OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics, steroid hormone profiles, and genetic variants in two female patients with Non-classic adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH). METHODS: Clinical data and samples were collected from two patients who had visited Huaian Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Medical College of Yangzhou University on September 27, 2022 and June 25, 2023, respectively, with an initial diagnosis of Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and suspected NCAH. Seven steroid hormones in dried blood spots were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Single base variants and repeat/deletions in the CYP21A2 gene were analyzed by using a classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) gene assay, and 10 related genes were analyzed by third-generation sequencing (TGS) should the variants be unclear. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: 2025003). RESULTS: Patient 1 was a 14-year-old girl, and patient 2 was a 23-year-old woman with insulin resistance. Both patients had hirsutism, acne, bilateral polycystic ovarian morphology, in addition with significantly elevated serum testosterone by chemiluminescence. The steroid hormone profiles of both patients suggested a significant increase in 17-hydroxyproesterone, normal cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol. Patient 2 additionally showed a significant rise in 21-deoxycortisol. The presentation of both patients was indicative of NCAH, which was also evidenced by their respective medical histories. Sanger sequencing of long fragment PCR amplification combined with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) revealed that patient 1 harbored a mild c.92C>T (p.P31L) variant and a severe variant with a large segmental deletion in CYP21A2. Patient 2 was finally confirmed by TGS to carry mild CYP21A2 variants in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) promotor region (c.-126C>T, c.-113G>A, c.-110T>C) and a severe c.293-13C/A>G variant. The promotor region variants had resulted in decompression of the long fragment P1X/P2 amplification, leading to homozygous result of Sanger sequencing for c.293-13C/A>G, which in turn halved the amplification signal for the wt-113 SNP probe. In addition, the wtI2G-A probe was enhanced by interference in the MLPA assay. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that NCAH should be excluded when PCOS is accompanied by a significant increase in serum testosterone, that mass spectrometry of steroid hormone profiles containing 17-hydroxyprogesterone is useful for the detection of NCAH, and that TGS is advantageous in confirming the diagnosis of NCAH when compared with conventional genetic testing methods.
Humans ; Female ; Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital/blood* ; Adolescent ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Young Adult ; Genetic Variation ; Adult

AIM To investigate the effects of Polygonum cuspidatum and polydatin on lipid deposition in adipose tissue of high-fat diet-induced obese mice.METHODS Forty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to either a control group(10 mice)fed standard chow or a diet-induced obesity(DIO)group(30 mice)fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks.The successful mouse models were randomly assigned to the model group,the polydatin group(250 mg/kg)and the P.cuspidatum group(4.5 g/kg),with 8 mice in each group,to resume their high-fat diet during the following 8 weeks corresponding drug administration by gavage.Weekly body weight measurements were recorded for all mice.Serum TG,TC and LDL levels were quantified post-treatment.Histopathological assessment of adipose tissue was performed using HE staining.The mRNA expressions of AMPK,SREBP-1c and FAS in adipose tissue were analyzed by RT-qPCR.The protein expressions of p-AMPK,SREBP-1c and FAS in adipose tissue was detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared to the control group,the model group displayed significantly higher body weight,inguinal fat weight and epididymal fat weight(P＜0.05);elevated serum TG,TC and LDL levels(P＜0.05);markedly enlarged volumes of inguinal and epididymal adipocytes(P＜0.01);reduced p-AMPK protein expression in inguinal adipose tissue(P＜0.01);and upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of SREBP-1c and FAS(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared to the model group,both the P.cuspidatum group and polygonin group exhibited significantly reduced body weight and inguinal fat weight(P＜0.05);decreased serum TG and TC levels(P＜0.05);reduced inguinal adipocyte size(P＜0.01);elevated p-AMPK protein expression in inguinal adipose tissue(P＜0.01);and downregulated mRNA and protein expressions of SREBP-1c and FAS(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION P.cuspidatum and polydatin significantly increases p-AMPK expression while decreasing SREBP-1c and FAS levels in adipose tissue.This regulatory effect likely contributes to reduction of body weight in obese mice through suppression of lipogenesis.

