OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Mechanical pain is one of the most common causes of clinical pain, but there remains a lack of effective treatment for debilitating mechanical and chronic forms of neuropathic pain. Recently, neurotoxin GsMTx4, a selective mechanosensitive (MS) channel inhibitor, has been found to be effective, while the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, with multiple rodent pain models, we demonstrated that a GsMTx4-based 17-residue peptide, which we call P10581, was able to reduce mechanical hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain. The analgesic effects of P10581 can be as strong as morphine but is not toxic in animal models. The anti-hyperalgesic effect of the peptide was resistant to naloxone (an μ-opioid receptor antagonist) and showed no side effects of morphine, including tolerance, motor impairment, and conditioned place preference. Pharmacological inhibition of TRPV4 by P10581 in a heterogeneous expression system, combined with the use of Trpv4 knockout mice indicates that TRPV4 channels may act as the potential target for the analgesic effect of P10581. Our study identified a potential drug for curing mechanical pain and exposed its mechanism.

Diterpenoid ferruginol is a key intermediate in biosynthesis of active ingredients such as tanshinone and carnosic acid.However, the traditional process of obtaining ferruginol from plants is often cumbersome and inefficient. In recent years, the increasingly developing gene editing technology has been gradually applied to the heterologous production of natural products, but the production of ferruginol in microbe is still very low, which has become an obstacle to the efficient biosynthesis of downstream chemicals, such as tanshinone. In this study, miltiradiene was produced by integrating the shortened diterpene synthase fusion protein,and the key genes in the MVA pathway were overexpressed to improve the yield of miltiradiene. Under the shake flask fermentation condition, the yield of miltiradiene reached about(113. 12±17. 4)mg·L~(-1). Subsequently, this study integrated the ferruginol synthase Sm CYP76AH1 and Sm CPR1 to reconstruct the ferruginol pathway and thereby realized the heterologous synthesis of ferruginol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The study selected the best ferruginol synthase(Il CYP76AH46) from different plants and optimized the expression of pathway genes through redox partner engineering to increase the yield of ferruginol. By increasing the copy number of diterpene synthase, CYP450, and CPR, the yield of ferruginol reached(370. 39± 21. 65) mg·L~(-1) in the shake flask, which was increased by 21. 57-fold compared with that when the initial ferruginol strain JMLT05 was used. Finally, 1 083. 51 mg·L~(-1) ferruginol was obtained by fed-batch fermentation, which is the highest yield of ferruginol from biosynthesis so far. This study provides not only research ideas for other metabolic engineering but also a platform for the construction of cell factories for downstream products.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics* ; Diterpenes/metabolism* ; Metabolic Engineering ; Fermentation ; Abietanes

Blood from a case of group B epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis identified in February 2024 in Ganzhou City,Jiangxi Province,and throat swabs from close contacts were collected for isolation and culture.The isolates were subjected to serogrouping,drug sensitivity testing,and whole genome sequencing and analysis,to provide a basis for epidemiological inves-tigation and clinical drug use.One strain of Neisseria meningitidis was isolated from the blood of the case and denoted group B.The MLST type was ST-7962,with no clonal group attribution.The phylogenetic tree showed that it was genetically close to the 1977 Shanghai carrier isolate(id-52231).Drug sensitivity results indicated that the strain was sensitive to 8 drugs:azithro-mycin,cefotaxime,minocycline,ceftriaxone,chloramphenicol,meropenem,rifampicin,and benzylpenicillin;resistant to cot-rimoxazole,levofloxacin,and ciprofloxacin;and showed an intermediate response to penicillin.This report describes the first case of ST-7962 group B meningoencephalitis found in Jiangxi Province.Monitoring of Neisseria meningitidis carriage,drug re-sistance,and molecular characteristics of strains in the healthy population in this region should be strengthened,to provide la-boratory support for the clinical use of medications,traceability,and control of the pathogen underlying meningoencephalitis infection.

