This study aims to comprehensively analyze the material basis of toad visceral oil(hereafter referred to as toad oil), and explore the pharmacological effect of toad oil on atopic dermatitis(AD). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) were employed to comprehensively identify the chemical components in toad oil. The animal model of AD was prepared by the hapten stimulation method. The modeled animals were respectively administrated with positive drug(0.1% hydrocortisone butyrate cream) and low-and high-doses(1%, 10%) of toad oil by gavage. The effect of toad oil on AD was evaluated with the AD score, ear swelling rate, spleen index, and pathological section results as indicators. A total of 99 components were identified by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS, including 14 bufadienolides, 7 fatty acids, 6 alkaloids, 10 ketones, 18 amides, and other compounds. After methylation of toad oil samples, a total of 20 compounds were identified by GC-MS. Compared with the model group, the low-and high-dose toad oil groups showed declined AD score, ear swelling rate, and spleen index, alleviated skin lesions, and reduced infiltrating mast cells. This study comprehensively analyzes the chemical composition and clarifies the material basis of toad oil. Meanwhile, this study proves that toad oil has a good therapeutic effect on AD and is a reserve resource of traditional Chinese medicine for external use in the treatment of AD.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic/immunology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Male ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Bufonidae ; Oils/administration & dosage* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Female ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the application value of genetic newborn screening (gNBS) in the Yunnan region. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted with a random selection of 3 001 newborns born in the Yunnan region from February to December 2021. Traditional newborn screening (tNBS) was used to test biochemical indicators, and targeted next-generation sequencing was employed to screen 159 genes related to 156 diseases. Positive-screened newborns underwent validation and confirmation tests, and confirmed cases received standardized treatment and long-term follow-up. RESULTS: Among the 3 001 newborns, 166 (5.53%) were initially positive for genetic screening, and 1 435 (47.82%) were genetic carriers. The top ten genes with the highest variation frequency were GJB2 (21.29%), DUOX2 (7.27%), HBA (6.14%), GALC (3.63%), SLC12A3 (3.33%), HBB (3.03%), G6PD (2.94%), SLC25A13 (2.90%), PAH (2.73%), and UNC13D (2.68%). Among the initially positive newborns from tNBS and gNBS, 33 (1.10%) and 47 (1.57%) cases were confirmed, respectively. A total of 48 (1.60%) cases were confirmed using gNBS+tNBS. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the areas under the curve for tNBS, gNBS, and gNBS+tNBS in diagnosing diseases were 0.866, 0.982, and 0.968, respectively (P<0.05). DeLong's test showed that the area under the curve for gNBS and gNBS+tNBS was higher than that for tNBS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS gNBS can expand the range of disease detection, and its combined use with tNBS can significantly shorten diagnosis time, enabling early intervention and treatment.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neonatal Screening ; Genetic Testing ; Female ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Prospective Studies ; China

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of spraying different formulations of niclosamide ethanolamine salt with drones against Oncomelania hupensis in ditches. Methods A semi-dry and semi-wet ditch with O. hupensis snails was selected in the second branch field of Jiangbei Farm, Jiangling County, Hubei Province in May 2023, and divided into 4 experimental areas, named groups A1, A2, B1 and B2. Environmental cleaning was performed in groups A1 and B2, and was not conducted in groups A2 or B2. Then, 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups A1 and A2, and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups B1 and B2. O. hupensis snails were surveyed using the systematic sampling method 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days after spraying, and the natural mortality and corrected mortality of O. hupensis snails were calculated. Results The occurrence of frames with living snails, mean density of living snails and natural mortality of snails were 97.50% (117/120), 6.30 snails/0.1 m² and 1.18% (9/765) in the test ditch before spraying, respectively. There were significant differences in the mortality of snails among four groups 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after spraying niclosamide formulations with drones (χ² = 17.230, 51.707, 65.184, 204.050 and 34.435, all P values < 0.01). The overall mortality rates of snails were 94.51% (1 051/1 112), 79.44% (908/1 143), 96.54% (977/1 012) and 88.55% (1 021/1 153) in groups A1, A2, B1 and B2 (χ² = 207.773, P < 0.05), respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference in the overall snail mortality between groups A1 and B1 (P > 0.05), and the snail mortality in groups A1 and B1 were both statistically different from that in groups A2 and B2 (all P values < 0.05). Conclusion Both 50% wettlable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule sprayed with drones are active against O. hupensis snails in ditches, and environmental cleaning may improve the molluscicidal effect.