Objective:This study aims to analyze the gamma band effective connectivity characteristics of the prefrontal-striatal circuitry in bipolar disorder patients with and without a history of manic episodes, as well as in major depressive disorder patients, during the recognition of positive emotional faces, this study aims to identify unique neurophysiological features that may aid in the early detection of bipolar disorder.Methods:This retrospective study collected clinical data and magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging data from patients performing a positive emotional face recognition task at the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2009 to December 2019. The study included 75 patients with major depressive disorder and 29 patients with bipolar disorder in a depressive episode (rBD group). Concurrently, 39 age-and gender-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited. After a follow-up period of at least 5 years, 23 out of the 75 patients with major depressive disorder converted to bipolar disorder (ctBD group), while the remaining 52 who did not convert maintained a diagnosis of major depressive disorder.Results:There were statistically significant differences in gamma-band effective connectivity in the prefrontal-striatal circuit when recognizing positive emotional faces among the converted to bipolar disorder (ctBD), raw bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and HC groups ( H=9.04, 10.30, 8.30, 13.43, 14.38, 12.62, 9.82, 8.94, 24.62, 7.89, 18.53, 9.97, 9.58, 12.79, P<0.05). The ctBD group, rBD group, and major depressive group all showed reduction in effective connectivity from the right orbital inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf.R) to the left orbital inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf.L) [ Z=-1.98, -3.38, -2.88], from the right orbital inferior frontal gyrus to the right ventral striatum (VS.R) ( Z=-2.05, -2.76, -2.11; P<0.05) and from the left ventral striatum (VS.L) to the left orbital middle frontal gyrus (ORBmid.L) ( Z=-2.76, -1.98, -2.43; P<0.05). Among the disease groups, the ctBD group showed significantly enhanced effective connectivity strength compared to the major depressive group from the right amygdala (AMYG.R) to the left orbital inferior frontal gyrus(0.04(0.03, 0.08)), from the right amygdala to the left ventral striatum(0.05(0.03, 0.09)), and from the right ventral striatum to the right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACG.R) (0.04(0.02, 0.08)) ( Z=4.17, 3.70, 3.35; P<0.001).The ctBD group also exhibited enhanced effective connectivity compared to the rBD group from ORBinf.R to the ACG.R, fron the AMYG.R to the ORBinf.L, from the AMYG.R to the VS.L, and from the VS.R to the ACG.R ( Z=2.05, 4.61, 3.60, 3.04; P<0.05).The rBD group demonstrated reduced effective connectivity compared to the major depressive disorder group from the right orbital middle frontal gyrus(ORBmid.R) to the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACG.L), ORBinf.R to the ACG.R and from the ORBinf.R to the AMYG.R ( Z=-2.12, -2.40, -2.22; P<0.05). Conclusion:There are significant differences in the gamma-band effective connectivity characteristics of the prefrontal-striatal pathway when recognizing positive emotional faces between patients with bipolar disorder in depressive episodes and those with depression, as well as differences between bipolar depressed patients with and without a history of manic episodes.

Objective:To explore the differences in the whole-brain functional connectivity characteristics of magnetoencephalography gamma sub-band in resting state between patients with depression with high and low suicidal ideation.Methods:Clinical data of 60 patients with depression (depression group) who visited the Department of Psychiatry, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from October 2021 to June 2024 were prospectively collected, including 20 males and 40 females aged 16-41 years. During the same period, 75 healthy controls (healthy control group) were recruited, matched for gender and age, comprising 33 males and 42 females, aged 18-43 years. The Hamilton Depression Scale-17 items (HAMD-17) was used to assess the degree of depression in patients, and the score of the third item was used to divide the patients into a high suicidal ideation group of 37 cases (2-3 points) and a low suicidal ideation group of 23 cases (0-1 points). The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation-Chinese Version (BSI-CV) was used to assess the intensity of suicidal ideation in patients in the last week and at the most severe stage. Brain imaging data of the subjects were collected using a CTF-275 channel magnetoencephalography device and a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging device. The functional connectivity matrix of the gamma sub-band depression group, healthy control group, high suicidal ideation group, and low suicidal ideation group was calculated using the envelope correlation method. The network-based statistics (NBS) algorithm was used to correct for multiple comparisons and compare the differences in brain network functional connectivity between the depression group/healthy control group and between the high/low suicidal ideation groups.Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the functional connectivity between the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus orbital part, right anterior cingulate gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus orbital part, and right superior parietal lobule in the depression group was significantly enhanced in the low gamma frequency band (30-60 Hz) ( θ=3, P=0.042). Compared with the low suicidal ideation group, the functional connectivity between the right amygdala as a central node and the right superior frontal gyrus, left hippocampus, right upper temporal pole, and left transverse temporal gyrus in the high suicidal ideation group was significantly enhanced in the high gamma frequency band (60-90 Hz) ( θ=3, P=0.049). Conclusion:In the low gamma frequency band, patients with depression have neural dysfunction mainly in the frontal lobe. In the high gamma frequency band, patients with high suicidal ideation have functional connectivity abnormalities centered on the amygdala.

Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a transformative surveillance tool for estimating substance consumption and monitoring disease prevalence, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It enables the population-level monitoring of illicit drug use, pathogen prevalence, and environmental pollutant exposure. In this perspective, we summarize the key challenges specific to the Chinese context: (1) Sampling inconsistencies, necessitating standardized 24-hour composite protocols with high-frequency autosamplers (≤ 15 min/event) to improve the representativeness of samples; (2) Biomarker validation, requiring rigorous assessment of excretion profiles and in-sewer stability; (3) Analytical method disparities, demanding inter-laboratory proficiency testing and the development of automated pretreatment instruments; (4) Catchment population dynamics, reducing estimation uncertainties through mobile phone data, flow-based models, or hydrochemical parameters; and (5) Ethical and data management concerns, including privacy risks for small communities, mitigated through data de-identification and tiered reporting platforms. To address these challenges, we propose an integrated framework that features adaptive sampling networks, multi-scale wastewater sample banks, biomarker databases with multidimensional metadata, and intelligent data dashboards. In summary, wastewater-based epidemiology offers unparalleled scalability for equitable health surveillance and can improve the health of the entire population by providing timely and objective information to guide the development of targeted policies.
China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Wastewater/analysis* ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Public Health ; Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring ; SARS-CoV-2

The stability of ammonium ion selective electrode is an important indicator to ensure accurate monitoring of ammonia nitrogen concentration in drinking water.However,in long-term monitoring process,interfering ions and water molecules in water samples may penetrate into the interior of the ammonium ion selective electrode to form a water layer,which affects the potential response and stability of the electrode.Perfluorooctanoic acid is a low surface energy material,and doping it in polyaniline can reduce surface energy of the composite and improve surface roughness.In this work,five ammonium ion selective electrodes were prepared by doping polyaniline with different concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid as a solid contact layer,which made the solid contact layer of electrode had hydrophobic properties,thereby improving stability of the ammonium ion selective electrode.The stability of the ion-selective electrode was evaluated by potential drift experiment,and the optimal doping concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid in the sediment solution was determined to be 5 mmol/L.The experiment results showed that the solid contact layer had a water contact angle of 132o under the doping concentration,the potential drift rate was 41.66 μV/h,and potential drift rate in the aqueous layer test was 1.31 mV/h,which were all better than those of the unmodified electrode.The standard deviation of the electrode potential was 1.42 mV,which was obviously superior to that of the unmodified electrode.The characteristics of high stability of the electrode made it suitable for long-term monitoring of ammonia nitrogen content in water samples.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Xiangshao Granules (XSG) on post-stroke depression (PSD) and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Forty-three C57BL/6J mice were divided into 3 groups: sham (n=15), PSD+vehicle (n=14), and PSD+XSG (n=14) groups according to a random number table. The PSD models were constructed using chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The sham group only experienced the same surgical operation, but without MACO and CUMS stimulation. The XSG group received XSG (60 mg/kg per day) by gavage for 4 weeks. The mice in the sham and vehicle groups were given the same volume of 0.9% saline at the same time. The body weight and behavior tests including open field test, sucrose preference test, tail suspension test, and elevated plus-maze test, were used to validate the PSD mouse model. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of XSG. The potential molecular mechanisms were explored and verified through network pharmacology analysis, Nissl staining, Western blot, ELISA, and RT-qPCR, respectively. RESULTS: The body weight and behavior tests showed that MCAO combined with CUMS successfully established the PSD models. XSG alleviated neuronal damage, reduced the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins Caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2)-associated X (BAX), and increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2 in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). XSG inhibited microglial activation and the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1 β, and IL-6 via the toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, XSG decreased the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) and increased the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION XSG could reverse the anxiety/depressionlike behaviors and reduce the neuronal injury in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of PSD mice, which may be a potential therapeutic agent for PSD.
Animals ; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism* ; Depression/etiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Prefrontal Cortex/pathology* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects*

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP), whose etiology is influenced by genetic and clinical risk factors, considerably impacts women's quality of life. However, the genetic underpinnings in non-European populations and comprehensive risk models integrating genetic and clinical factors remain underexplored. This study constructed the first polygenic risk score (PRS) for POP in the Chinese population by utilizing 20 disease-associated variants from the largest existing genome-wide association study. We analyzed a discovery cohort of 576 cases and 623 controls and a validation cohort of 264 cases and 200 controls. Results showed that the case group exhibited a significantly higher PRS than the control group. Moreover, the odds ratio of the top 10% risk group was 2.6 times higher than that of the bottom 10%. A high PRS was significantly correlated with POP occurrence in women older than 50 years old and in those with one or no childbirths. As far as we know, the integrated prediction model, which combined PRS and clinical risk factors, demonstrated better predictive accuracy than other existing PRS models. This combined risk assessment model serves as a robust tool for POP risk prediction and stratification, thereby offering insights into individualized preventive measures and treatment strategies in future clinical practice.
Humans ; Female ; Pelvic Organ Prolapse/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; Risk Assessment/methods* ; China/epidemiology* ; Multifactorial Inheritance ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Case-Control Studies ; Adult ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Genetic Risk Score ; East Asian People

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*