OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects of Runchang granules on the constipation in mice and its potential mechanism. METHODS The mice were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， Runchang granules low-dose and high-dose groups （5， 10 g/kg）， mosapride group （0.003 g/kg， positive control）， with 6 mice in each group. The latter 4 groups were given loperamide intragastrically （0.004 g/kg）， twice a day， for 3 consecutive days. Normal control group and model group were given purified water intragastrically， and administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically for 7 consecutive days. After the last medication， fecal moisture content and intestinal motility of mice were determined， while the structures of colon and ileum， and the secretion of colonic mucus were observed. Protein expressions of tyrosine kinase receptor （c-kit）， mucin 2 （MUC2） and stem cell factor （SCF） were determined in colon； meanwhile， the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）] as well as factors related to promoting intestinal motility [neuronal nitric oxide synthase （nNOS）， smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase （smMLCK）， 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor （5-HT4R）， MUC2， SCF， c-kit] were determined. RESULTS Compared with model group， the fecal water content， intestinal propulsion rate， protein expression of c-kit in colon， relative expressions of MUC2 and SCF protein， and mRNA expressions of factors related to promoting intestinal motility （except for nNOS and SCF in Runchang granules low-dose group） were all increased significantly in Runchang granules low-dose and high-dose groups， and mosapride group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors were decreased significantly（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Both colon and ileum injuries improved， and the secretion of colon mucus was increased significantly in Runchang granules high-dose group （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Runchang granules have laxative effect and can improve constipation in mice， and its mechanism may be related to the promotion of the secretion of colon mucus and MUC2 expression， and the activation of SCF/c-kit signaling pathway.

Objective:To compare the skin biophysical properties in acne patients of different gender and to further explore their association with skin biophysical properties.Methods:A total of 236 patients with acne vulgaris from the Department of Dermatology, Wuxi Second People＇s Hospital from April 2021 to December 2022 were prospectively enrolled, including 84 males and 152 females, with a median age of 26 (12-45) years. In addition, 62 healthy controls without skin diseases were included in this hospital during the same period, including 30 males and 32 females, with a median age of 27 (13-45) years. CK skin detector and VISIA skin image analyzer were used to detect physiological barrier parameters of the skin in the healthy control group and acne patient group, including transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, pH value, erythema index, and melanin index. Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) score was used to assess the severity of acne. The aim was to compare the differences in the above skin physiological barrier parameters between male and female acne patients, and to explore their correlation with the severity of acne.Results:Compared with the female acne group, the male acne group had higher GAGS score, higher TEWL value, lower skin hydration, higher erythema index and melanin index, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was a weak positive correlation between the TEWL value and the number of comedones ( r=0.14, P=0.045) as well as the GAGS score ( r=0.15, P=0.036) in female acne patients; The TEWL value was weakly negatively correlated with skin hydration ( r=-0.24, P=0.002). The age of male acne patients was moderately positively correlated with pH value ( r=0.45, P=0.003). The erythema index was weakly positively correlated with the number of nodular cysts ( r=0.34, P=0.002) and the melanin index ( r=0.35, P=0.018); The TEWL value was moderately negatively correlated with skin hydration ( r=-0.44, P=0.003). Conclusions:Compared with female acne patients, male patients have poorer skin physiological barrier function. The worse the physiological barrier function of female patients＇ skin, the more severe their acne. There is no correlation between the skin physiological barrier function and the severity of acne in male patients.

