Objective To predict the core targets and action pathways of Hedysari Radix based on UPLC-MS/MS and network pharmacology methods,and to verify the results of network pharmacology by molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques.This article aims to investigate immune regulation mechanism of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix.Methods Qualitative quantification of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix were operated by using UPLC-MS/MS technique.The corresponding targets of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix were screened by TCMSP and HERB databases.Targets of immune-related disease were obtained through DisGeNET,OMIM,TTD,and MalaCards databases.The network of"components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix-immune-related diseases"was then constructed.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and mapped the PPI network were performed.Molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques were applied for validation.Results A total of 8 prototype components absorbed into blood,synergistically acting on 101 targets,were identified by UPLC-MS/MS.They mediated 538 biological processes including immune response,positive regulation of gene expression,receptor binding,and cytokine activity.Meanuhile,116 signaling pathways,such as HIF-1,Toll-like receptor,JAK-STAT,T cell receptor,PI3K-Akt,and FoxO etc.were involved.The core targets were MAPK14,PTGS2,MMP9,PPARG,CCND1,etc..The results of molecular docking showed that formononetin and calycosin had strong docking binding activity with MAPK14.And molecular dynamics simulations further demonstrated that the binding between MAPK14 and formononetin or calycosin had good structural stability and binding affinity.Conclusion The results of serum pharmacochemistry,network pharmacology and molecular dynamics were verified to reveal the material basis and mechanism of Hedysari Radix in regulating immunity.The aim of this study is to provide scientific basis for its immunomodulatory mechanism.

Objective:To understand the current status of personal protection in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis in China and provide evidence for the evaluation of implementation of National Brucellosis Prevention and Control Plan (2016-2020).Methods:Four counties in Shanxi Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were selected to conduct a questionnaire survey in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis from December 2019 to July 2020 by using cross-sectional survey methods.Results:A total of 2 384 persons at high risk for brucellosis were surveyed, and the standardized utilization rate of personal protective equipment (PPE) was 20.13% (480/2 384). The utilization rate of glove, mask, rubber shoe, and work cloth were 38.26% (912/2 384), 31.80% (758/2 384), 32.01% (763/2 384) and 30.87% (736/2 384),respectively. There were significant differences in the utilization rate and standardized utilization rate of the four types of PPE among populations in different age, occupation, educational level and area groups (all P<0.001). The utilization rate and standardized utilization rate of PPE were lower in people over 60 years old, women, farmers, and those with lower educational level. The results of multivariate analysis showed that occupation and area were the influencing factors for the standardized utilization of PPE, the standardized utilization rates of PPE were higher in herdsmen and veterinarians. The standardized utilization rate of PPE in Yanggao County and Huocheng County was significantly higher than that in Zuoyun County and Hunyuan County. Conclusions:The utilization rate of the four types of PPE in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis was not high in China, and the standardized utilization rate was low, lower than the requirement in National Brucellosis Prevention and Control Plan, and there were significant differences among different areas. It is urgent to distribute PPE to occupational population at high risk for brucellosis and carry out health education about PPE utilization. Meanwhile, it is necessary to strengthen information exchange or sharing among different areas.

