ObjectiveBased on analytic hierarchy process（AHP）-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation（CRITIC） hybrid weighting method， grey relational analysis and backpropagation artificial neural network（BP-ANN）， to optimize the water extraction process of Qizhi prescription， so as to provide an experimental basis for optimization of the preparation process of this prescription and the establishment of quality standards. MethodsL₉（3⁴） orthogonal test was employed， and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method was utilized to determine the weight coefficients of the quality fractions of various components， including astragaloside Ⅳ， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， tenuifolin， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose， as well as the dry extract yield. The comprehensive score of each factor level combination in the orthogonal test were calculated as evaluation indicator to select the optimal extraction process parameters. The effects of extraction times， extraction time， and solvent dosage on the aqueous extraction process of the formula were investigated through intuitive analysis， variance analysis， and grey relational analysis. Meanwhile， a BP-ANN model was established to reverse-predict the optimal extraction process parameters of Qizhi prescription， and the optimized process parameters were validated. ResultsThe weight coefficients of the five index components（astragaloside Ⅳ， tenuifolin， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose） and dry extract yield were 25.7%， 20.82%， 16.41%， 12.45%， 15.96% and 8.67%， respectively. The optimized extraction process parameters were extracted 3 times with 8， 6， 6 times the amount of water， each time for 1 h. The network prediction results of BP-ANN test samples were consistent with the orthogonal test results， and the mean square error（MSE） of the predicted and measured values of the network was <1%. The water extraction process of Qizhi prescription analyzed and predicted by relevant mathematical models was stable and feasible， which could effectively improve the extraction efficiency of the active ingredients of Astragali Radix and Polygalae Radix， and the average comprehensive score of the validation test was 90.85 with the relative standard deviation（RSD） of 1.55%. ConclusionThis study establishes a water extraction process for compound Qizhi granules， and the optimized extraction process can effectively improve the extraction efficiency of active ingredients， which provides useful references for the optimization of preparation process and the establishment of quality standards for other clinical experience formulas.

Objective To investigate the biological functions of the ERG3 gene in Candida albicans and its potential value in antifungal therapy. Methods The ERG3 null mutant was constructed by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, microbroth dilution method, hyphal induction and mouse systemic infection models were carried out to evaluate sterol metabolism, drug susceptibility, hyphal formation ability and pathogenicity in C. albicans. Results The disruption of the ERG3 gene led to disordered sterol metabolism in C. albicans with a significant increased level of episterol, 14α-methylfecosterol and ergosta-7,22-dienol. The ERG3 null mutant exhibited significantly reduced susceptibility to antifungal azole and polyene drugs, which suggested that ERG3 involve in regulating drug resistance. Although the disruption of ERG3 inhibited hyphal growth and biofilm formation, it did not significantly alter the pathogenicity of the strain in a mouse model of systemic fungal infection. Conclusion The ERG3 gene was a key regulator in the ergosterol synthesis pathway in C. albicans. Its deletion induced multi-drug resistance by reshaping sterol metabolism, while pathogenicity maintenance depended on compensatory mechanisms. This study provided critical insights for developing antifungal drugs targeting sterol metabolism and overcoming drug resistance.

Adaptive optics(AO)is a technology designed to enhance the performance of optical systems through real-time measurement and correction of optical aberrations. With continuous advancements in refractive surgery techniques and rising patient expectations for surgical outcomes, the precise implementation of personalized refractive corrections has become a critical focus. The integration of AO technology into refractive surgery provides novel technical support. Specifically, the adaptive optics vision simulator(VAO)facilitates accurate preoperative objective and subjective refraction by dynamically measuring and correcting ocular wavefront aberrations, thereby improving refractive efficiency. Additionally, it enables effective prediction of postoperative aberrations for personalized procedures, assists clinicians in making data-driven preoperative decisions, facilitates comparative analysis of different surgical techniques, and allows intuitive evaluation of postoperative visual quality. This review comprehensively examines the advances in VAO applications for refractive surgery and analyzes both its clinical advantages and technical limitations.

