ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Yuyin Lidan granules （YYLD） in preventing the recurrence of common bile duct stones （CBDS） in patients with liver and gallbladder dampness-heat syndrome following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography （ERCP）. MethodsThis randomized， parallel， controlled trial enrolled postoperative CBDS-ERCP patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned to an observation group or a control group， with 32 cases in each. Both groups received conventional Western medical treatment after ERCP， while the observation group additionally received YYLD for 8 weeks. The follow-up period lasted for 1 year. The efficacy indicators included bile bilirubin levels， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， clinical efficacy rate， pancreatitis and inflammation markers， postoperative liver function， and CBDS recurrence rate at 1-year follow-up， which were used to jointly evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of both groups. ResultsA total of 56 patients completed the study and were included in the final analysis， i.e.， 29 in the observation group and 27 in the control group. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Compared with pre-treatment and with the control group after treatment， the bile bilirubin level in the observation group significantly decreased （P<0.05）. After treatment， the clinical cure and marked improvement rates were higher in the observation group than in the control group， showing a statistically significant difference in overall clinical efficacy （P<0.05）. Compared with pre-treatment， the primary and secondary symptoms in the observation group， as well as the primary symptom and the secondary symptom of nausea and vomiting in the control group （weeks 4 and 8）， were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group showed significant reductions in the primary symptom of loose stools/constipation （day 5 and week 4） and in three secondary symptoms， i.e.， bitter taste and sticky dry mouth， abdominal distension and poor appetite （throughout the treatment period）， and general heaviness and fatigue （day 5 and week 4）， with statistical differences （P<0.05）. Compared with pre-treatment， both groups showed decreased lipase and urinary amylase levels （P<0.05）. However， no significant between-group differences were observed in pancreatitis or inflammation-related indices after treatment. Compared with pre-treatment， all liver function indicators in the observation group and alanine aminotransferase （ ALT ）， γ-glutamyl transferase （ γ-GT ）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， and conjugated bilirubin in the control group significantly decreased at weeks 4 and 8 （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment， only serum total bilirubin and unconjugated bilirubin were significantly reduced in the observation group during the treatment period （P<0.05）. ConclusionYYLD combined with conventional Western medical treatment can effectively regulate bilirubin metabolism （in bile and serum）， improve TCM clinical symptoms， and prevent CBDS recurrence after ERCP in patients with liver and gallbladder dampness-heat syndrome. This regimen is safe and effective and is worthy of further clinical research and promotion.

