Microbial detection and control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are crucial for the quality control of TCM preparations. It is also a key area of research in the measurement technology and equipment development for TCM manufacturing. Guided by TCM manufacturing measurement methodologies, this study presented a design of a novel portable microbial detection device, using Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma decoction pieces as a demonstration. Immunomagnetic separation technology was employed for specific isolation and labeling of target microorganisms. Enzymatic signal amplification was utilized to convert weak biological signals into colorimetric signals, constructing an optical biosensor. A self-developed smartphone APP was further applied to analyze the colorimetric signals and quantify target concentrations. A portable and automated detection system based on Arduino microcontroller was developed to automatically perform target microbial separation/extraction, as well as mimetic enzyme labeling and catalytic reactions. The developed equipment specifically focuses on the rapid and quantitative microbial analysis of TCM active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates in TCM manufacturing, and final TCM products. Experimental results demonstrate that the equipment could detect Salmonella in samples within 2 h, with a detection limit as low as 5.1 × 10~3 CFU·mL~(-1). The equipment enables the rapid detection of microorganisms in TCM decoction pieces, providing a potential technical solution for on-site rapid screening of microbial contamination indicators in TCM. It has broad application prospects in measurement technology for TCM manufacturing and offers strong technical support for the modernization, industrialization, and intelligent development of TCM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Atractylodes/microbiology* ; Rhizome/microbiology* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Colorimetry/instrumentation* ; Quality Control

Aim To investigate the role of myotubula-rin related protein 7(MTMR7)in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension manifested by pulmonary vas-cular intimal thickening,right ventricular hypertrophy,progressive right heart failure and dysfunction.Meth-ods A total of 40 healthy male C57BL/6J mice and Mtmr7-transgenic(Mtmr7-Tg)mice were divided into the control group,Mtmr7-Tg group,monocrotaline(MCT)group and MCT+Mtmr7-Tg group.Pulmonary artery acceleration time(PAT)and pulmonary artery ejection time(PET)of the pulmonary artery were measured by ultrasound.When the free wall of the right ventricle was separated,the right heart hypertro-phy index(RVHI)was calculated.Pulmonary artery remodeling was observed by immunostaining.Mouse pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs)were cultured in hypoxic environment to induce the prolifer-ation and migration.Results MTMR7 was expressed in pulmonary vessels.Compared to the wild-type mice,Mtmr7-Tg mice showed increased PAT/PET ratio(P＜0.05),reduced RVHI(P＜0.01)after MCT stimu-lus.PASMCs were transfected with adenovirus encond-ing Mtmr7 gene,which inhibited proliferation and mi-gration of PASMCs.After restoring the activity of ERK1/2 by chemerin-9,the proliferation and migra-tion ability of PASMCs was elevated.Conclusions MTMR7 can counteract the growth and mobility of mouse PASMCs induced by hypoxia,thereby comba-ting pulmonary arterial hypertension via reducing ERK1/2 phosphorylation.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the minimum-cost-path-based CT angiography-derived fractional flow reserve(MCP-FFR)and the deep learning-driven CT angiography-derived fractional flow reserve(DeepCL-FFR),and to particularly explore the potential value of the DeepCL algorithm in improving diagnostic accuracy within the"gray zone."Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 151 coronary vessels from 109 patients with coronary artery disease,who were hospitalized at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army between January 2020 and June 2021.Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots were employed to assess the correlation and agreement of the two CT-FFR methods with invasive FFR.A CT-FFR range of 0.70-0.80 was defined as the diagnostic"gray zone."The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities were calculated and analyzed.The DeLong test was used to compare the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves(AUC)between the two CT-FFR calculation methods.Results Both CT-FFR methods exhibited a positive correlation with invasive FFR(MCP-FFR:r=0.75,P＜0.001;DeepCL-FFR:r=0.86,P＜0.001)and showed good agreement(MCP-FFR:mean difference=0.010,P=0.351;DeepCL-FFR:mean difference=-0.003,P=0.772).Both DeepCL-FFR(AUC 0.97,95％CI 0.94-0.99)and MCP-FFR(AUC 0.92,95％CI 0.88-0.97)demonstrated favorable diagnostic performance for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities(P=0.122).In the"gray zone"for hemodynamic abnormality,the diagnostic accuracy of MCP-FFR was 68.8％,whereas DeepCL-FFR increased it to 89.7％.DeepCL-FFR also exhibited superior diagnostic performance(AUC 0.89,95％CI 0.73-0.99)within the"gray zone,"which was significantly higher than that of MCP-FFR(AUC 0.71,95％CI 0.54-0.87)(P＜0.001).Conclusions The deep learning-driven coronary centerline extraction algorithm,DeepCL,demonstrates superior diagnostic performance in CT-FFR for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities,particularly by significantly improving diagnostic accuracy in the"gray zone."

