ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Sanren Runchang formula in treating constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-C） by regulating the brain-gut axis and the effects of the formula on serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， and substance P （SP）. MethodsA randomized controlled design was adopted， and 72 IBS-C patients meeting Rome Ⅳ criteria were randomized into observation and control groups （36 cases）.The observation group received Sanren Runchang formula granules twice daily， and the control group received lactulose oral solution daily for 4 weeks. IBS Symptom Severity Scale （IBS-SSS）， IBS Quality of Life Scale （IBS-QOL）， and Bristol Stool Form Scale （BSFS） were used to assess clinical symptoms， and bowel movement frequency was recorded. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale （SAS） and Self-Rating Depression Scale （SDS） were employed to evaluate psychological status. ELISA was employed to measure the serum levels of 5-HT， VIP， and SP. ResultsThe total response rate in the observation group was 91.67% （33/36）， which was higher than that （77.78%， 28/36） in the control group （χ²=4.50， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed increased defecation frequency and BSFS scores， decreased IBS-SSS total score， abdominal pain and bloating scores， IBS-QOL health anxiety， anxiety， food avoidance， and behavioral disorders scores， SAS and SDS scores， serum 5-HT and VIP levels， and increased SP levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the observation group showed more significant changes in the indicators above than the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The SP level showed no significant difference between the two groups. During the 4-week follow-up， the recurrence rate was 5.88% in the observation group and 31.25% in the control group. No adverse events occurred in observation group， and 2 cases of mild diarrhea occurred in the control group. ConclusionSanren Runchang formula demonstrated definitive efficacy in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms and improving the psychological status and quality of life in IBS-C patients， with a low recurrence rate. The formula can regulate serum levels of neurotransmitters such as 5-HT and VIP， suggesting its potential regulatory effect on the brain-gut axis through modulating neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. However， its complete mechanism of action requires further investigation through detection of additional brain-gut axis-related biomarkers.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

Objective: To compare the effects of height-desk-chair matching on the viewing distance of primary school students before and after intervention, so as to provide scientific basis for the hygiene management of desks and chairs. Methods: From April to June 2025, a random cluster sampling method was used to select 141 third grade students from three classes equipped with adjustable desks and chairs in a primary school in Hefei City for a height-desk-chair matching intervention study. The height of students desks and chairs was adjusted according to the standard height and height range specified in the Functional Sizes and Technical Requirements of Chairs and Tables for Educational Institutions (GB/T 3976-2014), with an intervention period of one week. Before and after the intervention, eye use data were measured by using the electronic smart device "Cloud Clip", while collecting data on vision data viewing distance, time spent using eyes at close range and outdoor time, desk and chair height, and physical examination. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the factors related to viewing distance before the intervention of height-desk-chair matching, and a paired t-test was used to analyze the difference in viewing distance before and after the intervention. A mixed effects model was used to explore the effect of height desk and chair adaptation intervention on viewing distance. Results: The compliance rates for desk and chair adjustments before and after the intervention were 1.4% and 18.4%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ 2=22.84, P <0.01). The viewing distance increased from (30.48±5.01) cm before intervention to (32.06±5.75) cm post intervention, with a statistically significant difference ( t=4.57, P <0.01). The proportion of students meeting the viewing distance standard increased from 33.3% to 51.1%. The linear mixedeffects model results indicated that the association between height appropriate desk and chair interventions and viewing distance was statistically significant, regardless of whether covariates such as time spent using eyes at close range and outdoor time were adjusted ( β=-1.58, 95%CI = -2.25 to -0.91; β=-1.14, 95%CI =-1.85 to -0.43, both P <0.05). Conclusion Height adjusted desks and chairs, which can effectively increase the viewing distance for primary school students, has positive implications for improving healthy eye care behaviors among children and adolescents.

Objective To explore an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method for automated hand hygiene monitoring and to compare the effectiveness of three algorithms (UniFormerV2, TDN, C3D) in recognizing hand hygiene steps in surgical settings, thereby aiding hospital infection control. Methods From April to October 2024, we non-invasively collected 641 video recordings of healthcare staff performing hand hygiene at four-bay scrub sinks in two tertiary hospitals using overhead HD cameras. The dataset was annotated by five trained experts for model training and validation. Results Following training on 385 samples, internal validation (n=119) showed the C3D model achieved 81% accuracy, 87% recall, and an 83% F1-score. The TDN model achieved 93%, 91%, and 92% for the same metrics. The UniFormerV2 model outperformed both, with an accuracy, recall, and F1-score of 93%—an improvement of over 10 percentage points compared to traditional CNNs (TDN, C3D). It also achieved an 84% accuracy in external validation, demonstrating strong generalization. Conclusion The UniFormerV2 model is more accurate than CNN-based models for hand hygiene step recognition and shows robust performance in external validation. It presents a viable tool for healthcare facilities to enhance hand hygiene management, ultimately improving medical quality and patient safety.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which the Zishen Huoxue prescription （ZSHXP） ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in rats with vascular dementia （VD） induced by the bilateral common carotid artery ligation （2-VO model rats） through regulating the glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）/protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK）/activating transcription factor 4 （ATF4） signaling pathway. MethodsA VD rat model was established via the 2-VO method. A total of 72 male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into six groups： Sham group， Model group， donepezil hydrochloride group （0.45 mg·kg^-1）， and ZSHXP groups at low （8.90 g·kg^-1）， medium （17.80 g·kg^-1）， and high （35.60 g·kg^-1） doses，with 12 rats in each group. The Morris Water Maze test was utilized to assess spatial learning and memory abilities of rats， and the Novel Object Recognition test was used to evaluate cognitive performance. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Nissl staining were applied to observe the histological and morphological changes in hippocampal tissues. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to observe the morphological changes of endoplasmic reticulum in rat hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence staining was adopted to detect the colocalization of neuronal nuclei antigen （NeuN） with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with gasdermin D （GSDMD） in hippocampal neurons. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS）-related proteins including GRP78， PERK， ATF4， phosphorylated protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （p-PERK）， C/EBP homologous protein （CHOP）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1 and GSDMD. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed a significantly prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， a significant decrease in the number of platform crossings and the residence time in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， and a markedly reduced recognition index （P<0.01）. Histological observations revealed that the hippocampal neurons in the model group were disorderly arranged with reduced quantity， deformed and shrunken cell bodies， and pyknotic and hyperchromatic nuclei. The number of Nissl bodies decreased significantly. The number of endoplasmic reticula reduced obviously， accompanied by abnormal dilation and swelling， and the loss of normal folding structure. The fluorescence colocalization of NeuN with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with GSDMD in the hippocampus was significantly increased in the model group. The protein expression levels of GRP78， p-PERK/PERK， ATF4， CHOP， NLRP3， GSDMD and Caspase-1 in the model group were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the donepezil hydrochloride group and the ZSHXP medium- and high-dose groups had a significantly shortened escape latency （P<0.01） and an increased number of platform crossings （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The residence time in the target quadrant was increased in the donepezil hydrochloride group and all ZSHXP groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with a significantly improved recognition index （P<0.01）. In the donepezil hydrochloride group and all ZSHXP groups， the number of hippocampal neurons increased with a more compact arrangement and reduced nuclear hyperchromasia. The number of Nissl bodies increased with morphological structures tending to be normal. In the ZSHXP high-dose group， the number of endoplasmic reticula increased and the folding structure was restored. The fluorescence colocalization of NeuN with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with GSDMD in the hippocampus was significantly weakened in the treatment groups. In the donepezil hydrochloride group， the protein expressions of GRP78， ATF4 and CHOP were increased （P<0.01）， while the expression of p-PERK/PERK was decreased （P<0.05）. In the ZSHXP low-dose group， the expressions of GRP78， p-PERK/PERK and CHOP were elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ZSHXP medium- and high-dose groups showed a significant decrease in the protein expressions of p-PERK/PERK， ATF4 and CHOP （P<0.01）， and the high-dose group had a markedly reduced GRP78 protein expression （P<0.01）. In the donepezil hydrochloride group， the Caspase-1 protein expression was increased （P<0.01） and the NLRP3 protein expression was decreased （P<0.01）. In the ZSHXP low-dose group， the GSDMD expression was elevated （P<0.01） while the NLRP3 protein expression was reduced （P<0.01）. After treatment with medium and high doses of ZSHXP， the protein expression levels of NLRP3， GSDMD and Caspase-1 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe ameliorative effect of ZSHXP on cognitive function in 2-VO model rats may be associated with its regulation of the GRP78/PERK/ATF4 signaling pathway， which ameliorates ERS and inhibits neuronal pyroptosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which the Zishen Huoxue prescription （ZSHXP） ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in rats with vascular dementia （VD） induced by the bilateral common carotid artery ligation （2-VO model rats） through regulating the glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）/protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK）/activating transcription factor 4 （ATF4） signaling pathway. MethodsA VD rat model was established via the 2-VO method. A total of 72 male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into six groups： Sham group， Model group， donepezil hydrochloride group （0.45 mg·kg^-1）， and ZSHXP groups at low （8.90 g·kg^-1）， medium （17.80 g·kg^-1）， and high （35.60 g·kg^-1） doses，with 12 rats in each group. The Morris Water Maze test was utilized to assess spatial learning and memory abilities of rats， and the Novel Object Recognition test was used to evaluate cognitive performance. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Nissl staining were applied to observe the histological and morphological changes in hippocampal tissues. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to observe the morphological changes of endoplasmic reticulum in rat hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence staining was adopted to detect the colocalization of neuronal nuclei antigen （NeuN） with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with gasdermin D （GSDMD） in hippocampal neurons. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS）-related proteins including GRP78， PERK， ATF4， phosphorylated protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （p-PERK）， C/EBP homologous protein （CHOP）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1 and GSDMD. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed a significantly prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， a significant decrease in the number of platform crossings and the residence time in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， and a markedly reduced recognition index （P<0.01）. Histological observations revealed that the hippocampal neurons in the model group were disorderly arranged with reduced quantity， deformed and shrunken cell bodies， and pyknotic and hyperchromatic nuclei. The number of Nissl bodies decreased significantly. The number of endoplasmic reticula reduced obviously， accompanied by abnormal dilation and swelling， and the loss of normal folding structure. The fluorescence colocalization of NeuN with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with GSDMD in the hippocampus was significantly increased in the model group. The protein expression levels of GRP78， p-PERK/PERK， ATF4， CHOP， NLRP3， GSDMD and Caspase-1 in the model group were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the donepezil hydrochloride group and the ZSHXP medium- and high-dose groups had a significantly shortened escape latency （P<0.01） and an increased number of platform crossings （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The residence time in the target quadrant was increased in the donepezil hydrochloride group and all ZSHXP groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with a significantly improved recognition index （P<0.01）. In the donepezil hydrochloride group and all ZSHXP groups， the number of hippocampal neurons increased with a more compact arrangement and reduced nuclear hyperchromasia. The number of Nissl bodies increased with morphological structures tending to be normal. In the ZSHXP high-dose group， the number of endoplasmic reticula increased and the folding structure was restored. The fluorescence colocalization of NeuN with GRP78 and βⅢ Tubulin with GSDMD in the hippocampus was significantly weakened in the treatment groups. In the donepezil hydrochloride group， the protein expressions of GRP78， ATF4 and CHOP were increased （P<0.01）， while the expression of p-PERK/PERK was decreased （P<0.05）. In the ZSHXP low-dose group， the expressions of GRP78， p-PERK/PERK and CHOP were elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ZSHXP medium- and high-dose groups showed a significant decrease in the protein expressions of p-PERK/PERK， ATF4 and CHOP （P<0.01）， and the high-dose group had a markedly reduced GRP78 protein expression （P<0.01）. In the donepezil hydrochloride group， the Caspase-1 protein expression was increased （P<0.01） and the NLRP3 protein expression was decreased （P<0.01）. In the ZSHXP low-dose group， the GSDMD expression was elevated （P<0.01） while the NLRP3 protein expression was reduced （P<0.01）. After treatment with medium and high doses of ZSHXP， the protein expression levels of NLRP3， GSDMD and Caspase-1 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe ameliorative effect of ZSHXP on cognitive function in 2-VO model rats may be associated with its regulation of the GRP78/PERK/ATF4 signaling pathway， which ameliorates ERS and inhibits neuronal pyroptosis.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the potential molecular biological mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction in treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology and preliminarily verify the mechanism through animal experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and targets in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction were obtained by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and ETCM databases. The DisGeNET and GeneCards databases were utilized to acquire disease targets associated with hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. These disease targets were then intersected with drug targets to identify key targets. The R language ClusterProfiler package and Python were employed for conducting gene ontology（GO） enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） enrichment analysis. The regulatory network diagram of the drug-key target-function-pathway was visualized using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software， and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network for key targets was depicted. Finally， the hub gene was determined through topological analysis. Auto Dock， PyMOL， and other software were used for molecular docking to explore the possible therapeutic mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. In animal experiments， a composite rat model of hyperuricemia induced by intraperitoneal injection of oteracil potassium combined with gouty arthritis induced by the modified Coderre method was established. Through hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， uric acid test， enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， Western blot， and real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， the molecular mechanism and key targets of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis were observed. ResultsAfter screening and removing duplicate values， 76 active ingredients and 15 key targets were finally obtained. GO enrichment analysis yielded that the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis with Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction was significantly associated with acute inflammatory response， astrocyte activation， regulation of interleukin （IL）-8 production， nuclear receptor activity， and binding of growth factor receptor. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis obtained that the key target genes were significantly associated with the IL-17 signaling pathway， advanced glycosylation end/receptor of advanced glycation endproducts（AGE/RAGE） signaling pathway， anti-inflammatory， and other pathways. PPI network indicated that albumin（ALB）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ （PPAR-γ）， IL-6， IL-1β， and C-reactive protein（CRP） were the key protein targets. The molecular docking results showed that ALB had the strongest binding force with beta-carotene （β-carotene）. Biochemical results showed that blood uric acid decreased in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction groups. HE staining results showed that the low-dose （7.76 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， medium-dose （15.53 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and high-dose （31.05 g·kg^-1·d^-1） groups of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction had different degrees of remission， and the remission of the high-dose group was the most obvious. Fibroblastic tissue hyperplasia in synovial joints accompanied with inflammatory cell infiltration， as well as inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissue of the high-dose group was significantly reduced， followed by the medium-dose and low-dose groups， and the expression of ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP was down-regulated to different degrees. ConclusionBy regulating the targets such as ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP， inhibiting the PPAR-γ/nuclear transcription factor （NF）-κB pathway， and reducing AGEs/RAGE-mediated inflammation， Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and activates blood circulation and diuresis in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis.

ObjectiveThe rapid advancement of bioanalytical technologies has heightened the demand for high-throughput, label-free, and real-time cellular analysis. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) operating in the GHz frequency range (GHz-EIS) has emerged as a promising tool for characterizing cell suspensions due to its ability to rapidly and non-invasively capture the dielectric properties of cells and their microenvironment. Although GHz-EIS enables rapid and label-free detection of cell suspensions, significant challenges remain in interpreting GHz impedance data for complex samples, limiting the broader application of this technique in cellular research. To address these challenges, this study presents a novel method that integrates GHz-EIS with deep learning algorithms, aiming to improve the precision of cell suspension concentration identification and quantification. This method provides a more efficient and accurate solution for the analysis of GHz impedance data. MethodsThe proposed method comprises two key components: dielectric property dataset construction and backpropagation (BP) neural network modeling. Yeast cell suspensions at varying concentrations were prepared and separately introduced into a coaxial sensor for impedance measurement. The dielectric properties of these suspensions were extracted using a GHz-EIS dielectric property extraction method applied to the measured impedance data. A dielectric properties dataset incorporating concentration labels was subsequently established and divided into training and testing subsets. A BP neural network model employing specific activation functions (ReLU and Leaky ReLU) was then designed. The model was trained and tested using the constructed dataset, and optimal model parameters were obtained through this process. This BP neural network enables automated extraction and analytical processing of dielectric properties, facilitating precise recognition of cell suspension concentrations through data-driven training. ResultsThrough comparative analysis with conventional centrifugal methods, the recognized concentration values of cell suspensions showed high consistency, with relative errors consistently below 5%. Notably, high-concentration samples exhibited even smaller deviations, further validating the precision and reliability of the proposed methodology. To benchmark the recognition performance against different algorithms, two typical approaches—support vector machines (SVM) and K-nearest neighbor (KNN)—were selected for comparison. The proposed method demonstrated superior performance in quantifying cell concentrations. Specifically, the BP neural network achieved a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.06% and an R² value of 0.997 across the entire concentration range, demonstrating both high predictive accuracy and excellent model fit. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that the proposed method enables accurate and rapid determination of unknown sample concentrations. By combining GHz-EIS with BP neural network algorithms, efficient identification of cell concentrations is achieved, laying the foundation for the development of a convenient online cell analysis platform and showing significant application prospects. Compared to typical recognition approaches, the proposed method exhibits superior capabilities in recognizing cell suspension concentrations. Furthermore, this methodology not only accelerates research in cell biology and precision medicine but also paves the way for future EIS biosensors capable of intelligent, adaptive analysis in dynamic biological research.