Aim To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Qingjie Huagong decoction in modulating PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in inflammatory response of acute pancreatitis(AP)mice.Methods Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into Blank group,Model group,Ustekin group,and Qingjie Hua-gong decoction group,with six mice in each group.The AP model was prepared by using rain frogin.Serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α lev-els were detected by ELISA;the pancreatic pathology was detected by HE staining;the expressions of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNAs were de-tected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot,and RT-qPCR.Results Compared with the blank group,the model group showed obvious pathological damage to the pancreas,with significantly higher serum α-AMS,PN-LP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels(P＜0.01),and significantly higher levels of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA expression(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,both the Qingjie Huagong decoction group and the ustekin group improved the histopathological changes in the pancreas of AP mice,decreased the serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels,and down-reg-ulated the expression levels of pancreatic PI3K,AKT,NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Qingjie Huagong decoction may inhibit the inflammatory response and protect pancreat-ic tissues by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Aim To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Qingjie Huagong decoction in modulating PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in inflammatory response of acute pancreatitis(AP)mice.Methods Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into Blank group,Model group,Ustekin group,and Qingjie Hua-gong decoction group,with six mice in each group.The AP model was prepared by using rain frogin.Serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α lev-els were detected by ELISA;the pancreatic pathology was detected by HE staining;the expressions of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNAs were de-tected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot,and RT-qPCR.Results Compared with the blank group,the model group showed obvious pathological damage to the pancreas,with significantly higher serum α-AMS,PN-LP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels(P＜0.01),and significantly higher levels of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA expression(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,both the Qingjie Huagong decoction group and the ustekin group improved the histopathological changes in the pancreas of AP mice,decreased the serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels,and down-reg-ulated the expression levels of pancreatic PI3K,AKT,NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Qingjie Huagong decoction may inhibit the inflammatory response and protect pancreat-ic tissues by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Blood from a case of group B epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis identified in February 2024 in Ganzhou City,Jiangxi Province,and throat swabs from close contacts were collected for isolation and culture.The isolates were subjected to serogrouping,drug sensitivity testing,and whole genome sequencing and analysis,to provide a basis for epidemiological inves-tigation and clinical drug use.One strain of Neisseria meningitidis was isolated from the blood of the case and denoted group B.The MLST type was ST-7962,with no clonal group attribution.The phylogenetic tree showed that it was genetically close to the 1977 Shanghai carrier isolate(id-52231).Drug sensitivity results indicated that the strain was sensitive to 8 drugs:azithro-mycin,cefotaxime,minocycline,ceftriaxone,chloramphenicol,meropenem,rifampicin,and benzylpenicillin;resistant to cot-rimoxazole,levofloxacin,and ciprofloxacin;and showed an intermediate response to penicillin.This report describes the first case of ST-7962 group B meningoencephalitis found in Jiangxi Province.Monitoring of Neisseria meningitidis carriage,drug re-sistance,and molecular characteristics of strains in the healthy population in this region should be strengthened,to provide la-boratory support for the clinical use of medications,traceability,and control of the pathogen underlying meningoencephalitis infection.

