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.

Objective To study the protective effect of polydatin on lipopolysaccharide-induced injury of human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells(HUVECs)through the protein Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3(STAT3)signaling pathway.Methods HUVECs were cultured in vitro,and 500 ng/ml LPS induced their injury and set as a model group;based on the model group,endothelial cells were inter-vened with different concentrations(10,20,and 40 μmol/L)of polydatin for 24 h,and set as polydatin low concentration group,polydatin medium concentration group,and polydatin high concentration group,respectively;a control group was set as another group.CCK-8,monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion,scratch and Transwell assays were used to detect cell viability,adhesion,migration and invasive ability;ELISA was used to detect interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)levels in the cell supernatant;Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins related to the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway levels of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway relat-ed proteins.Results Compared with the control group,the model group showed decreased cell survival(P＜0.01),increased cell adhesion,migration and invasion(P＜0.001,P＜0.05,P＜0.01),increased levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the cell supernatant(P＜0.001),and increased levels of phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 pro-teins in the cells(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,LPS damage to cells was attenuated after polydatin intervention,cell survival was increased in polydatin low-,medium-and high-concentration groups(P＜0.05),cell adhesion,migration,and invasion decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.05,P＜0.001),IL-6 and TNF-α levels in cell supernatants decreased(P＜0.05),and the levels of cellular JAK2 and STAT3 protein phosphorylation lev-els decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Polydatin seems to reduce the inflammatory injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by LPS,reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors,and inhibiting the ability of cell ad-hesion,migration and invasion,which may be related to the down-regulation of JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway by polydatin.

Objective To screen and analyze the influencing factors of severity in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicating cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).Methods A total of 519 pa-tients with T2DM complicating CSVD admitted and treated in Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chi-nese Medicine from June 2018 to May 2023 were selected and divided into the mild group (n=214) and the se-vere group (n=305) according to the CSVD imageological score.The relevant demographic,laboratory and imageological indicators were collected.The influencing factors of T2DM complicating CSVD were screened out by the LASSO and Logistic regression analysis and the predictive model was established.The receiver op-erating characteristic (ROC) curve,goodness of fit evaluation and restricted cubic spline (RCS) fitting curve were drawn to analyze the dose-response relationship between Cys C,albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio with the disease severity.Results The male proportion and age in the severe group were greater than those in the mild group,neutrophil,systemic immune-inflammation index (SII),creatinine (Crea),uric acid (UA),Urea (Ure-a),D-dimer (D-D),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),adenosine deaminase (ADA),globulin (GLB) and Cys C were higher than those in the mild group,lymphocyte,ALT,High density Lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C),serum cholinesterase (CHE),prealbumin (PAB),and A/G were lower than those in the mild group,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).LASSO and logistic regression analysis showed that the gender,age,A/G and Cys C were the independent influencing factors in the patients with T2DM complicating CSVD.The area under the curve (AUC) of this model was 0.658 (95%CI:0.610-0.706) with goodness of fit (P=0.520).The RCS fitting curves showed that serum Cys C≥0.618 mg/L had a linear relationship with CSVD imageological score (P=0.035),and A/G≥1.268 had a nonlinear relationship with CSVD imageologi-cal score (P=0.007).Conclusion The advanced age,male,increased Cys C level and decreased A/G in the pa-tients with T2DM complicating CSVD are the independent risk factors for the severity of whole brain damage.

Objective To screen the characteristic factors of renal impairment occurrence in the patients with hyperuricemia,and to analyze its diagnostic value and establish a diagnostic model.Methods A total of 2405 inpatients with diagnosed hyperuricemia in the Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medi-cine,Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2018 to December 2022 were selected and divided into the kidney lesion group (n=1343) and the non-kidney lesion group (n=1062) according to eGFR.The characteristic factors of hyperuricemia caused renal impairment were screened and analyzed by Lasso and logistic regression and the diagnostic model was constructed.The diagnostic value of characteristic factors and diagnostic model were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve,and the change rule between the characteristic factors and the results was found by the restricted cubic splines (RCS) fitting.Results The age,uric acid (UA),cystatin-C (Cys-C) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were the characteristic factors of hyperuricemia caused renal impairment.The combined diagnostic model:logit (P)=-8.70+0.602×age (10 years old)+0.033×UA (10 μmol/L)+0.277×Cys-C (0.1 mg/L)+0.189×RBP (10 mg/L),the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the combined diagnosis model was 0.893 (95％CI:0.880-0.905).For every 10 μmol/L increase in blood UA,the risk of renal impairment occurrence in hyperurice-mia was increased by 3％;for every 10 years increase in age,the risk of renal impairment occurrence in hyperu-ricemia was increased by 83％;for every 10 mg/L increase in RBP,the risk of kidney damage occurrence of re-nal impairment in hyperuricemia was increased by 21％;for every 0.1 mg/L increase in Cys-C,the risk of re-nal impairment occurrence in hyperuricemia was increased by 32％.Conclusion The combined diagnostic model for whether the renal impairment in the patients with hyperuricemia occurring has good diagnostic val-ue,and Cys-C deserves more attention.

