ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of modified Sini San in ameliorating intestinal mucosal barrier by observing its effects on short chain fatty acids （SCFAs） and high mobility group protein B1 （HMGB1）/receptor of advanced glycation end products （RAGE） signaling pathways in chronic stress rats. MethodsThe 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into control group，model group，low-dose modified Sini San group （7.34 g·kg^-1·d^-1），high-dose modified Sini San group （14.68 g·kg^-1·d^-1），and Fructo-oligosaccharides group （3.15 g·kg^-1·d^-1），with 10 rats in each group. Except for the control group，all other groups were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress/social isolation to create a chronic stress model for 6 weeks. After 4 weeks of modeling，each treatment group was given corresponding drugs by gavage for 2 weeks while modeling. The control group and model group were given the same volume of physiological saline. The effects of Modified Sini San on behaviors，body weight，Bristol score in feces and fecal moisture content in chronic stress rats were observed. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the cecum. The content of SCFAs in the cecal contents of rats were detected by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expression of HMGB1/RAGE pathway related proteins in cecal tissue. The levels of ZO-1，Occludin，and Claudin-1 in the cecal tissue were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the model group，the sucrose preference rate，total distance traveled and the number of grid crossings in the open field test of rats in the low-dose modified Sini San group were obviously increased （P<0.05， P<0.01），and the immobility time in the open field test and the immobility time in the forced swimming test of rats in the low-dose and high-dose modified Sini San groups were obviously reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Meanwhile，the Bristol score and fecal moisture content of rats in the low and high dose groups of modified Sini San were obviously increased （P<0.05）. The low-dose group of modified Sini San had intact mucosal layer structure in the cecal tissue and reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. The content of SCFAs in the cecal contents increased，with a obviously increase in the content of acetic acid，propionic acid，butyric acid，and isovaleric acid （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the expression levels of HMGB1，RAGE，Toll-like receptor 2（TLR2），Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4），tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α），and nuclear factor kappa-B p65（NF-κB p65） proteins in cecal tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01） in low-dose group of modified Sini San. Meanwhile，the contents of ZO-1，Occludin，and Claudin-1 in the cecal tissue were obviously increased （P<0.01） in low-dose group of modified Sini San. ConclusionModified Sini San can improve the function of intestinal mucosal barrier in chronic stress rats by increasing the content of SCFAs in the intestine and inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE pathway.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate and evaluate the staged efficacy and safety of the representative empirical prescription of the “Zhu Ke Jiao” theory， Qijia Rougan prescription， combined with entecavir in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B. MethodsA multicenter randomized controlled clinical study was conducted， and 101 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B-related hepatic fibrosis （CHB-HF） who met the diagnosis and inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to an observation group （Qijia Rougan prescription + entecavir） and a control group （entecavir）. The treatment duration was 24 weeks. Liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， fibrosis-4 index （FIB-4）， portal vein diameter， hepatitis B serology， biochemical indicators， hepatic fibrosis markers in serum ［hyaluronic acid （HA）， laminin （LN）， procollagen Ⅲ peptide （PⅢP）， and type Ⅳ collagen （Ⅳ-C）］， and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores were used as efficacy evaluation indicators. Efficacy assessments and explorations of different staged subgroups of Qijia Rougan prescription were conducted according to LSM values based on the Metavir pathological staging standard. ResultsA total of 98 cases were included for statistical analysis， with 49 cases in the observation group and 49 in the control group. The general data of the patients in both groups were comparable. Compared with the same group before treatment， the observation group showed a significant reduction in LSM and FIB-4 （P<0.01）， as well as notable improvements in LN， Ⅳ-C， and various TCM syndrome scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）. When compared to the control group after treatment， the observation group demonstrated significant improvements in LSM， FIB-4， and various TCM syndrome score indicators （P<0.05， P<0.01）， indicating that the observation group performed better than the control group. Subgroup analysis of the regression of hepatic fibrosis stages showed that compared to the same group before treatment， the observation group had better improvement in regression of stages F2 and F3 （P<0.05）. When compared to the control group after treatment， the observation group exhibited superior improvement in regression of stage F3 （P<0.05）. No adverse events occurred in either group during the treatment period. ConclusionCompared with entecavir alone， the combination of Qijia Rougan prescription and entecavir significantly improves the degree of hepatic fibrosis and clinical TCM symptoms in patients. The optimal intervention period is primarily during stage F3， which is a potential “interception” point of the “Zhu Ke Jiao” theory.

