Thousands of variant gene sequences of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerged since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Dec.2019.Alpha(B.1.1.7),Beta(B.1.351),Gamma(P.1),Delta(B.1.617.2)and Omicron(B.1.1.529)were the most representative variants.With the continuous emergence of new variants,the predomi-nant strain in the global pandemic as of Jan.2025 is the Omicron BA.2.86-derived mutant,JN.1.The effectiveness of drugs against Omicron variants remains a key research focus in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections.The infectiousness and pathogenicity of the variants altered remarkably due to mutations in the genome on S protein of the mutant strains,and these emerging variants are more likely to evade immunity and were more infectious than the previous prevalent variants.During the process of combating with the constantly emerging novel variants,drugs showed various effects on treatment of diseases caused by different variants.New drugs and treatment coun-termeasures are constantly updated with the prevalence of various variants.The current status of research on pres-ent drugs for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and the therapeutic effects on emerging variants are reviewed in the article so as to provide reference for prevention and treatment of the upcoming evolved variants.

AIM:To investigate the mechanism of flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum rupestre hance(DRHF)in the treatment of gouty arthritis through network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment.METHODS:Literature re-trieval was used to explore the main active chemi-cal components and targets of DRHF.Gouty arthri-tis disease targets were obtained using Gene Cards and OMIM databases,and drug-disease intersect-ing targets were obtained using Wayne online tools.protein-protein interactions(PPI)and other related network diagrams were constructed using Cytoscape software.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on the shared intersect-ing targets using Metascape database.A rat model of gouty arthritis was established by Coderre meth-od;the swelling degree of ankle joint,gait behav-iour scores of rats were observed,and hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was performed.ELISA and real-time PCR were used to detect the key targets pre-dicted by the network pharmacology,and the ef-fects of DRHF on the molecular mechanism and key targets of gouty arthritis were observed.RESULTS:A total of 7 active compounds and 129 candidate targets for the treatment of GA were obtained,in-cluding IL-6,IL-1β,RELA,TNF,PPARG,etc.and the KEGG enrichment results suggested that DRHF may be involved in PI3K-Akt,TNF,IL-17 and other signal transduction pathways.Animal results:HE staining showed that the thickening of synovial tissue was not obvious in each administered group,and syno-vial cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltra-tion were significantly improved;compared with the normal group,the serum levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β in the model group were significantly higher(P＜0.05),and the mRNA of PPARG,IL-6,and RELA in the synovial tissues were significantly high-er;compared with the model group,the levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β were significantly lower(P＜0.05)in the low group of DRHF(0.45 g/kg)and high group of DRHF(0.9 g/kg),TNF,IL-6,IL-1β lev-els were significantly reduced(P＜0.05);PPARG,IL-6,RELA mRNA in synovial tissue were significantly reduced.CONCLUSION:DRHF inhibits IL-17/PI-3K/TNF signaling pathway by down-regulating the ex-pression of IL-6,PPARG and RELA mRNA,decreas-ing the levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF,and then treat-ing gouty arthritis.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive orthopedics combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy in the treatment of hallux valgus.Methods Clinical data of hallux valgus patients who underwent minimally invasive orthopedics combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy in Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from June 2020 to June 2022 were collected.Hallux valgus angle(HVA),intermetatarsal angle(IMA),distal metatarsal articular angle(DMAA),visual analogue scale(VAS)score,American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)scale score and complications were compared before and after surgery.Results A total of 186 patients with hallux valgus(328 feet)were included in the study.All patients successfully