Albendazole-glucan particles(ABZ-GPS)and abendazole(ABZ)were used to treat secondary alveolar echinococ-cosis in mice.The therapeutic effects of ABZ-GPS on alveolar echinococcosis in vivo were evaluated,and the feasibility of using glucan particles as anti-hydatid drug carriers was further verified.Mice with echinococcosis were randomly divided into an ABZ group,glucan nanoparticle(GP)group,ABZ-GPS group,and control group.After four courses of administration with a final concentration of 50 mg/mL,the therapeutic effects of ABZ-GPS were evaluated on the basis of imaging,histopathological changes,ultrastructure,and immunology.After ABZ-GPS and ABZ administration,clear liver lesion tissue necrosis and large numbers of infiltrating lymphocytes were observed.Significant differences in the average cyst wet weight(t=7.83,P＜0.05),were observed between the ABZ-GPS group and ABZ group.Imaging revealed that ABZ-GPs were targeted to liver tissue.Pa-thology and ultrastructure analyses demonstrated that the alveolar hydatid cells in the liver in the control group and GP group grew well,and the vesicles were large,filled with cystic fluid,and translucent or transparent;the cyst wall tension was high;no calcification was observed;the stratum corneum and germinal layer were clear;and more fertile capsules and different num-bers of protocephalospora were present in the liver.In the ABZ group,the capsular cavity collapsed,and showed partial necro-sis and lymphocyte infiltration.In the ABZ-GP group,the corneum and germinal layer of echinococcus vesicles were difficult to identify,and we observed bulbous necrosis,central calcification,fibrous tissue hyperplasia,inflammatory cell infiltration,coarser,shorter or absent microvilli of the germinal layer,nuclear shrinkage,dissolution or disappearance,clear expansion of cytoplasmic microtubules,and myelin-like or vacuole-like changes.Therefore,ABZ-GPs showed good targeting and killing ac-tivity in vivo in mice with secondary alveolar coccosis.

Aim To investigate the role of myotubula-rin related protein 7(MTMR7)in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension manifested by pulmonary vas-cular intimal thickening,right ventricular hypertrophy,progressive right heart failure and dysfunction.Meth-ods A total of 40 healthy male C57BL/6J mice and Mtmr7-transgenic(Mtmr7-Tg)mice were divided into the control group,Mtmr7-Tg group,monocrotaline(MCT)group and MCT+Mtmr7-Tg group.Pulmonary artery acceleration time(PAT)and pulmonary artery ejection time(PET)of the pulmonary artery were measured by ultrasound.When the free wall of the right ventricle was separated,the right heart hypertro-phy index(RVHI)was calculated.Pulmonary artery remodeling was observed by immunostaining.Mouse pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs)were cultured in hypoxic environment to induce the prolifer-ation and migration.Results MTMR7 was expressed in pulmonary vessels.Compared to the wild-type mice,Mtmr7-Tg mice showed increased PAT/PET ratio(P＜0.05),reduced RVHI(P＜0.01)after MCT stimu-lus.PASMCs were transfected with adenovirus encond-ing Mtmr7 gene,which inhibited proliferation and mi-gration of PASMCs.After restoring the activity of ERK1/2 by chemerin-9,the proliferation and migra-tion ability of PASMCs was elevated.Conclusions MTMR7 can counteract the growth and mobility of mouse PASMCs induced by hypoxia,thereby comba-ting pulmonary arterial hypertension via reducing ERK1/2 phosphorylation.

