The interactions between microorganisms and medicinal plants are crucial to the quality improvement of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants attract microorganisms to colonize by secreting specific compounds and provide niche and nutrient support for these microorganisms, with a symbiotic network formed. These microorganisms grow in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endophytic tissues of plants and significantly improve the growth performance and medicinal component accumulation of medicinal plants by promoting nutrient uptake, enhancing disease resistance, and regulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Microorganisms are also widely used in the ecological planting of medicinal plants, and the growth conditions of medicinal plants are optimized by simulating the microbial effects in the natural environment. The interactions between microorganisms and medicinal plants not only significantly improve the yield and quality of medicinal plants but also enhance their geoherbalism, which is in line with the concept of green agriculture and eco-friendly development. This study reviewed the research results on the interactions between medicinal plants and microorganisms in recent years and focused on the analysis of the great potential of microorganisms in optimizing the growth environment of medicinal plants, regulating the accumulation of secondary metabolites, inducing systemic resistance, and promoting the ecological planting of medicinal plants. It provides a scientific basis for the research on the interactions between medicinal plants and microorganisms, the research and development of microbial agents, and the application of microorganisms in the ecological planting of medicinal plants and is of great significance for the quality improvement of medicinal plants and the green and sustainable development of TCM resources.
Plants, Medicinal/metabolism* ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Symbiosis

Climate and land use changes may significantly impact the habitat distribution of Gastrodia elata, an endangered traditional medicinal plant. Accurately predicting its future potential suitable habitats is crucial for its conservation and sustainable development. This study integrates current distribution data of G. elata with 56 environmental variables and uses the MaxEnt model to predict changes in its suitable habitats under current climate conditions and four future climate scenarios(SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). The results show that October precipitation and December minimum temperature are key environmental factors influencing its distribution. Under the current climate, optimal habitats for G. elata are concentrated in montane forest areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hubei, which meet the species' requirements for understory growth. Across all future scenarios, the suitable habitat of G. elata consistently shows a stable northward shift, with a steady increase in suitable areas, extending to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huang-Huai region, and even expanding into Liaoning, Jilin, and southern Heilongjiang. Land use analysis, taking into account the protection of arable land and the utilization of forest resources, indicates that by 2100, under future climate conditions, arable land in medium-to high-suitability areas is expected to increase by 30%-124%. While the conversion of non-suitable forest land into suitable habitats is projected to increase by 5%-52%, the growth of medium-to high-suitability areas within forests is relatively modest, ranging from 1% to 24%. These findings highlight the need to balance agricultural expansion with forest resource conservation to ensure the long-term sustainability of G. elata and provide scientific guidance for future suitable habitat management.
Ecosystem ; China ; Climate Change ; Gastrodia/growth & development* ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Plants, Medicinal/growth & development*

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Nutritional support therapy is one of the extremely important treatment methods for patients in the intensive care unit. Timely and effective nutritional support regimens can improve patients' immune function, reduce complications, and optimize clinical outcomes. Energy expenditure is influenced by multiple factors, including patients' baseline characteristics (such as physical condition, gender, age) and dynamic changes in indicators (such as body temperature, nutritional support regimens, and therapeutic interventions). The currently recognized "gold standard" for accurately assessing energy metabolism in clinical practice is the indirect calorimetry system, also known as the metabolic cart. This device monitors carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption in real time and uses specific algorithms to estimate the metabolic proportions of the three major nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) in energy expenditure. An appropriate nutrient ratio helps maintain the balance between supply and demand in the body's nutritional metabolism. In the management of critically ill patients, the application of the metabolic cart enables personalized nutritional therapy, avoiding over- or under-supply of energy and optimizing the use of medical resources. Furthermore, with real-time, quantitative data support from the energy metabolism monitoring system, clinicians can develop more precise nutritional intervention strategies, thereby improving patient prognosis. This article provides a systematic review of the technical features of the metabolic cart and its application value in various critical care scenarios, aiming to offer a reference for indirect calorimetry in clinical practice.
Humans ; Critical Illness/therapy* ; Nutritional Support ; Energy Metabolism ; Calorimetry, Indirect

