The transcriptome sequencing based on Illumina Novaseq 6000 Platform was performed with the untreated seed embryo(DS), stratified seed embryo(SS), and germinated seed embryo(GS) of Zanthoxylum nitidum, aiming to explore the molecular mechanism regulating the seed dormancy and germination of Z. nitidum and uncover key differentially expressed genes(DEGs). A total of 61.41 Gb clean data was obtained, and 86 386 unigenes with an average length of 773.49 bp were assembled. A total of 29 290 DEGs were screened from three comparison groups(SS vs DS, GS vs SS, and GS vs DS), and these genes were annotated on 134 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathways. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the plant hormone signal transduction pathway is the richest pathway, containing 226 DEGs. Among all DEGs, 894 transcription factors were identified, which were distributed across 34 transcription factor families. These transcription factors were also mainly concentrated in plant hormone signal transduction and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathways. Further real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) validation of 12 DEGs showed that the transcriptome data is reliable. During the process of seed dormancy release and germination, a large number of DEGs involved in polysaccharide degradation, protein synthesis, lipid metabolism, and hormone signal transduction were expressed. These genes were involved in multiple metabolic pathways, forming a complex regulatory network for dormancy and germination. This study lays a solid foundation for analyzing the molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy and germination of Z. nitidum.
Zanthoxylum/metabolism* ; Plant Dormancy/genetics* ; Seeds/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Transcriptome ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Germination ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Plant Growth Regulators/genetics* ; Signal Transduction

Because of the unclear active substances, metabolic pathways, and targets of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), non-clinical safety evaluation often fails to accurately locate the target organs and tissue exposed to medicinal toxicity. The human use experience(HUE) contains important safety information of TCM, while the clinical safety data in the past HUE are few and have not been effectively applied. Standardized prospective HUE studies should be carried out to collect the clinical safety data, in which appropriate physical and chemical indicators(including blood, urine, and stool routine), liver biochemical indicators, kidney biochemical indicators, and cardiovascular biochemical indicators should be selected for safety evaluation, and the detection time point and sample size should be rationally designed. Importance should be attached to the observation of symptoms and signs of adverse events/reactions in patients as well as the safety information of special groups such as the elderly, children, and pregnant women. The adverse events of TCM should be observed, judged, and treated according to the theory and the diagnosis and treatment mode of TCM. The clinical safety information about the HUE should be comprehensively collected for new drugs of TCM to make up for the lack of extrapolation of toxicological test results to humans. The unique advantages of clinical origin of new drugs of TCM should be given full play for cross-reference of the results of toxicological research and the conclusions of HUE safety evaluation. In addition, benefit-risk assessment should be conducted based on HUE, and a panoramic safety evaluation system characterized by macro and micro combination and in line with the characteristics of TCM should be established to improve the success rate in the research and development of new drugs of TCM.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/adverse effects* ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Female

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) solid waste is characterized by widespread availability, renewability, and substantial production volume. In the context of the "dual carbon" goals, the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste for producing fuel gas for recycling in pharmaceutical production has emerged as a crucial strategy for optimizing the energy structure in the TCM industry and developing renewable energy. This paper comprehensively reviews both internal and external factors that influence the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste. Internal factors encompass moisture content, particle size, ash content, and the morphology of the raw materials, while external factors include pyrolysis conditions, equivalence ratios, types of gasifiers, and gasifying agents. Furthermore, this paper details the challenges associated with the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste, such as the dispersion of feedstocks, the diversity of resources, the complexity of the pyrolysis process, and the variations in gasifier performance. Finally, this paper proposes measures to address these challenges. This paper aims to provide insights into the development of a circular economy for TCM resources and the advancement of low-carbon energy utilization in the TCM industry.
Pyrolysis ; Carbon/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Solid Waste/analysis* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Gases/chemistry*

Schizophrenia (SZ) stands as a severe psychiatric disorder. This study applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in conjunction with graph neural networks to distinguish SZ patients from normal controls (NCs) and showcases the superior performance of a graph neural network integrating combined fractional anisotropy and fiber number brain network features, achieving an accuracy of 73.79% in distinguishing SZ patients from NCs. Beyond mere discrimination, our study delved deeper into the advantages of utilizing white matter brain network features for identifying SZ patients through interpretable model analysis and gene expression analysis. These analyses uncovered intricate interrelationships between brain imaging markers and genetic biomarkers, providing novel insights into the neuropathological basis of SZ. In summary, our findings underscore the potential of graph neural networks applied to multimodal DTI data for enhancing SZ detection through an integrated analysis of neuroimaging and genetic features.
Humans ; Schizophrenia/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Brain/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; White Matter/pathology* ; Gene Expression ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Graph Neural Networks

