Cats, owing to their physiological and immunological similarities with humans, have become increasingly valuable as model animals in virology research, drug development, and vaccine evaluation. They are irreplaceable in studies of feline immunodeficiency virus, feline coronavirus, and other related pathogens. However, cats are temperamentally sensitive, exhibit strong stress responses, and possess well-developed nervous systems as well as sharp claws and teeth. Consequently, the biosafety risks associated with infectious experiments using cats in animal biosafety level 2 laboratory (ABSL-2) are significantly higher than those encountered with conventional rodents. Drawing on long-term ABSL-2 operational experience, this article systematically reviews the entire workflow of infectious experiments in laboratory cats — from animal selection, pre-entry preparation, reception and quarantine, housing management, to infectious experimental procedures and incident response — identifying and addressing critical risk points at each stage. For strain selection, SPF-grade shorthair cats with defined genetic backgrounds and docile temperaments are recommended; sex and age should be scientifically matched to experimental objectives. During pre-entry preparation, emphasis is placed on dual-credential personnel management, health surveillance, standardized disinfection of environments and cages, feed and water standards, and robust record-keeping. During reception and quarantine, standardized protocols are established for transport control, appearance inspection, isolation quarantine, pathogen exclusion, and positive-reinforcement training. During infectious experimentation, a "three-fixed" husbandry principle is clearly implemented: dedicated caretakers, fixed feeding/cleaning times, and fixed cage positions. Disinfectant selection, autoclaving of waste, and daily veterinary rounds are rigorously enforced. Operational risk control includes detailed measures for graded personal protection, animal anesthesia and restraint, zoned operation within biosafety cabinets, and disposal of experimental waste. Contingency plans are formulated to address animal death, escape, personnel exposure, and spills of infectious materials. This study provides a reproducible and scalable technical pathway and operational standard for conducting infectious experiments in laboratory cats in ABSL-2 laboratories, offering a reference for other facilities undertaking similar work.

ObjectiveTo prepare rabbit anti-porcine inhibin polypeptide-keyhole limpet hemocyanin(KLH) conjugated polyclonal antibody and evaluate its effect on superovulation in C57BL/6J mice. MethodsNew Zealand white rabbits were immunized with a synthesized porcine inhibin polypeptide conjugated with KLH to produce anti-inhibin serum (AIS, i.e., inhibin polyclonal antibody). Female C57BL/6J mice received intraperitoneal injections of purified AIS in combination with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG), followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) after 48 hours to induce superovulation. Oocytes obtained from superovulation were collected and counted 15 hours post-hCG administration, and the number of 2-cell embryos was assessed 24 hours after in vitro fertilization. ResultsAIS prepared by immunizing New Zealand White rabbits with KLH-conjugated porcine inhibin polypeptide was subjected to titer determination by indirect ELISA, showing titers reaching 1∶ 512 000. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of ammonium sulfate-purified AIS revealed distinct 50 kDa and 25 kDa bands corresponding to the theoretical molecular weights of IgG antibody heavy and light chains, confirming successful production of porcine inhibin polyclonal antibody. Compared with conventional superovulation methods, AIS diluted 10-fold combined with PMSG significantly increased the number of oocytes obtained from superovulation in mice (P<0.05) by approximately 1.5-fold. ConclusionPorcine inhibin polyclonal antibody, as an improved superovulation reagent, can improve superovulation efficiency in C57BL/6J mice, and shows promising prospects for future applications.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Yifei Zhuji formula （YFZJF） on epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） through regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. MethodsThe Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model and human lung adenocarcinoma PC-9 cell model were used in this study. In the animal experiments， 60 C57BL/6 mice were randomized into a blank group and a Lewis lung carcinoma modeling group. The modeled mice were further randomized into model， low-， medium-， and high-dose （7.475， 14.95， 29.9 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） YFZJF， and cisplatin groups， with 10 mice in each group. Mice in YFZJF groups were administrated with YFZJF at different doses by gavage， and those in the cisplatin group received intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin at 6 mg·kg^-1. Mice in the blank group and model group were administrated with equal volumes of normal saline by gavage every day. All the groups were treated for 14 consecutive days， and samples were collected for analysis after completion of treatment. Changes in body mass， tumor volume， and tumor mass were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe pathological changes in the lung tissue. Immunohistochemistry， Real-time PCR， and Western blot were employed to determine the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki-67）， PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway-related molecules， and EMT-related molecules in the tumor tissue. In the cell experiments， human lung adenocarcinoma PC-9 cells were allocated into control， YFZJF-containing serum， and cisplatin groups， which were treated with 20% blank rat serum， 20% YFZJF-containing rat serum， and 5.4 μmol·L^-1 cisplatin for 48 h， respectively. The cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay was adopted to detect cell proliferation and determine drug concentration. Cell scratch assay and Transwell assay were employed to evaluate cell migration and invasion. Immunofluorescence staining and Real-time PCR were used to analyze changes in expression of EMT markers. ResultsCompared with those in the model group， the tumor volume and tumor mass were reduced in the high-dose YFZJF group （P<0.01）. Immunohistochemical results showed that compared with the model group， the medium- and high-dose YFZJF groups exhibited reduced Ki-67 expression in the tumor tissue （P<0.01）. HE staining results showed that YFZJF alleviated the pathological injury of the lung tissue to different degrees. Real-time PCR results in the tumor tissue showed that compared with the model group， the high-dose YFZJF group displayed downregulated mRNA levels of protein kinase B1 （Akt1） and N-cadherin （P<0.05）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85 regulatory subunit （p85） （P<0.01）， mTOR （P<0.01）， and Vimentin （P<0.01）， and an upregulated mRNA level of E-cadherin （P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that compared with the model group， the high-dose YFZJF group exhibited downregulated protein levels of phosphorylated （p）-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， p-mTOR/mTOR， Vimentin， and N-cadherin （P<0.01）， and an upregulated protein level of E-cadherin （P<0.01） in the tumor tissue. The cell experiment results showed that compared with the blank serum group， YFZJF-containing serum inhibited the proliferation， migration， and invasion of PC-9 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the control group， YFZJF-containing serum downregulated the protein levels of N-cadherin and Vimentin and upregulated the protein level of E-cadherin （P<0.01）. Real-time PCR results showed that compared with the control group， YFZJF-containing serum upregulated the mRNA level of E-cadherin （P<0.05） and downregulated the mRNA levels of N-cadherin， Vimentin， P85， Akt1， and mTOR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionYFZJF can significantly inhibit the progression of non-small cell lung cancer and reduce the migration and invasion of tumor cells by inhibiting the abnormal activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and reversing EMT.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF） refers to severe liver dysfunction that occurs on the basis of chronic liver diseases， and it is characterized by rapid disease progression， poor prognosis， and high mortality rate. In recent years， inflammatory markers have become a research hotspot due to their significant role in assessing the prognosis of ACLF. This article reviews the advances in the application of inflammatory markers in assessing the prognosis of ACLF， such as systemic immune inflammatory index， lymphocyte-white blood cell ratio， neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio， and C-reactive protein， and discusses their clinical value and future research directions， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the early intervention and prognosis management of ACLF patients.

The literature on the characteristics, commodity grade specifications and chemical composition of Angelicae Sinensis Radix was reviewed. It was found that the main factors affecting the changes of traits and chemical composition of Angelicae Sinensis Radix included origin, altitude, climate, soil, cultivation methods, processing and processing methods and storage methods. Among them, the volatile oil types and ferulic acid content of Angelicae Sinensis Radix produced in Minxian County of Gansu Province were better than those in some non-authentic producing areas, but some component differences remained to be verified; direct seeding and film mulching cultivation could improve the yield, volatile oil and polysaccharide content of Angelicae Sinensis Radix; continuous cropping may lead to rhizosphere soil problems of Angelicae Sinensis Radix, and rotation or intercropping could be considered; drying in the shade and smoking drying could retain the oil and aroma of Angelicae Sinensis Radix; wine stir-frying method could increase the content of Z-ligustilide, but stir-frying carbon may reduce the content of ferulic acid; high temperature and high humidity storage may affect the content of ligustilide. In the future, the quality evaluation system of Angelicae Sinensis Radix should be strengthened and improved, genuine research should be strengthened, and scientific field management methods and appropriate harvesting and processing methods should be established, so as to ensure the good clinical efficacy and stable and controllable quality of Angelicae Sinensis Radix.

