ObjectiveBy comparing the composition and content of volatile components in raw products， wine-washed products and wine-fried products of Ligusticum sinense cv. Chaxiong rhizome（LSCR）， to investigate the influence of wine processing on the volatile components of LSCR， in order to provide a basis for the development of quality standards for LSCR and its processed products. MethodsElectronic nose was used to identify the odors of LSCR， wine-washed and wine-fried LSCR， and their volatile components were detected by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS）， and the relative mass fractions of these components were determined by peak area normalization method. Principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were performed on the obtained sample data by SIMCA 14.1 software， and the differential components of LSCR， wine-washed and wine-fried LSCR were screened according to the variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between volatile differential flavor components and electronic nose sensors. ResultsElectronic nose detection results showed that there were significant differences in the odors of LSCR， wine-washed and wine-fried LSCR， mainly reflected in the sensors S2， S4， S5， S6， S11， S12， S13. And a total of 62 compounds were identified from LSCR and its wine-processed products， among which 46， 50 and 51 compounds were identified from LSCR， wine-fried and wine-washed LSCR， respectively. There were 21 differential components between the raw products and wine-fried products， of which 10 components were increased and 11 were decreased after processing. There were 20 differential components between the raw products and wine-washed products， of which 11 constituents increased and 9 decreased after processing. There were 17 differential components between the wine-wash products and wine-fried products. Compared with the wine-washed products， the contents of 13 components in the wine-fried products increased， and the contents of 4 components decreased. The increasing trend of the content of phthalides in the wine-washed products was more obvious than that in the wine-fried products， but the content of total volatile components was higher in the wine-fried products than the wine-washed products. Correlation analysis showed that there were different degrees of correlation between the 7 differential sensors of electronic nose and 24 differential volatile components， mainly phthalides and olefins. ConclusionThe odor and the content of volatile components in LSCR changed obviously after wine processing， and n-butylphthalide， Z-butylidenephthalide and E-ligustilide can be used as the candidate differential markers of volatile components in LSCR before and after wine processing.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of neuregulin 4(Nrg4)combined withγ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)in cognitive dysfunction among patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS).Methods A total of 169 patients with severe OSAHS were se-lected as study subjects and divided into normal cognitive function group(n=89)and cognitive dys-function group(n=80)based on cognitive function assessment results.General information of the pa-tients was collected,and the levels of Nrg4 and GABA were detected by enzyme-linked immunosor-bent assay(ELISA).Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of Nrg4 and GABA for cognitive dysfunction in OSAHS patients.Results The proportions of patients with a history of hypertension and diabetes,as well as the levels of diastolic blood pressure,total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)were significantly higher in the cognitive dysfunction group than those in the normal cognitive function group(P＜0.05).The levels of Nrg4 and GABA were significantly lower in the cognitive dysfunction group than in the normal cognitive function group(P＜0.05).The Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)score in the cognitive dys-function group was significantly lower than that in the normal cognitive function group[(12.36±2.35)versus(28.25±1.02),P＜0.05].Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that a history of hypertension and diabetes,diastolic blood pressure,TC,TG,HDL-C,and LDL-C were risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with severe OSAHS(P＜0.05),while Nrg4,GABA,and MoCA scores were protective factors(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that combined de-tection of Nrg4 and GABA had a higher predictive value for cognitive dysfunction in patients with se-vere OSAHS compared with either marker alone(P＜0.05).Conclusion A history of hyperten-sion and diabetes,diastolic blood pressure,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C,Nrg4,GABA,and MoCA scores are all factors influencing cognitive dysfunction in patients with severe OSAHS.Combined de-tection of Nrg4 and GABA can effectively predict cognitive dysfunction in these patients.

