ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the neurotoxicity mechanism of Dictamni Cortex by integrating network toxicology and metabolomics techniques. MethodsThe neurotoxicity targets induced by Dictamni Cortex were screened by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Database （TCM-ID）， and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database （CTD）. The target predictions of the components were performed by the Swiss Target Prediction tool. Neurotoxicity-related targets were collected from the Pharmacophore Mapping and Potential Target Identification Platform （PharmMapper）， GeneCards Human Gene Database （GeneCards）， DisGeNET Disease Gene Network （DisGeNET）， and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， and the intersection targets were identified. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） analysis， Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway analysis， and Gene Ontology （GO） enrichment analysis were conducted. A "drug-compound-toxicity target-pathway" network was constructed via Cytoscape software to display the core regulatory network. Based on the prediction results， the neurotoxicity mechanism of Dictamni Cortex in mice was verified by using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Nissl staining， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and Western blot. The effects of Dictamni Cortex on the metabolic profile of mouse brain tissue were further explored by non-targeted metabolomics. ResultsNetwork toxicology screening identified 13 compounds and 175 targets in Dictamni Cortex that were related to neurotoxicity. PPI network analysis revealed that serine/threonine-protein kinase （Akt1） and tumor protein 53 （TP53） were the core targets. Additionally， GO/KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that Dictamni Cortex may regulate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/Akt pathway and affect oxidative stress and cell apoptosis， thereby inducing neural damage. The "Dictamni Cortex-compound-toxicity target-pathway-neural damage" network showed that dictamnine， phellodendrine， and fraxinellone may be the toxic compounds. Animal experiments showed that compared with those in the blank group， the hippocampal neurons in the brain tissue of mice treated with Dictamni Cortex were damaged. The level of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and acetylcholine （ACh） in the brain tissue was significantly reduced， while the content of malondialdehyde （MDA） was significantly increased. The level of Akt1 and p-Akt1 mRNAs and proteins in the brain tissue was significantly decreased， while the level of TP53 was significantly increased. Non-targeted metabolomics results showed that Dictamni Cortex could disrupt the level of 40 metabolites in mouse brain tissue， thereby regulating the homeostasis of 13 metabolism pathways， including phenylalanine， glycerophospholipid， and retinol. Combined analysis revealed that Akt1， p-Akt1， and TP53 were significantly correlated with phenylalanine， glycerophospholipid， and retinol metabolites. This suggested that Dictamni Cortex induced neurotoxicity in mice by regulating Akt1， p-Akt1， and TP53 and further modulating the phenylalanine， glycerophospholipid， and retinol metabolism pathways. ConclusionDictamni Cortex can induce neurotoxicity in mice， and its potential mechanism may be closely related to the activation of oxidative stress， inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， and regulation of phenylalanine， glycerophospholipid， and retinol metabolism pathways.

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effect of Dictamni Cortex on intestinal barrier damage in rats and its mechanism by untargeted metabolomics and targeted metabolomics for short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）. MethodsRats were randomly divided into a control group， a high-dose group of Dictamni Cortex （8.1 g·kg^-1）， a medium-dose group （2.7 g·kg^-1）， and a low-dose group （0.9 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the other groups were administered different doses of Dictamni Cortex by gavage for eight consecutive weeks. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the ileal tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to detect the level of cytokines， including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， in the ileal tissue of rats. Quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） technology was used to detect the expression level of tight junction proteins， including zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， Occludin， and Claudin-1 mRNAs， in the ileal tissue of rats to preliminarily explore the effects of Dictamni Cortex on intestinal damage. The dose with the most significant toxic phenotype was selected to further reveal the effects of Dictamni Cortex on the metabolic profile of ileal tissue in rats by non-targeted metabolomics combined with targeted metabolomics for SCFAs. ResultsCompared with the control group， all doses of Dictamni Cortex induced varying degrees of pathological damage in the ileum， increased TNF-α （P<0.01）， IL-6 （P<0.01）， and IL-1β （P<0.01） levels in the ileal tissue， and decreased the expression level of ZO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， Occludin （P<0.01）， and Claudin-1 （P<0.05） in the ileal tissue， with the high-dose group showing the most significant toxic phenotypes. The damage mechanisms of the high-dose group of Dictamni Cortex on the ileal tissue were further explored by integrating non-targeted metabolomics and targeted metabolomics for SCFAs. The non-targeted metabolomics results showed that 21 differential metabolites were identified in the control group and the high-dose group. Compared with that in the control group， after Dictamni Cortex intervention， the level of 14 metabolites was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the level of seven metabolites was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01） in the ileal contents. These metabolites collectively acted on 10 related metabolic pathways， including glycerophospholipids and primary bile acid biosynthesis. The quantitative data of targeted metabolomics for SCFAs showed that Dictamni Cortex intervention disrupted the level of propionic acid， butyric acid， acetic acid， caproic acid， isobutyric acid， isovaleric acid， valeric acid， and isocaproic acid in the ileal contents of rats. Compared with those in the control group， the level of isobutyric acid， isovaleric acid， and valeric acid were significantly increased， while the level of propionic acid， butyric acid， and acetic acid were significantly decreased in the ileal contents of rats after Dictamni Cortex intervention （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDictamni Cortex can induce intestinal damage by regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism， primary bile acid biosynthesis， and metabolic pathways for SCFAs.

