Objective To study the mini-character and microscopic features of Plantago asiatica from different populations and summarize the exclusive features to provide a reference for the effective identification of Plantago asiatica. Methods Stereomicroscope and optical microscope were used to identify 30 batches of Plantago asiatica from different populations.The similarities and differences in mini-character and microscopic features of Plantago asiatica among different populations were identified. Results The differences in mini character between the Plantago asiatica from different populations were mainly reflected in whether there was fluff on the surface of leaves, inflorescence peduncles, and persistent sepals, as well as whether the epidermis of fibrous roots was flaky. The differences in microscopic characteristics between the Plantago asiatica from different populations were mainly reflected in the number of non-glandular hairs on the leaf surface, the shape of the petiole endothelial layer cells, and the number of large vascular bundles, and the number of layers of mesophyll palisade tissue cells, etc. Conclusion Plantago asiatica from different populations can be identified through mini-character and microscopic; by comparing the relevant identification features, which can provide a basis for revising and improving the standards of Plantago asiatica.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy of Daoqi Tongluo (conducting qi and unblocking collateral) on chronic primary tinnitus. METHODS: A total of 32 patients with chronic primary tinnitus were included and treated with the acupuncture-moxibustion therapy of Daoqi Tongluo. This regimen was composed of abdominal acupuncture, body acupuncture, warm needling and posterior-auricular local flashing cupping, Zhongwan (CV12), Guanyuan (CV6) and Yindu (KI9), Tinggong (SI19), Cong'er point, Waiguan (TE5) of the affected side, etc. are selected. The treatment was given once every two days, 3 treatments a week; and one course of intervention was required, with 10 treatments included. Before and after treatment, the scores of tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), tinnitus evaluation questionnaire (TEQ), self-rating scale of sleep (SRSS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were observed, and the clinical effect was evaluated. RESULTS: After interventions, the scores of THI, TEQ, SRSS, SAS and SDS were reduced in comparison with those before interventions in the patients (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.05), and the total effective rate was 71.9% (23/32). CONCLUSION Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy of Daoqi Tongluo is effective on chronic primary tinnitus and this therapy can alleviate tinnitus degree, improve sleep quality and attenuate the anxious and depressive emotion of the patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Chronic Disease/therapy* ; Moxibustion ; Tinnitus/psychology* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To investigate the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and their innovative behavior, providing insights for enhancing nurses′ innovative practices.Methods:A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit registered nurses from 37 hospitals in Anhui Province between January and March 2022. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale were utilized to conduct a cross-sectional survey. SPSS 25.0 was used to analyze the correlations among nurses′ perception of authentic leadership, work engagement, and innovative behavior, while AMOS 26.0 was employed to assess the mediating effect of work engagement between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior.Results:A total of 3 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 2 994 valid questionnaires were collected. Among the 2 994 participating nurses, 2 907 (97.1%) were female and 87 (2.9%) were male, 1 002 (33.5%) aged 22-25 years, 1 374 (45.9%) aged 26-39 years, 467 (15.6%) aged 40-49 years, and 151 (5.0%) aged 50 years or older. The total scores of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale were (68.23 ± 13.15), (51.49 ± 11.65) and (38.28 ± 8.35) points, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and work engagement ( r=0.473, P<0.01), between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior ( r=0.530, P<0.01), and between work engagement and innovative behavior ( r=0.553, P<0.01). The mediating effect analysis indicated that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior ( β=0.18, P<0.01), with a mediation effect ratio of 34.62%. Conclusions:Nurses′ perception of authentic leadership can indirectly influence their innovative behavior through work engagement. It is recommended that nursing managers prioritize the enhancement of authentic leadership and foster work engagement among nurses to stimulate their innovative behavior.