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in a rat model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD).Methods The experiment consisted of two parts.(1)Forty-eight preterm rats were randomly divided into a normoxia group and a hyperoxia group,with 24 rats in each group.The hyperoxia group was exposed to 85%oxygen to establish a BPD model,while the normoxia group was kept in room air at normal pressure.Lung tissue samples were collected on days 1,4,7,and 14 of the experiment.(2)Rat type II alveolar epithelial cells(RLE-6TN)were randomly divided into a normoxia group(cultured in air)and a hyperoxia group(cultured in 95%oxygen),and cell samples were collected 12,24,and 48 hours after hyperoxia exposure.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe alveolarization in preterm rat lungs,and immunofluorescence was used to detect the co-localization of surfactant protein C(SPC)and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)in preterm rat lung tissue and RLE-6TN cells.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and protein immunoblotting were used to detect the expression levels of EMT-related mRNA and proteins in preterm rat lung tissue and RLE-6TN cells.Results(1)Compared with the normoxia group,the hyperoxia group showed blocked alveolarization and simplified alveolar structure after 7 days of hyperoxia exposure.Co-localization of SPC and α-SMA was observed in lung tissue,with decreased SPC expression and increased α-SMA expression in the hyperoxia group at 7 and 14 days of hyperoxia exposure compared to the normoxia group.In the hyperoxia group,the mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β1,α-SMA,and N-cadherin were increased,while the mRNA and protein levels of SPC and E-cadherin were decreased at 7 and 14 days of hyperoxia exposure compared to the normoxia group(P<0.05).(2)SPC and α-SMA was observed in RLE-6TN cells,with decreased SPC expression and increased α-SMA expression in the hyperoxia group at 24 and 48 hours of hyperoxia exposure compared to the normoxia group.Compared to the normoxia group,the mRNA and protein levels of SPC and E-cadherin in the hyperoxia group were decreased,while the mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β1,α-SMA,and E-cadherin in the hyperoxia group increased at 48 hours of hyperoxia exposure(P<0.05).Conclusions EMT disrupts the tight connections between alveolar epithelial cells in a preterm rat model of BPD,leading to simplified alveolar structure and abnormal development,and is involved in the development of BPD.

Thrombosis is a key factor that increases the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients and causes long COVID sequelae. Guanxinning Tablet (GXNT), which is composed of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Ligusticum Chuanxiong, has significant antithrombotic activity, but the similarities and differences between its anti-conventional thrombus and microthrombus induced by COVID-19 remain unclear. In this paper, the main active components, potential targets and mechanisms of GXNT in the treatment of thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 were preliminarily revealed by using anti-platelet experiments in vitro, network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking technology and molecular biology experiments. The results of platelet aggregation and adhesion experiments in vitro showed that GXNT had significant anti-platelet aggregation and adhesion activities in a dose-dependent manner. Using network pharmacology analysis, it was revealed that salvianolic acid B, tanshinone IIA, caffeic acid and ligustrazine in GXNT could resist thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 through key targets as the high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 6 (IL6) and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1). HMGB1 signaling pathway is one of its key common mechanisms. Western blot also indicated that GXNT significantly inhibited the expression of HMGB1 protein in platelets. In summary, this paper explores the similarities and differences between the mechanism of GXNT against conventional thrombus and microthrombus caused by COVID-19 and provides drug reference and theoretical basis for clinical prevention and treatment of long COVID sequelae. The animal experiment has been approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. TCM-LAEC2023187g1549).

Objective To investigate the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and potential influencing factors of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, so as to provide insights into the formulation of the echinococcosis control strategy in Qinghai Province. Methods The number of individuals screened for echinococcosis, number of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases, number of registered dogs and number of stray dogs were captured from the annual reports of echinococcosis control program in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was calculated. The number of populations, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, sunshine hours, average altitude, number of year-end cattle stock, number of year-end sheep stock, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and number of village health centers in each county (district) of Qinghai Province were captured from the Qinghai Provincial Statistical Yearbook, and county-level electronic maps in Qinghai Province were downloaded from the National Platform for Common Geospatial Information Services. The software ArcGIS 10.8 was used to map the distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province, and the spatial autocorrelation analysis of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was performed. In addition, the spacetime scan analyses of number of individuals screened for echinococcosis, number of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases and geographical coordinates in Qinghai Province were performed with the software SaTScan 10.1.2, and the spatial stratified heterogeneity of the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was investigated with the software GeoDetector. Results A total of 6 569 426 residents were screened for echinococcosis in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and 5 924 newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases were found. The detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared a tendency towards a decline over years from 2016 to 2022 (χ² = 11.107, P < 0.01), with the highest detection in Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 2017 (82.12/10⁵). There were spatial clusters in the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2018 (Moran’s I = 0.34 to 0.65, all Z values > 1.96, all P values < 0.05), and the distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared random distribution from 2019 to 2022 (Moran’s I = −0.09 to 0.04, all Z values < 1.96, all P values > 0.05). Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed high-high clusters and low-low clusters in the detection of new diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and space-time scan analysis showed that the first most likely cluster areas of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022 were mainly distributed in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. GeoDetector-based analysis of the driving factors for the spatial stratified heterogeneity of detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province showed that average altitude, number of village health centers, number of cattle and sheep stock, GDP per capita, annual average sunshine hours, and annual average temperature had a strong explanatory power for the spatial distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases, with q values of 0.630, 0.610, 0.600, 0.590, 0.588, 0.537 and 0.526, respectively. Conclusions The detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared a tendency towards a decline in Qinghai Province over years from 2016 to 2022, showing spatial clustering. Targeted control measures are required in cluster areas of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases for further control of the disease.