completed the operation and the follow-up period was 6 months.Six months after surgery,HVA,IMA and DMAA were significantly lower than before surgery,VAS score was significantly lower than before surgery,and AOFAS scale score was significantly higher than before surgery(P＜0.05).There were no postoperative complications such as wound infection,delayed union or nonunion of the osteotomy,and metastatic metatarsalgia.Conclusion Minimally invasive orthopedic combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy is safe and effective in treatment of hallux valgus,which has the advantages of less injury,good deformity correction and less postoperative complications,and is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

AIM:To explore the mechanism of BLJZF in the treatment of abnormal lipid metabo-lism based on network pharmacology,molecular docking andin vivo animal experiments.METHODS:TCMSP database,Swiss Target Prediction database,STITCH database and literature search were used to collect and query the chemical composition infor-mation of BLJZF and the corresponding target of drug chemical composition.Disease targets of lipid abnormalities were collected through GeneCards and OMIM databases.Metascape database was used to analyze the gene ontology function and the Kyoto Encyclopedia gene and genome pathway en-richment of common intersection targets.Cyto-scape software was used to construct the correla-tion network diagram of components and targets,so as to select major components and targets for molecular docking study.The hyperlipidemia model was induced by high fat diet,and the control group,model group,positive group and BLJZF group were set up.The serum lipid index contents of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low lipo-protein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were detected after continuous administration for 4 weeks.The contents of oxida-tive stress index were detected:alanine amino-transferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST).The contents of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by ELI-SA.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to de-tect the pathological changes of liver tissue.RE-SULTS:A total of 25 components and 315 corre-sponding targets of BLJZF were obtained,1729 tar-gets of lipid abnormalities and 116 common tar-gets of BLJZF,among which the core targets were AKT1,TNF,IL1β,CASP3,etc.GO and KEGG enrich-ment analysis suggested that BLJZF may play a role through the lipid and atherosclerotic pathway,PI3K-Akt,AGE-RAGE in diabetic complications and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that most of the core targets had high binding activity with the active ingredients.Animal experiments showed that compared with model group,TC,TG,LDL-C,ALT,AST and MDA in BLJZF group were sig-nificantly decreased,HDL-C and SOD were signifi-cantly increased,and the degree of liver fat defor-mation was reduced.CONCLUSION:BLJZF has a therapeutic effect on lipid abnormalities.It can treat lipid metabolism abnormalities through multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway,and provide reference for subsequent drug research on BLJZF.

Thousands of variant gene sequences of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerged since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Dec.2019.Alpha(B.1.1.7),Beta(B.1.351),Gamma(P.1),Delta(B.1.617.2)and Omicron(B.1.1.529)were the most representative variants.With the continuous emergence of new variants,the predomi-nant strain in the global pandemic as of Jan.2025 is the Omicron BA.2.86-derived mutant,JN.1.The effectiveness of drugs against Omicron variants remains a key research focus in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections.The infectiousness and pathogenicity of the variants altered remarkably due to mutations in the genome on S protein of the mutant strains,and these emerging variants are more likely to evade immunity and were more infectious than the previous prevalent variants.During the process of combating with the constantly emerging novel variants,drugs showed various effects on treatment of diseases caused by different variants.New drugs and treatment coun-termeasures are constantly updated with the prevalence of various variants.The current status of research on pres-ent drugs for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and the therapeutic effects on emerging variants are reviewed in the article so as to provide reference for prevention and treatment of the upcoming evolved variants.