Objective:To evaluate the status of, differences in, and factors influencing quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).Methods:From September 2021 to February 2023, a cross-sectional study of 140 patients with chronic GVHD was conducted at our center. Symptom burden was assessed by the Lee Symptomatology Scale (LSS), and QoL was assessed by the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (version 1) and five-level EuroQoL five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L).Results:Data from 140 respondents, including 32 (22.9%) with mild chronic GVHD, 87 (62.1%) with moderate chronic GVHD, and 21 (15.0%) with severe chronic GVHD, were analyzed. Of the respondents, 61.4% were male, and the median transplantation age was 34 (15-68) years. The primary diagnoses were acute myeloid leukemia (50.0%), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (20.0%), and myelodysplastic syndrome (15.0%). The common chronic GVHD-affected organs included the skin in 74 patients (52.9%), the eyes in 57 patients (40.7%), and the liver in 50 patients (35.7%). Among the whole cohort, the eye (20.48±23.75), psychological (16.13±17.00), and oral (13.66±20.55) scores were highest in the LSS group. The physiological function (36.07±11.13), social function (36.10±10.68), and role-emotional functioning (38.36±11.88) scores were lowest in the SF-36 group. The EQ-5D index was 0.764. The total LSS scores for mild, moderate, and severe chronic GVHD were 6.51±6.15, 10.07±5.61, and 20.90±10.09, respectively. The SF-36 physical component scores (PCSs) were 43.12±6.38, 40.73±7.14, and 36.97±6.97, respectively, and the mental component scores (MCSs) were 43.00±8.47, 38.90±9.52, and 28.96±9.63, respectively. The EQ-5D values were 0.810±0.124, 0.762±0.179, and 0.702±0.198, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that the overall symptom burden ( β=-0.517), oral symptom burden ( β=-0.456), National Institute of Health (NIH) criteria for the eyes ( β=-0.376), and nutrition-related symptom burden ( β=-0.211) were significantly negatively correlated with the PCS. The NIH score ( β=-0.260) was negatively correlated with the MCS score. Oral symptom burden ( β=-0.400), joint/fascia NIH criteria ( β=-0.332), number of involved systems ( β=-0.253), overall NIH criteria ( β=-0.205), and number of immunosuppressants taken ( β=-0.171) were significantly negatively correlated with the EQ-5D score (all P<0.05). Medium to strong correlations were found between the EQ-5D score and the SF-36 score (| r|=0.384-0.571, P<0.001). Conclusions:The QoL of patients with chronic GVHD is impaired, and the more severe the disease, the poorer the QoL. Overall symptom burden, severity of eyes, and oral symptom burden were the most important factors affecting QoL.

Objective:To investigate the association between cytokines and ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and identify specific biomarkers for ocular cGVHD to enhance clinical diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation.Methods:A mouse model of cGVHD was established to explore the correlation between cGVHD and serum cytokines. Based on the findings from the animal experiments and literature review, a panel of 16 cytokine combinations was identified. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to compare the cytokine concentrations in the serum and tear samples from patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from June 2017 to March 2022 at the Medical Center of Hematology, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University.Results:① Compared with the control group, mice with cGVHD exhibited elevated serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, IFN-γ, CX3CL1, CXCL11, CXCL13, CCL11, and CCL19 concentrations (all P<0.05). ② Analysis of the cytokine profiles of the serum and tear samples revealed that compared with patients without ocular cGVHD, those with ocular cGVHD exhibited increased serum IL-8 [ P=0.032, area under the curve (AUC) =0.678]; decreased serum IL-10 ( P=0.030, AUC=0.701) ; elevated IL-8, IFN-γ, CXCL9, and CCL17 in tear samples; and lower IL-10 and CCL19 in tear samples (all P<0.05, all AUC>0.7). Moreover, cytokines in tear samples showed correlations with ocular surface parameters related to ocular cGVHD. Conclusions:Tear fluid demonstrates greater specificity and sensitivity as a biomarker for diagnosing ocular cGVHD than serum biomarkers. Among the identified cytokines in tear samples, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, CXCL9, CCL17, and CCL19 serve as diagnostic biomarkers for ocular cGVHD post-transplantation, offering practical reference value for diagnosis.

Objective To evaluate the antioxidant function of Chrysanthemum morifolium from different origins and to identify their antioxidant material basis.Methods The HPLC fingerprints of the water extracts of C.morifolium from different origins were established.The antioxidant activities of C.morifolium were assayed by measuring the 2.2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH),hydroxyl radical,ABTS,superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity and ferric ion reducing capacity FRAP.Entropy-weighted TOPSIS was used to calculate the weighting coefficients of the single indexes.Grey relational analysis(GRA)and partial least squares were used for spectrum-effect analysis to identify the antioxidant material basis of C.morifolium.Results A total of 16 common peaks were discovered in the fingerprint of the water extracts of 10 batches of C.morifolium,among which 13 common components were identified.All the C.morifolium samples had good antioxidant capacity,and the results of entropy-weighted TOPSIS analysis showed that the ranking of total antioxidant potency of 10 batches of C.morifolium was follows:S1＞S8＞S3＞S5＞S4＞S10＞S7＞S2＞S9＞S6.The peaks of 1-5,9,10,12,14 were positively correlated with the antioxidant activity and the variable influence on projection(VIP)values were greater than 1.The correlation coefficients of these nine peaks in GRA were all greater than 0.7.Conclusion The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method combined with the spectrum-effect analysis could be used to screen out the antioxidant material basis of C.morifolium and the results provide a basis for establishing quality assessment system for C.morifolium based on Quality-markers thus improving the quality control level.