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of Gegen Qinliantang（GQT） on the fecal short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） metabolism in antibiotic-associated diarrhea（AAD） through targeted metabolomics. MethodA total of 240 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups（n=40， half male and half female）， including blank group， model group， bifidobiogen group（0.15 g·kg^-1）， and GQT high-， medium-， and low-dose groups（10.08， 5.04， 2.52 g·kg^-1）， except for the blank group， clindamycin（250 mg·kg^-1） was given to all groups by gavage for modeling every day for 7 d. After successful modeling， each administered group was gavaged with the corresponding dose of the drug， and the blank and model groups were gavaged with an equal volume of normal saline solution， 1 time/d， for 14 d. At 0， 3， 7， 14 d after the drug intervention， eight rats were randomly selected from each group， respectively. Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（GC-TOF-MS） was used to perform targeted metabolomic analysis of SCFAs in the feces of rats， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was applied to compare the differences in metabolic profiles between groups at different treatment times， and to compare the changes in the contents of SCFAs in rat feces between groups. ResultPLS-DA results showed that the blank group could be clearly distinguishable from the model group， with GQT exhibiting a closer proximity to the blank group after 7 d of treatment. After further analyzing the composition of SCFAs， it was found that the proportion of acetic acid increased and the proportions of butyric acid， valeric acid， hexanoic acid and isovaleric acid decreased in the model group compared with the blank group. After the treatment with GQT， the proportions of butyric acid， isobutyric acid， valeric acid， and isovaleric acid increased， and the proportions of acetic acid， propionic acid and caproic acid decreased. Subsequent differential analysis revealed that GQT could significantly improve the content of butyric acid， and had a certain retrogressive effect on the contents of valeric acid and hexanoic acid. ConclusionThe medium dose group of GQT can improve the contents of SCFAs in AAD feces after 7 days of treatment， which may be related to the improvement of the composition ratio of SCFAs and the contents of butyric acid， valeric acid and caproic acid.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Objective To explore the analgesic effect of different doses of dezocine combined with ropivacaine for thoracic paravertebral block(TPVB)on patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer and the influence on hemodynamics and immune function of patients.Methods Patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracoscopic radical resection were divided into low-dose group and high-dose group according to random number table method.Both groups of patients were given total intravenous anesthesia to complete the surgery.At 15 min before general anesthesia induction,the low-dose group was given TPBV with 0.1 mg·kg-1 dezocine+0.375％ropivacaine for a total of 20 mL,and the high-dose group was given TPBV with 0.15 mg·kg-1 dezocine+0.375％ropivacaine for a total of 20 mL.Comparisons were performed on both groups in terms of analgesic effect,hemodynamic parameters,immune function and occurrence of adverse drug reactions.Results There were 48 cases in low-dose group and 46 cases in high-dose group.In low-dose group,the heart rate values before TPVB,before skin incision,at 5 min after sectioning and at the end of surgery were(78.52±6.54),(70.79±7.07),(74.48±6.68)and(76.69±7.29)beat·min-1,the mean arterial pressure values were(93.16±5.72),(86.38±7.51),(92.15±6.36)and(91.14±6.13)mmHg.In high-dose group,the heart rate values at the above time points were(79.36±7.11),(71.68±6.49),(74.76±7.06)and(76.57±6.52)beat·min-1;the mean arterial pressure values were(93.89±7.18),(85.27±7.41),(90.34±6.52)and(92.43±6.34)mmHg,there were no statistical differences between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The resting state scores at 2,6 and 12 h after surgery were(1.38±0.19),(1.54±0.21)and(1.72±0.16)points,the pain scores at motion state were(1.88±0.15),(2.36±0.37)and(3.26±0.38)points in low-dose group;in high-dose group,the resting state scores were(1.32±0.17),(1.58±0.22)and(1.81±0.18)points,the pain scores at motion state were(1.81±0.13),(2.11±0.31)and(3.03±0.36)points,respectively,there were no statistical differences between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The number of analgesic pump compressions at 24 h after surgery and the number of cases with analgesic remedy were(5.12±1.26)times and 15 cases in low-dose group and were(4.74±1.03)times and 10 cases in high-dose group,with no statistical differences between the groups(all P＞0.05).The percentages of CD3+cells in low-dose group at the end of surgery and at 12 h and 24 h after surgery were(68.51±6.76)％,(54.22±5.43)％and(51.47±6.58)％,the percentages of CD4+cells were(40.29±5.02)％,(34.94±4.79)％and(30.48±5.11)％,CD4+/CD8+ratios were 1.54±0.34,1.36±0.28 and 1.16±0.23;the percentages of CD3+cells in high-dose group were(67.92±7.11)％,(56.58±6.36)％and(54.47±6.89)％,percentages of CD4+cells were(41.33±5.75)％,(35.86±5.21)％and(32.27±4.78)％,the CD4+/CD8+were 1.53±0.35,1.40±0.30 and 1.22±0.26,all with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).The incidence of postoperative adverse drug reactions in high-dose group and low-dose group were 32.61％and 14.58％,with significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion When TPVB regimen of dezocine combined with ropivacaine is used in thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer,the analgesic effect of low-dose dezocine is comparable to that of high-dose dezocine,with lower risk of adverse drug reactions.