Resection of oral and maxillofacial tumors is often accompanied by the inferior alveolar nerve neurectomy, resulting in abnormal sensation in lower lip. It is generally believed that spontaneous sensory recovery in this nerve injury is difficult. However, during our follow-up, patients with inferior alveolar nerve sacrifice showed different degrees of lower lip sensory recovery. In this study, a prospective cohort study was conducted to demonstrate this phenomenon and analyze the factors influencing sensory recovery. A mental nerve transection model of Thy1-YFP mice and tissue clearing technique were used to explore possible mechanisms in this process. Gene silencing and overexpression experiments were then conducted to detect the changes in cell morphology and molecular markers. In our follow-up, 75% of patients with unilateral inferior alveolar nerve neurectomy had complete sensory recovery of the lower lip 12 months postoperatively. Patients with younger age, malignant tumors, and preservation of ipsilateral buccal and lingual nerves had a shorter recovery time. The buccal nerve collateral sprouting compensation was observed in the lower lip tissue of Thy1-YFP mice. ApoD was demonstrated to be involved in axon growth and peripheral nerve sensory recovery in the animal model. TGF-β inhibited the expression of STAT3 and the transcription of ApoD in Schwann cells through Zfp423. Overall, after sacrificing the inferior alveolar nerve, the collateral compensation of the ipsilateral buccal nerve could innervate the sensation. And this process was regulated by TGF-β-Zfp423-ApoD pathway.
Mice ; Animals ; Lip/innervation* ; Prospective Studies ; Mandibular Nerve/pathology* ; Sensation/physiology* ; Trigeminal Nerve Injuries/pathology*

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical efficacy of Huanglian Jiedutang as an adjunctive treatment for acute cerebral infarction complicated with gastric motility disorder. MethodSixty patients with acute cerebral infarction complicated with gastric motility disorder with fire toxin syndrome were randomly divided into a western medicine control group （control group） and a traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） combined treatment group （observation group）， with 30 cases in each group. The control group received basic treatment for cerebral infarction and relevant western medical symptomatic treatment based on the patients' gastrointestinal symptoms. The observation group received Huanglian Jiedutang in addition to the treatment provided to the control group. The treatment course was 7 days. Neurological deficit scores and gastrointestinal dysfunction scores were assessed in both groups before treatment and on the 4^th and 7^th days of treatment. Gastrointestinal electrographic parameters， serum citrulline （CIT）， and motilin （MTL） levels were measured in both groups before treatment and on the 7^th day of treatment. Clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups. ResultCompared with the baseline in both groups， the neurological deficit scores and gastrointestinal dysfunction scores were significantly reduced on the 4th and 7^th days of treatment （P<0.05）. The reductions in these scores were more significant on the 7^th day compared with those on the 4^th day of treatment （P<0.05）. On the 4^th and 7^th days of treatment， the observation group showed a significantly greater reduction in neurological deficit scores and gastrointestinal dysfunction scores compared with the control group （P<0.05）. On the 7th day of treatment， compared with the baseline， both groups showed a significant increase in gastric antral and gastric body electric wave amplitudes as well as serum CIT and MTL levels （P<0.05）， and there were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of gastric antral and gastric body electric waves. On the 7th day of treatment， compared with the control group， the observation group had a significant increase in gastric antral and gastric body electric wave amplitudes as well as serum CIT and MTL levels （P<0.05）， and there were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of gastric antral and gastric body electric waves. After 7 days of treatment， the total effective rate in the observation group was 90.00% （27/30）， higher than 76.67% （23/30） in the control group， but the difference was not statistically significant. ConclusionAdjunctive treatment with Huanglian Jiedutang can effectively improve the symptoms of neurological function impairment and gastrointestinal dysfunction in patients with acute cerebral infarction complicated with gastric motility disorder， increase gastric antral and gastric body electric wave amplitudes， improve gastric motility disorder， and increase serum CIT and MTL levels， thereby improving the imbalanced secretion function of the gastrointestinal tract.