Malignant tumors of digestive system are highly prevalent malignant tumors that seriously threaten human health around the world. At present, the curative efficacy and prognosis of traditional treatment methods cannot reach the expectation, so it is urgent to find new targets for cancer treatment and realize targeted therapy for tumors. Abnormal energy metabolism in tumor cells is regarded as a hallmark of cancer, and malignant tumor cells absorb glucose through aerobic glycolysis pathway, and obtain a small amount of energy and produce lactate under the catalysis of a series of enzymes. Lactate dehydrogenase A (Lactate dehydrogenase A, LDHA), as a key enzyme in the aerobic glycolysis pathway of tumor cells, plays an important role in the metabolic changes of tumor cells. Studies have demonstrated that LDHA has high expression characteristics in a variety of tumor cells,and its high expression in clinic is often related to the poor prognosis and high metastasis rate of tumors, which is expected to be a new target for cancer therapy. This article reviews the role of LDHA in the development of digestive system tumors and the research progress of related drugs.

Objective:To investigate the clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) characteristics of heart involvement in patients with Fabry disease (AFD).Methods:From January 2018 to March 2021, eight AFD patients [3 males and 5 females, mean age (50±11) years old, range 26-60 years old] confirmed by genetic testing or pathology in Fuwai Hospital were retrospectively included in this study. At the same time, sixteen patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) [6 males and 10 females, mean age (46±15) years old] and 16 healthy individuals [6 males and 10 females, mean age (51±11) years old] were included as controls. The clinical baseline data and CMR data of the patients were collected and analyzed. The CMR data were analyzed using the software CVI42, with the corresponding parameters automatically generated. One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the differences in the parameters among the three groups. Independent-samples t test, Fisher precise test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for the comparison between each two groups. Results:Statistically significant difference was found in renal insufficiency between the HCM group and the AFD group; No other significant difference was found in other clinical factors and ECG results (all P>0.05). CMR results showed that in the AFD group, there were 5 cases with symmetric or roughly symmetric hypertrophy, and 3 with asymmetric hypertrophy. The late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) showed myocardial enhancement in 5 patients, mainly presenting as multiple intermural enhancement, and partially as local subendocardial enhancement. In the HCM group, fourteen cases suffered mainly asymmetric ventricular septal thickening, with or without thickening of other parts of left ventricular wall; and 2 cases had thickening of middle and distal part of the left ventricle. The LGE showed myocardial enhancement in 14 patients, which manifested as focal or patchy enhancement in hypertrophic myocardium, including focal enhancement in the right ventricular insertion of ventricular septum (more common) and subendocardial enhancement in the middle and far segments of left ventricle. Statistically significant difference was found in the differences between the left atrial anterior posterior diameter, the maximum wall thickness of left ventricular, the left ventricular myocardial mass index (LVMI) and the native T 1 value among the three groups (all P<0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the left atrial anterior posterior diameter and the maximum wall thickness of left ventricular between AFD group and HCM group ( P>0.05). The LVMI in AFD group was higher than that in healthy group and HCM group (all P<0.05). Significant difference was found in the native T 1 value among the three groups, with the native T 1 value of the AFD group [(1 177.4±46.0) ms] was significantly lower than that of the healthy group [(1 244.5±34.3) ms] and the HCM group [(1 278.8±41.6) ms], with ( F=13.10, P<0.001). Conclusions:The clinical characteristics of AFD and HCM are quite similar. When AFD is suspected, CMR imaging should be the first choice for imaging examination. Especially, T 1 mapping imaging can provide important information for the diagnosis of AFD.