AIM:To explore the mechanism of BLJZF in the treatment of abnormal lipid metabo-lism based on network pharmacology,molecular docking andin vivo animal experiments.METHODS:TCMSP database,Swiss Target Prediction database,STITCH database and literature search were used to collect and query the chemical composition infor-mation of BLJZF and the corresponding target of drug chemical composition.Disease targets of lipid abnormalities were collected through GeneCards and OMIM databases.Metascape database was used to analyze the gene ontology function and the Kyoto Encyclopedia gene and genome pathway en-richment of common intersection targets.Cyto-scape software was used to construct the correla-tion network diagram of components and targets,so as to select major components and targets for molecular docking study.The hyperlipidemia model was induced by high fat diet,and the control group,model group,positive group and BLJZF group were set up.The serum lipid index contents of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low lipo-protein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were detected after continuous administration for 4 weeks.The contents of oxida-tive stress index were detected:alanine amino-transferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST).The contents of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by ELI-SA.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to de-tect the pathological changes of liver tissue.RE-SULTS:A total of 25 components and 315 corre-sponding targets of BLJZF were obtained,1729 tar-gets of lipid abnormalities and 116 common tar-gets of BLJZF,among which the core targets were AKT1,TNF,IL1β,CASP3,etc.GO and KEGG enrich-ment analysis suggested that BLJZF may play a role through the lipid and atherosclerotic pathway,PI3K-Akt,AGE-RAGE in diabetic complications and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that most of the core targets had high binding activity with the active ingredients.Animal experiments showed that compared with model group,TC,TG,LDL-C,ALT,AST and MDA in BLJZF group were sig-nificantly decreased,HDL-C and SOD were signifi-cantly increased,and the degree of liver fat defor-mation was reduced.CONCLUSION:BLJZF has a therapeutic effect on lipid abnormalities.It can treat lipid metabolism abnormalities through multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway,and provide reference for subsequent drug research on BLJZF.

Objective To develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting recurrence after radiofre-quency catheter ablation(RFCA)in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure using body surface electrocar-diogram indicators and clinical indicators.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 305 patients with atrial fibrilla-tion complicated with heart failure who underwent RFCA from January 2019 to January 2024.Patients were random-ized into training set(213 cases)and validation set(92 cases)at a ratio of 7:3 and followed up for at least 1 year.Based on the recurrence status,the patients were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group,with body surface electrocardiogram indicators and clinical indicators collected.Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified for risk factors for post RFCA recurrence,which were used to construct a nomogram.Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),Hosmer-Lemeshow test,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Among the 305 patients,84(27.54％)experi-enced recurrence after treatment.In the training set,61 patients had recurrence and 152 did not.No statistical differences were observed between the training set and the validation set(all P>0.05).In the training set,the recurrence group exhibited a higher proportion of persistent atrial fibrillation and significantly higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores,larger left atrial diameter,longer PR interval,and higher levels of NLR and NT-proBNP compared to the non-recurrence group(all P<0.05).Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that high CHA2DS2-VASc score,long left atrial diameter,prolonged PR interval,and high NLR were independent risk factors of recurrence after RFCA(P<0.05)A four-factor prediction model was established as:Ln(P/1-P)=-12.87+0.84*CHA2DS2-VASc score+0.11* left atrial diameter+0.03*PR interval+0.31*NLR.The training and validation models showed AUCs of 0.85(95％CI:0.80～0.91)and 0.85(95％CI:0.76～0.94),respectively,suggesting that the model had good predictive efficiency.Hosmer-Lemeshow test results(χ2=2.43,P=0.965 for the training set;χ2=5.30,P=0.725 for the validation set)confirmed model fit,indicating that the fitted probability value was consistent with the actual probability value.Calibration curves after 1 000 times of Bootstrap repeated sampling showed the bias calibration curves of the training set and the validation set had good consistency with the actual curves,both close to the ideal curve.DCA revealed clinical utility across a wide threshold probability range(0.02～1.0 for the training set;0.04～1.0 for the validation set).Conclusion This nomogram,based on body surface electrocardiogram indicators and clinical indicators,effectively predicts post-RFCA recurrence in atrial fibrillation and heart failure patients,offering a useful tool for early assessment of recurrence risk.

