ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Erchentang （ECD） on the body weight of the mouse model of simple obesity induced by a high-fat diet （HFD） and decipher the underlying mechanisms. MethodsFirstly， single-cell transcriptomics （Sc-RNAseq） was employed to analyze the transcriptional changes in the ileum tissue of mice in the normal group and model group. Then， a mouse model of simple obesity was established with a high-fat diet. The successfully modeled mice were randomly allocated into the following four groups （n=8）： model， low-dose （7.5 g·kg^-1） ECD， medium-dose （15 g·kg^-1） ECD， and high-dose （30 g·kg^-1） ECD. Additionally， 8 mice of the same age were selected as the normal group. The body weight was measured at fixed time points during the 4-week gavage period. The overall efficacy of ECD in alleviating obesity was evaluated through glucose tolerance testing， behavioral analysis， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and biochemical testing. Protein docking was employed to predict the degree of binding between corresponding proteins. Molecular docking was employed to predict the binding degree between key components of ECD and target proteins. Real-time PCR was employed to determine the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， CD68， CD206， zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and Claudin-5 in the ileum. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression and distribution of Claudin-5 and ZO-1. ResultsThe Sc-RNAseq results indicated that the differentially expressed genes of immune cells in the model group in comparison with the normal group were primarily enriched in biological functions related to lipid metabolism and inflammatory metabolism. Additionally， these genes were associated with the janus kinases（JAK）/signal transducers and activators of transcription （STAT） signaling pathway， an inflammation-related pathway. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed increases in body weight （P<0.01） and blood glucose level （P<0.01）， a decrease in limb strength （P<0.01）， an increase in liver weight （P<0.05）， and elevated serum alanine amino-transferase （ALT） and aspartate transferase （AST） levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， the model group exhibited increased hepatic fat vacuoles， notably enlarged adipocytes in the epididymal and inguinal white adipose tissue， and increased inflammation. Compared with the model group， ECD groups showed reduced body weights （P<0.01） and blood glucose levels （P<0.01）， increased limb strength （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased liver weights （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and declined serum ALT and AST levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， ECD reduced hepatic fat vacuoles and the adipocyte volume in the epididymal and inguinal white adipose tissue， and alleviated inflammation. Potential interactions existed between CD68 and ZO-1/Claudin-5， as well as between CD206 and ZO-1/Claudin-5. The key components of ECD， nobiletin， diosmetin， and naringenin， all demonstrated strong binding affinity with the target proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-5. Compared with the normal group， the model group exhibited up-regulated mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α， iNOS， IL-1β， and CD68 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated mRNA levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine CD206 （P<0.01） and the tight junction proteins Claudin-5 and ZO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In comparison with the model group， the ECD groups showed down-regulated mRNA levels of TNF-α， iNOS， IL-1β， and CD68 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and up-regulated mRNA levels of CD206， Claudin-5， and ZO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the model group exhibited down-regulated expression of tight junction proteins Claudin-5 and ZO-1 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， ECD groups showed up-regulated expression of Claudin-5 and ZO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionECD can significantly ameliorate HFD-induced obesity and excessive body weight gain in mice by improving the inflammatory microenvironment in the ileum and further restoring the integrity of the impaired ileal barrier.

Cerebral palsy in children is a motor developmental disorder caused by non-progressive brain damage occurring prenatally,perinatally,or postnatally,with the spastic type being the most common clinical manifestation.This article systematically introduces Qin Min's academic philosophy in treating spastic cerebral palsy using Lingnan Flying Needle Therapy based on the Inner Canon's theory of"maintaining patency of qi and meridians".It elaborates on the core pathogenesis of"deficiency and stagnation of qi and meridians,leading to malnourishment of tendons and vessels"and the treatment approach of"regulating the conception vessel and governor vessel to unblock qi and meridians".By employing characteristic needling techniques such as Lingnan scalp acupuncture and Lingnan abdominal-back acupuncture,the therapy aims to activate yang qi,regulate and unblock qi and meridians,thereby achieving the goals of nourishing the spirit,softening tendons,and balancing yin and yang,with demonstrated favorable clinical efficacy.

Objective To investigate the effect of proanthocyanidins(PC)on the neurite outgrowth of rat dorsal root ganglion(DRG)neurons.Methods In vitro,primary rat DRG neurons were cultured wtih a series of concenteation of PC to assess the effect of PC on the number and length of neurites as well as the morphology of growth cone.In vivo,the expression of growth associated protein 43(GAP43)in the early stage of injury was detected using the sciatic nerve crush model.Finally,the impact of PC on nerve growth factor(NGF)expression in DRG neurons was evaluated in vitro using immunofluorescence and ELISA.Results PC significantly increased the number and length of neurites and the number of pseudopodium in growth cones of DRG neurons.PC also promoted the expres-sion of GAP43 in the early stage of sciatic nerve injury in rats and enhanced the expression of NGF in DRG neurons.Conclusion PC may promote the neurite outgrowth by increasing the expression of NGF in DRG neurons.