In the past few decades, microbubbles were widely used as ultrasound contrast agents in the field of tumor imaging. With the development of research, ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction technology combined with drug-loaded microbubbles can achieve precise drug release and play a therapeutic role. As a micron-scale carrier, microbubbles are difficult to penetrate the endothelial cell space of tumors, and nano-scale drug delivery system—nanobubbles came into being. The structure of the two is similar, but the difference in size highlights the unique advantages of nanobubbles in drug delivery. Based on the classification principle of shell materials, this review summarized micro/nanobubbles used for ultrasound diagnosis or treatment and discussed the possible development directions, providing references for the subsequent development.

A novel pair of Z/E isomeric compounds with unprecedented carbon skeleton were isolated from an aqueous extract of Aspongopus chinensis Dallas by macroporous resin, silica gel, and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their structures were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Infrared spectroscopy (IR), Mass spectroscopy (MS) and other spectroscopic methods as (Z)-3-(but-1″-en-1″-yl)-1-(2ʹ-hydroxyethyl)-4-propylpyridin-1-ium, namely aspongopyridine A, and (E)-3-(but-1″-en-1″-yl)-1-(2ʹ-hydroxyethyl)-4-propylpyridin-1-ium, namely aspongopyridine B, respectively. Besides, the anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, acetylcholinesterase inhibition and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activities of the compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated. The results showed that compounds 1 and 2 have no anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activities instead of weak acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity.

Background The respiratory toxicity of inhaled polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) has been extensively studied since the humidifier disinfectant incident. However, the impacts of inhalation of PHMG on the immune system are not comprehensively studied yet. Objective To explore the effects of inhalation of PHMG disinfectant aerosol on major immune organs and immune cells in mice. Methods Thirty male C57BL/6J mice (6-8 weeks old) were randomly divided into three groups: control, low-dose (0.1 mg·m⁻³ PHMG), and high-dose (1.0 mg·m⁻³ PHMG), with ten mice in each group. The mice were administered by oral-nasal inhalation of PHMG aerosol for 4 h per day, 5 d per week for 4 weeks consecutively. After designed treatment, venous blood was collected from the inner canthus of the eyes of mice and peripheral hematological indicators were measured with a blood analyzer. Then the mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the lung, thymus, spleen, and femur were isolated. Lung, thymus, and spleen were weighed and organ coefficients were calculated, and single cell suspensions of thymus, spleen, and bone marrow were prepared to analyze lymphocytes phenotypes and proportions by flow cytometry. Results The body weight of mice in the high-dose group was lower than that of mice in the control group (P<0.01) from the 7th day of inhalation, and decreased by 15.74% compared with that of mice in the control group at the end of inhalation (P<0.01). The lung coefficients of both the low-dose and high-dose groups were higher than that of the control group (P<0.01), the thymus coefficient of mice in the high-dose group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05), but the spleen coefficient did not change significantly (P>0.05). Leukocyte count [(1.49±0.22)×10⁹·L⁻¹], lymphocyte count [(0.96±0.36)×10⁹·L⁻¹] and its proportion [(63.13±14.96)%] in the peripheral blood of mice in the high-dose group were lower than those in the control group [(2.69±0.25)×10⁹·L⁻¹, (2.33±0.28)×10⁹·L⁻¹, and (86.23±3.40)%, respectively] (P<0.01), whereas red blood cell count [(12.32±0.46)×10¹²·L⁻¹], hemoglobin count [(175.25±4.65) g·L⁻¹], and hematocrit [(53.55±0.70)%] in the peripheral blood of mice in the high-dose group were higher than those in the control group [(11.11±0.37)×10¹²·L⁻¹, (160.67±4.04) g·L⁻¹, and (45.10±9.75)%, respectively] (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the proportion of CD4+ CD8+ double-positive T cells decreased (P<0.05), the proportions of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells increased (P<0.05), and the amounts of CD8+, CD4+ CD8+, CD4+, and CD4- CD8- cells decreased (P<0.05) in the thymus of mice of the high-dose group, the proportion of CD4+ T cells in the spleen of the high-dose group increased (P<0.05), the proportions and amounts of T cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells in the bone marrow of the high-dose group increased (P<0.05). Conclusion Inhalation of PHMG may cause thymic atrophy, disrupt T-lymphocyte development, and lead to an imbalance in the number of immune cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and spleen, suggesting that inhalation of PHMG induces immune dysfunction.

Background Bacteria are the most diverse and widely sourced microorganisms in the indoor air of subway stations, where pathogenic bacteria can spread through the air, leading to increased health risks. Objective To understand the status and distribution characteristics of indoor air bacterial pollution in subway stations and compartments in a city of Central South China, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating intervention measures to address indoor air bacteria pollution in subways. Methods Three subway stations and the compartments of trains parking there in a city in Central South China were selected according to passenger flow for synchronous air sampling and monitoring. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, carbon dioxide (CO₂), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), and inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀) were measured by direct reading method. In accordance with the requirements of Examination methods for public places-Part 3: Airborne microorganisms (GB/T 18204.3-2013), air samples were collected at a flow rate of 28.3 L·min⁻¹, and total bacterial count was estimated. Bacterial microbial species were identified with a mass spectrometer and pathogenic bacteria were distinguished from non-pathogenic bacteria according to the Catalogue of pathogenic microorganisms transmitted to human beings issued by National Health Commission. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the subway hygiene indicators in different regions and time periods, and Bonferroni test was used for pairwise comparison. Spearman correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between CO₂ concentration and total bacterial count. Results The pass rates were 100.0% for airborne total bacteria count, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ in the subway stations and train compartments, 94.4% for temperature and wind speed, 98.6% for CO₂, but 0% for humidity. The overall median (P₂₅, P₇₅) total bacteria count was 177 (138,262) CFU·m⁻³. Specifically, the total bacteria count was higher in station halls than in platforms, and higher during morning peak hours than during evening peak hours (P<0.05). A total of 874 strains and 82 species were identified by automatic microbial mass spectrometry. The results of identification were all over 9 points, and the predominant bacteria in the air were Micrococcus luteus (52.2%) and Staphylococcus hominis (9.8%). Three pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii (0.3%), Corynebacterium striatum (0.1%), and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacilli (2.2%) were detected in 23 samples (2.6%), and the associated locations were mainly distributed in train compartments during evening rush hours. Conclusion The total bacteria count in indoor air varies by monitoring sites of subway stations and time periods, and there is a risk of opportunistic bacterial infection. Attention should be paid to cleaning and disinfection during peak passenger flow hours in all areas.

Objective To study the effect of plasma exosomes on hypoxia tolerance of human microvascular endo-thelial cells(HMEC-1)in stroke patients and healthy controls before and after remote ischemic preconditioning(RIPC)treatment.Methods HMEC-1 cells were divided into a blank control group(Group C)and oxygen glu-cose deprivation(OGD)treatment group,using plasma exosomes from stroke patients before and after RIPC(S-b group,S-a group)and healthy adults before and after RIPC(C-b group,C-a group).HMEC-1 cells were incuba-ted with a concentration of exosome(35 μg/ml)for 24 hours,followed by OGD treatment for 6 hours and reperfu-sion treatment for 24 hours in all groups.Water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1(WST-1)method was used to detect en-dothelial cell viability,caspase-3 enzyme activity was measured,and Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of zone occluden-1(ZO-1)and claudin-5.Results After RIPC in healthy adults,plasma exosomes signifi-cantly increased the cell activity of HMEC-1 cells and decreased the activity of caspase-3 enzyme in HMEC-1 cells.Conclusion After RIPC treatment,plasma exosomes reduced endothelial cell apoptosis and increased endothelial cell hypoxia tolerance.

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.