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as other potential future coronavirus has challenged the effectiveness of current COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, there remains a need for alternative antivirals that target processes less susceptible to mutations, such as the formation of six-helix bundle (6-HB) during the viral fusion step of host cell entry. In this study, a novel high-throughput screening (HTS) assay employing a yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) system was established to identify inhibitors of HR1/HR2 interaction. The compound IMB-9C, which achieved single-digit micromolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variants with low cytotoxicity, was selected. IMB-9C effectively blocks the HR1/HR2 interaction in vitro and inhibits SARS-CoV-2-S-mediated cell-cell fusion. It binds to both HR1 and HR2 through non-covalent interaction and influences the secondary structure of HR1/HR2 complex. In addition, virtual docking and site-mutagenesis results suggest that amino acid residues A930, I931, K933, T941, and L945 are critical for IMB-9C binding to HR1. Collectively, in this study, we have developed a novel screening method for HR1/HR2 interaction inhibitors and identified IMB-9C as a potential antiviral small molecule against COVID-19 and its variants.

Resource-oriented,reconstruct hospital operation and management based on"budget,cost,performance",analyze key difficulties in the process of hospital operation and management practice,and introduce research audit into public hospital operation and management practice.The audit process of hospital operation management needs to strengthen the top-level design,innovate the audit paradigm,cultivate research-oriented audit talents,take"resource"audit as the core,integrate research thinking into the whole audit process,refine and apply audit results,help public hospitals improve quality and efficiency,and realize refined operation and management.

Objective:To investigate the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and their innovative behavior, providing insights for enhancing nurses′ innovative practices.Methods:A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit registered nurses from 37 hospitals in Anhui Province between January and March 2022. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale were utilized to conduct a cross-sectional survey. SPSS 25.0 was used to analyze the correlations among nurses′ perception of authentic leadership, work engagement, and innovative behavior, while AMOS 26.0 was employed to assess the mediating effect of work engagement between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior.Results:A total of 3 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 2 994 valid questionnaires were collected. Among the 2 994 participating nurses, 2 907 (97.1%) were female and 87 (2.9%) were male, 1 002 (33.5%) aged 22-25 years, 1 374 (45.9%) aged 26-39 years, 467 (15.6%) aged 40-49 years, and 151 (5.0%) aged 50 years or older. The total scores of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale were (68.23 ± 13.15), (51.49 ± 11.65) and (38.28 ± 8.35) points, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and work engagement ( r=0.473, P<0.01), between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior ( r=0.530, P<0.01), and between work engagement and innovative behavior ( r=0.553, P<0.01). The mediating effect analysis indicated that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between nurses′ perception of authentic leadership and innovative behavior ( β=0.18, P<0.01), with a mediation effect ratio of 34.62%. Conclusions:Nurses′ perception of authentic leadership can indirectly influence their innovative behavior through work engagement. It is recommended that nursing managers prioritize the enhancement of authentic leadership and foster work engagement among nurses to stimulate their innovative behavior.

Resource-oriented,reconstruct hospital operation and management based on"budget,cost,performance",analyze key difficulties in the process of hospital operation and management practice,and introduce research audit into public hospital operation and management practice.The audit process of hospital operation management needs to strengthen the top-level design,innovate the audit paradigm,cultivate research-oriented audit talents,take"resource"audit as the core,integrate research thinking into the whole audit process,refine and apply audit results,help public hospitals improve quality and efficiency,and realize refined operation and management.

