ObjectiveBased on the theory of "spleen governing transportation and transformation"， this study investigates the efficacy of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma processed with Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AMR-AFI） in improving slow-transit constipation（STC）， as well as the synergistic regulatory mechanism involving the microbiota-metabolism axis， thereby elucidating the scientific basis of its processing theory. MethodsAnimals were randomly divided into the control group， model group， positive drug（mosapride） group（3 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of AMR-AFI（3.9， 7.8， 15.6 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the remaining five groups were induced with STC using loperamide hydrochloride. Following modeling， interventions were administered. All groups received continuous administration for 15 d， during which fecal samples， colon tissue， and serum were collected. Constipation improvement was assessed by measuring fecal moisture content and small intestinal propulsion rate， histological morphology of colonic tissue was observed via hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the levels of interleukin（IL）-6， tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， and IL-2 in serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Furthermore， the microbial community structure in mouse feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing， while transcriptomic sequencing was employed to screen differentially expressed genes in colonic tissue， followed by gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses. Finally， Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore the association between differential microbiota and differential genes. ResultsCompared with the control group， the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content in the model group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）， while serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2 were significantly elevated（P<0.01）. HE staining showed damage and shedding of colonic mucosal epithelial cells， along with a reduction in goblet cells in the model group. In comparison with the model group， all treatment groups improved the pathological state of the colonic mucosa to varying degrees and reduced serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2（P<0.01）. Among these， the high-dose group of AMR-AFI significantly increased the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content of rats（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further transcriptomic analysis revealed that a total of 104 differentially expressed genes were identified from comparisons between the model group and the control group， as well as between the model group and the high-dose group of AMR-AFI. These genes were mainly enriched in pathways closely related to STC pathogenesis， such as arachidonic acid metabolism and aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption. 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that AMR-AFI reversed the structural imbalance of the gut microbiota in model mice， increased species richness， downregulated the relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria such as Parasutterella， and enriched beneficial and butyrate-producing bacteria， including Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group， Ruminococcaceae， and Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis further showed that the beneficial bacteria enriched in the AMR-AFI group were negatively correlated with genes involved in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and positively correlated with genes in the aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption pathway. In contrast， pro-inflammatory bacteria in the model group exhibited the opposite correlation trends. ConclusionAMR-AFI can effectively exert synergistic therapeutic effects on STC by regulating intestinal microbiota， arachidonic acid-mediated inflammatory metabolism， and aldosterone-regulated water-salt balance pathways.

ObjectiveBased on the theory of "spleen governing transportation and transformation"， this study investigates the efficacy of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma processed with Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AMR-AFI） in improving slow-transit constipation（STC）， as well as the synergistic regulatory mechanism involving the microbiota-metabolism axis， thereby elucidating the scientific basis of its processing theory. MethodsAnimals were randomly divided into the control group， model group， positive drug（mosapride） group（3 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of AMR-AFI（3.9， 7.8， 15.6 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the remaining five groups were induced with STC using loperamide hydrochloride. Following modeling， interventions were administered. All groups received continuous administration for 15 d， during which fecal samples， colon tissue， and serum were collected. Constipation improvement was assessed by measuring fecal moisture content and small intestinal propulsion rate， histological morphology of colonic tissue was observed via hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the levels of interleukin（IL）-6， tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， and IL-2 in serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Furthermore， the microbial community structure in mouse feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing， while transcriptomic sequencing was employed to screen differentially expressed genes in colonic tissue， followed by gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses. Finally， Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore the association between differential microbiota and differential genes. ResultsCompared with the control group， the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content in the model group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）， while serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2 were significantly elevated（P<0.01）. HE staining showed damage and shedding of colonic mucosal epithelial cells， along with a reduction in goblet cells in the model group. In comparison with the model group， all treatment groups improved the pathological state of the colonic mucosa to varying degrees and reduced serum levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-2（P<0.01）. Among these， the high-dose group of AMR-AFI significantly increased the intestinal propulsion rate and fecal moisture content of rats（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further transcriptomic analysis revealed that a total of 104 differentially expressed genes were identified from comparisons between the model group and the control group， as well as between the model group and the high-dose group of AMR-AFI. These genes were mainly enriched in pathways closely related to STC pathogenesis， such as arachidonic acid metabolism and aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption. 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that AMR-AFI reversed the structural imbalance of the gut microbiota in model mice， increased species richness， downregulated the relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria such as Parasutterella， and enriched beneficial and butyrate-producing bacteria， including Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group， Ruminococcaceae， and Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis further showed that the beneficial bacteria enriched in the AMR-AFI group were negatively correlated with genes involved in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and positively correlated with genes in the aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption pathway. In contrast， pro-inflammatory bacteria in the model group exhibited the opposite correlation trends. ConclusionAMR-AFI can effectively exert synergistic therapeutic effects on STC by regulating intestinal microbiota， arachidonic acid-mediated inflammatory metabolism， and aldosterone-regulated water-salt balance pathways.

Objective:To develop employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents.Methods:Using Delphi method, the employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents was formulated through a two-round expert consultation among 19 experts. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis to calculate the positive coefficient, authority coefficient and coordination degree of experts.Results:For the two rounds of the expert consultation, the questionnaire recovery rate was 95.0% and 100% respectively. The experts' authority coefficient was 0.92, and the system was ultimately determined, including 5 first-level indicators, and 32 secondary indicators. The coefficient of variation (CV) of first-level indicators was 0.00, and the Kendall's W of secondary indicators was 0.663. Conclusions:Employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents is scientific and reliable, which could provide employer with systematic and objective tool to evaluate residents' post competency.

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy,molecular targeted therapy,and immunotherapy are frequently employed to extend the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer(GC).However,most of these treatments have toxic side effects,drug resistance,and limited improvements in survival and quality of life.Therefore,it is crucial to discover and develop new medications targeting GC that are highly effective and have minimal toxicity.In previous studies,the total terpene extract from the stem of Celastrus orbiculatus demonstrated anti-GC activity;however,the specific mechanism was unclear.Our research utilising co-immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry(Co-IP-MS),polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1(ptbp1)clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein 9(Cas9)-knockout(KO)mouse model,tissue microarray,and functional experiments suggests that alpha actinin-4(ACTN4)could be a significant biomarker of GC.PTBP1 influences actin cytoskeleton restructuring in GC cells by interacting with ACTN4.Celastrus orbiculatus stem extract(COE)may directly target ACTN4 and affect the interaction between PTBP1 and ACTN4,thereby exerting anti-GC effects.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of pachymic acid （PA） in Poria on the invasion and metastasis of renal carcinoma cells. MethodThe effect of PA （0， 20， 40， 80， 160 μmol·L^-1） on cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8（CCK-8）， and the dose of PA was selected for subsequent experiments. The effect of PA （0， 20， 40， 80 μmol·L^-1） on cell proliferation was evaluated by colony formation assay. The effect of PA （0， 20， 40， 80 μmol·L^-1） on cell adhesion ability was observed by cell adhesion assay. The effect of PA （0， 20， 40， and 80 μmol·L^-1） on cell invasion and metastasis was investigated by Wound healing assay and Transwell invasion assay. The inhibitory effect of PA （0， 20， 40， 80 μmol·L^-1） on cell motility was further observed and verified by high-content imaging technology. The effects of PA （0， 20， 40， 80 μmol·L^-1） on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase （MMP）/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinasas （TIMP） related to invasion and metastasis and Smads were detected by Western blot. ResultCCK-8 results showed that compared with the blank group， the PA groups showed decreased cell viability（P<0.01）， with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） of ACHN cells of 70.42 μmol·L^-1 at 24 h. Colony formation assay showed that the number of cell clonal groups in the PA groups was reduced compared with that in the blank group（P<0.01）. Cell adhesion assay showed that compared with the blank group， the PA groups displayed reduced cell adhesion（P<0.01）. Wound healing assay showed that the wound healing rate of cells in the PA groups was lower than that in the blank group （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Transwell invasion assay showed that compared with the blank group， the number of transmembrane cells in PA groups was reduced（P<0.01）. High-content imaging showed that the cumulative migration distance of cells in the PA groups was shorter than that in the blank group（P<0.01）. The results of Western blot showed that the protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the PA groups decreased （P<0.01）， and TIMP-1 protein expression increased （P<0.01） compared with those in the blank group. In addition， compared with the blank group， the PA groups showed decreased protein expression of Smad2 and Smad3 （P<0.01）. ConclusionPA can inhibit the invasion and metastasis of renal carcinoma cells presumably through regulating the homeostasis of MMP/TIMP by Smad2/3.

BACKGROUND: Red-cell transfusion is critical for surgery during the peri-operative period; however, the transfusion threshold remains controversial mainly owing to the diversity among patients. The patient's medical status should be evaluated before making a transfusion decision. Herein, we developed an individualized transfusion strategy using the West-China-Liu's Score based on the physiology of oxygen delivery/consumption balance and designed an open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial to verify whether it reduced red cell requirement as compared with that associated with restrictive and liberal strategies safely and effectively, providing valid evidence for peri-operative transfusion. METHODS: Patients aged >14 years undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery with estimated blood loss > 1000 mL or 20% blood volume and hemoglobin concentration <10 g/dL were randomly assigned to an individualized strategy, a restrictive strategy following China's guideline or a liberal strategy with a transfusion threshold of hemoglobin concentration <9.5 g/dL. We evaluated two primary outcomes: the proportion of patients who received red blood cells (superiority test) and a composite of in-hospital complications and all-cause mortality by day 30 (non-inferiority test). RESULTS: We enrolled 1182 patients: 379, 419, and 384 received individualized, restrictive, and liberal strategies, respectively. Approximately 30.6% (116/379) of patients in the individualized strategy received a red-cell transfusion, less than 62.5% (262/419) in the restrictive strategy (absolute risk difference, 31.92%; 97.5% confidence interval [CI]: 24.42-39.42%; odds ratio, 3.78%; 97.5% CI: 2.70-5.30%; P <0.001), and 89.8% (345/384) in the liberal strategy (absolute risk difference, 59.24%; 97.5% CI: 52.91-65.57%; odds ratio, 20.06; 97.5% CI: 12.74-31.57; P <0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in the composite of in-hospital complications and mortality by day 30 among the three strategies. CONCLUSION: The individualized red-cell transfusion strategy using the West-China-Liu's Score reduced red-cell transfusion without increasing in-hospital complications and mortality by day 30 when compared with restrictive and liberal strategies in elective non-cardiac surgeries. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01597232.
Humans ; Adult ; Postoperative Complications ; Erythrocyte Transfusion/adverse effects* ; Blood Transfusion ; Hospitals ; Hemoglobins/analysis*

Objective:To investigate the mediating roles of the fear of missing out and mobile phone addiction between the basic psychological needs satisfaction and phubbing behavior among high school students.Methods:In April 2022, a cross-sectional design survey was conducted on 14 666 high school students. All participants were evaluated by the basic psychological needs scales(BPNS), generic scale of phubbing(GSP), trait-state fear of missing out scale(T-S FOMOS) and mobile phone addiction index(MPAI). The SPSS 26.0 software was used to conduct common method deviation test, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis.PROCESS 4.1 was used to construct the model, and the Bootstrap method was used to test for mediating effects.Results:(1)Among the 14 036 high school students, there were 1 752 (12.48%) students who were addicted to mobile phones.There were significant differences in gender in the scores including BPNS(boy: 4.43±0.79, girl: 4.36±0.79), GSP(boy: 2.72±1.01, girl: 2.76±1.03) and T-S FOMOS(boy: 1.73±0.60, girl: 1.84±0.64), ( t=5.22, -10.58, -2.78, all P<0.01). Among different grades, there were significant differences in the scores of BPNS, T-S FOMOS, MPAI, and GSP( F=25.43, 39.50, 53.45, 14.59, all P<0.01). (2)Basic psychological needs score were positively correlated with fear of missing out, mobile phone addiction and phubbing( r=-0.432--0.294, all P<0.01). Phubbing were negatively correlated with fear of missing out and mobile phone addiction( r=0.744, 0.538, both P<0.01). Fear of missing out were negatively correlated with mobile phone( r=0.646, P<0.01). (3)The basic psychological needs satisfaction had a direct effect on phubbing behavior, and the effect value was -0.188 (95% CI: -0.173--0.204). The mediating effect of fear of missing out between the basic psychological needs satisfaction and phubbing behavior was -0.035(95% CI: -0.028--0.042). The mediating effect of mobile phone between the basic psychological needs satisfaction and phubbing behavior was -0.203(95% CI: -0.191--0.214). Fear of missing out and mobile phone addiction played a chain mediating role between them, and the mediating effect value was -0.134(95% CI: -0.125--0.143), which accounted for 23.93%(-0.134/-0.560) of the total effect. Conclusion:The high level basic psychological needs satisfaction can alleviate the occurrence of phubbing behavior. It may be achieved by decreasing fear of missing out and reducing mobile phone addiction.