To investigate the effect of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on the fibrosis progression and endometrial regeneration in mouse models of endometrial injury, a mouse endometrial injury model was established by physical scraping combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) chemical induction, and the endometrium morphology and collagen deposition were evaluated by HE and Masson staining after unilateral administration of MSCs. RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of epithelial markers Epcam and collagen I (Col1). Primary endometrial epithelial cells were isolated to assess p21 expression. Fibrosis-related genes and signaling pathways were validated using transcriptome sequencing and RT-qPCR. The experimental results showed that MSCs increased endometrial thickness and number of glands (P<0.05), up-regulated the expression of Epcam (P<0.01), while significantly reducing uterine collagen fiber deposition (P<0.05) and the expression of p21 in primary epithelial cells (P<0.0001). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that MSCs attenuated collagen deposition by modulating genes involved in the TGF-β signaling pathway. This study elucidates that MSCs facilitate uterine repair by reversing endometrial fibrosis and promoting epithelial regeneration, and their role is related to the regulation of the TGF-β/SMAD pathway and suppression of aberrant collagen accumulation.

Objective: To compare quality control (relative purity and specific activity) and process control [plasminogen (Pg) antigen recovery and potency recovery] indexes of samples before and after adding the Q chromatography step to the full chromatography process of human Pg, thereby determining whether the addition of this step could improve Pg recovery by affinity chromatography. Methods: A Q chromatography step was added before the Pg affinity chromatography in the original Pg chromatography process. The loading solution, flow through solution and eluate of Q chromatography and Pg affinity chromatography were collected. The potency of coagulation factor Ⅱ (FⅡ), Ⅶ (FⅦ), Ⅷ (FⅧ), Ⅸ (FⅨ), and Ⅹ(FⅩ) were detected by the coagulation method, the total protein content was detected by the BCA method, and the Pg potency was detected by the chromogenic substrate method. The content of specific plasma proteins was detected by immunoturbidimetry, the potency recovery of coagulation factors was calculated, and the flow direction of coagulation factors was analyzed. The recovery of different plasma protein antigens were calculated, and the distribution of impurity proteins was analyzed. The relative purity and specific activity of Pg, antigen content, and potency recovery in the target fractions were calculated and compared with the original process indicators, so as to determine the effect of adding Q chromatography on the original process. Furthermore, the reproducibility after process modification was assessed. Results: 100% of FⅡ, FⅩ, and FⅨ, 87.81% of FⅧ, and 40.44% of FⅦ in filtered plasma were removed by Q chromatography. The residual FⅦ (53.26%) and FⅧ (13.30%) in Q flow-through fraction were completely removed by Pg affinity chromatography. In both the original process (without Q-chromatography) and the modified process (with Q-chromatography), non-target plasma proteins mainly existed in the flow-through fraction of Pg affinity chromatography. The antigen recovery of IgM, ceruloplasmin (CER), and fibronectin (FNC) in Q-chromatography flow-through fraction were reduced. In contrast, antigen recovery of other plasma proteins [IgG, IgA, Pg, albumin (AlB), alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), and fibrinogen (Fg)] were all >90%, which were consistent with the protein composition and proportion in the original affinity chromatography loading solution. Compared with the recovery rate of Pg antigen in the original process (74.4%), the total recovery of Pg antigen in the modified process was significantly increased (89.97%). Compared with the recovery of IgG (97.48%) and Fg (95.32%) in the Pg affinity flows-through fraction of the original process, the modified process resulted in a slight reduction in the recovery of IgG (94.60%), while the recovery of Fg was not affected (95.05%). The potency recovery rate, specific activity, and relative purity of Pg after Q chromatography were 99.3%, 0.016 U/mg, and 0.15%. These values were the same as those of Pg affinity chromatography loading solution by the original process, indicating that introduction of Q chromatography did not affect subsequent Pg affinity chromatography. Compared with the recovery of Pg antigen in three batches of the original process (66.49±1.02)%, the recovery of Pg antigen in the affinity chromatography eluent of the modified process [five batches; (77.43±4.43)%] was significantly improved. Furthermore, the potency recovery was (86.80±4.28)%, the relative purity was (81.99±1.25)%, the specific activity was (8.679±1.073)U/mg, and the process was reproducible. Conclusion: The addition of Q chromatography could improve the recovery of Pg affinity chromatography in the full chromatography process.