Objective To explore the efficacy of T-cell spot test of tuberculosis infection(T-SPOT.TB)in the differential diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis(STB),and optimize diagnostic efficacy through the optimal cut-off value of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Methods Clinical data of patients with spinal infection in a hospi-tal from January 2010 to May 2019 were collected,including preoperative T-SPOT.TB test results,white blood cell count,C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,procalcitonin,and tuberculosis antibodies,etal.Clinical diagnosis was conducted based on diagnostic criteria.The sensitivity and specificity of T-SPOT.TB in preoperative diagnosis of STB and other spinal infection was analyzed,and the diagnostic efficacy of the optimized T-SPOT.TB indicators was evaluated.Results A total of 132 patients were included in this study,out of whom 78 patients(59.09％)were diagnosed with STB,and 54(40.91％)were diagnosed with non-tuberculosis(non-TB)spinal in-fection.The sensitivity and specificity of T-SPOT.TB in differential diagnosis of STB were 67.68％and 66.67％,respectively.Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with non-TB spinal infection,the OR va-lue of T-SPOT.TB test in diagnosing STB was 4.188(95％CI:1.847-9.974,P＜0.001).The optimized T-SPOT.TB evaluation index through ROC curve to determine the optimal cut-off values of ESAT-6,CFP-10,and CFP-10+ESAT-6 for differential diagnosis of STB and non-TB spinal infection were 12.5,19.5,and 36,respec-tively,and area under curve(AUC)values were 0.765 6,0.741 5,and 0.778 6,respectively,all with good diag-nostic efficacy.CFP-10+ESAT-6 had the highest AUC.CFP-10+ESAT-6 specific spot count had higher efficacy in the diagnosis of STB,with a diagnostic accuracy of 75.56％,higher than 67.42％of pre-optimized T-SPOT.TB.Conclusion T-SPOT.TB test has high diagnostic efficacy in differentiating STB from non-TB spinal infection.Posi-tivity in T-SPOT.TB test,especially with spot count of CFP-10+ESAT-6 over 36,indicates a higher likelihood of STB.

Here,5 important pathogens carried by ticks in Maanshan City,Anhui Province,China were identified.In to-tal,642 ticks were collected from 13 villages around Maanshan City and identified by morphological and mitochondrial COI genes.The 16S rRNA gene of Francisella tularensis,ssrA gene of Bartonella,16S rRNA,ompA and ompB genes of Rickett-sia,16S rRNA and gltA genes of Anaplasma,and groEL and rpoB genes of Coxiella were sequenced.Reference sequences were retrieved from a public database.Phylogenetic trees were constructed with MEG A1 1.0 software.In total,36 Rickettsiae isolates were detected in 640 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks,which included 20 isolates of Rickettsia heilongjian-gensis,16 of Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis,2 of Ana-plasma bovis,and 186 of Coxiella-like endosymbiont.R.hei-longjiangensis HY2 detected in this study and Anhui B8 strain,Ca.R.jingxinensis QL3 and those from Shanxi Prov-ince and Jiangsu Province,A.bovis JX4 and those from Shanxi Province were clustered on the same branch.Overall,17 ticks had combined infections and none of the 5 bacteria were detected in two Amblyomma testudinarium ticks.This is the first report of Ca.R.jingxinensis detected in H.longicornis ticks from Anhui Province.It is recommended that the two types of Rickettsia that cause spotted fever and A.bovis should be reported to local health authorities to initiate appropriate prevention and control measures.

