Flavonoids are key bioactive components for evaluating the pharmacological activities of Chimonanthus praecox. Exploring the potential flavonoids and pharmacological mechanisms of C. praecox lays a foundation for the rational development and efficient utilization of this plant. This study employed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based widely targeted metabolomics to comprehensively identify the flavonoids in C. praecox. Network pharmacology was employed to explore the bioactive flavonoids and their mechanisms of action. Molecular docking was adopted to validate the predicted results. Finally, the content of bioactive flavonoids in different varieties of C. praecox was measured. The widely targeted metabolomics analysis identified 387 flavonoids in C. praecox, and the flavonoids varied among different varieties. Network pharmacology predicted 96 chemical components including 19 bioactive compounds, 181 corresponding targets and 2 504 disease targets, among which 99 targets were shared by the active components and the disease. Thirty-three core targets were predicted, involving 229 gene ontology terms and 99 pathways (P≤0.05), which indicated that the flavonoids components of C. praecox exhibited pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. Topological analysis screened out five core components (salvigenin, laricitrin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, and 6-hydroxyluteolin) and five core targets (SRC, PIK3R1, AKT1, ESR1, and AKR1C3). The predicted bioactive flavonoids from C. praecox stably bound to key targets, which indicated that these flavonoids possessed potential bioactivities in their interactions with the targets. The flavonoids in C. praecox exerted pharmacological activities in a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway manner. The combined application of metabolomics and network pharmacology provides a theoretical basis for in-depth studies on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of C. praecox.
Flavonoids/metabolism* ; Network Pharmacology ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Calycanthaceae/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*

We studied the genetic diversity and established the DNA molecular identify for Prunus mume with both ornamental and edible values, aiming to collect, identify, evaluate, and breed new varities of this plant and promote the upgrading of the P. mume industry chain in northern China. We employed 13 pairs of primers with good polymorphism, clear bands, and good repeatability to analyze the genetic diversity and establish the molecular identify of 68 germplasm accessions of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values from Xingtai, Hebei Province. We then employed the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) to perform the cluster analysis based on genetic distance. After that, we analyzed the genetic structure of the 68 germplasm accessions based on a Bayesian model. The 13 pairs of SSR primers amplified a total of 124 alleles from 68 P. mume germplasm accessions, with the mean number of alleles (Na) of 9.538 5, the minor allele frequency (MAF) of 0.369 3, the mean number of effective alleles (Ne) of 4.483 5, and the mean Shannon genetic diversity index (I) of 1.712 4. The mean Nei's gene diversity index (H) of 0.763 7, the mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.719 5, the mean expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.769 3, the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.733 6, and the mean genetic similarity (GS) of 0.772 9 suggested that there were significant genetic differences and rich genetic diversity among the studied P. mume germplasm accessions. The cluster analysis revealed that the 68 accessions were classified into three groups, with the mean genetic distance of 0.622 6. The population structure analysis classified the germplasm accessions into two populations. According to the PIC of primers, we selected primers for combination and constructed the combination with the fewest primers required for germplasm differentiation of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values. This study provides a theoretical basis for the innovation and industrial upgrading of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values in gardening and the improvement of breeding efficiency.
Prunus/classification* ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; China ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; DNA, Plant/genetics* ; Alleles

The elucidation of resources pertaining to the Chimonanthus praecox varieties and the establishment of a fingerprint serve as crucial underpinnings for advancing scientific inquiry and industrial progress in relation to C. praecox. Employing the SSR molecular marker technology, an exploration of the genetic diversity of 175 C. praecox varieties (lines) in the Yanling region was conducted, and an analysis of the genetic diversity among these varieties was carried out using the UPDM clustering method in NTSYSpc 2.1 software. We analyzed the genetic structure of 175 germplasm using Structure v2.3.3 software based on a Bayesian model. General linear model (GLM) association was utilized to analyze traits and markers. The genetic diversity analysis revealed a mean number of alleles (Na) of 6.857, a mean expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.496 3, a mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.503 7, a mean genetic diversity index of Nei՚s of 0.494 9, and a mean Shannon information index of 0.995 8. These results suggest that the C. praecox population in Yanling exhibits a rich genetic diversity. Additionally, the population structure and the UPDM clustering were examined. In the GLM model, a total of fifteen marker loci exhibited significant (P < 0.05) association with eight phenotypic traits, with the explained phenotypic variation ranging from 14.90% to 36.03%. The construction of fingerprints for C. praecox varieties (lines) was accomplished by utilizing eleven primer pairs with the highest polymorphic information content, resulting in the analysis of 175 SSR markers. The present study offers a thorough examination of the genetic diversity and SSR molecular markers of C. praecox in Yanling, and establishes a fundamental germplasm repository of C. praecox, thereby furnishing theoretical underpinnings for the selection and cultivation of novel and superior C. praecox varieties, varietal identification, and resource preservation and exploitation.
Bayes Theorem ; Biomarkers ; Phenotype ; Cluster Analysis ; Genetic Variation