Objective:To understand the current status of knowledge of brucellosis prevention and control among occupational groups at high-risk of brucellosis, and to provide a scientific basis for assessing the effectiveness of brucellosis prevention and control in China.Methods:A total of four counties in Shanxi Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were selected as survey counties from 2019 to 2020, and 600 people from the occupational groups at high-risk of brucellosis in each survey county were selected as survey respondents, and basic information and knowledge of prevention and treatment were collected through questionnaires. Single-factor and multi-factor logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors affecting the population's knowledge of prevention and treatment.Results:A total of 2 411 people participated in the survey and 2 384 valid questionnaires were obtained, including 1 405 males and 979 females, with the youngest age being 18 years old, the oldest being 91 years old, and the median being 57 years old. The overall knowledge of brucellosis prevention and control was 17.74% (423/2 384). The knowledge rate was lower among people over 60 years old, farmers, and people with less than elementary school education (13.99%, 14.50%, and 13.78%), and higher among women, herders, and people with elementary school education (20.02%, 36.33%, and 19.58%); the knowledge rate was lower in Hunyuan County (0.51%), and the differences in overall knowledge rates by age, occupation, education level, and region were statistically significant (χ 2 = 18.25, 87.18, 11.05, 197.43, P < 0.001). Multi-factor logistic regression analysis showed that gender, occupation, literacy and region were associated with knowledge of prevention and treatment ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:The overall knowledge of prevention and treatment among high-risk occupational groups in the key areas of China's brucellosis prevention and treatment program is low, with a large gap with the goals of the national brucellosis prevention and treatment program, and gender, occupation, literacy level, and region are the influencing factors of the knowledge of prevention and treatment. There is an urgent need to carry out a variety of health education activities for high-risk occupational groups and to strengthen the exchange of experience on brucellosis prevention and treatment between regions.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in the treatment of 5 children with severe alopecia areata, especially those with complicated nail damage.Methods:A total of 5 children with severe alopecia areata were enrolled and treated with oral JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib or baricitinib). The improvement of hair loss was assessed by using the severity of alopecia tool (SALT) at 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after the start of treatment. For 3 children with complicated nail damage, the improvement of diseased nails and toenails was evaluated by using the modified nail psoriasis severity index after treatment. During the treatment, adverse reactions were monitored.Results:The 5 children with severe alopecia areata were aged 2 - 11 years, with the disease duration ranging from 5 to 120 months, and the treatment with JAK inhibitors lasted 24 - 48 weeks. After 12-week treatment, 2 children achieved a 50% improvement in SALT (SALT50) ; after 24-week treatment, 3 achieved SALT95, and 1 achieved SALT75 and then withdrew baricitinib for personal reasons; after 36-week treatment, 3 achieved SALT99, and then received half-dose treatment; after 48-week treatment, 1, 1, 1 and 1 patient achieved SALT99, SALT83, SALT31, and SALT0, respectively, and 2 of them experienced gradually aggravated hair loss 1 - 2 months after the start of half-dose treatment. Among the 3 children with complicated nail damage, the improvement rates of nail severity index scores were 67.5%, 45.4%, and 25% respectively, and the improvement rates of toenail severity index scores were 42.5%, 71.4%, and 5% respectively after 12-week treatment; after 48-week treatment, the improvement rate of nail severity index scores were 100%, 100%, and 50% respectively, and the improvement rate of toenail severity index scores were 96.2%, 100%, 50% respectively. During the treatment, the uric acid level increased in 2 children, and one of them was accompanied by increased serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 1 suffered from respiratory tract infections twice during the treatment, and was recovered after symptomatic treatment; there were no adverse reactions leading to drug withdrawal.Conclusion:JAK inhibitors can be used as a treatment option for severe alopecia areata in children.

For the detection of steatosis, quantitative ultrasound imaging techniques have achieved great progress in past years. Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction is currently the most accurate test to detect hepatic steatosis. Some blood biomarkers correlate with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, but the accuracy is modest. Regarding liver fibrosis, liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography (TE) has high accuracy and is widely used across the world. Magnetic resonance elastography is marginally better than TE but is limited by its cost and availability. Several blood biomarkers of fibrosis have been used in clinical trials and hold promise for selecting patients for treatment and monitoring treatment response. This article reviews new developments in the non-invasive assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Accumulating evidence suggests that various non-invasive tests can be used to diagnose NAFLD, assess its severity, and predict the prognosis. Further studies are needed to determine the role of the tests as monitoring tools. We cannot overemphasize the importance of context in selecting appropriate tests.