Objective To investigate the current status and serologic characteristics of occult HBV infection in the adult physical examination population in Zigong region. Methods A total of 126 381 patients who were examined in the physical examination center and gastroenterology department of The First People's Hospital of Zigong City from April 2023 to September 2024 were screened, and 21 615 eligible cases were included in the study. The current status of infection was analyzed and serological patterns and serological characteristics of the included individuals were compared. Results This study screened 126 381 patients, all of whom underwent serum HBsAg testing, and 21 615 patients (17.10%) underwent HBV DNA testing, of which 7 992 were HBV DNA positive (>102 IU/mL) and HBsAg negative, accounting for 36.97% of the total number of patients who underwent HBV DNA testing. Anti-HBc positivity was significantly higher than other serologic patterns, and the lowest rate of HBV DNA positivity was found in those who were positive for anti-HBc, anti-HBs and anti-HBe. The lowest male-to-female ratio (1.25:1) was found in patients with both anti-HBc, anti-HBs and anti-HBe positivity, which was significantly lower than that of patients with the other three serologic characteristics (P=0.005). There were no significant differences in age, BMI, AST, ALT, and TBiL levels among patients with different serum characteristics (all P>0.05). The HBV viral load is highest in patients with anti HBc combined with anti HBe positivity, while the HBV viral load is lowest in patients with anti HBc positivity, anti HBs positivity, and all anti HBe positivity (P<0.001). Viral genotypes were predominantly B-type, and there were differences in genotype distribution among the four groups of patients (P<0.001). Conclusion The level of occult HBV infection was high in the adult medical examination population in Zigong region, mostly characterized by anti-HBc positivity, with the lowest male-to-female ratio among patients who were positive for anti-HBc, anti-HBs, and anti-HBe, and the highest HBV viral load among patients who were positive for anti-HBc combined with anti-HBe.

BACKGROUND: While emotional distress, encompassing anxiety and depression, has been associated with negative clinical outcomes, its impact across various clinical departments and general hospitals has been less explored. Previous studies with limited sample sizes have examined the effectiveness of specific treatments (e.g., antidepressants) rather than a systemic management strategy for outcome improvement in non-psychiatric inpatients. To enhance the understanding of the importance of addressing mental health care needs among non-psychiatric patients in general hospitals, this study retrospectively investigated the impacts of emotional distress and the effects of early detection and management of depression and anxiety on hospital length of stay (LOS) and rate of long LOS (LLOS, i.e., LOS >30 days) in a large sample of non-psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 487,871 inpatients from 20 non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. They were divided, according to whether they underwent a novel strategy to manage emotional distress which deployed the Huaxi Emotional Distress Index (HEI) for brief screening with grading psychological services (BS-GPS), into BS-GPS ( n = 178,883) and non-BS-GPS ( n = 308,988) cohorts. The LOS and rate of LLOS between the BS-GPS and non-BS-GPS cohorts and between subcohorts with and without clinically significant anxiety and/or depression (CSAD, i.e., HEI score ≥11 on admission to the hospital) in the BS-GPS cohort were compared using univariable analyses, multilevel analyses, and/or propensity score-matched analyses, respectively. RESULTS: The detection rate of CSAD in the BS-GPS cohort varied from 2.64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49%-2.81%) to 20.50% (95% CI: 19.43%-21.62%) across the 20 departments, with a average rate of 5.36%. Significant differences were observed in both the LOS and LLOS rates between the subcohorts with CSAD (12.7 days, 535/9590) and without CSAD (9.5 days, 3800/169,293) and between the BS-GPS (9.6 days, 4335/178,883) and non-BS-GPS (10.8 days, 11,483/308,988) cohorts. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounders using propensity score-matched comparisons. A multilevel analysis indicated that BS-GPS was negatively associated with both LOS and LLOS after controlling for sociodemographics and the departments of patient discharge and remained negatively associated with LLOS after controlling additionally for the year of patient discharge. CONCLUSION Emotional distress significantly prolonged the LOS and increased the LLOS of non-psychiatric inpatients across most departments and general hospitals. These impacts were moderated by the implementation of BS-GPS. Thus, BS-GPS has the potential as an effective, resource-saving strategy for enhancing mental health care and optimizing medical resources in general hospitals.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Psychological Distress ; Inpatients/psychology* ; Aged ; Anxiety/diagnosis* ; Depression/diagnosis*

To clarify the species, pathogenicity, and distribution of the pathogens causing the root rot of Atractylodes lancea in Hubei province, the tissue separation method was used to isolate the pathogens from root rot samples in the main planting areas of A. lancea in Hubei. Based on the preliminary identification of the Fusarium genus by the internal transcribed spacer(ITS) sequence, three housekeeping genes, EF1/EF2, Btu-F-FO1/Btu-F-RO1, and FF1/FR1, were amplified and sequenced. Subsequently, a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on these TEF gene sequences to classify the pathogens. The pathogenicity of these strains was determined using the root irrigation method. A total of 194 pathogen strains were isolated using the tissue separation method. Molecular identification using the three housekeeping genes identified the pathogens as F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. commune, F. equiseti, F. tricinctum, F. redolens, F. fujikuroi, F. avenaceum, F. acuminatum, and F. incarnatum. Among them, F. solani and F. oxysporum were the dominant strains, widely distributed in multiple regions, with F. solani accounting for approximately 54% of the total isolated strains and F. oxysporum accounting for approximately 34%. Other strains accounted for a relatively small proportion, totaling approximately 12%. The results of pathogenicity determination showed that there were certain differences in pathogenicity among strains. The analysis of the pathogenicity differentiation of the widely distributed F. solani and F. oxysporum strains revealed that these dominant strains in Hubei were mainly highly pathogenic. This study determined the species, pathogenicity, and distribution of the pathogens causing the root rot of A. lancea in Hubei province. The results provide a scientific basis for further understanding the root rot of A. lancea and its epidemic occurrence and scientifically preventing and controlling this disease.
Plant Diseases/microbiology* ; Atractylodes/microbiology* ; Phylogeny ; Plant Roots/microbiology* ; Fusarium/classification* ; China ; Virulence ; Fungal Proteins/genetics*

This study aims to investigate the scientificity and efficacy of the compatibility of Jinlingzi San from pharmacokinetics. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) was utilized to determine the plasma concentrations of the active components: toosendanin, tetrahydropalmatine A, and tetrahydropalmatine B at various time points following the gavage of Jinlingzi San and its single medicines in rats. Subsequently, WinNonlin was employed to calculate pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters. The pharmacokinetic parameters in rat plasma were compared between the single medicines and the compound formula of Jinlingzi San. It was discovered that the area under the curve(AUC_(all)) and peak concentrations(C_(max)) of tetrahydropalmatine A, and tetrahydropalmatine B were significantly elevated in the compound formula group compared with the single medicine groups. Conversely, the AUC_(all )and C_(max) of toosendanin notably decreased. Furthermore, the compound formula group had longer mean residence time(MRT) and lower apparent clearance(CL/F) of all three active ingredients than the single medicine groups(P<0.05). These findings indicated that Jinlingzi San enhanced the absorption of tetrahydropalmatine A and tetrahydropalmatine B in vivo, facilitating their pharmacological actions. Concurrently, it inhibited the absorption of toosendanin, thereby preventing potential toxic reactions. Moreover, the compatibility prolonged the residence time of the active ingredients in the body. This study provides a reference for exploring the compatibility rationality of Jinlingzi San.
Animals ; Rats ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Chromatography, Liquid/methods* ; Berberine Alkaloids/blood* ; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

To determine the optimal cultivation duration and harvest period for cultivated Notopterygium incisum and promote its industrial development, this study established a characteristic chromatographic profile of cultivated N. incisum and employed chemometrics combined with entropy-weighted grey correlation analysis to assess differences in agronomic traits and quality indicators across different cultivation years and harvest periods. By comparing with reference substances, ten common peaks were identified, including chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, marmesinin, nodakenin, isochlorogenic acid B, notopterol, phenethyl ferulate, isoimperatorin, and falcarindiol. The similarity between the characteristic chromatographic profiles of N. incisum at different cultivation years and the reference profile was all above 0.932. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) revealed that the quality of 1-to 3-year-old cultivated N. incisum was highly dispersed and unstable, whereas the quality of 4-year-old cultivated N. incisum remained relatively stable across different harvest periods. This suggests that the accumulation of relevant compounds in the medicinal material had reached a plateau, confirming that the optimal cultivation period for N. incisum is four years. Entropy-weighted grey correlation analysis indicated that the quality of 4-year-old cultivated N. incisum across different harvest periods ranked from highest to lowest as follows: November, December, October, August, July, and September, demonstrating that November is the optimal harvest time. The findings of this study establish the suitable cultivation duration and optimal harvest period for N. incisum, providing a scientific basis for cultivation guidance and quality standardization.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Apiaceae/chemistry* ; Entropy ; Chemometrics/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Principal Component Analysis ; Quality Control