Albendazole-glucan particles(ABZ-GPS)and abendazole(ABZ)were used to treat secondary alveolar echinococ-cosis in mice.The therapeutic effects of ABZ-GPS on alveolar echinococcosis in vivo were evaluated,and the feasibility of using glucan particles as anti-hydatid drug carriers was further verified.Mice with echinococcosis were randomly divided into an ABZ group,glucan nanoparticle(GP)group,ABZ-GPS group,and control group.After four courses of administration with a final concentration of 50 mg/mL,the therapeutic effects of ABZ-GPS were evaluated on the basis of imaging,histopathological changes,ultrastructure,and immunology.After ABZ-GPS and ABZ administration,clear liver lesion tissue necrosis and large numbers of infiltrating lymphocytes were observed.Significant differences in the average cyst wet weight(t=7.83,P＜0.05),were observed between the ABZ-GPS group and ABZ group.Imaging revealed that ABZ-GPs were targeted to liver tissue.Pa-thology and ultrastructure analyses demonstrated that the alveolar hydatid cells in the liver in the control group and GP group grew well,and the vesicles were large,filled with cystic fluid,and translucent or transparent;the cyst wall tension was high;no calcification was observed;the stratum corneum and germinal layer were clear;and more fertile capsules and different num-bers of protocephalospora were present in the liver.In the ABZ group,the capsular cavity collapsed,and showed partial necro-sis and lymphocyte infiltration.In the ABZ-GP group,the corneum and germinal layer of echinococcus vesicles were difficult to identify,and we observed bulbous necrosis,central calcification,fibrous tissue hyperplasia,inflammatory cell infiltration,coarser,shorter or absent microvilli of the germinal layer,nuclear shrinkage,dissolution or disappearance,clear expansion of cytoplasmic microtubules,and myelin-like or vacuole-like changes.Therefore,ABZ-GPs showed good targeting and killing ac-tivity in vivo in mice with secondary alveolar coccosis.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the minimum-cost-path-based CT angiography-derived fractional flow reserve(MCP-FFR)and the deep learning-driven CT angiography-derived fractional flow reserve(DeepCL-FFR),and to particularly explore the potential value of the DeepCL algorithm in improving diagnostic accuracy within the"gray zone."Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 151 coronary vessels from 109 patients with coronary artery disease,who were hospitalized at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army between January 2020 and June 2021.Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots were employed to assess the correlation and agreement of the two CT-FFR methods with invasive FFR.A CT-FFR range of 0.70-0.80 was defined as the diagnostic"gray zone."The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities were calculated and analyzed.The DeLong test was used to compare the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves(AUC)between the two CT-FFR calculation methods.Results Both CT-FFR methods exhibited a positive correlation with invasive FFR(MCP-FFR:r=0.75,P＜0.001;DeepCL-FFR:r=0.86,P＜0.001)and showed good agreement(MCP-FFR:mean difference=0.010,P=0.351;DeepCL-FFR:mean difference=-0.003,P=0.772).Both DeepCL-FFR(AUC 0.97,95％CI 0.94-0.99)and MCP-FFR(AUC 0.92,95％CI 0.88-0.97)demonstrated favorable diagnostic performance for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities(P=0.122).In the"gray zone"for hemodynamic abnormality,the diagnostic accuracy of MCP-FFR was 68.8％,whereas DeepCL-FFR increased it to 89.7％.DeepCL-FFR also exhibited superior diagnostic performance(AUC 0.89,95％CI 0.73-0.99)within the"gray zone,"which was significantly higher than that of MCP-FFR(AUC 0.71,95％CI 0.54-0.87)(P＜0.001).Conclusions The deep learning-driven coronary centerline extraction algorithm,DeepCL,demonstrates superior diagnostic performance in CT-FFR for detecting hemodynamic abnormalities,particularly by significantly improving diagnostic accuracy in the"gray zone."

Although microsurgical vasoepididymostomy (MVE) is an effective treatment for epididymal obstructive azoospermia, some patients may experience delayed patency or suboptimal semen parameters after patency. However, research into patency time, semen quality postpatency, and associated influencing factors remains limited. This study aimed to address these issues by evaluating 181 patients who underwent at least one-sided MVE employing asingle-armed longitudinal intussusception vasoepididymostomy technique, with a follow-up period of over 12 months for 150 patients. The overall patency rate was 75.3%, with 86.0% of patients achieving patency within 6 months following MVE. Unexpectedly, factors such as age, history of epididymitis, duration of surgery, side of anastomosis, sperm motility in epididymal fluid, and the site of anastomosis showed no correlation with patency time. Nonetheless, our univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that only the site of anastomosis was positively correlated with and could independently predict postoperative total motile sperm count. Therefore, the site of anastomosis might serve as a predictor for optimal postoperative semen quality following the MVE procedure.
Male ; Humans ; Epididymis/surgery* ; Semen Analysis ; Azoospermia/surgery* ; Microsurgery/methods* ; Adult ; Anastomosis, Surgical/methods* ; Vas Deferens/surgery* ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Count ; Middle Aged ; Vasovasostomy/methods*

Objective To understand the HIV/AIDS burden and the disease burden attributed to various risk factors in four countries with different socio-demographic index (SDI) (China, United States, Russia, and Afghanistan) from 1990 to 2019, and to predict the HIV/AIDS attributable disease burden from 2020 to 2029. Methods The 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study data was used to describe and compare the incidence, prevalence, death, and DALYs of HIV/AIDS in the four countries. The standardized DALYs attributed to various risk factors in different age groups of HIV/AIDS in the four countries in 1990 and 2019 were compared. R4.3.0 was used to construct an autoregressive moving average mixed model to predict the attributable disease burden in each country over the next decade. Results Compared with 1990, in 2019, the standardized incidence rate, standardized prevalence rate, standardized mortality rate, and standardized DALYs rate in China and the other two countries, except the United States, showed an increase. People aged 10 to 49 years old were a key group for disease burden, and the main risk factors for disease burden varied among different countries and age groups. The autoregressive moving average mixed model predicted that the main risk factor for Russia in the next decade would be injecting drugs, while unsafe sexual behavior would occur in the other three countries. Conclusion There are differences in disease burden and risk factors among different genders and age groups globally and in the four different SDI countries. Therefore, differences should be fully considered to determine the focus of HIV/AIDS prevention and control and rationally allocate health resources.