Objective:To compare the cardiac size，morphology，and function between anemic and normal fetuses using a hybrid artificial intelligence（AI）model，and to evaluate the utility of AI in quantitatively assessing fetal cardiac function in cases of anemia.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted by collecting data from 2018 to 2024 at the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University，including 15 cases of anemic fetuses（anemia group）diagnosed through umbilical venous puncture and 32 cases of normal fetuses（control group）. Four-chamber fetal cardiac ultrasound videos and left/right ventricular segments were included，with 44 videos and 1 056 segments in the anemia group，and 46 videos and 1 104 segments in the control group. Based on dynamic four-chamber heart images，the hybrid AI model was employed to extract heart measurement parameters，including basal-apical length（BAL），transverse width（TW），global sphericity index（GSI），end-diastolic area（EDA），24-segment left and right ventricular end-diastolic diameter（LVEDD，RVEDD），segmental sphericity index（LVSI，RVSI），global longitudinal strain（LVGLS，RVGLS），fractional area change（LVFAC，RVFAC），segmental fractional shortening（LVFS，RVFS），along with their corresponding Z-scores. The differences in cardiac size，morphology，and function parameters between the two groups were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed for the parameters of the control group（BAL，TW，EDA，GLS，LVGLS，RVGLS，LVFAC，and RVFAC）against gestational age. The measurement consistencies of AI technology and fetal HQ technology in normal and anemia groups were evaluated.Results:No significant differences were found in BAL，TW，EDA，or GSI between groups（all P>0.05）. RVEDD in segments 3-24 was significantly larger in the anemia group（all P<0.05），with significantly higher Z-score abnormality rates for LVEDD and RVEDD across 24 segments（both P<0.001）. LVSI in segments 7-10，12，14-15 and RVSI in segments 1-23 were lower in the anemia group（all P<0.05），with significantly higher Z-score abnormality rates for LVSI and RVSI across 24 segments（both P<0.001）. The absolute values of LVGLS and LVFAC were significantly reduced in the anemia group（both P<0.05），while the absolute values of RVGLS and RVFAC showed no significant differences（both P>0.05）. Segmental LVFS values were significantly lower in the anemia group for segments 2，5-8，11-13（all P<0.05）. In the control group，BAL，TW，and EDA positively correlated with gestational age（ r=0.913，0.947，0.907；all P<0.001），while GSI，LVGLS，RVGLS，LVFAC and RVFAC showed no or weak correlations（ r=-0.221，0.353，0.515，-0.409，-0.425）. The intraclass correlation coefficient（ICC）between AI-based and conventional fetal HQ evaluations were 0.788 for the control group and 0.837 for the anemia group，indicating good consistency. Conclusions:AI offers a reliable approach for quantitatively evaluating fetal cardiac size，shape，and systolic function. Fetal anemia primarily affects right ventricular morphology and left ventricular systolic performance，characterized by spherical remodeling of the right ventricle and reductions in LVGLS，LVFAC，and segmental LVFS. The hybrid AI model holds potential value in fetal cardiac function assessment.

