cryoablation therapy with explicit anti-tumor mechanisms and histopathological manifestations has a long history.A large number of clinical practice has shown that cryoablation therapy is safe and effective,making it an ideal tumor treatment method in theory.Previously,its efficacy and clinical application were constrained by the limitations of refrigerants and refrigeration equipment.With the development of the new generation of cryoablation equipment represented by argon helium knives,significant progress has been made in refrigeration efficien-cy,ablation range,and precise temperature measurement,greatly promoting the progression of tumor cryoablation technology.This consensus systematically summarizes the mechanism of cryoablation technology,indications for oral mucosal melanoma(OMM)cryotherapy,clinical treatment process,adverse reactions and management,cryotherapy combination therapy,etc.,aiming to provide reference for carrying out the standardized cryoablation therapy of OMM.
8.Study on Huangqin Decoction Regulating NEK7-NLRP3/IL-1β to Protect Vascular Endothelial Function in Obese Hyperten-sive Rats Based on Peritubular Fat Inflammatory Microenvironment
Xuan LIU ; Fusen ZHAO ; Qiyao XU ; Meng ZHANG ; Can GUO ; Zhaoyang CHEN ; Jianping SHEN ; Xin-Dong WANG
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;40(9):896-905
OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of Huangqin decoction on improving peritubular fat inflammatory microenvironment and protecting vascular endothelial function in obese hypertensive rats by regulating the NEK7-NLRP3/IL-1β inflammatory axis.METHODS Fifty 4-week-old male Wistar rats were selected,10 of which were randomly selected as the control group,and the oth-er 40 were fed a high-salt and high-fat diet to establish an obese hypertension model.The rats with successful modeling(20 rats)were randomly divided into the model group,normal-dose Huangqin decoction group,high-dose Huangqin decoction group,and IL-1β in-hibitor group,with 5 rats in each group.From the 12th week,the normal-dose group was gavaged with Huangqin decoction 2.835 g·kg-1,the high-dose group was gavaged with Huangqin decoction 5.67 g·kg-1,and the IL-1β inhibitor group was intraper-itoneally injected with 1.5 mg·kg-1 AS101,3 times a week,for 8 weeks.The rats were weighed and blood was collected 12 h after the last administration,and the thoracic aorta and perivascular fat tissue were isolated.Serum inflammatory factors were detected,patho-logical changes were observed,eNOS expression was detected by immunofluorescence,and NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC,and IL-1β expression levels were detected by Western blot and qPCR.RESULTS The rats in the model group had a significant increase in body weight,an increase in the area of peritubular fat lipid droplets,and severe endothelial injury;systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α were significantly elevated in the model group,and the expression of eNOS was sig-nificantly reduced,and the expression levels of NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC,and IL-1β proteins and mRNAs were significantly elevated.Compared with the model group,rats in the Huangqin decoction and IL-1β inhibitor groups had lower body weights,reduced endothelial damage,lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures,lower serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α,and higher eNOS expression.NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC and IL-1β protein expression was significantly reduced in the high dose group of Huan-gqin decoction and the IL-1β inhibitor group.In addition,Huangqin decoction protected the endothelial function of obese hypertensive vessels in a dose-dependent manner,with the effect being more pronounced in the high-dose group.CONCLUSION Huangqin de-coction can improve the inflammatory microenvironment of perivascular fat and protect the vascular endothelial function in obese hyper-tension by regulating the NEK7-NLRP3/IL-1β inflammatory axis.
9.Full-length transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of Polygonatum kingianum
Qi MI ; Yan-li ZHAO ; Ping XU ; Meng-wen YU ; Xuan ZHANG ; Zhen-hua TU ; Chun-hua LI ; Guo-wei ZHENG ; Jia CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(6):1864-1872
The purpose of this study was to enrich the genomic information and provide a basis for further development and utilization of
10.Genomic characteristics of the Vibrio cholerae O1 group isolated from humans in Fujian Province,2008 to 2022
Zi-Li KE ; Xiao-Xuan ZHANG ; Hai-Bin XU ; Ya-Dong GAO ; Chao-Chen LUO ; Meng-Ying HUANG ; Yu-Feng QIU ; Jin-Song YANG
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2024;40(8):708-715
This study was aimed at understanding the genomic characteristics of the Vibrio cholerae O1 group isolated from humans in Fujian Province,to provide essential data for the molecular epidemiological study of cholera.From 2008 to 2022,16 strains of the V.cholerae O1 group from patients and carriers were collected,and antibiotic sensitivity was determined accord-ing to the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC).The whole genome sequences obtained through second generation sequen-cing were analyzed in open source software,including snippy,Roary,and Prokka,as well as online analysis websites,inclu-ding NCBI and BacWGSTdb,for core-genome multilocus sequence typing(cgMLST),core-genome single nucleotide polymor-phism analysis(cgSNP),virulence gene analysis,drug resistance gene prediction,and pan-genomic diversity analysis.The whole genome sequences of V.cholerae were divided into five sequence types(STs),among which the newly discovered ST182 and ST1480 were the evolutionary branches of the current dominant clonal group ST75 in China,and were highly related to two strains isolated from Taiwan in 2010 and 2013,respectively.Both toxigenic strains and non-toxigenic strains carried a variety of virulence factors and showed gene variation to varying degrees.Thirteen drug resistance genes in seven categories were predicted,among which the distribution of colistin and tetracycline resistance genes was consistent with the drug resistance phenotype.Pan-ge-nomic analysis indicated that V.cholerae had an open pan-genome,and Roary cluster analysis showed higher resolution than cgMLST.In summary,V.cholerae O1 group isolates from humans in Fujian Province have polymorphisms in genome structure and function,and the newly discovered ST1480 clone group has epidemic potential.Therefore,the monitoring of such strains must be strengthened.

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