Objective:To explore the effectiveness of applet-assisted teaching in the pedagogy of stomatology and gain suggestions for the improvement of the applet.Methods:Using digital technology, we built a professional atlas applet for Oral Histopathology that covered a wide range of contents including illustrations, histological slides, schematic diagrams, and hand-drawn pictures of knowledge points. Based on the WeChat platform, the applet had the functions of bilingual (Chinese/English) annotation and real-time interactive communication between teachers and students. Thirty dental students were given quizzes before and after using the atlas applet. The scores were analyzed using the t-test with SPSS 22.0 software. At the same time, 45 students filled a questionnaire after using the applet for one month, which involved comments on the use of the digital atlas, the degree of satisfaction and suggestions for the applet during learning, and suggestions for its co-use by teachers and students in the future. Results:After using the atlas applet to assist with learning, the test scores of the students were improved significantly in all domains. There were significant differences between the test and control groups in the score of completion questions [(17.00±2.61) vs. (15.03±1.85), P<0.05], the score of identification of images [(27.93±5.08) vs. (25.13±3.31), P<0.05], and the total score [(78.77±8.59) vs. (72.90±6.08), P<0.05]. The questionnaire feedback showed that the students were highly satisfied with the atlas applet-assisted learning, the function of teacher-student interaction, and the overall performance of the applet. Conclusion:An atlas is one of the crucial teaching tools of Oral Histopathology for its intuitionistic and realistic presentation of tissue structures, which plays an important role in the theoretical learning process for dental students. The combination of the atlas and electronic media based on portable mobile devices is beneficial for students' understanding of knowledge.

When nanoparticles were introduced into the biological media, the protein corona would be formed, which endowed the nanoparticles with new bio-identities. Thus, controlling protein corona formation is critical to

Objective:To investigate the influence of HBV infection on the prevalence of fatty liver disease in Jinchang cohort and provide theoretical evidence for the prevention and treatment of fatty liver disease.Methods:Epidemiological investigation, laboratory examination and abdominal ultrasound were conducted in the baseline population of Jinchang cohort to collect the basic data, the differences in the prevalence of fatty liver disease under different HBV infection patterns were described and compared and the influence of different HBV infection patterns on the prevalence of fatty liver disease were evaluated by using logistic regression analysis.Results:The baseline Jinchang cohort population totaled 45 605, including 27 917 males and 17 688 females. The male to female ratio was 1.6∶1. The mean age of the overall population was 46.49 years. Among the 8 common HBV infection modes in the Jinchang cohort, the prevalence of fatty liver was low in HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAb positive, HBsAg and HBcAb positive, and HBsAg, HBeAb and HBcAb positive groups. For 4 serum markers of HBV infection, the prevalence of fatty liver disease in HBsAg and HBeAg positive groups was lower than that in HBsAg and HBeAg negative groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that being HBsAg and HBcAb positive ( OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.98) and HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAb positive ( OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.89) could reduce the risk for fatty liver disease. Conclusion:Acute HBV infection reduces the prevalence of fatty liver disease, and the reason may be related to the disturbance of the body's fat metabolism by active HBV replication.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Jinchang cohort, and provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of NAFLD.Methods:A total of 20 051 patients without fatty liver at baseline survey and met the inclusion criteria in Jinchang cohort were selected as study subjects. Prospective cohort study and Cox regression analysis were used to investigate the influencing factors for NAFLD, and the dose-response relationship between related biochemical indicators and NAFLD risk was studied by restricted cubic spline method.Results:The incidence of NAFLD was 42.37/1 000 person years. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that being worker and technical personnel (being worker: HR=0.84,95% CI:0.70-0.99;being technical personnel: HR=0.73,95% CI:0.56-0.95), tea drinking (current drinking: HR=0.86,95% CI:0.78-0.94;previous drinking: HR=0.52,95% CI: 0.31-0.86), exercise (occasionally: HR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.68-0.91;frequently: HR=0.60,95% CI:0.52-0.69), low body weight ( HR=0.10, 95% CI: 0.05-0.22), daily intake of dairy products >300 ml/day ( HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.71-0.87) and HBV infection ( HR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.99) were the protective factors for NAFLD, while being internal or office workers ( HR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.46-2.31), income ≥2 000 yuan (2 000- yuan: HR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.04-1.66; ≥5 000 yuan: HR=1.72, 95% CI:1.11-2.66), bachelor degree or above ( HR=1.35,95% CI:1.03-1.76), overweight ( HR=2.31, 95% CI:2.08-2.55), obesity ( HR=3.95, 95% CI: 3.42-4.56), impaired fasting blood glucose ( HR=1.31, 95% CI:1.17-1.47), diabetes ( HR=1.53, 95% CI: 1.30-1.80), increased TC ( HR=1.37,95% CI:1.24-1.52), increased TG ( HR=1.79,95% CI: 1.62-1.98), decreased HDL-C ( HR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.14-1.45), increased ALT ( HR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.01-1.26) and high-fat diet ( HR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.11-1.40) were the risk factors for NAFLD. Moreover, TC, TG, HDL-C, ALT and FPG all showed good dose-response relationship with the incidence of NAFLD. Conclusion:Occupation, education level, income level, tea drinking, exercise, BMI, FPG, blood lipid, ALT, HBV infection and diet were related to the incidence of NAFLD.

Objective To evaluate the long-term result of jejunum-interpositioned choledochoduodenostomy with a antireflux valve after resection of choledochocele in 178 patients.Methods Postoperative patients were followed up by barium series of the upper digestive tract at different interval. To observe whether reflux remains and the severity of the reflux.Results142 out of the 178 cases (798%) were followed up, among them 21 cases (48%) without reflux, 26 cases (83%) with mild reflux, 51 cases (359%) with moderate reflux,and 28 severe cases(9%).16 cases(11.3%) had to undergo reoperation.Conclusion The technique has the effect of anti-reflux temporarily.Long-term follow-up found an increased morbidity of biliary infection, obstruction, perforation and stone formation.Severe postoperative complications necessitates a reoperation in some cases.