Objective To analyze the correlation between the number of oil chambers,the proportion of phloem at cross-section of Aucklandiae Radix and the contents of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone,and the correlation between inulin quantity,vessel quantity and polysaccharide content in powder characteristics,so as to explore the scientific basis for Aucklandiae Radix"identifying the quality based on appearance differentiation".Methods The constant values of the microscopic features of oil chambers,inulin and vessels were determined by cross-sectional permanent slice method,chloral hydrate method and counting analysis method,and the contents of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone as well as polysaccharide content were determined by the high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and the phenol-sulfuric acid method,respectively,and the correlation in the two groups of data was analyzed by statistical methods.Results There was a significantly positive correlation between the number of oil chambers per unit area in the cross-section of Aucklandiae Radix and the number of oil chambers per unit area in the phloem and the contents of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone;there was a significantly positive correlation between the quantity of inulin in the powder of Aucklandiae Radix and the polysaccharide content;there was no correlation between the quantity of vessels and the polysaccharide content.Conclusion This study initially established a new method and a new technology for quality evaluation of Chinese herbal medicines based on the determination of microscopic characteristic constants of Aucklandiae Radix,which can provide a new technical method for the quality control of Aucklandiae Radix.

Objective To investigate the role of ginsenoside Rh1 in regulating the changes of characteristic differential metabolites in rat models of exercise-induced fatigue by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)and multidimensional statistical analysis,and to clarify the metabolic pathways,so as to provide experimental basis and theoretical support for the effective alleviation of exercise-induced fatigue through Rh1.Methods A total of 27 SPF SD rats were randomly divided into blank control group,model group,and ginsenoside Rh1 group,with 9 rats in each group.A rat exercise-induced fatigue model was established by treadmill exercise.After blood sampling,GC-MS technology,Principal Component Analysis(PCA)and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares(PLS-DA)were used for the identification and screening of differential metabolites,which were further structurally identified in KEGG and HMDB databases.MetPA database was used to construct metabolic pathways and enrich for topological analysis.Results The time to exhaustion in the ginsenoside Rh1 group was significantly longer than that in the model group.Significant differential expression of 8 metabolites(6 significantly decreased and 2 significantly increased)was found in the model group as compared to the blank control group,and 5 metabolic pathways were involved.In the ginsenoside Rh1 group,there were 3 metabolites with significant changes compared with the model group.Citric acid and fatty acid were significantly increased,α-D-glucosamine 1-phosphate was decreased,and the main pathway involved was tricarboxylic acid cycle.Conclusion Rh1 can significantly prolong the time to exhaustion and relieve exercise-induced fatigue in rats,which is closely related to the metabolic pathway of tricarboxylic acid cycle.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of robot system-assisted versus freehand screw revision for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with lower cervical fractures.Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 57 patients with AS combined with lower cervical fractures admitted to Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou Orthopedic Hospital, and Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, including 46 males and 11 females, aged 38-77 years [(65.4±9.5)years]. Injury segments involved C 3 in 7 patients, C 4 in 13, C 5 in 25, C 6 in 10, and C 7 in 2. All the patients underwent revision surgery, among whom, 22 patients were treated with robot system-assisted cervical pedicle screw placement (robot nailing group, with 190 screws), and 35 with freehand cervical pedicle screw placement (freehand nailing group, with 300 screws). The operative duration, intraoperative bleeding volume, frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy, incision length, and length of hospital stay of the two groups were compared; the time of single nscrew insertion, the number of single nail revisions, the distance between screws and the anterior cortex, the accuracy of screw placement of grade 0 and grade 0+1 were recorded in the two groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Society (JOA) score, neck dysfunction index (NDI), American Spine Injury Association (ASIA) classification before operation, at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up were compared between the two groups. The complication rate was also noted. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-16 months [(14.3±2.1)months]. The operative duration, intraoperative bleeding volume, and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy were (186.4±12.9)minutes, (486.1±68.6)ml, and (3.4±1.3)times in the robot nailing group, which were shorter or less than (206.7±14.4)minutes, (660.3±45.2)ml, and (13.5±3.6)times in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.01). The incision length was (9.4±2.4)cm in the robot nailing group, longer than (5.6±1.2)cm in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.01), and the length of hospital stay was (3.7±0.4)days, shorter than (4.4±1.4)days in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.01). The length of single nail insertion, the number of single nail revision, and the distance between the screws and the front cortex were (6.5±0.4)minutes, (1.1±0.1)times, and (3.5±1.3)mm in the robot nailing group, which were shorter or less than (11.6±0.2)minutes, (1.5±0.2)times, and (12.4±4.7)mm