This study investigates the pharmacokinetics and metabolic characteristics of three marine-derived piericidins as potential drug leads for kidney disease: piericidin A (PA) and its two glycosides (GPAs), glucopiericidin A (GPA) and 13-hydroxyglucopiericidin A (13-OH-GPA). The research aims to facilitate lead selection and optimization for developing a viable preclinical candidate. Rapid absorption of PA and GPAs in mice was observed, characterized by short half-lives and low bioavailability. Glycosides and hydroxyl groups significantly enhanced the absorption rate (13-OH-GPA > GPA > PA). PA and GPAs exhibited metabolic instability in liver microsomes due to Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) and uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferases (UGTs). Glucuronidation emerged as the primary metabolic pathway, with UGT1A7, UGT1A8, UGT1A9, and UGT1A10 demonstrating high elimination rates (30%-70%) for PA and GPAs. This rapid glucuronidation may contribute to the low bioavailability of GPAs. Despite its low bioavailability (2.69%), 13-OH-GPA showed higher kidney distribution (19.8%) compared to PA (10.0%) and GPA (7.3%), suggesting enhanced biological efficacy in kidney diseases. Modifying the C-13 hydroxyl group appears to be a promising approach to improve bioavailability. In conclusion, this study provides valuable metabolic insights for the development and optimization of marine-derived piericidins as potential drug leads for kidney disease.
Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Aquatic Organisms/chemistry* ; Biological Availability ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism* ; Glucuronosyltransferase/metabolism* ; Microsomes, Liver/metabolism* ; Molecular Structure ; Biological Products/pharmacokinetics* ; Pyridines/pharmacokinetics*

Objective To investigate the factors influencing the prognosis of complex intracranial aneurysms treated with pipeline flow-directed device(PED)and to develop a nomogram prediction model.Methods The clinical data of a total of 98 patients with complex intracranial aneurysm,who were admitted to the Anyue County People's Hospital or the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical College of China from January 2021 to April 2023 to receive PED treatment,were retrospectively analyzed.The influencing factors that might affect the prognosis of patients with complex intracranial aneurysm were collected.According to the modified Rankin Scale(mRS)score,the patients were divided into good prognosis group(being defined as mRS ≤2 points)and poor prognosis group(being defined as mRS＞2 points).The clinical data were compared between the two groups,and a nomogram model was established and validated.Results In the 98 patients,poor prognosis was seen in 10(10.20％).The differences in age,history of hypertension,history of diabetes mellitus,clopidogrel resistance,Fisher classification,repeated aneurysm rupture,aneurysm location,aneurysm size,aneurysm neck,multiple lesions,and Hunt-Hess grade on admission between good prognosis group and poor prognosis group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Multivariate analysis revealed that history of hypertension,clopidogrel resistance,repeated aneurysm rupture,aneurysm location,multiple lesions,and Hunt-Hess grade were the independent factors influencing the prognosis of patients with complex intracranial aneurysm after receiving PED treatment.The AUC of the nomogram model in predicting the prognosis of PED for complex intracranial aneurysms was 0.849(95％CI=0.758-0.939).The predicted curves of the model group and validation group were basically fitted to the standard curves.The results of the decision curve analysis showed that the net benefit to patients was greater than 0 when the probability threshold of the nomogram model for predicting a poor prognosis of PED for complex intracranial aneurysms was 0.10-0.90.Conclusion The factors causing poor prognosis of PED for complex intracranial aneurysms mainly include history of hypertension,clopidogrel resistance,repeated aneurysm rupture,etc.The nomogram model established in this study can predict the risk of poor prognosis in patients with complicated intracranial aneurysm after receiving PED treatment.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic factors of children with septic shock in the pediatric intensive care unit.Methods:The clinical data of children diagnosed with septic shock in the pediatric intensive care unit of Guiyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital from April 2018 to April 2022 were retrospectively collected,and the children were divided into the death group and the survival group according to seven days regression.The basic data of the two groups were statistically compared，and the relationship between lactic acid，vasoactive-inotropic score one hour after admission，time of antibiotic initiation，serum potassium，serum sodium，serum calcium，serum troponin T，fluid resuscitation volume in the first hour，glutamyl aminotransferase，creatinine，total leukocyte count，C-reaction protein，brain natriuretic peptide were compared.The risk factors affecting the death of children were analyzed by Logistic regression.The relationship between fluid resuscitation volume in the first hour and prognosis was analyzed using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:（1）A total of 67 children were included，19 died and 48 survived.（2）The first-hour liquid resuscitation dose in the survival group was lower than that in the death group，and the difference was statistically significant（ P<0.05）.（3）The ROC curve showed that the optimal cut-off of the first-hour liquid resuscitation dose was 25 mL/kg，with a sensitivity of 57.9% and a specificity of 72.9%.（4）In unifactorial analysis，lactic acid in the first hour of admission，early lactic acid after resuscitation，serum calcium，serum troponin T，alanine aminotransferase，combined septic encephalopathy，Glasgow coma score，and pediatric critical illness score were all risk factors for death in children within seven days（ P<0.05）.(5) Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that serum calcium（ OR=1.435， P=0.001）and lactic acid value after resuscitation（ OR=0.040， P=0.021）were independent risk factors for death in septic shock. Conclusion:The higher the total fluid resuscitation in the first hour，the higher the fatality rate.Serum calcium and early lactic acid after resuscitation are independent risk factors for death in children within seven days.