Objective:To investigate the impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the absolute counts and percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in rectal cancerpatientsand examine the relationship between the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and lymphocyte subsets.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. All enrolled patients received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy [short-course radiotherapy followed by four cycles of PD-1(programmed cell death protein 1) monoclonal antibody combined with Xelox chemotherapy]. Flow cytometry was used before and after neoadjuvant therapy to assess the absolute counts and percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, including CD3 +T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, B cells, NK cells, as well as the percentage of CD4 +CD25 +CD127 low regulatory T cells within CD4 +T cells (CD4 +Treg%) and the percentage offunctional CD8 +T cells withintotalTcells (CD8 +CD28 +T%). Based on these criteria, 58 patients were eligible for the study. Following neoadjuvant therapy, therapeutic efficacy was evaluated through clinical and pathological diagnosis, classifying patients intoa complete response (CR) group (including clinical complete response and pathologic complete response) and non-CR group. The CR group consisted of 20males and 7 females(mean age 52.89±9.95 years), while the non-CR group included 17males and 14 females (mean age 57.26±11.05 years). Paired t-test were used to compare changes in lymphocyte subsets before and after neoadjuvant therapy, and independent two-sample-t-tests were applied to analyze the differences in post-treatment changes and the basal levels of lymphocyte subsets between CR group and non-CR group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were employed to evaluate the predictive performance of baseline lymphocyte subsets for the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer patients. A validation cohort ( n=104) with only baseline lymphocyte subset data was used to assess the coincidence of the predictive indicators. Results:After completion of neoadjuvant therapy, all patients showed a reduction in the absolute counts of CD3 +T, CD4 +T, CD8 +T, B and NK cells ( P<0.05), with an increase in CD8 +T% and NK% ( P<0.05), and a decrease in B%( P<0.05).No statistically significant differences were observed in CD3 +T%, CD4 +T%, CD4 +Treg% and CD8 +CD28 +T%.These changes were independent of therapeutic efficacy, however, baseline levels of CD3 +T, CD4 +T, CD8 +T absolute counts, as well as CD3 +T%, CD8 +T% and CD8 +CD28 +T%, were significantly higher in the CR group than in the non-CR group ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis of these efficacy-related baseline indicators showed areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.838, 0.756, 0.839, 0.659, 0.702 and 0.858, respectively. Combining CD3 +T absolute count with CD8 +CD28 +T% yielded an AUC of 0.886, with a sensitivity of 81.5% and specificity of 90.3%. In the validation cohort, the positive predictive consistency for these indicators ranged 69.4% to 97.5%, while negative predictive consistency ranged from 69.8% to 84.4%. Conclusions:Neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer affects the ratio of lymphocytes, elevates the proportion of immune cells with anti-tumor effects.The number and ratio of lymphocyte subsets before treatment can predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.

Objective:To investigate the impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the absolute counts and percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in rectal cancerpatientsand examine the relationship between the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and lymphocyte subsets.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. All enrolled patients received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy [short-course radiotherapy followed by four cycles of PD-1(programmed cell death protein 1) monoclonal antibody combined with Xelox chemotherapy]. Flow cytometry was used before and after neoadjuvant therapy to assess the absolute counts and percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, including CD3 +T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, B cells, NK cells, as well as the percentage of CD4 +CD25 +CD127 low regulatory T cells within CD4 +T cells (CD4 +Treg%) and the percentage offunctional CD8 +T cells withintotalTcells (CD8 +CD28 +T%). Based on these criteria, 58 patients were eligible for the study. Following neoadjuvant therapy, therapeutic efficacy was evaluated through clinical and pathological diagnosis, classifying patients intoa complete response (CR) group (including clinical complete response and pathologic complete response) and non-CR group. The CR group consisted of 20males and 7 females(mean age 52.89±9.95 years), while the non-CR group included 17males and 14 females (mean age 57.26±11.05 years). Paired t-test were used to compare changes in lymphocyte subsets before and after neoadjuvant therapy, and independent two-sample-t-tests were applied to analyze the differences in post-treatment changes and the basal levels of lymphocyte subsets between CR group and non-CR group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were employed to evaluate the predictive performance of baseline lymphocyte subsets for the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer patients. A validation cohort ( n=104) with only baseline lymphocyte subset data was used to assess the coincidence of the predictive indicators. Results:After completion of neoadjuvant therapy, all patients showed a reduction in the absolute counts of CD3 +T, CD4 +T, CD8 +T, B and NK cells ( P<0.05), with an increase in CD8 +T% and NK% ( P<0.05), and a decrease in B%( P<0.05).No statistically significant differences were observed in CD3 +T%, CD4 +T%, CD4 +Treg% and CD8 +CD28 +T%.These changes were independent of therapeutic efficacy, however, baseline levels of CD3 +T, CD4 +T, CD8 +T absolute counts, as well as CD3 +T%, CD8 +T% and CD8 +CD28 +T%, were significantly higher in the CR group than in the non-CR group ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis of these efficacy-related baseline indicators showed areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.838, 0.756, 0.839, 0.659, 0.702 and 0.858, respectively. Combining CD3 +T absolute count with CD8 +CD28 +T% yielded an AUC of 0.886, with a sensitivity of 81.5% and specificity of 90.3%. In the validation cohort, the positive predictive consistency for these indicators ranged 69.4% to 97.5%, while negative predictive consistency ranged from 69.8% to 84.4%. Conclusions:Neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer affects the ratio of lymphocytes, elevates the proportion of immune cells with anti-tumor effects.The number and ratio of lymphocyte subsets before treatment can predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.

Primary small bowel tumors have low incidence and contain predominantly solid components, and the lesions are similar and difficult to be detected and distinguished with multislice spiral CT (MSCT) plain scans. In this article we describe contrast-enhanced MSCT technique and imaging characteristics for solid small bowel tumors or small bowel tumors containing predominantly solid components, including the type and use of contrast agents. In contrast-enhanced MSCT, small bowel imaging with CT has the advantages of determining the true extent of intestinal wall lesions, the possible extent of wall penetration, the degree of mesenteric involvement, and distant metastases, as well as easiness to detect and identify the blood supply vessels of small bowel tumors and assessment of the corresponding complications. Contrast-enhanced MSCT has become the best noninvasive imaging technique for the diagnosis, evaluation, and staging of solid small bowel tumors or small bowel tumors containing predominantly solid components. CT texture analysis (CTTA) is a new research hotspot and can be useful for the correct diagnosis of primary small bowel tumors containing predominantly solid components.

Renal cell carcinoma is one of the most common urinary tract cancers, accounting for 90% of renal cancer cases, and the clear cell renal cell carcinoma is its most common subtype. Because of poor response to conventional anti-cancer treatment, metastasis may occur in the early stage of renal cell carcinoma. The high degree of metastasis of renal cell carcinoma determines the necessity and importance of early diagnosis. Although a lot of researches about renal cell carcinoma have been carried out, its underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. Recent studies have shown that spot-type POZ protein (SPOP) can perform biological functions in a cancer type-specific way. Based on the latest findings, this article reviewed the current research status and prospectives of SPOP in renal cancer cells.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bioelectrochemical device, that enables simultaneous wastewater treatment and energy generation. However, a few issues such as low output power, high ohmic internal resistance, and long start-up time greatly limit MFCs' applications. MFC anode is the carrier of microbial attachment, and plays a key role in the generation and transmission of electrons. High-quality bioelectrodes have developed into an effective way to improve MFC performance. Conjugated polymers have advantages of low cost, high conductivity, chemical stability and good biocompatibility. The use of conjugated polymers to modify bioelectrodes can achieve a large specific surface area and shorten the charge transfer path, thereby achieving efficient biological electrochemical performance. In addition, bacteria can be coated with nano-scale conjugated polymer and effectively transfer the electrons generated by cells to electrodes. This article reviews the recently reported applications of conjugated polymers in microbial fuel cells, focusing on the MFC anode materials modified by conjugated polymers. This review also systematically analyzes the advantages and limitations of conjugated polymers, and how these composite hybrid bioelectrodes solve practical issues such as low energy output, high inner resistance, and long starting time.
Bacteria ; Bioelectric Energy Sources ; Electricity ; Electrodes ; Polymers ; Water Purification

Objective To evaluate the predicting value of the marker of endothelial injury: plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9( MMP-9) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein( hsCRP) level on the progression of acute anterior circulating territory infarction progressing to malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (m-MCAI). Methods 90 patients with acute anterior circulating territory infarction, in which 46 patients progressed to m-MCAI, were collected and sampled consecutively. The plasma MMP-9 and hsCRP of all patients were determined by ELISA and immunotur-bidimetry,respectively,at admission. And the clinical characters and cranial CT features of the patients were analyzed. Results At admission,the plasma MMP-9 level in the patients with m-MCAI(242.0 ±58.0)ng/ml was significantly higher than that in the patients with non m-MCAI( 169.0 ± 50.0) ng/ml( P < 0. 01) ,the plasma hsCRP level in the patients with m-MCAI(6.25 ±1.2) ng/ml was significantly higher than that in the patients with non m-MCAI( 1.55 ± 0.9) mg/ml( P <0. 01).Conclusion The increased level of plasma MMP-9 and hsCRP could be predictors for the m-MCAI proceeding.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic results of percutaneous transhepatic stent angioplasty for portal vein stenosis following liver transplant.Methods From 2005 to 2007,7 patients developed portal vein stenosis following liver transplant.Percutaneous transhepatic stent angioplasty of the portal vein was performed in all patients.The therapeutic results were monitored by clinical follow-up and imaging examination.Results In seven patients,the percutaneous transhepatic stents were placed successfully.The follow up period ranged from 3 months to 34 months.Portal venous patency Was maintained in six patients(one patient died due to hepatic arterial thrombosis and ischemic insult to bile duct at three months following the stent placement).No complications due to stent angioplasty occurred.Conclusion Percutaneous transhepatic stent angioplasty is an effective and safe method for treatment of portal vein stenosis following liver transplant.