Objective:To identify 3 the disease-causing genes and mutations of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), and to study the correlation of phenotype and genotype.Methods:A retrospective study. Four LCA patients and seven family members who were diagnosed by eye examination in Ning Xia Eye Hospital of People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from January to December 2021 were included in the study. Four patients were from 3 unrelated families. Detailed collection of medical history and family history were received. Related ophthalmologic examination were collected and genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. Whole-exome sequencing method was used for genetic diagnosis. The identified variant was confirmed with Sanger sequencing. Potential pathogenic mutation was analyzed using software and conserved domain analysis and performed co-separated analysis between the family member and the proband.Results:Of the 4 patients, 1 patient was males and 3 patients were females; the age was from 4 to 18 years. Nystagmus were seen in 3 cases, finger pressing eyes and night blindness was seen in 1 cases; electroretinogram showed 4 cases of extinction or near extinction. The foveal reflection was visible in all eyes, and there was no obvious abnormality in the peripheral retina. One eye had strong reflection signal with raised ellipsoid in macular area; two eyes had weak reflection signal faintly visible between retinal layers; 1 eye had increased blood vessel branches, peripheral retinal non-perfusion area with capillary leakage; annular strong autofluorescence in macular area 4 eyes. No obvious abnormality was found in the phenotypes of family members. Genetic testing showed that the proband of pedigree 1 (Ⅱ-1) was found a homozygous missense mutation in c.640A>T (p.C214S) (M1) of PRPH2 gene. The proband of pedigree 2 (Ⅱ-2) was found compound heterozygous mutation in c.1256G>A(p.R419Q) (M2) and c.1A>C (p.M1L) (M3) of TULP1 gene. The proband 3 (Ⅱ-1) and her sister (Ⅱ-2) were both found compound heterozygous mutation in c.1943T>C (p.L648P) (M4) and c.380C>T (p.P127L) (M5) of GUCY2D gene. The parents and sister (Ⅱ-1) of the proband in family 2 and the parents of the proband in family 3 were all carriers of the corresponding heterozygous variant. M1, M3, M4, M5 were novel mutations and unreported. The genotype and disease phenotype were co-segregated within the family. According to the analysis of pedigree and genetic testing results, all 3 families were autosomal recessive inheritance. The amino acid conservation analysis found that M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 were highly conserved among species. The results of bioinformatics analysis were all pathogenic variants. Conclusions:PRPH2 gene M1, TULP1 gene M3, and GUCY2D gene M4, M5 were novel mutations and not been reported in the literature and database. This research expanded the gene mutation spectrum of LCA. The patients with LCA have available characterristics, including onset age, varying ocular fundus and severe visual impairment.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and its associated protein gene system can limit the horizontal gene transfer, thereby effectively preventing the invasion of foreign gene elements such as bacteriophages. CRISPR arrays of different bacteria are diverse. Based on the differences in the CRISPR system, this review summarizes the application of CRISPR in food-borne pathogen evolution analysis, detection and typing, virulence and antibiotic resistance in recent years. We also address bacterial detection typing method developed based on the characteristics of CRISPR arrays and the association of CRISPR with virulence and drug resistance of food-borne pathogens. The shortcomings of CRISPR in evolution, detection and typing, virulence and resistance applications are analyzed. In addition, we suggest standardizing CRISPR typing methods, improving and expanding the CRISPR database of pathogenic bacteria, and further exploring the co-evolution relationship between phages and bacteria, to provide references for further exploration of CRISPR functions.
Bacteria/genetics* ; Bacteriophages/genetics* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/genetics* ; Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics* ; Virulence/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the changes of strains based on feature tracking in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) after surgical myectomy and the potential factors that influenced post-myectomy global strains.Methods:A total of 27 patients with HOCM who underwent septal myectomy in Fuwai Hospital from June 2014 to July 2017 were retrospectively collected. They all received cardiac MR (CMR) cine acquisitions before and after surgery. Their preoperative and postoperative strain parameters, including radial strain (RS), circumferential strain (CS), and longitudinal strain (LS) of the global left ventricle, septum, and lateral wall, were assessed by feature tracking. Comparisons of pre-myectomy and post-myectomy imaging parameters were performed using paired-samples t-test or Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were utilized to find the correlated factors of postoperative global strains. Results:Compared with preoperative strains, postoperative global LS, septal LS, lateral RS, lateral CS, and lateral LS increased statistically (all P<0.05); postoperative global RS, global CS, and septal CS decreased (all P<0.05); no statistically significant difference was observed in septal RS ( P=0.165). Age at surgery ( r=0.428, P=0.026) and preoperative myocardial maximum ventricular wall thickness ( r=-0.587, P=0.001) were both linearly related to postoperative global RS; the further multivariate stepwise linear regressions showed that only preoperative myocardial maximum ventricular wall thickness might be correlated with postoperative global RS (adjusted R 2=0.287, P=0.002). Only myocardial maximum ventricular wall thickness was linearly related to global CS ( r=0.679, P<0.001) and global LS ( r=0.588, P=0.001), respectively; univariate linear regression revealed that preoperative myocardial maximum ventricular wall thickness might be correlated postoperative global CS (adjusted R 2=0.337, P=0.001) and postoperative global LS (adjusted R 2=0.281, P=0.003), respectively. Conclusions:Cardiac surgery definitely relieves left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and generally improves longitudinal and lateral strains, but a negative impact may occur in global and septal CS and RS. Preoperative maximum ventricular wall thickness may affect postoperative global strains.