ObjectiveTo visualize the research trends of verbal and nonverbal cognitive functions in patients with post-stroke aphasia (PSA). MethodsPapers about verbal and nonverbal cognitive functions after stroke were extracted from Web of Science Core Collection from establishment to August, 2022, and a bibliometric analysis was conducted on the distribution of articles published by year, author, journal, institution, and country. Author cooperation, author co-citation, journal co-citation, country/institution cooperation, dynamic evolution, keyword hotspots, and trends were visually analyzed by using VOSviewer software. ResultsA total of 1 630 publications were identified for final analysis. The first article related to the topic was retrieved in 2004. After that, the number of published papers showed an increasing trend year by year, with some fluctuations after 2019. Matthew A. Lambon Ralph and Elizabeth Jefferies were the authors who produced the most, were cited the most, and were the most influential. Neuropsychologia was a highly productive and well-cited publication. The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and Johns Hopkins University in the United States were the nations/institutions with high yield and high centrality. Although China had a high yield and was in the top five, the centrality was insufficient. The dynamic emergence of keywords revealed that the research had gone through the following stages: evaluating the mechanism of language and nonverbal cognitive function impairment based on neuroimage, exploring the role of nonverbal cognitive dysfunction in pathology and recovery mechanisms of patients with PSA, examining the therapeutic mechanism of non-invasive brain stimulation and electronic tele-rehabilitation equipment, and revealing not only the frontal and temporal areas but also brain network supporting nonverbal cognition. ConclusionIn recent years, some achievements have been made in the researches on verbal and nonverbal cognitive function, particularly in the studies of the neuroimaging-based mechanisms of common damage and the intervention effects of synergistic therapy. In the future, academic cooperation between different regions and different teams needs to be strengthened. Further exploration should be focused on refining the cognitive neuropsychology and exploring new technologies to improve the therapeutic effect of PSA.

【Objective】 To analyze the basic characteristics of whole blood donors from blood stations before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. 【Methods】 After excluding invalid data, data related to the basic characteristics of whole blood donors collected from 26 blood stations in China during 2018 to 2021 were statistically analyzed, including the trend of total whole blood donors, the number of repeated blood donors, the frequency of blood donation, the average age of donors and the recruitment of first-time blood donors. 【Results】 Affected by the epidemic, 8 out of 14 indicators were with large variations, accounting for 57%. The overall growth rate of total whole blood donors during the epidemic was higher than before the epidemic (P<0.05).The number of repeated blood donors has shown an increased trend, with a higher number during the epidemic than before (P<0.05). The frequency of blood donation was lower during the epidemic than before(P<0.05).Average ages of blood donors and female blood donors fluctuated widely during the epidemic, both higher than those before the epidemic(P<0.05).The donation rate of first-time blood donors <25 years old and ≥25 years old varied widely and irregularly during the epidemic (both P<0.05). The percentage of first-time blood donors fluctuated irregularly during the epidemic, with overall percentage lower than that before the epidemic(P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Whole blood donors from 26 blood stations increased after the outbreak of COVID-19, and some indicators in certain areas showed significant fluctuations during the epidemic.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*

The tissue distribution of Qingfei Paidu Decoction was studied by HPLC-MS/MS in vivo. Hypersil GOLD C_(18) column(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.9 μm) was used for gradient elution with acetonitrile as the mobile phase A and 0.1% formic acid solution as the mobile phase B. High-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in both positive and negative ion scanning mode and multiple response monitoring(MRM) mode was employed to analyze the behaviors of the active components of Qingfei Paidu Decoction in diffe-rent tissues. The results showed that 19, 9, 17, 14, 22, 19, 24, and 2 compounds were detected in plasma, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, large intestine, and brain, respectively. The compounds belonged to 8 groups, covering 14 herbs in the prescription. After administration with Qingfei Paidu Decoction, the compounds were rapidly distributed in various tissues, especially in the lung, liver, large intestine, and kidney. The majority of the compounds displayed secondary distribution. This study comprehensively analyzed the distribution rules of the main active components in Qingfei Paidu Decoction and provided a basis for the clinical application.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Tissue Distribution ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal