Energy metabolism reprogramming is one of the pathological mechanisms involved in the occurrence and development of tumors.This article focused on the theory of spleen deficiency in TCM and energy metabolism reprogramming to elaborate the pathological mechanism of tumors.TCM believes that spleen deficiency is an important organ pathogenesis that causes cancer due to deficiency,and spleen deficiency runs through the occurrence and development of tumors.The spleen is the source of qi and blood transformation and dominates the energy metabolism of the whole body.Mitochondria are the regulatory center of energy metabolism in the body,and abnormal mitochondrial energy metabolism is the manifestation of spleen deficiency at the cellular micro level,which is mainly manifested as the limitation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and the conversion to aerobic glycolysis to provide energy for the rapid growth of tumors.Therefore,based on the theory of spleen deficiency,the treatment based on spleen strengthening is used to prevent and treat tumors by improving energy metabolism,which not only enriches the modern medical connotation of spleen deficiency in TCM,but also provides a new perspective for TCM to treat malignant tumors from the perspective of spleen strengthening.

AIM: To observe the changes of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness and radial peripheral capillary(RPC)density in patients with unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO), and further analyze the correlation between RPC density and RNFL thickness.METHODS: Observational study. Totally 37 patients with unilateral BRVO diagnosed at the ophthalmology department of First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from October 2020 to January 2022 were selected, the 37 affected eyes were the unilateral BRVO group, and 37 fellow healthy eyes were the contralateral unaffected group, and 35 healthy individuals(35 right eyes were selected)without ocular diseases during the same period were selected as the normal control group. The best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment, fundus and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)were examined in both eyes of all BRVO patients and healthy individuals. The central macular thickness(CMT), the RNFL thickness, and the optic disc-AV crossing distance(DAVD)were measured by built-in software of the OCTA equipment. The optimized U-net algorithm was used to eliminate the large blood vessels, and then the RPC density was calculated. The CMT, RNFL thickness and RPC density were compared among the three groups. And the correlations of the RPC density with the CMT, RNFL thickness, and the DAVD were investigated.RESULTS: Compared with the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group, the CMT and the RNFL thickness were significantly thickened in the unilateral BRVO group(all P<0.05); there were no statistical differences in the CMT and the RNFL thickness between the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group(all P>0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group increased compared with the contralateral unaffected group and decreased compared with the normal control group, but there was no statistically difference(all P>0.05). However, the RPC density in the contralateral unaffected group decreased compared with the normal control group(P<0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group was not correlated with the CMT(P=0.960), but positively correlated with the RNFL thickness(r=0.401, P=0.014)and negatively correlated with the DAVD(r=-0.339, P=0.040).CONCLUSION: The RNFL thickened significantly and the RPC density did not change significantly in the optic disc area of BRVO patients. The RPC density is positively correlated with the RNFL thickness, indicating that the RNFL thickness can be used as a monitoring indicator to analyze and study the damage degree of the RPC density.

Accurate characterization of the chemical composition of complex traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an essential foundation for the modern scientific interpretation of TCM principles. Mass spectrometry is the most dominant technique in current research on the material basis of TCM, offering the highest sensitivity and the richest information provision. Establishing mass spectrometry databases represents the most effective approach to facilitating the structural analysis of TCM chemical components. This paper systematically searches and reviews literature published from January 2005 to January 2025 through online databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, and Web of Science, using “mass spectrometry database” and “traditional Chinese medicine” as keywords. It reviews the current status of seven TCM chemical component mass spectrometry databases and seven natural product mass spectrometry databases. The key advancements of these mass spectrometry databases for natural products are summarized, detailing their characteristics, search methodologies, included information, and data sources. Additionally, challenges related to data quality, standardization, timely updates, database interaction, retrieval functionality, and data sharing and security are discussed in depth. Furthermore, the paper explores prospective development directions for TCM mass spectrometry databases, emphasizing the importance of open data sharing, technological innovation, and data security. Through this analysis, the paper aims to offer theoretical guidance and practical recommendations for the precise identification of TCM components, as well as for the construction and application of these databases.

To report the first case of congenital ichthyosis with woolly hair in China, and to elucidate its genetic variant profile. A 28-year-old female patient presented with rashes on the trunk and limbs for 28 years. Dermatological examination revealed dry and rough skin over the entire body, with well-defined, polygonal, dark brown, adherent scales densely distributed over the trunk and extremities. No significant abnormalities were observed in the mucous membranes, teeth, or nails. The patient exhibited uniformly distributed, woolly and curly hair with a soft, dry texture and normal density; no significant hair breakage or brittleness was observed, while the eyebrows appeared sparse. Hair microscopy showed irregular axial twisting of hair strands at varying intervals; scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed irregular hair shafts with some segments appearing flat in a belt-like pattern, and magnified SEM images further demonstrated hair cuticle damage on the surface of hair shafts, manifesting as localized upward curling and longitudinal grooves, indicating structural damage to the hair shafts. Whole-exome sequencing identified a homozygous variant c.124dupC in exon 3 of the PRSS8 gene in the proband, resulting in a frameshift mutation (p.Gln42Profs*24) in the PRSS8 protein. According to the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics as well as the patient's clinical manifestations, this variant could be preliminarily classified as pathogenic. A diagnosis of syndromic ichthyosis was made. This case represents the first report of syndromic ichthyosis caused by PRSS8 variants in China and the second report in the world, and this condition is proposed to be tentatively named as "ichthyosis-woolly hair syndrome".

Objective:To investigate the association between blood pressure variability (BPV) and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and provide reference for clinical management in CAPD patients.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included patients who received CAPD at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between May 1, 2010, and July 31, 2023. Baseline and clinical data of the patients were collected. Coefficient of variation of systolic blood pressure (CVSBP) was used to assess BPV. The patients were divided into CVSBP T1, CVSBP T2 and CVSBP T3 groups based on CVSBP tertiles, and the differences among the three groups were compared. Diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were used to further assess BPV and sensitivity analysis was conducted. The primary endpoint was the composite outcome of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox regression analysis were used to analyze the association between CVSBP and the primary endpoint.Results:A total of 358 CAPD patients were included, with age of (43.6±13.3) years, and 197 males (55.0%). The proportion of males, proportion of smoking, baseline blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and serum albumin in CVSBP T2 (9.08%≤CVSBP<12.55%, n=120) group and CVSBP T3 (CVSBP≥12.55%, n=119) group were lower than those in CVSBP T1 group (CVSBP<9.08%, n=119), and baseline systolic blood pressure, residual kidney Kt/V and total Kt/V were higher than those in CVSBP T1 group, with statistically significant difference among the three groups (all P<0.05). During follow-up of 37(23, 76) months, 49 patients (13.7%) experienced the composite endpoint events, including 12 patients (3.4%) of all-cause deaths and 42 patients (11.7%) of cardiovascular events. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the incidence of composite endpoint events in CVSBP T3 group was higher than that in CVSBP T1 group and CVSBP T2 group, but the difference was not statistically significant (Log-rank χ2=3.795, P=0.150). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, baseline systolic blood pressure, residual renal function, and serum albumin, as a continuous variable, CVSBP was not associated with the risk of composite outcome in CAPD patients ( HR=1.058, 95% CI 0.985?1.135, P=0.122); as a categorical variable, with CVSBP T1 group as reference, CVSBP T2 group and CVSBP T3 group were not associated with the risk of composite outcome ( HR=1.222, 95% CI 0.471?3.167, P=0.681; HR=1.827, 95% CI 0.737?4.530, P=0.193). The sensitivity analysis showed that increased variability of diastolic blood pressure ( HR=1.162, 95% CI 1.063?1.270, P=0.021) and increased variability of mean arterial pressure ( HR=1.114, 95% CI 1.030?1.204, P=0.007) were correlated with higher risk of composite outcome in CPAD patients. Conclusions:Systolic blood pressure variability during follow-up is not associated with risk of composite outcome of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in CAPD patients. Increased variability of diastolic blood pressure and increased variability of mean arterial pressure are associated with a higher risk of composite outcome in CPAD patients. Interventions to reduce BPV may be helpful to improve the long-term prognosis of CAPD patients.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of hand dysfunction and its associated factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:A cross-sectional study. Patients with RA were recruited from January 2019 to April 2024 at the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including age, gender, active smoking, disease duration, time of morning stiffness, rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, disease activity, radiographic indicators, and hand function assessment. Hand function was assessed by grip strength measures and self-reported items related to hand function in the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire. Factors related to hand function were analyzed by logistic regression analyses.Results:A total of 1 079 RA patients were recruited [mean age: (53.0±12.6) years]. Overall, 72.6% (783/1 079) patients experienced a decrease in grip strength, 57.2% (617/1 079) patients experienced a decreased grip strength in both hands, with the average grip strength of the left and right hands decreasing by 16.3% and 14.1%, respectively, compared to normal values; 39.9% (430/1 079) patients had self-reported hand dysfunction. There were 185 (17.1%) older RA patients (age ≥65 years). The proportion of older RA patients with decreased grip strength [89.7% (166/185) vs. 69.0% (617/894)] and degree of decrease in grip strength compared to normal values (left hand:-35.3%±30.6% vs. -12.3%±38.6%; right hand:-32.6%±32.3% vs. -10.3%±42.1%) were significantly higher than that in young patients, and the proportion of older patients with self-reported hand dysfunction was also significantly higher [53.0% (98/185) vs. 37.1% (332/894), all P<0.001]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pain visual analogue scale ( OR=1.375, 95% CI 1.020-1.854) was independently associated with grip strength decrease in older RA patients, while the 28-joint tender joint count ( OR=1.151, 95% CI 1.063-1.246) and provider global assessment of disease activity ( OR=1.381, 95% CI 1.171-1.628) were associated with self-reported hand dysfunction. Conclusions:Hand dysfunction is common in RA patients, especially among older RA patients, which is related to pain, joint tenderness and provider global assessment of disease activity. This result implies the importance of pain management in RA patients.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of doing Huatuo five-animal play treating blood-stasis-type silent myocardial ischemia(SMI)and its influence on coronary hemodynamics.Methods Ninety patients diagnosed as silent myocardial ischemia were randomly divided into a five-animal play group(n=45,age:51.56±11.00 years,24 males and 21 females)and a regular exercise group(n=45,age:52.44±7.19 years old,24 males and 21 females)according to a random number table.The five-animal play group practised the traditional five-animal play,while the regular exercise group con-ducted daily 30-minute moderate-intensity treadmill aerobic exercise,five times a week,for 4 weeks.The changes in the number of abnormal ST-T segment occurrences,myocardial oxygen consumption(CMO),coronary ischemia threshold(CIT),and blood smoothness index(BSD)within 24-hour ambu-latory electrocardiogram before and after the intervention were observed in both groups,with the thera-peutic effect and hemodynamic characteristics of both groups evaluated.Results The average number of ST-T segment abnormalities decreased after intervention in both groups(P<0.001),with significantly greater improvement in the five-animal play group than the regular exercise group(P<0.001).More-over,the average CMO decreased significantly,while the average CMR and BSD increased significant-ly in both groups after intervention(P<0.05),with significantly greater improvement in the five-ani-mal play group than the other group.Meanwhile,the total effective rate in the five-animal play group was significantly higher than the regular exercise group(P<0.01).Conclusion Undergoing the five-ani-mal play and moderate intensity treadmill aerobic exercise both are effective in treating silent myocardi-al ischemia.However,the former therapy is superior to the latter in bettering CMO,CIT and BSD.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) on spherical equivalent (SE) and axial length (AL) in myopic children.Methods:Clinical studies on the progress of DIMS lens intervention in myopia reported in CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from the establishment of the database to June 2023 were searched.The experimental group and control group used DIMS lens and single vision lens (SVL) for intervention, respectively.Two researchers independently conducted the literature search, screening and data extraction based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Literature quality and risk of bias were evaluated in accordance with the requirements of the Cochrane Manual.Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.4 software.Results:A total of 7 clinical studies using DIMS lenses to intervene in the development of myopia were included .Seven studies provided complete SE data for analysis, with sample sizes of 1 164 eyes and 1 140 eyes for the DIMS group and SVL group, respectively.Five studies provided complete AL data for analysis, with sample sizes of 339 eyes and 315 eyes for the DIMS group and SVL group, respectively.There were statistically significant differences in SE and AL between DIMS group and SVL group (SE: WMD=0.40, 95% CI: 0.32-0.47, P<0.001; AL: WMD=-0.14, 95% CI: -0.17--0.11, P<0.001).DIMS lens could effectively delay SE progression and AL growth in myopic patients. Conclusions:DIMS lenses could delay the increase of SE and AL to a certain extent.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors associated with early neurological deterioration(END)in patients with minor acute ischemic stroke(mAIS),develop a clinical prediction model for END,and identify independent risk factors for 90-day neurological functional outcomes after stroke.Methods mAIS patients admitted consecutively to the Department of Neurology,Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College(the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College),from July 2023 to July 2024 were retrospectively collected.A minor ischemic stroke was defined as acute ischemic stroke with a National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score≤5 on admission.Baseline,clinical,and imaging data of all mAIS patients were collected and recorded,including demographic information(age,sex),past medical history(hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia,coronary heart disease,atrial fibrillation),smoking history,alcohol consumption,baseline blood pressure,pre-onset modified Rankin scale(mRS),NIHSS scores at admission and during hospitalization(24 hours,48 hours,72 hours after admission),motor component subscore of the NIHSS scores,NIHSS scores at discharge,trial of Org 10172 in acute stroke treatment(TOAST)classification,laboratory indicators(fasting blood glucose,hemoglobin A1c[HbA1c],total cholesterol,triglycerides,high-density lipoprotein,low-density lipoprotein),clinical treatment information(intravenous thrombolysis,mono antiplatelet therapy,dual antiplatelet therapy,anticoagulation therapy)and length of stay.The status of stenosis and occlusion in the culprit vessel were assessed based on imaging results.Mild-to-moderate stenosis was defined as a stenosis rate of 0％to 69％,severe stenosis as a stenosis rate of 70％to 99％,and occlusion as complete interruption of the supplying artery.END was defined as an increase in NIHSS score of ≥2 points from baseline within 72 hours after admission,combined with an increase of at least 1 point in the motor score compared to the score at admission.Prognosis was assessed via telephone follow-ups at 90-day after onset using mRS score,with an mRS score ≤ 2 indicating a favorable outcome and an mRS score＞2 indicating a poor outcome.Variables with P＜0.05 in the univariate analysis were incorporated into multivariate Logistic regression analysis to identify the independent risk factors for END in mAIS patients.A nomogram model was constructed,and calibration curves along with decision curve analysis were plotted to evaluate the model's goodness-of-fit and clinical utility.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with poor 90-day functional outcome after mAIS.Results(1)A total of 826 patients were included,aged 33-94 years,with a median age of 67(57,76)years.There were 571 males and 255 females.The NIHSS score at admission ranged from 0 to 5,with a median NIHSS score at admission of 3(2,4).The NIHSS motor subscore at admission ranged from 0 to 5,with a median baseline NIHSS motor score of 2(0,2).Among them,119 patients(14.4％)were in the END group and 707 patients(85.6％)were included in the non-END group.At 90days after stroke,744 patients(90.1％)had a favorable outcome,while 82 patients(9.9％)had a poor outcome.