Objective To develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting recurrence after radiofre-quency catheter ablation(RFCA)in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure using body surface electrocar-diogram indicators and clinical indicators.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 305 patients with atrial fibrilla-tion complicated with heart failure who underwent RFCA from January 2019 to January 2024.Patients were random-ized into training set(213 cases)and validation set(92 cases)at a ratio of 7:3 and followed up for at least 1 year.Based on the recurrence status,the patients were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group,with body surface electrocardiogram indicators and clinical indicators collected.Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified for risk factors for post RFCA recurrence,which were used to construct a nomogram.Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),Hosmer-Lemeshow test,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Among the 305 patients,84(27.54％)experi-enced recurrence after treatment.In the training set,61 patients had recurrence and 152 did not.No statistical differences were observed between the training set and the validation set(all P>0.05).In the training set,the recurrence group exhibited a higher proportion of persistent atrial fibrillation and significantly higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores,larger left atrial diameter,longer PR interval,and higher levels of NLR and NT-proBNP compared to the non-recurrence group(all P<0.05).Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that high CHA2DS2-VASc score,long left atrial diameter,prolonged PR interval,and high NLR were independent risk factors of recurrence after RFCA(P<0.05)A four-factor prediction model was established as:Ln(P/1-P)=-12.87+0.84*CHA2DS2-VASc score+0.11* left atrial diameter+0.03*PR interval+0.31*NLR.The training and validation models showed AUCs of 0.85(95％CI:0.80～0.91)and 0.85(95％CI:0.76～0.94),respectively,suggesting that the model had good predictive efficiency.Hosmer-Lemeshow test results(χ2=2.43,P=0.965 for the training set;χ2=5.30,P=0.725 for the validation set)confirmed model fit,indicating that the fitted probability value was consistent with the actual probability value.Calibration curves after 1 000 times of Bootstrap repeated sampling showed the bias calibration curves of the training set and the validation set had good consistency with the actual curves,both close to the ideal curve.DCA revealed clinical utility across a wide threshold probability range(0.02～1.0 for the training set;0.04～1.0 for the validation set).Conclusion This nomogram,based on body surface electrocardiogram indicators and clinical indicators,effectively predicts post-RFCA recurrence in atrial fibrillation and heart failure patients,offering a useful tool for early assessment of recurrence risk.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive orthopedics combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy in the treatment of hallux valgus.Methods Clinical data of hallux valgus patients who underwent minimally invasive orthopedics combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy in Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from June 2020 to June 2022 were collected.Hallux valgus angle(HVA),intermetatarsal angle(IMA),distal metatarsal articular angle(DMAA),visual analogue scale(VAS)score,American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)scale score and complications were compared before and after surgery.Results A total of 186 patients with hallux valgus(328 feet)were included in the study.All patients successfully completed the operation and the follow-up period was 6 months.Six months after surgery,HVA,IMA and DMAA were significantly lower than before surgery,VAS score was significantly lower than before surgery,and AOFAS scale score was significantly higher than before surgery(P＜0.05).There were no postoperative complications such as wound infection,delayed union or nonunion of the osteotomy,and metastatic metatarsalgia.Conclusion Minimally invasive orthopedic combined with Akin surgical segmental osteotomy is safe and effective in treatment of hallux valgus,which has the advantages of less injury,good deformity correction and less postoperative complications,and is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Reach-to-grasp movements require integrating information on both object location and grip type, but how these elements are planned and to what extent they interact remains unclear. We designed a new experimental paradigm in which monkeys sequentially received reach and grasp cues with delays, requiring them to retain and integrate both cues to grasp the goal object with appropriate hand gestures. Neural activity in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) revealed that reach and grasp were similarly represented yet not independent. Upon receiving the second cue, the PMd continued encoding the first, but over half of the neurons displayed incongruent modulations: enhanced, attenuated, or even reversed. Population-level analysis showed significant changes in encoding structure, forming distinct neural patterns. Leveraging canonical correlation analysis, we identified a shared subspace preserving the initial cue's encoding, contributed by both congruent and incongruent neurons. Together, these findings reveal a novel perspective on the interactive planning of reach and grasp within the PMd, providing insights into potential applications for brain-machine interfaces.
Animals ; Motor Cortex/physiology* ; Hand Strength/physiology* ; Macaca mulatta ; Psychomotor Performance/physiology* ; Neurons/physiology* ; Male ; Cues ; Movement/physiology* ; Gestures