Objective To investigate the association of triglyceride-glucose index(TyG)with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and its diagnostic value for NAFLD in non-obese individuals.Methods We retrospectively collected the data of non-obese individuals(BMI<25 kg/m2)undergoing routine health examination at Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between May,2020 and December,2023,who all received abdominal ultrasound examination for NAFLD screening.The nonlinear relationship between TyG and non-obese NAFLD was explored using restricted cubic splines(RCS),and LASSO regression was used for variable screening;the correlation between TyG and NAFLD risk was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.The diagnostic value of TyG for non-obese NAFLD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic(ROC)curves and sensitivity analysis.Results A total of 3723 non-obese subjects were enrolled in this study,including 432(11.6%)patients with NAFLD.Compared with the healthy individuals,the patients with NAFLD had significant elevations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures,total cholesterol,triglycerides,LDL-C,blood uric acid,fasting blood glucose,and TyG index and a decreased HDL-C level(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that for each one-unit increase of TyG,the risk of non-obese NAFLD increased by 2.2 folds(OR=3.22,95%CI:2.53-4.12,P<0.001).Compared with a TyG index in the lowest quartile Q1,a TyG index in the Q2,Q3 and Q4 quartiles was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD by 1.52 folds(OR=2.52,95%CI:1.20-5.95),3.56 folds(OR=4.56,95%CI:2.28-10.46),and 8.66-folds(OR=9.66,95%CI:4.83-22.18),respectively.The RCS curve demonstrated a significant linear correlation between TyG index and non-obese NALFD risk(P for nonlinear=0.019).For diagnosing non-obese NALFD,TyG index had an area under ROC curve of 0.819 with a sensitivity of 78.0%and a specificity of 71.2%.Conclusion An increase of TyG index is correlated with increased risks of NAFLD in non-obese individuals and can serve as an indicator for screening early NAFLD in healthy individuals.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of cardiac magnetic resonance fractal analysis in evaluating left ventricular trabecular complexity in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM),and to study the degree of left ventricular trabecular complexity in HCM and the relationship between excessive trabecular complexity and cardiac function.Materials and Methods From August 2020 to December 2022,a total of 80 patients with HCM from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were retrospectively analyzed.Additionally,80 healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.Left ventricular functional parameters and fractal dimension(FD)of left ventricular trabecular myocardium were measured.The differences of mean global FD,max basal FD and max apical FD were compared between the HCM group and the control group,the correlation between FDs and cardiac function parameters was evaluated.The diagnostic efficiency of mean global FD,max apical FD and max basal FD was analyzed via receiver operating characteristic curve.Results The mean global FD of HCM group was significantly higher than that of normal group,and the difference was statistically significant(1.303±0.047 vs.1.229±0.026;t=-12.387,P<0.001).Mean global FD showed the best performance in differentiating HCM from normal control group.The optimal cut-off value for the diagnosis of HCM was 1.251,with the area under curve of 0.933(95%CI 0.896-0.969).Mean global FD was positively correlated with maximum wall thickness and left ventricular mass index(r=0.686,0.687,P<0.001),and max apical FD was positively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction(r=0.520,P<0.001).Conclusion The FD obtained by cardiac magnetic resonance fractal analysis technique is reproducible and has definite value in the diagnosis of HCM,with association with the structure and function of left heart.

Objective To investigate the association of triglyceride-glucose index(TyG)with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and its diagnostic value for NAFLD in non-obese individuals.Methods We retrospectively collected the data of non-obese individuals(BMI<25 kg/m2)undergoing routine health examination at Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between May,2020 and December,2023,who all received abdominal ultrasound examination for NAFLD screening.The nonlinear relationship between TyG and non-obese NAFLD was explored using restricted cubic splines(RCS),and LASSO regression was used for variable screening;the correlation between TyG and NAFLD risk was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.The diagnostic value of TyG for non-obese NAFLD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic(ROC)curves and sensitivity analysis.Results A total of 3723 non-obese subjects were enrolled in this study,including 432(11.6%)patients with NAFLD.Compared with the healthy individuals,the patients with NAFLD had significant elevations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures,total cholesterol,triglycerides,LDL-C,blood uric acid,fasting blood glucose,and TyG index and a decreased HDL-C level(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that for each one-unit increase of TyG,the risk of non-obese NAFLD increased by 2.2 folds(OR=3.22,95%CI:2.53-4.12,P<0.001).Compared with a TyG index in the lowest quartile Q1,a TyG index in the Q2,Q3 and Q4 quartiles was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD by 1.52 folds(OR=2.52,95%CI:1.20-5.95),3.56 folds(OR=4.56,95%CI:2.28-10.46),and 8.66-folds(OR=9.66,95%CI:4.83-22.18),respectively.The RCS curve demonstrated a significant linear correlation between TyG index and non-obese NALFD risk(P for nonlinear=0.019).For diagnosing non-obese NALFD,TyG index had an area under ROC curve of 0.819 with a sensitivity of 78.0%and a specificity of 71.2%.Conclusion An increase of TyG index is correlated with increased risks of NAFLD in non-obese individuals and can serve as an indicator for screening early NAFLD in healthy individuals.