Elasticity Imaging Techniques/methods* ; Humans ; Liver/pathology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/pathology* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Objective:To explore the correlation and mechanism between thalamic network abnormality and cognitive decline in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).Methods:A total of 53 patients with unilateral TLE were consecutively enrolled through the epilepsy clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from December 2018 to February 2020. During the same recruitment interval, 37 health controls(HC) with matching demographic characteristic were recruited. All subjects were received the Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA) test and multimodal MRI scanning. Voxel-based morphometry method was used to study the changes of thalamic gray matter volume in patients with unilateral TLE. The structural covariance network and functional connectivity network based on seed points were used to analyze the changes of thalamic network in TLE patients. In addition, the correlations among abnormal thalamic structure, thalamic network and cognitive function score were analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Independent sample t-test and Mann Whitney U test were used for inter group comparison. In order to explore the relationship between thalamus and thalamic network and cognitive performance in TLE patients, thalamic volume and gray matter volume and functional connection value of brain areas with abnormal synergistic changes were extracted and correlated with MoCA score. Results:The total score of MoCA in TLE patients (27.0(25.0, 29.0)) was significantly decreased compared with HC (29.0(28.0, 30.0))( Z=-4.601, P<0.001). Whole brain gray matter volume analysis showed that compared with HCTLE patients showed significant volume reduction in left cerebellum, right temporal pole, right fusiform gyrus, straight gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, thalamus, medial and paracingulate gyrus (GRF adjusted, voxel-level P<0.001 and cluster-level P<0.05). The thalamus-associated structural covariance network analysis revealed that compared with healthy controls, TLE patients exhibited decreased connectivity in right fusiform gyrus (MNI: x=28.5, y=-15.0, z=-34.5), left insula (MNI: x=-33.0, y=-18.0, z=-1.5), right middle temporal gyrus (MNI: x=55.5, y=-51.0, z=9.0), left complementary motor area (MNI: x=-10.5, y=1.5, z=57.0) and right posterior central gyrus (MNI: x=31.5, y=-33.0, z=51.0) ( P<0.001, cluster > 100). The thalamus-associated functional connectivity network analysis revealed that TLE patients exhibited decreased connectivity in left insula (MNI: x=-38, y=-7, z=-7), left lingual gyrus (MNI: x=-6, y=-81, z=-12), right lingual gyrus (MNI: x=15, y=-105, z=0) and left triangular inferior frontal gyrus (MNI: x=-39, y=36, z=-6) (GRF correction, voxel-level P<0.001 and cluster-level P<0.05). Volume of left insula which had decreased structural connectivity with thalamus were positively correlated with the MoCA score in TLE patients( r=0.279, P=0.043). Volume of left complementary motor area which had decreased structural connectivity with thalamus was positively correalated with the MoCA score and language score in TLE patients( r=0.323, P=0.018; r=0.334, P=0.015). Volume of left lingual gyrus which had decreased functional connectivity with thalamus was negatively correalated with the memory score in TLE patients ( r=-0.331, P=0.016). Conclusion:Thalamic volume, thalamic structural covariant network and functional connection network are changed in TLE patients. The abnormality of thalamic network is associated with cognitive performance in TLE patients, which may be the neural mechanism of thalamus participating in the cognitive impairment of TLE patients.

Objective To establish an assay method for diphenhydramine hydrochloride and caffeine in rat plasma by UPLC-MS/MS for pharmacokinetic study. Methods The chromatographic separation was performed on an ACE 3 C₁₈-PFP (3.0 mm×150 mm, 3 μm) by isocratic elution with the mobile phase of water containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile (62:38, V/V). MS condition was optimized in the positive ion detection mode by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), along with the Agilent JetStream electrospray source interface (AJS-ESI). The precursors to the product ion transitions were 256.2→167.0 (m/z) for diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 262.0→167.0 (m/z) for the internal standard (IS) diphenhydramine-D6, 195.0→138.0 (m/z) for caffeine and 204.0→116.2 (m/z) for the IS caffeine-D9. Results The calibration curve was linear in the range of 1-1×10³ ng/ml for diphenhydramine hydrochloride in rat plasma (r=0.999 6), and in the range of 15-1.5×10⁵ ng/ml for caffeine in rat plasma, (r=0.999 9). The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy were good (RSD<10%, RE<±10%). Pharmacokinetic studies showed that metabolic characteristics of diphenhydramine hydrochloride 10-30 mg/kg and caffeine 24-72 mg/kg were linear after intragastric administration. The two components were metabolized in rats with gender difference, the c_max and the AUC of diphenhydramine hydrochloride and caffeine were greater in female than those in males. Conclusion This method is accurate, rapid and sensitive. It can be used for the determination of diphenhydramine hydrochloride and caffeine in rat plasma collected for pharmacokinetic study. The results of pharmacokinetic studies in rats provide reliable data support for the clinical application of the compound preparation.