ObjectiveThe malaria parasites remodel the host erythrocyte structure by exporting parasite proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), facilitating their intracellular survival and pathogenicity. Skeleton-binding protein 1 (SBP1) is a conserved exported protein across Plasmodium species. In Plasmodium falciparum, SBP1 has been reported to interact with erythrocyte membrane skeleton proteins 4.1R and spectrin, while its contribution to erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether PbSBP1 associates with the host cytoskeletal protein 4.1R and to investigate its role in the remodeling of host RBCs and the pathogenicity of Plasmodium berghei. MethodsIn Plasmodium berghei, the relationship between PbSBP1 and the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R was examined using co-immunoprecipitation. A Pbsbp1 gene knockout mutant of Plasmodium berghei (Pbsbp1∆) was generated based on the principle of double crossover homologous recombination. The deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was assessed using microfluidic methods. Microchannels with an array of cylindrical pillars were used to detect modifications in infected RBC deformability. The infected RBCs were squashed between the rows and recovered between the columns and the transit velocity (μm/s) of infected RBCs travelling through the microchannel was recorded. The component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton junctional complex, tropomodulin (TMOD), was fluorescently labeled, and the cytoskeletal network of infected erythrocytes was imaged using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to analyze ultrastructural changes in the cytoskeleton of wild-type (WT) and Pbsbp1∆-infected erythrocytes. Actin-based junctional complexes were displayed as individual clusters by the labeled TMOD in the STORM images, and the cluster densities and distances between adjacent clusters of infected RBCs were calculated. Additionally, rodent malaria models (BALB/c mice) and experimental cerebral malaria models (C57BL/6 mice) were employed to monitor the growth of Pbsbp1∆ and WT parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage and their capacity to induce cerebral malaria in mice. ResultsPbSBP1 may participate in the remodeling of infected erythrocytes through direct or indirect interaction with the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R. Microfluidic assays revealed that the deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was significantly enhanced compared to those infected with WT parasites. STORM imaging further demonstrated that the ultrastructure of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton in Pbsbp1∆-infected cells was altered relative to that in WT-infected erythrocytes. The distances between nearest neighbors of clusters had a tendency to increase while the cluster densities were decreased in Pbsbp1∆-infected RBCs compared to WT-infected RBCs. Subsequent phenotypic analysis indicated that the growth rate of Pbsbp1∆ parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage was significantly slower than that of WT parasites, and their ability to induce cerebral malaria in mice was also attenuated. These findings suggest that PbSBP1 is involved in the remodeling of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton, likely through its direct or indirect interaction with protein 4.1R, thereby regulating the deformability of infected erythrocytes and influencing the pathogenicity of the blood-stage parasites. ConclusionThis study establishes a role for PbSBP1 in host erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence, providing new research strategies for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to systematically reveal the effect difference and mechanisms of Zishenwan against chronic prostatitis （CP） before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex based on an integrated strategy of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS）， network pharmacology， and serum metabolomics. MethodsZishenwan samples before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex were extracted by alcohol-water dual extraction. The chemical components of each sample were detected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS， and differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Network pharmacology analysis was performed based on the identified chemical components of Zishenwan to construct a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of "component， target， and pathway"， and the core components， targets， and pathways of Zishenwan against CP were screened. Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， a Qianliekang group （1.54 g·kg^-1）， low- and high-dose raw Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose salt-processed Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）. The CP rat model was established by intraprostatic injection of carrageenan. After one week of recovery， the rats were administered the corresponding drugs for 21 days， while those in the blank group and model group received the same volume of normal saline. After the experiment， serum and tissue samples were collected to evaluate pharmacodynamic indicators including organ indices， histopathology， and inflammatory factors in serum. Subsequently， untargeted serum metabolomics technology was used to analyze metabolite changes and perform pathway enrichment analysis. The network pharmacology was used to construct a network of "differential metabolite， reaction， enzyme， and gene". ResultsA total of 76 components were identified in raw and salt-processed Zishenwan， and 34 differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Among them， the contents of 14 components， including berberine， berberrubine， and phellodendrine， increased after salt-processing， while the contents of 20 components， such as neomangiferin， decreased. The 28 active components and 185 potential targets were screened out by network pharmacology. The core components included berberine， phellodendrine， magnoflorine， and jatrorrhizine， and the core targets included signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， and transcription factor AP-1 （JUN）. These targets were significantly enriched in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）. Compared with the model group， all Zishenwan administration groups showed decreased prostate index， reduced levels of interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-18， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） in serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， as well as varying degrees of alleviation in histopathological damage. At the same dose， compared with the raw Zishenwan groups， the salt-processed Zishenwan groups showed lower prostate index， pathological scores， and IL-1β， IL-18， and Bcl-2 levels in serum， but the differences were not statistically significant. Metabolomics reveals that 38 differential metabolites were reversed after salt-processed Zishenwan administration. Both raw and salt-processed Zishenwan regulated pathways such as β-alanine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. In addition to the common regulated pathways， the salt-processed group specifically regulated pantothenate and coenzyme A biosynthesis， pyrimidine metabolism， and arginine and proline metabolism. The intersecting pathways between network pharmacology and metabolomics were tryptophan metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism， with overlapping targets including monoamine oxidase A （MAOA） and arginase 1 （ARG1）. ConclusionThe increased contents of components such as berberine and phellodendrine in salt-processed Zishenwan may enhance its therapeutic effect on CP by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways， along with multi-target regulation of tryptophan， arginine， and pantothenate metabolism pathways to comprehensively regulate inflammatory and immune responses.

ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

BACKGROUND: Prospective evidence on how offspring number influences morbidity and mortality remains limited. This study investigated the associations between number of offspring and morbidity and mortality risks among 0.5 million Chinese adults. METHODS: By using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB; n = 512,723, an approximately 12-year follow-up), sex-stratified phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) analyses were conducted to investigate associations between offspring number (without vs . with offspring; more than one vs . one offspring) and risks of ICD10-coded morbidity and mortality. Sex-specific adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional-hazards models. RESULTS: Among 210,129 men and 302,284 women aged 30-79 years, 1,338,837 incident events were recorded. PheWAS results revealed that offspring number was associated with disease risks across multiple systems. Cox models showed that childless men ( vs . one offspring) had higher risks for nine of 36 diseases, while childless women for five of 37. Each additional offspring was associated with reduced risks of mental and behavioral disorders in men (aHR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.87-0.98]) and both mental and behavioral disorders (aHR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.89-0.97]) and breast cancer (aHR [95% CI] = 0.82 [0.78-0.86]) in women. However, each additional offspring was associated with a 4% increase in the risk of cholelithiasis and cholecystitis in women (aHR [95% CI] = 1.04 [1.02-1.07]). Among 282,630 patients, 44,533 deaths were documented. Childless patients had higher mortality risk in both men (aHR [95% CI] = 1.37 [1.28-1.47]) and women (aHR [95% CI] = 1.27 [1.15-1.41]). For men, each additional offspring reduced mortality by 4% (aHR [95% CI] = 0.96 [0.95-0.98]), while for women, the lowest risk was observed among those with three to four offspring ( Pnonlinear <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Offspring number is closely linked to morbidity and mortality risks. Further research is warranted to verify our findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms involved.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Morbidity ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Family Characteristics ; Mortality ; East Asian People

ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.