Objectives:To explore the dynamic changes of right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS) on echocardiography during the process of right ventricular fibrosis with right ventricular pressure overload.Methods:Animal models with RV pressure overload (n=5) were established by main pulmonary artery (PA) banding in piglets.The ratio of RV pressure to left ventricular (LV) pressure was greater than 60％ as assessed by the pressure measuring needle during the operation.Pre-and post-operative echocardiography were performed.Histopathological examination of RV tissues was performed at the end of the experiment.Results:During the establishment of the animal models,2 piglets died due to hemorrhagic shock,while 3 piglets survived and were included in the analysis.Systolic RV pressure,systolic PA pressure and mean PA pressure(measured at the proximal end of the constriction) were significantly increased immediately after PA banding,mean RV pressure and mean PA pressure were significantly inreased at 14 weeks postopseratively (all P<0.05).Tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion and peak early diastolic velocity of tricuspid annulus (TV e') decreased immediately after operation (all P<0.05).They returned to the pre-operative level in the following three weeks.The absolute values of RVGLS were reduced after PA banding (all P>0.05).The RVGLS of the inner membrane layer began to recover after 3 weeks,and the RVGLS of the middle and outer membrane layers began to recover after 7 weeks.However,the time to peak RVGLS was significantly prolonged and could not be restored even untill the end of the experiment (14 weeks after surgery)(all P<0.05).At the end of the experiment,pathological examination revealed fibrous tissue hyperplasia in both the myocardial interstitium and endocardium.Conclusions:The measurement of intracardiac pressure and pathological results confirmed the success of the establishment of the animal model of increased right ventricular afterload.Both stress and strain cannot truly represent the intrinsic characteristics of the myocardium under pressure overload.The prolonged time to peak of longitudinal strain might indirectly reflect the progression of myocardial injury more persistently during the process of increased right ventricular afterload and myocardial injury.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of tea polyphenols(TP)for regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes and alleviating acute lung injury in septic mice.Methods Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into sham-operated,cecal ligation and puncture(CLP)and CLP+TP treatment groups,and survival of the mice was recorded after modeling in each group.The lung wet/dry weight ratio and myeloperoxidase(MPO)activity were determined,and lung injury of the mice was evaluated using HE staining and acute lung injury score.The expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6,NLRP3,caspase-1 p10,ASC,MPO,and caspase-8 in the lung tissue were detected using ELISA,Western blotting,or immunohistochemical staining.MDA and H2O2 levels in the lungs were detected to evaluate the level of oxidative stress.Immunofluorescence assay was used to investigate the co-localization of NLRP3 and NOX4.Results The postoperative mortality rate at 72 h,lung wet/dry weight ratio,MPO level and acute lung injury scores were significantly lower in CLP+TP group than in CLP group(P<0.05).Treatment with TP significantly reduced the expressions of NLRP3-related inflammatory factors(P<0.05)and lowered MDA and H2O2 levels in the lung tissue of the septic mice(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence co-staining showed a lower level of NOX4 and NLRP3 co-localization in CLP+TP group than in CLP group.Conclusion TP inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome-associated inflammation to alleviate CLP-induced acute lung injury in mice through a regulatory mechanism that inhibits NOX4 expression and reduces oxidative stress in the lung tissue.

Objective To investigate the effect of glycine N-methyl transferase (GNMT)on intrauterine adhesion (IUA)fibrosis and its related mechanism.Methods In vivo experiment:A total of 36 healthy female SD rats (SPF grade,6～8 weeks old and weighing from 180～220 g)were subjected in this study.IUA model of SD rats and IUA model of GNMT overexpressed rats were established.RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence assay were applied to detect GNMT expression level in normal uterus and model group.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis-related molecules and the activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in each group.The number of endometrial glands in each group was observed by HE staining.Masson staining was used to analyze the severity of endometrial fibrosis in each group.In vitro experiment:transformed human endometrial stromal cells (THESCs)fibrotic phenotype model was constructed using TGF-β1,and THESCs stably transfected with GNMT overexpression lentvirus were treated with TGF-β1.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of fibrosis-related molecules.The expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was detected by Western blotting.TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was activated by TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway activator (SRI-011381),and the expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and key molecular proteins of fibrosis phenotype was measured with Western blotting.Results In vivo experiment,the mRNA and protein expression levels of GNMT were significantly decreased in the IUA rats than the control rats (P<0.05).Overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis related molecules,Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN in the IUA rats (P<0.05),and decreased the phosphorylation levels of TGF-β1 and its downstream Smad3 protein (P<0.05).HE and Masson staining showed that overexpression of GNMT could increase the number of endometrial glands and reduce the severity of fibrosis in the IUA rats (P<0.05).In vitro experiments:overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN associated with fibrotic phenotype of THESCs (P<0.05),and reduced the phosphorylation level of Smad3 protein,downstream of TGF-β1 (P<0.05).After activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,the protein levels of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and downstream fibrosis phenotype molecules,Collagen Ⅲ and FN,were significantly decreased in the LV-GNMT+SRI-011381 group.Conclusion Overexpression of GNMT can inhibit endometrial fibrosis by regulating TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,thus achieving therapeutic effect on IUA.