Objective:To explore the application value of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system for TBS report in cervical cancer screening.Methods:A total of 16 317 clinical samples and related data of cervical liquid-based thin-layer cell smears, which were obtained from July 2020 to September 2020, were collected from Southern Hospital, Guangzhou Huayin Medical Inspection Center, Shenzhen Bao′an People′s Hospital(Group) and Changsha Yuan′an Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The TBS report artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system of cervical liquid-based thin-layer cytology jointly developed by Southern Medical University and Guangzhou F. Q. PATHOTECH Co., Ltd. based on deep learning convolution neural network was used to diagnose all clinical samples. The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of both artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system and cytologists using artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system were analyzed based on the evaluation standard(2014 TBS). The time spent by the two methods was also compared.Results:The sensitivity of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system in predicting cervical intraepithelial lesions and other lesions (including endometrial cells detected in women over 45 years old and infectious lesions) under different production methods, different cytoplasmic staining and different scanning instruments was 92.90% and 83.55% respectively, and the specificity of negative samples was 87.02%, while that of cytologists using artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system was 99.34%, 97.79% and 99.10%, respectively. Moreover, cytologists using artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system could save about 6 times of reading time than manual.Conclusions:Artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system for TBS report of cervical liquid-based thin-layer cytology has the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity and strong generalization. Cytologists can significantly improve the accuracy and work efficiency of reading smears by using artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system.

Objective To study the clinical efficacy of Bushen Huoxue decoction in the treatment of varicocele infertility and its influence on epididymis function and sperm vitality. Methods A total of 98 patients with varicocele infertility who were treated in our hospital from August 2016 to July 2018 were selected. The patients were randomly divided into control group of 49 cases and study group of 49 cases. The patients in the control group were treated with Maizhiling plus Wuzi Yanzong pill; the patients in the study group were treated with Bushen Huoxue decoction. After 12 weeks of treatment, the clinical efficacy of the patients was evaluated. The semen quality (including semen volume, sperm density, sperm motility, forward-moving sperm), sex hormones, and seminal plasma neutral α-glucosidase in the two groups were compared before and after treatment. After the end of treatment, the patients were followed up for 3 months to observe the pregnancy of the patients' spouse. Results After treatment, the total effective rate of the study group was87.76％, and the total effective rate of the control group was 69.39％. The semen quality, sex hormone and neutral α-glucosidase levels in the study group were better than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Bushen Huoxue decoction has a significant clinical effect in treating varicocele infertility. It can improve the semen quality, improve testosterone level and seminal plasma neutral α-glucosidase level, and improve the fertility of patients with varicocele.It is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To study MRI diagnosis and differential diagnosis of posterior fossa cyst with hydrocephalus in children. Methods MRI performances and clinical data of 56 children with cyst in the posterior fossa and hydrocephalus were analyzed and classified.Results 12 cases of Dandy-Walker malformation(DWM)showed absence of the vermis at different degrees and the enlarged fourth ventricle widely communicating with the large posterior fossa cyst,accompanied by elevation of the tentorium cerebella and hydrocephalus,in which 1 case combined with callosal agenesis,1 case with subependymal gray matter heterotopia and 1 case with subependymal gray matter heterotopia and small occipital encephalocele.9 cases of Blake's pouch cyst(BPC)showed mildly dilatation of the fourth ventricle,and the cyst was below the cerebellar and hydrocephalus.Neither cerebellar hypoplasia nor elevation of the tentorium cerebella was observed. The postirior wall of the cyst was observed on sagittal T 2WI in 5 cases.The choroid plexus of the fourth ventricular moving to the top wall of the cyst were seen on thin sagittal T 2WI in 1 case.35 cases of arachnoid cyst(AC)showed aggregation of cerebrospinal fluid,and the fourth ventricular and aqueductal stenosis at different degrees and hydrocephalus.Conclusion MRI has evident advantages at diagnosis and differential diagnosis of cystic malformations of the posterior fossa with hydrocephalus,especially on sagittal MRI.