Objective To analyze risk factors and pathogenic characteristics of intestinal colonization of carbape-nem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)in patients from intensive care unit(ICU).Methods A total of 392 ICU pa-tients who underwent intestinal CRE screening in a tertiary hospital in Changzhou from March to December,2023 were divided into the colonization group(n=42)and the non-colonization group(n=350)according to the screening results.Clinical data of patients,including age,gender,underlying diseases,malignant tumors,radiotherapy,chemotherapy,infection before the last screening,antimicrobial use,and invasive procedures were collected for the analysis on risk factors and pathogenicity.Results Among 42 patients with positive CRE screening results,44 CRE strains were detected,mainly Klebsiella pneumoniae(65.91％),followed by Escherichia coli(15.91％)and En-terobacter cloacae(13.64％).The average time from admission in ICU to positive screening results of intestinal CRE in the colonization group was 14 days.Long term use of carbapenem antibiotics(OR=1.47,95％CI:1.31-1.65),mechanical ventilation(OR=1.14,95％CI:1.06-1.22),and Enterobacterales infection(OR=10.10,95％CI:3.28-32.09)were independent risk factors for intestinal CRE colonization.Patients who received carbap-enem antibiotics for ≥15 days(x2=167.52,P＜0.001)and those who received mechanical ventilation for ≥15 days(x2=101.03,P＜0.001)had higher risks for intestinal CRE colonization.Conclusion In clinical practice,it is necessary to improve pathogen detection,treat Enterobacterales infection timely,choose carbapenem antibiotics carefully,shorten treatment course,actively evaluate indications for mechanical ventilation,and wean off ventilator timely.

Objective To investigate the changing distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Staphylococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET(China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network)using disk diffusion method and commercial automated systems.The CHINET antimicrobial resistance surveillance data from 2015 to 2021 were interpreted according to the 2021 CLSI breakpoints and analyzed using WHONET 5.6.Results During the period from 2015 to 2021,a total of 204,771 nonduplicate strains of Staphylococcus were isolated,including 136,731(66.8％)strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 68,040(33.2％)strains of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(CNS).The proportions of S.aureus isolates and CNS isolates did not show significant change.S.aureus strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(38.9±5.1)％,wound,pus and secretions(33.6±4.2)％,and blood(11.9±1.5)％.The CNS strains were predominantly isolated from blood(73.6±4.2)％,cerebrospinal fluid(12.1±2.5)％,and pleural effusion and ascites(8.4±2.1)％.S.aureus strains were mainly isolated from the patients in ICU(17.0±7.3)％,outpatient and emergency(11.6±1.7)％,and department of surgery(11.2±0.9)％,whereas CNS strains were primarily isolated from the patients in ICU(32.2±9.7)％,outpatient and emergency(12.8±4.7)％,and department of internal medicine(11.2±1.9)％.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains was 32.9％in S.aureus(MRSA)and 74.1％in CNS(MRCNS).Over the 7-year period,the prevalence of MRSA decreased from 42.1％to 29.2％,and the prevalence of MRCNS decreased from 82.1％to 68.2％.MRSA showed higher resistance rates to all the antimicrobial agents tested except trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than methicillin-susceptible S.aureus(MSSA).Over the 7-year period,MRSA strains showed decreasing resistance rates to gentamicin,rifampicin,and levofloxacin,MRCNS showed decreasing resistance rates to gentamicin,erythromycin,rifampicin,and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,but increasing resistance rate to levofloxacin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were detected.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant MRCNS increased from 0.2％to 2.3％over the 7-year period.Conclusions Staphylococcus remains the major pathogen among gram-positive bacteria.MRSA and MRCNS were still the principal antibiotic-resistant gram-positive bacteria.No S.aureus isolates were found resistant to vancomycin or linezolid,but linezolid-resistant strains have been detected in MRCNS isolates,which is an issue of concern.