Objective:To study the cardiac morphology and function of fetuses with different types of complete transposition of the great arteries（cTGA）by using fetal heart quantification（fetal HQ）.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 50 fetuses diagnosed with cTGA through fetal echocardiography at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital，Zhejiang University School of Medicine from July 2020 to December 2024. These cases were categorized into simple cTGA group（ n=31）and complex cTGA group（ n=19）based on the presence of concomitant cardiac anomalies. A control group of 160 normal fetuses with matched gestational ages was selected for comparison. Utilizing fetal HQ technology，the cardiac longitudinal diameter，transverse diameter，area，global sphericity index（GSI），left and right ventricular end-diastolic area（LVEDA，RVEDA），left and right ventricular fractional area change（LVFAC，RVFAC），left and right ventricular global longitudinal strain（LVGLS，RVGLS），and segmental sphericity index of 24 segments for both left and right ventricles（LVSI，RVSI）were measured. The analysis focused on comparing the differences among the simple cTGA group，complex cTGA group，and the control group. Results:Compared to the control group，the simple cTGA group exhibited significantly lower fetal GSI，LVEDA，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05）. Statistically significant differences were observed in LVSI segments 1-4 and 10-17，as well as RVSI segments 1-7，9，and 15-23 compared to the control group（all P<0.05）. In comparison with the control group，the complex cTGA group demonstrated significantly reduced fetal GSI，LVFAC，LVGLS，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05）. Significant differences were noted in LVSI segments 5-8 and 10-14，along with RVSI segments 1-14 and 24 compared to the control group（all P<0.05）. When compared to the simple cTGA group，the complex cTGA group showed significantly lower LVFAC，LVGLS，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05），while GSI and LVEDA were significantly higher（all P<0.05）. Statistically significant differences were observed in LVSI segments 3-4，6-8，and 17，as well as RVSI segments 10-19 between the complex cTGA group and the simple cTGA group（all P<0.05）. Conclusions:The comprehensive parameters provided by Fetal HQ facilitate the assessment of cardiac morphology and function in cTGA fetuses，enabling a deeper understanding of the alterations in cardiac structure and function across different types of cTGA. This advanced analysis offers valuable reference information for clinical guidance during pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of problem-oriented respiratory rehabilitation nursing on lung function, activity ability, length of hospital stay, and retention time of closed chest drainage tube in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection for lung cancer, so as to provide a basis for improving the prognosis of patients with lung cancer surgery. Methods: A total of 119 patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracoscopic radical resection for lung cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from October 2023 to June 2024 were selected and randomly divided into the intervention group (n=59) and the control group (n=60). The control group received routine respiratory rehabilitation nursing of thoracic surgery. On the basis of the treatment and guidance received by the control group, the intervention group implemented problem-oriented respiratory rehabilitation nursing. First second expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were used to evaluate pulmonary function at 1 day before surgery and 3 days after surgery, and the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) was used to evaluate physical activity. The incidence of pulmonary complications, length of hospital stay and retention time of closed chest drainage tube were collected through the hospital's electronic medical records system. The intervention effects between the two groups were compared using variance analysis of repeated-measures analysis of variance and log-rank test. Results: The mean age of the control group was (60.77±9.31) years, with 28 males and 32 females. There were 4 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 55 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 1 case of small cell carcinoma. The tumors were located in the right lobe in 41 cases. The mean age of the intervention group was (58.71±10.01) years, with 23 males and 36 females. There were 2 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 56 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 1 case of small cell carcinoma. The tumors were located in the right lobe in 37 cases. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, education level, pathological type, and tumor location between the two groups (all P>0.05). Three days after surgery, there was an interaction effect between the group and the time in FEV1, FVC, and 6MWD between the two groups. The FEV1 and 6MWD in the intervention group were higher than those in the control group (both P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in FVC between the groups (P>0.05). There were 3 cases of postoperative complications in the control group, and no cases in the intervention group. Log-rank test showed that the length of hospital stay and retention time of closed chest drainage tube after surgery in the intervention group were shorter than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion The problem-oriented respiratory rehabilitation nursing can improve the lung function and activity ability of patients with lung cancer after surgery, shorten the length of hospital stay and retention time of closed chest drainage tube, and improve the quality of life.