AIM:To explore the fundus vascular characteristics of healthy individuals based on deep learning techniques, with a view to discovering the range of normal values of the fundus arteries and veins, as well as the relationship between physiological factors, such as gender, age, body mass index(BMI), blood pressure, and fundus vasculature characteristics.METHODS:Fundus images of healthy people were taken from a professional fundus camera, and the subject's blood pressure and laboratory test was collected. Additionally, the fundus arteries and veins were segmented by the improved U-Net model, and the color, morphology and Haralick texture features of the vessels were extracted from computer vision technology.RESULTS:A total of 4 487 cases fundus images were taken and 326 cases with healthy and clear fundus images were screened, including 200 males and 126 females. There were differences in the morphology, color, and textural characteristics of the left and right eyes, as well as of the fundus arterioles and veins, with a mean vessel width(width)of 1.146 in the arteries and 1.430 in the veins, and an arteriovenous ratio about 4:5. Fundus artery and vein characteristics in healthy individuals of different ages(21-30, 31-40, 41-50): compared with the healthy population aged 21-30 and 31-40 years, arterial and venous inverse difference moment(idm), f12 and venous angular second moment(asm)values increased, and arterial and venous contrast(con), entropy(ent), difference entropy(den), and venous sum entropy(sen)values decreased in 41-50 years. Compared with the 21-30 years age group, arterial f12 values increased and venous con values decreased in 31-40 years(all P<0.05). Fundus vascular characteristics of healthy individuals of different sexes: compared with male, fundus arterial and venous sum average(sav), sum variance(sva)values, arterial curved values, and venous b mean, bsd, variance(var), sen, ent values increased in female, while venous area value of female decreased(all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in fundus arteriosus and venous features in healthy subjects with different levels of BMI(all P>0.05). Fundus characteristics of healthy people with different degrees of blood pressure: there were statistically significant differences in fundus arteriosus area, width, and venous con, idm, dva, and den values between the normal blood pressure and high blood pressure groups(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The characteristics of the left and right eyes as well as the fundus arteries and veins differ in healthy individuals and correlate with physiological factors such as gender, age and blood pressure, which have the value of a potential microcirculation marker.

OBJECTIVE To explore the specific application and evaluation effect of objective structured clinical examination(OSCE)-guided scenario-based practical teaching mode in training clinical pharmacists. METHODS Fifty-six trainees who participated in the clinical pharmacist training program in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from October 2020 to September 2022 were selected as the research objects. OSCE-guided teaching was conducted, and the application effect of OSCE-guided teaching mode in clinical pharmacist training was explored and analyzed by using theoretical examination results and OSCE assessment results as evaluation indicators. RESULTS Through comparative analysis, it was found that the OSCE-guided teaching mode not only enabled students to better grasp the theoretical knowledge points required by the training outline, but also improved their clinical thinking ability, problem-solving ability, and communication and coordination skills to varying degrees. CONCLUSION For clinical pharmacist trainees, the OSCE teaching mode is conducive to the comprehensive improvement of clinical pharmacist skills and is suitable for cultivating clinical pharmacists who are capable of independently carrying out clinical pharmacy services in the new situation.