in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.01). The accuracy of the screw placement in the robot nailing group was 90.0% (171/190) and 95.8% (182/190) with level 0 and 0+1 screws, better than 80.0% (240/300) and 89.0% (267/300) in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS, JOA score, NDI, or ASIA grading between the two groups before operation ( P>0.05). The VAS, JOA, and NDI scores at 3 days after operation were (3.1±0.6)points, (12.1±1.2)points, and (15.6±2.9)points, respectively in the robot nailing group, which were better than (5.0±1.4)points, (11.3±1.1)points and (22.5±3.7)points, respectively in the freehand nailing group ( P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the ASIA grade between the two groups at 3 days after operation ( P>0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS, JOA, NDI scores, or ASIA grading between the two groups at 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Compared with those before operation, the VAS, JOA, NDI scores, and ASIA grading were significantly improved at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up in the two groups, which were further improved with the passage of time. Two patients in the robot nailing group had pneumonia, with a complication rate of 9% (2/22), while 2 patients in the freehand nailing group had dural sac rupture and cerebrospinal fluid leakage and 3 had lung infection after operation, with a complication rate of 14% (5/35) ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with freehand nailing, the robot system-assisted nailing revision for AS with lower cervical fracture has more advantages in terms of the operative duration, length of hospital stay, intraoperative bleeding volume, frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy nailing speed and accuracy, screw holding force, early pain relief, function restoration, and complication rate, despite longer surgical incision.

Panic disorder has the characteristics of early onset, late detection, high comorbidity rate and low treatment rate, which have a lasting impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Early intervention can reduce the risk of various mental disorders in adulthood. Cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT), as a routine social psychological treatment, is also recommended as a first-line intervention for the treatment of panic disorder in children and adolescents. However, due to diagnostic and application difficulties, CBT has not received sufficient attention in the field of panic disorder in children and adolescents. Through a systematic review of the application of CBT in children and adolescents with panic disorder, it found that panic control therapy(PCT)and intensified CBT(iCBT) therapy are the main methods for treating panic disorder in children and adolescents, both of which can effectively alleviate the symptoms of panic disorder in children and adolescents.Cognitive restructuring, exposure, respiratory training and parental involvement are effective components of CBT treatment for panic disorder.In the future, it is necessary to increase attention to underage panic disorder, improve CBT cultural adaptation, use diverse treatment methods, objectively evaluate standards, and optimize research design, to promote the improvement of treatment effectiveness and the development of clinical research.

Objective:To investigate the brain iron status in the sensorimotor cortex of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and its relationship with changes in resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC).Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Thirty-two patients with CLBP (CLBP group) who were treated at Wuxi People′s Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from July 2023 to March 2024 and 30 age-and gender-matched healthy volunteers (control group) were prospectively included. All subjects underwent pain and neuropsychological assessments and head MRI examinations, including conventional sequences, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI. QSM values of the sensorimotor cortex and the left middle frontal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, right olfactory cortex, and right posterior cingulate gyrus were extracted using the ANTs toolkit. The bilateral postcentral gyrus and posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus in the sensorimotor cortex were selected as seed points using SPM software to extract the average time series of BOLD signals and evaluate the changes in RS-FC values with other brain regions. Two-sample t-tests were used to compare the differences in QSM values and RS-FC values between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between iron deposition in key brain regions and RS-FC values and clinical scale scores. Results:The QSM values in the posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus in the CLBP group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t=2.17, P=0.009; t=4.44, P<0.001), and the QSM value in the left postcentral gyrus was positively correlated with pain-related scale scores ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the QSM values in the left orbital part of the middle frontal gyrus ( t=2.22, P=0.031) and the right inferior temporal gyrus ( t=2.98, P=0.004) were increased, while the QSM values in the right olfactory cortex ( t=2.54, P=0.014) and the right posterior cingulate gyrus ( t=2.70, P=0.009) were decreased in the CLBP group. Compared with the control group, the RS-FC values between the left postcentral gyrus, the posterior part of the bilateral precentral gyrus, and the left superior frontal gyrus were increased in the CLBP group ( P<0.001), the RS-FC value between the right postcentral gyrus and the right precuneus was increased ( P<0.001). The RS-FC of the bilateral motor cortex and the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus was positively correlated with the QSM values of the bilateral motor cortex ( r=0.444, P=0.015). Conclusion:Iron deposition in the sensorimotor cortex (posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus) is increased in CLBP patients and is correlated with abnormal functional connectivity within and between brain regions.