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of stellate ganglion block(SGB)combined with intranasal dexmedetomidine for the treatment of insomnia.Methods A total of 64 patients aged 18 to 75 with insom-nia were randomly assigned to either the experimental group(DS group)or the control group(S group).The S group received SGB treatment for 14 consecutive days,whereas the DS group received an additional intranasal dexmedeto-midine spray at a dose of 100 μg,administered 30 minutes before bedtime on days 1 through 6,in conjunction with SGB.We measured and recorded the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS),Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)scores,and Psychomotor Vigilance Test(PVT)results for both groups at three time points:baseline(T1),the day after treatment(T2),and one month after treatment(T3).Results Intra-group Com-parison:In both the DS and S groups,PSQI scores and dimensionspecific scores at T2 and T3 were significantly lower compared to T1(P<0.05).SAS and SDS scores in both groups showed a significant reduction at T3 compared to T1 and T2(P<0.05),while PVT results exhibited no significant changes(P>0.05).Inter-group Comparison:The PSQI scores and dimensionspecific scores in the DS group at T2(8.44±2.99)and T3(8.22±2.60)were significantly lower than those in the S group at T2(10.88±2.56)and T3(10.88±2.84)(P<0.05).However,no significant differences were observed in SDS and SAS scores between the DS and S groups at T2 and T3(P>0.05).Conclusion Compared to standalone SGB,the combination of SGB with intranasal dexmedetomidine significantly enhances sleep quality in patients with insomnia,while not impacting their levels of anxiety,depression,or alertness.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of stellate ganglion block(SGB)combined with intranasal dexmedetomidine for the treatment of insomnia.Methods A total of 64 patients aged 18 to 75 with insom-nia were randomly assigned to either the experimental group(DS group)or the control group(S group).The S group received SGB treatment for 14 consecutive days,whereas the DS group received an additional intranasal dexmedeto-midine spray at a dose of 100 μg,administered 30 minutes before bedtime on days 1 through 6,in conjunction with SGB.We measured and recorded the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS),Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)scores,and Psychomotor Vigilance Test(PVT)results for both groups at three time points:baseline(T1),the day after treatment(T2),and one month after treatment(T3).Results Intra-group Com-parison:In both the DS and S groups,PSQI scores and dimensionspecific scores at T2 and T3 were significantly lower compared to T1(P<0.05).SAS and SDS scores in both groups showed a significant reduction at T3 compared to T1 and T2(P<0.05),while PVT results exhibited no significant changes(P>0.05).Inter-group Comparison:The PSQI scores and dimensionspecific scores in the DS group at T2(8.44±2.99)and T3(8.22±2.60)were significantly lower than those in the S group at T2(10.88±2.56)and T3(10.88±2.84)(P<0.05).However,no significant differences were observed in SDS and SAS scores between the DS and S groups at T2 and T3(P>0.05).Conclusion Compared to standalone SGB,the combination of SGB with intranasal dexmedetomidine significantly enhances sleep quality in patients with insomnia,while not impacting their levels of anxiety,depression,or alertness.

Objective:To compare the cardiac size，morphology，and function between anemic and normal fetuses using a hybrid artificial intelligence（AI）model，and to evaluate the utility of AI in quantitatively assessing fetal cardiac function in cases of anemia.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted by collecting data from 2018 to 2024 at the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University，including 15 cases of anemic fetuses（anemia group）diagnosed through umbilical venous puncture and 32 cases of normal fetuses（control group）. Four-chamber fetal cardiac ultrasound videos and left/right ventricular segments were included，with 44 videos and 1 056 segments in the anemia group，and 46 videos and 1 104 segments in the control group. Based on dynamic four-chamber heart images，the hybrid AI model was employed to extract heart measurement parameters，including basal-apical length（BAL），transverse width（TW），global sphericity index（GSI），end-diastolic area（EDA），24-segment left and right ventricular end-diastolic diameter（LVEDD，RVEDD），segmental sphericity index（LVSI，RVSI），global longitudinal strain（LVGLS，RVGLS），fractional area change（LVFAC，RVFAC），segmental fractional shortening（LVFS，RVFS），along with their corresponding Z-scores. The differences in cardiac size，morphology，and function parameters between the two groups were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed for the parameters of the control group（BAL，TW，EDA，GLS，LVGLS，RVGLS，LVFAC，and RVFAC）against gestational age. The measurement consistencies of AI technology and fetal HQ technology in normal and anemia groups were evaluated.Results:No significant differences were found in BAL，TW，EDA，or GSI between groups（all P>0.05）. RVEDD in segments 3-24 was significantly larger in the anemia group（all P<0.05），with significantly higher Z-score abnormality rates for LVEDD and RVEDD across 24 segments（both P<0.001）. LVSI in segments 7-10，12，14-15 and RVSI in segments 1-23 were lower in the anemia group（all P<0.05），with significantly higher Z-score abnormality rates for LVSI and RVSI across 24 segments（both P<0.001）. The absolute values of LVGLS and LVFAC were significantly reduced in the anemia group（both P<0.05），while the absolute values of RVGLS and RVFAC showed no significant differences（both P>0.05）. Segmental LVFS values were significantly lower in the anemia group for segments 2，5-8，11-13（all P<0.05）. In the control group，BAL，TW，and EDA positively correlated with gestational age（ r=0.913，0.947，0.907；all P<0.001），while GSI，LVGLS，RVGLS，LVFAC and RVFAC showed no or weak correlations（ r=-0.221，0.353，0.515，-0.409，-0.425）. The intraclass correlation coefficient（ICC）between AI-based and conventional fetal HQ evaluations were 0.788 for the control group and 0.837 for the anemia group，indicating good consistency. Conclusions:AI offers a reliable approach for quantitatively evaluating fetal cardiac size，shape，and systolic function. Fetal anemia primarily affects right ventricular morphology and left ventricular systolic performance，characterized by spherical remodeling of the right ventricle and reductions in LVGLS，LVFAC，and segmental LVFS. The hybrid AI model holds potential value in fetal cardiac function assessment.

Objective:To study the cardiac morphology and function of fetuses with different types of complete transposition of the great arteries（cTGA）by using fetal heart quantification（fetal HQ）.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 50 fetuses diagnosed with cTGA through fetal echocardiography at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital，Zhejiang University School of Medicine from July 2020 to December 2024. These cases were categorized into simple cTGA group（ n=31）and complex cTGA group（ n=19）based on the presence of concomitant cardiac anomalies. A control group of 160 normal fetuses with matched gestational ages was selected for comparison. Utilizing fetal HQ technology，the cardiac longitudinal diameter，transverse diameter，area，global sphericity index（GSI），left and right ventricular end-diastolic area（LVEDA，RVEDA），left and right ventricular fractional area change（LVFAC，RVFAC），left and right ventricular global longitudinal strain（LVGLS，RVGLS），and segmental sphericity index of 24 segments for both left and right ventricles（LVSI，RVSI）were measured. The analysis focused on comparing the differences among the simple cTGA group，complex cTGA group，and the control group. Results:Compared to the control group，the simple cTGA group exhibited significantly lower fetal GSI，LVEDA，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05）. Statistically significant differences were observed in LVSI segments 1-4 and 10-17，as well as RVSI segments 1-7，9，and 15-23 compared to the control group（all P<0.05）. In comparison with the control group，the complex cTGA group demonstrated significantly reduced fetal GSI，LVFAC，LVGLS，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05）. Significant differences were noted in LVSI segments 5-8 and 10-14，along with RVSI segments 1-14 and 24 compared to the control group（all P<0.05）. When compared to the simple cTGA group，the complex cTGA group showed significantly lower LVFAC，LVGLS，RVFAC，and RVGLS（all P<0.05），while GSI and LVEDA were significantly higher（all P<0.05）. Statistically significant differences were observed in LVSI segments 3-4，6-8，and 17，as well as RVSI segments 10-19 between the complex cTGA group and the simple cTGA group（all P<0.05）. Conclusions:The comprehensive parameters provided by Fetal HQ facilitate the assessment of cardiac morphology and function in cTGA fetuses，enabling a deeper understanding of the alterations in cardiac structure and function across different types of cTGA. This advanced analysis offers valuable reference information for clinical guidance during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The study examined the association between homocysteine and diabetes mellitus in patients with H-type hypertension and assessed the possible effect modifiers. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1,255 eligible participants in the ‘H-type Hypertension Management and Stroke Prevention Strategic International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Project’ among rural Chinese people with H-type hypertension. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between homocysteine and diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: The mean level of total homocysteine (tHcy) in the diabetes mellitus population was 19.37 μmol/L, which was significantly higher than the non-diabetic patients (18.18 μmol/L). When tHcy was analyzed as a continuous variable, the odds ratio (OR) of diabetes was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.35; per interquartile range). When tHcy was stratified according to the quintile, the ORs for diabetes were 2.86 (95% CI, 1.22–6.69) in the highest quintile (tHcy ≥ 20.60 μmol/L) compared to the reference group (tHcy < 12.04 μmol/L). When tHcy was grouped by 15 μmol/L and 20 μmol/L, patients with tHcy ≥ 20 μmol/L had a significantly (P = 0.037) higher risk of diabetes (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.04–3.96) than in those with tHcy < 15 μmol/L. Subgroup analysis showed that the tHcy-diabetes association was unaffected by other variables. CONCLUSION In this study of rural Chinese people with H-type hypertension, the tHcy levels showed a positive association with diabetes mellitus. This independent association is unaffected by other potential risk factors.