A rapid and accurate method for textile fiber identification was developed for quality control and consumer protection.This method utilized electric soldering iron burning-mesh collision enhanced microtube plasma ionization mass spectrometry(ESIB-MC-μTP-MS)to acquire textile fiber MS data and used a random forest(RF)prediction model to identify fiber composition based on these MS data.The MC-μTP device involved in the method was a homemade low-temperature plasma ionization device constructed using cost-effective and readily available components.The system was applicable for direct analysis of small amount of textile samples without any complex sample pretreatment processes.Characteristic thermal decomposition products of different fibers were generated via soldering iron burning(350℃)in ambient atmosphere,and were subsequently analyzed by a mass spectrometer,with each analysis completed within 5 s.Raw MS data underwent noise reduction,normalization,and global binning steps to form a dataset,and its intrinsic class separability was evaluated using principal component analysis(PCA)combined with k-means clustering.Then,the RF model was trained based on the dimensionality-reduced textile fiber dataset.After grid search optimization,this model demonstrated robust performance with a 0.9762 out-of-bag score,a 0.9683 cross-validation accuracy(5-fold),and a 0.9636 test accuracy,supported by precision,recall,and F1-scores exceeding 0.889 for all fiber classes.The method was applied to analysis of 30 luxury apparel samples from eight brands,among which 20 samples achieved 100%prediction confidence,aligning with labeled compositions.The identification result of two low-confidence samples was further confirmed using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FT-IR).The method has been proven to be simple,portable and with minimal sample requirements for on-site customs inspections,providing a viable tool in the fight against counterfeit products,therefore supporting regulatory enforcement and consumer trust in the textile goods market.

Due to the poor ionization efficiency and the weak mass spectrometry(MS)intensity of weakly polar substances,direct analysis using the traditional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS)is a big challenge.In this study,a novel rapid on-site detection method of four prohibited sex hormones in cosmetics was proposed using online derivatization strategy coupled with a miniature mass spectrometer.The target substances in the samples were extracted by a custom-made polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotube solid-phase microextraction(SPME)probe.The stirring speed was 200 r/min,the extraction temperature was 40℃,and the extraction time was 2 min.A pulled dual-channel θ borosilicate glass capillary emitter was used as the nano-ESI ion source.The SPME probe was inserted into the channel containing methanol in theθborosilicate glass capillary.When the spray voltage was applied,the four sex hormones were desorbed and formed spray microdroplets,which then collided with the hydroxylamine microdroplets generated from the other channel.The microdroplets of reaction product entered into the miniature mass spectrometer for direct analysis.The limits of detection(LOD)and limits of quantification(LOQ)for the four sex hormones were 10-20 ng/mL and 20-50 ng/mL,respectively.The recoveries were from 84.6%to 107.8%with the relative standard deviations(RSD)from 4.1%to 11.6%.Compared to detection without derivatization,the MS signals of the four target substances were increased by 3 to 15 times.This method was simple,rapid,highly efficient and sensitive,and suitable for on-site rapid analysis of weakly polar sex hormones in cosmetics.

Aim To investigate the role and mecha-nism of allopurinol(ALLO)in restoring the abnormal metabolism of kynurenine(Kyn)mediated by trypto-phan-2,3-dioxygenase 2(TDO2)to ameliorate ulcera-tive colitis(UC)in mice,and to provide experimental basis for the treatment of UC by ALLO.Methods A dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced mouse UC mod-el was established,and the mice were randomly divided into the control group,the model group,the ALLO low,medium and high-dose groups(10,20,and 40 mg·kg-1),and the positive-significant salazosulfapyridine(SASP)(200 mg·kg-1)group.The body mass and disease activity index(DAI)scores of mice were re-corded;HE staining was performed to observe the de-gree of pathological damage in colon tissue;Western blot was performed to detect TDO2 protein expression in colon tissue;flow cytometry was performed to detect changes in the proportion of macrophages in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes;ELISA was employed to de-tect the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 pro-inflamma-tory cytokines in the supernatant of colon tissue homog-enate;high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)was used to detect the levels of tryptophan(Trp)and Kyn in the supernatant of colon tissue ho-mogenate.Results Compared with the model group,ALLO administration significantly ameliorated colonic histopathological injury in UC mice,decreased the pro-portion of macrophages in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes,down-regulated the levels of TNF-α,IL-1 β,and IL-6 pro-inflammatory factors in serum of homogenate of colonic tissues,and inhibited the activity(Kyn/Trp ratio)and expression of TDO2 in colonic tissues.Con-clusion ALLO improves disease manifestations in mice with ulcerative colitis,which may be related to its restoration of abnormal Kyn metabolism.

The advancement of surgical techniques enables effective treatment for many patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors.How-ever,post-surgery problems such as chewing,swallowing and speech difficulty may arise due to the defects in speech organs and inade-quate compensatory function of tissue flap repair.Speech disorders,in particular,isolate patients by making it difficult for them to com-municate with others,not only impact their quality of life but also potentially lead to psychological problems and social interaction disor-ders.Although the decline in life quality and other related issues caused by speech dysfunction due to surgery and radiotherapy or chemo-therapy have been widely recognized,there is currently no standardized and universally applicable assessment method and standardized re-habilitation treatment management guideline or consensus for speech disorders following oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery at home and abroad.Based on previous clinical practice,combined with the characteristics of speech disorders in patients after oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery,the clinical experience of the experts in maxillofacial tumor surgery and rehabilitation and the relevant domestic and foreign literature,relevant experts organized discussions and modifications,reach a consensus on core content such as the assessment of speech disorders and the implementation plan for early rehabilitation treatment management,providing a reference for clinical practice,in order to improve patients'speech-related life quality and enhance the assessment and rehabilitation treatment techniques for speech disorders after oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery.

Isoflavones which mainly distributed in leguminous plants have plenty of health benefits.Isoflavone synthase(IFS)is a membrane-associated cytochrome P450 enzyme(CYP450)which carries out the unique aryl-ring migration and hydroxylation.So far,few crystal structures of plant P450s have been obtained.We determined the crystal structure of IFS from Medicago truncatula at 1.9 ? by MAD method using a selenomethionine substituted crystal and conducted molecular docking and mutagenesis study.The structure of IFS complexed with imidazole exhibits the helix Ⅰa-loop-helix Ⅰβ motif which cor-responds to helix Ⅰ of other P450s.Compared with structures of common P450s,IFS/imidazole structure contains an extra domain,i.e.,the γ-domain.The structure reveals a homodimer in which the γ-domain of one molecule interacts with the β-domain of another.The plane of heme group makes an angle of ap-proximately 40° with the helix Ⅰa-loop-helix Ⅰβ motif.Molecular docking combined with mutagenesis study suggested that Trp-128 and Asp-300 might play important roles in substrate binding and recogni-tion.Phe-301,Ser-303 and Gly-305 from the helix Ⅰa-loop-helix Ⅰβ motif may play important roles in the aryl-ring migration.These novel structural features reveal insights into the unique reaction mechanism of IFS and provide a basis for engineering IFS in leguminous crops for health purpose.

Objective To explore changes of serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),interleukin-10(IL-10),and Helicobacter pylori(HP)positivity rate in patients with early gastric cancer,and the diagnostic value of three factors in early gastric cancer.Methods A total of 312 patients with gastric discomfort were included in this study and used as the observation subjects.Patients were divided into the gastritis group(n=100),the precancerous lesion group(n=110)and the early gastric cancer group(n=102)based on their gastroscopy.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10.HP infection was detected in the three groups.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze influencing factors of early gastric cancer.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum TNF-α,IL-10 and HP infection in early gastric cancer.Results The levels of TNF-α,IL-10 and HP positivity rate were increased in the gastritis group,the precancerous lesion group and the early gastric cancer group in sequence(all P＜0.05).Hot food,heavy salt,pepsinogen Ⅱ(PG Ⅱ),HP positivity and elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were independent risk factors for early gastric cancer,while elevated PGⅠ was a protective factor(all P＜0.05).The areas under the curve for serum TNF-α,IL-10,HP infection and their combined diagnosis of early gastric cancer were 0.694,0.698,0.763,and 0.870,respectively.The combined diagnostic efficacy of the three was better than that of individual diagnosis(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of TNF-α,IL-10 and HP positivity rate are significantly increased in patients with early gastric cancer,and all three have certain diagnostic value for early gastric cancer.