Aim To study the protective effect of the silibinin derivative Sil-1 on acute myocardial ischemia in SD rats and its mechanism of action.Methods Af-ter 18 hours of oxygen-glucose deprivation and treat-ment of H9c2 cells,the protective effect of Sil-1 on rat cardiomyocytes was examined.SD rats were treated 30 minutes before surgery,followed by 24 h ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.The cardiopro-tective effects of Sil-1 and its mechanisms for improving myocardial ischemic injury were investigated using pro-teomics technology.Results In vitro,compared with the control group,the activity of H9c2 cells in the mod-el group showed reduced cell viability,increased dead cells,elevated ROS and higher levels of LDH and in-flammatory cytokines TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the culture medium.Sil-1 could improve the above condi-tions to different degrees.In vivo,compared with the control group,rats in the model group showed signifi-cantly higher T waves on electrocardiogram,significant ischemic areas in the heart section,disorganized ar-rangement of cardiomyocytes,increased inflammatory factor infiltration and elevated CK,CK-MB,LDH and inflammatory factors TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β.Besides,NF-κB phosphorylation levels in myocardial tissue in-creased.Sil-1 improved the above conditions to varying degrees.The results of proteomics showed that 90 pro-teins were found between the control vs model group and the Sil-1 vs model group,and KEGG enrichment a-nalysis showed that MAPK,chemokines,VEGF and other signaling pathways were abundant.Western blot results showed that Sil-1 blocked the phosphorylation of ERK,JNK and p38 MAPK.Conclusions Sil-1 inhib-its the MAPK pathway by blocking the phosphorylation of JNK,ERK,and p38 MAPK,and achieves a protec-tive effect on rats with acute myocardial infarction.

This study was aimed at understanding the antimicrobial resistance patterns,virulence characteristics,and phyloge-netic relationships of foodborne Listeria monocytogenes in Weifang.A total of 67 strains of Listeria monocytogenes were isolated from livestock,poultry meat,and clinical samples in Weifang between 2020 and 2023.The susceptibility of these isolates was determined through broth microdilution.Whole-genome sequencing and genetic characterization of these isolates were conducted.The 67 strains were divided into 12 STs,among which ST121,ST8,ST9,and ST87 predominated(76.12%).Eight groups of closely related strains were identified through cgMLST typing.Three Listeria pathogenicity islands and two genomic islands were identified in all strains:100%of the strains carried LIPI-1,5.97%carried LIPI-3,14.93%carried LIPI-4,2.99%carried LGI-2,and 4.48%of the strains carried LGI-3.No antibiotic resistance genes were found in any strains.All isolates were susceptible to ampicillin,penicillin,merope-nem,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,and vancomycin.Five isolates were resistant to tetracycline,and three strains of ST87,one strain of ST8,one strain of ST224,and two strains of ST87 were simultaneously resistant to erythromycin.The tet(M)tetracycline re-sistance genes and msr(D)and mef(A)erythromycin resistance genes from three strains of ST87 and one strain of ST8 were carried by a phage similar to phi1605 in Erysipelothrix,with>95%identity.The tet(M)gene from the ST224 isolates was carried by a transposon similar to Tn5801_B15 in Enterococcus faecalis,with>95%identity.Drug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found in livestock and poultry meat on sale in Weifang,particularly strains of type ST87 and ST224 simultaneously carrying highly pathogenic virulence islands,thus posing a threat to food safety and public health.These findings therefore warrant attention from relevant depart-ments and strengthened monitoring efforts.

Objective:This multicenter retrospective study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological features of duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA) and identify prognostic factors for postoperative survival.Methods:Demographic characteristics, clinicopathological features, treatment outcomes and survival of DA patients undergoing surgical treatment at 18 Chinese medical centers from January 2012 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 2 056 DA patients included, 46.8% (963) had extra-ampullary DA (EA-DA), and 53.2% (1 093) had peri-ampullary DA (PA-DA). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for patients who underwent radical surgery were 93.2%, 71.0%, and 57.2%, respectively. The median overall survival was 76 months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 65 months. No differences in survival were observed between the laparotomy group and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) group either before or after propensity score matching (OS: 76 vs. 75 months before PSM, P=0.986; OS: 75 vs. 75 months after PSM, P=0.602). Furthermore, there were no significant differences between-group in operation time and postoperative complications ( P＞0.05). The MIS group experienced less intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stays. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced age ( HR=1.43,95% CI:1.18-1.73), elevated carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels ( HR=1.24,95% CI:1.02-1.51), perineural invasion ( HR=1.44,95% CI:1.14-1.81), vascular invasion ( HR=1.35,95% CI:1.07-1.71), advanced T stage (T3-4 vs. T1-2: HR=1.86,95% CI:1.49-2.31), regional lymph node metastasis ( HR=1.93,95% CI:1.58-2.36), preoperative biliary drainage ( HR=1.26,95% CI:1.04-1.53), intraoperative blood loss ( HR=1.34,95% CI:1.11-1.62), clinically significant postoperative pancreatic fistulas ( HR=1.53,95% CI:1.12-2.09), and postoperative hemorrhage ( HR=1.62,95% CI:1.14-2.29) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis after surgery (all P＜0.05). Conclusions:Radical surgery is associated with favorable overall survival among DA patients, and no difference in survival is observed between EA-DA and PA-DA patients. MIS is a reliable alternative for DA treatment.