(2)Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between the END group and the non-END group in terms of HbA1c,fasting blood glucose,baseline NIHSS score,baseline NIHSS motor subscore,history of alcohol consumption,diabetes mellitus,culprit vessel stenosis and occlusion,and TOAST classification(all P＜0.05).Statistically significant differences were observed between the favorable outcome group and the poor outcome group in HbA1c,fasting blood glucose,incidence of END,baseline NIHSS score,discharge NIHSS score,culprit vessel stenosis and occlusion,TOAST classification,and history of alcohol consumption(all P＜0.05).(3)Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that mAIS patients with severe stenosis of the culprit vessel(OR,5.88,95％CI2.32-14.91,P＜0.01),occlusion of the culprit vessel(OR,5.74,95％CI 2.25-14.62,P＜0.01),history of alcohol consumption(OR,5.59,95％CI3.41-9.17,P＜0.01),elevated HbA1c(OR,1.67,95％CI 1.35-2.08,P＜0.01),and higher baseline NIHSS motor score(OR,1.43,95％CI 1.08-1.89,P=0.012)had an increased risk of END.A higher discharge NIHSS score(OR,2.59,95％CI 1.89-3.57,P＜0.01)and the occurrence of END(OR,18.42,95％CI 5.13-66.18,P＜0.01)were associated with poor 90-day functional outcome after mAIS.(4)The nomogram model constructed based on independent risk factors of END in mAIS patients demonstrated an AUC of 0.78(95％CI 0.73-0.83)for predicting END,with a sensitivity of 0.8 and a specificity of 0.7.The model showed good calibration,and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated good agreement between predicted and observed values(P=0.333).Decision curve analysis revealed that the model provided a high net benefit across a range of high-risk thresholds(0.1-0.7),suggesting its potential clinical utility.Conclusions Severe stenosis of the culprit vessel,occlusion of the culprit vessel,glycated hemoglobin levels,baseline NIHSS motor subscale scores,and history of alcohol consumption are independent risk factors for END in patients with mAIS.The nomogram model constructed based on these factors demonstrated good predictive performance.END and NIHSS scores at discharge are independent predictors of poor 90-day outcomes in patients with mAIS.

L-theanine is an important natural non-protein amino acid that is widely used in food and medicine. Although in previous studies, a microbial fermentation method for L-theanine without the addition of ethylamine has been developed, the conversion rate of this process needs to be further improved. In this study, we constructed a de novo synthesis pathway of L-theanine with glucose as the substrate. First, an in vitro transformation pathway containing ω-transaminase (TA) and γ-glutamylmethylamide synthetase (GMAS) was designed, optimized, and introduced into the chassis strain Escherichia coli K12 W3110 to achieve de novo synthesis of L-theanine. To improve the synthesis efficiency through metabolic engineering, we increased the copies of the GMAS gene gams and the TA gene spuC and enhanced the expression of the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene eutE to provide sufficient acetaldehyde substrate, knocked out the lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA and the pyruvate formate lyase gene pflB to block bypass metabolism, and introduced the alanine dehydrogenase gene alD to recycle alanine. Furthermore, we over-expressed the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene ppc to enhance the carbon flux of the TCA cycle, knocked out the succinyl-CoA synthase gene sucCD to reduce the loss of downstream flux of TCA, and integrated the glutamate dehydrogenase gene gdh to enhance the supply of L-glutamate. Finally, the polyphosphate kinase gene ppk was introduced to the ATP cycle, which enhanced the energy supply in L-theanine production. The recombinant strain Tea11 produced 22.60 g/L L-theanine in a 5 L fermenter in 28 h, with a conversion rate of 41.71%. This synthetic pathway in this study balanced the relationship between the supply of ethylamine and the production of theanine, providing a new idea for metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce L-theanine.
Glutamates/biosynthesis* ; Metabolic Engineering/methods* ; Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Fermentation ; Transaminases/metabolism* ; Amide Synthases/metabolism* ; Glucose/metabolism*