Objective:To compare the application value of Caprini thrombosis risk assessment scale and Shanghai venous thrombosis risk factor scale in predicting venous thromboembolism in hospitalized maternal patients.Methods:This was a case-control study. A total of 67 pregnant women complicated with venous thromboembolism in the Obstetrics Department of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from January 2010 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. And 144 pregnant women without venous thromboembolism in the same period were selected. Two venous thrombosis risk assessment tools were used to evaluate the pregnant women, and the predictive effectiveness and accuracy of the two assessment tools were compared.Results:The effects of the two risk assessment tools for venous thrombosis were different before and after delivery with statistical difference ( Z=8.15, 5.97, both P<0.01), but the Shanghai venous thrombosis risk factor scale (83.9%, 67.3%) was superior to Caprini thrombosis risk assessment scale (52.1%, 45.0%) in the accuracy of prenatal and postnatal prediction. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the Shanghai venous thrombosis risk factor rating scale (0.863) was significantly superior to the Caprini thrombosis risk assessment scale (0.748) after delivery. Conclusions:The Shanghai venous thrombosis risk factor scale is more valuable than the Caprini thrombosis risk assessment scale in the early risk identification of venous thromboembolism in pregnant women.

ABSTARCT Purpose To investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and genetic mutations of metastatic follicular thy-roid carcinoma(FTC).Methods A total of 22 cases of meta-static FTC were collected,including previous medical history,imaging,treatments and outcomes,and next-generation sequen-cing study and Sanger sequencing were performed in 12 cases.Results There were 16 women and 6 men.Sixteen cases were older than 50 years.Seven cases presented with metastases as the first symptom.Fourteen cases developed metastases 3 to 12 years after thyroid surgery.Sixteen cases developed bone metas-tasis,10 cases had lung metastasis,and 3 cases had brain me-tastasis.Those patients with multiple bone metastases progressed during the follow-up period.The common gene mutations in me-tastases were NRAS p.Q61R(6 cases),HRAS p.Q61R(2 ca-ses)and KRAS p.Q61R(1 case),followed by TERT promoter mutation(8 cases).Other mutated genes included KEL,BRCA1/2,ALK,ROS1,ErbB4,etc.Conclusion FTC has a high misdiagnosis rate.Those diagnosed with FTC should under-go regular systemic examinations to detect potential metastasis,especially in bone,lung,and brain.Further research on the sig-nificance of NRAS and other molecular indicators in FTC metas-tasis will help to better predict its biological behaviors.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease with multiple chronic metabolic complications characterized by high glucose concentration. The incidence of diabetes mellitus is increasing, but its specific mechanisms of pathogenesis have not been fully elucidated. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2S), as a new member of the gasotransmitter family, is closely related to the regulation of glucose metabolism. Therefore, this review emphatically summarized the production of endogenous H 2S and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism by H 2S, aiming to provide new directions and perspectives for the research of diabetes mellitus.

Pediatric cough is a heterogeneous condition in terms of symptoms and the underlying disease mechanisms. Symptom phenotypes hold complicated interactions between each other to form an intricate network structure. This study aims to investigate whether the network structure of pediatric cough symptoms is associated with the prognosis and outcome of patients. A total of 384 cases were derived from the electronic medical records of a highly experienced traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician. The data were divided into two groups according to the therapeutic effect, namely, an invalid group (group A with 40 cases of poor efficacy) and a valid group (group B with 344 cases of good efficacy). Several well-established analysis methods, namely, statistical test, correlation analysis, and complex network analysis, were used to analyze the data. This study reports that symptom networks of patients with pediatric cough are related to the effectiveness of treatment: a dense network of symptoms is associated with great difficulty in treatment. Interventions with the most different symptoms in the symptom network may have improved therapeutic effects.