ObjectiveTo study the inhibitory effect of Celastrus orbiculatus extract （COE） on gastric cancer cells， to clarify the specific mechanism of COE promoting the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by affecting the mitochondrial structure and function， and to provide an experimental basis for the further development and clinical application of C. orbiculatus. MethodBrdu staining combined with flow cytometry and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate （AnnexinV-FITC） staining combined with flow cytometry were employed to detect the effects of COE （20， 40， 80 mg·L^-1） on the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells， respectively. The changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected with JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit. The expression of apoptosis-associated proteins including B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， B-cell lymphoma-xL （Bcl-xL）， Bcl-2-associated X （Bax）， and cysteine aspartutespecific protease-3 （Caspase-3） in gastric cancer cells was determined by Western blot. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to detect changes in the mitochondrial microstructure of gastric cancer cells exposed to COE. Western blot was employed to measure the expression of mitochondrial marker proteins ［superoxide dismutase 1 （SOD1）， voltage-dependent anion channel （VDAC）， prohibitin 1 （PHB1）， and heat shock protein 60 （HSP60）］ in gastric cancer cells. ResultCompared with the control group， COE （40， 80 mg·L^-1） inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells （P<0.05）. Furthermore， COE reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential of gastric cancer cells. Compared with the control group， COE （20， 40， 80 mg·L^-1） up-regulated the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 which promoted apoptosis of gastric cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and COE at 40 and 80 mg·L^-1 down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL which inhibited the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells （P<0.01）. The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that COE changed the microstructure of gastric cancer cells， which led to the appearance of vacuoles in the cell membrane and mitochondria and damaged the mitochondrial structure. Compared with the control group， COE （20， 40， 80 mg·L^-1） changed the expression of mitochondrial marker proteins. Specifically， it up-regulated the expression of SOD1 involved in stress response （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated that of VDAC， PHB1， and HSP60 associated with mitochondrial stability and permeability （P<0.01）. ConclusionCOE can significantly inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. It may activate the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway by destroying the mitochondrial structure and function of gastric cancer cells.

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a key pathogen in periodontitis, has been shown to accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis (AS). However, the definite mechanisms remain elusive. Emerging evidence supports an association between mitochondrial dysfunction and AS. In our study, the impact of P. gingivalis on mitochondrial dysfunction and the potential mechanism were investigated. The mitochondrial morphology of EA.hy926 cells infected with P. gingivalis was assessed by transmission electron microscopy, mitochondrial staining, and quantitative analysis of the mitochondrial network. Fluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis were performed to determine mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels. Cellular ATP production was examined by a luminescence assay kit. The expression of key fusion and fission proteins was evaluated by western blot and immunofluorescence. Mdivi-1, a specific Drp1 inhibitor, was used to elucidate the role of Drp1 in mitochondrial dysfunction. Our findings showed that P. gingivalis infection induced mitochondrial fragmentation, increased the mtROS levels, and decreased the MMP and ATP concentration in vascular endothelial cells. We observed upregulation of Drp1 (Ser616) phosphorylation and translocation of Drp1 to mitochondria. Mdivi-1 blocked the mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction induced by P. gingivalis. Collectively, these results revealed that P. gingivalis infection promoted mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction, which was dependent on Drp1. Mitochondrial dysfunction may represent the mechanism by which P. gingivalis exacerbates atherosclerotic lesions.
Endothelial Cells ; Mitochondria ; Mitochondrial Dynamics ; Porphyromonas gingivalis