ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

OBJECTIVE T o explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors for plastic bronchitis(PB)in the chil-dren with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP).METHODS A retrospective case-control study was con-ducted for the medical data of the children with MPP who hospitalized in pediatrics department of Affiliated Hos-pital of Jining Medical College and underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage from Jan.2023 to Dec.2024.The enrolled children were divided into the PB group and the non-PB group according to the status of complication with PB.The baseline data,clinical characteristics,laboratory test indexes,imaging features,bron-choscopy findings and treatment outcomes were observed and compared between the two groups of children.RESULTS A total of 734 children with MPP were included in the study,131 of whom were assigned as the PB group,and 603 were assigned as the non-PB group.The children were younger[4.83(1.88,7.00)years],the du-ration of fever was longer,the peak temperature was higher[39.50(39.20,39.80)℃],the percentage of compli-cation with pleural effusion was higher(33.59％),the percentage of extrapulmonary organs involved was higher(27.48％),the levels of white blood cells,neutrophils percentage,C-reactive protein(CRP),lactic dehydrogen-ase(LDH),D-dimer(DD)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)were higher in the PB group than in the non-PB group,and there were significant differences(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the percentage of mucosal necrosis under bronchoscopy,number of times of treatments assisted by bronchoscopy and length of hospital stay between the two groups(P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS The MPP children with PB are characterized by younger rage,longer duration of fever,higher peak temperature,higher percentage of complication with pleural effusion,extrapulmonary organs more likely to be involved,more intensive inflammatory reactions and higher percentage of mucosal necrosis under bronchoscopy.Some of the children need to be treated repeatedly with assis-tance of bronchoscopy,and the length of hospital stay is long.

Background Manganese is an essential trace element for the human body and maintains normal development of many organs including the brain. However, long-term exposure to a high manganese environment or excessive manganese intake will lead to manganese poisoning and result in neurological diseases, and currently no effective treatment plan is available. Objective To develop an animal model for subchronic manganese exposure and assess the impact of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids (DNLA) on manganese associated behavioral and hippocampal effects in rats. Methods Fifty male SPF SD rats were randomly allocated into a control group (0.9% normal saline by intraperitoneal injection), two experimental groups [7.5 mg·kg⁻¹ (low) or 15 mg·kg⁻¹ (high) of MnCl₂·4H₂O by intraperitoneal injection], and two DNLA antagonistic groups [15 mg·kg⁻¹ MnCl₂·4H₂O by intraperitoneal injection then either 20 mg·kg⁻¹ (low) or 40 mg·kg⁻¹ (high) DNLA by oral administration]. All groups of rats were adminaistered 5 d per wek, once a day, for consecutive 13 weeks. Following modeling, neurobehavioral assessments were conducted using open field, Morris water maze, and Y maze. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was utilized to measure manganese levels in the blood and brain tissues of the rats, and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to examine neuronal morphological changes in the hippocampal tissues of the rats. Results The neurobehavioral tests revealed that the manganese-exposed rats exhibited decreased total movement distance, prolonged central zone dwelling time, and reduced motor activity in the open field test, indicating tendencies toward depression and anxiety (P<0.05). In the Y-maze test, the mean exploration distance in the novel arm, the number of entries into the novel arm, and the time spent in the novel arm of the managanses-exposed rats were all reduced, while the latency period increased, suggesting impaired spatial exploration and learning-memory functions (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze navigation test, the escape latency was significantly longer in the manganese-exposed rats compared to the control group, and the number of platform crossings decreased in the spatial probe test, indicating a significant decline in spatial learning and memory (P<0.05). The ICP-MS analysis showed elevated manganese concentrations in the blood and hippocampus of the exposed rats (P<0.05), and the histopathological observation revealed hippocampal damage. Following the DNLA intervention, the manganese-exposed rats showed increased total movement distance and reduced central zone dwelling time in the open field test (P<0.05). In the Y-maze test, the mean exploration distance in the novel arm, the number of entries into the novel arm, and the time spent in the novel arm increased, while the latency period decreased, suggesting alleviation of anxiety and improved exploratory behavior (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze test, the escape latency gradually shortened, and both the number of platform crossings and the percentage of time spent in the target quadrant increased, indicating improved spatial learning and memory (P<0.05). Additionally, the manganese levels in the blood and hippocampus decreased (P<0.05), and the hippocampal pathological changes were partially restored. Conclusion DNLA demonstrates the ability to counteract multiple neurotoxic effects following the elevation of manganese levels in the blood and hippocampal tissues of rats induced by subchronic manganese exposure. Specifically, DNLA is shown to ameliorate the behavioral alterations observed in rats after manganese exposure, and mitigate the hippocampal damage in manganese-exposed rats.

Objective To develop a rapid and accurate ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)method for the detection of etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate in human hair.Methods Hair samples containing etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate were extracted with methanol containing the internal standard orthoxine,filtered with a 0.22 μm organic filter membrane and detected vio UPLC-MS/MS.All components were separated by using a gradient elution procedure consisting of 0.01％formic acid(1 mmol/L ammonium acetate)and acetonitrile.Positive electrospray ionization was performed using multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.Results The linear relationships of etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate were good in the range of 0.01～1 ng/mg(r ≥ 0.997 9),with recovery rates ranging from 87.9％to 101.5％.The accuracy was between 80.0％and 110.0％.The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations(RSD)were 2.9％～9.6％and 3.6％～19.9％.Conclusion This method is easy to operate and has high recovery efficiencies.It is sufficiently simple and sensitive to be applied to detect etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate in hair.

The regulation of gut flora metabo-lites-short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),NLRP3 inflam-matory vesicles,and interactions has been shown to play a key role in many diseases.While chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a common progressive dis-ease whose pathogenesis is related to the reduc-tion of SCFAs,a metabolite of intestinal flora,and the over-activation of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles.In this paper,we summarize the role of SCFAs and NLRP3 inflammatory pathway in the pathogenesis of CKD,and sort out the research on the interven-tion of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in this inflammatory pathway in the treatment of CKD in recent years,so as to provide the direction and ideas for the exact mechanism of TCM in the treat-ment of CKD.

Objective To develop a rapid and accurate ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)method for the detection of etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate in human hair.Methods Hair samples containing etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate were extracted with methanol containing the internal standard orthoxine,filtered with a 0.22 μm organic filter membrane and detected vio UPLC-MS/MS.All components were separated by using a gradient elution procedure consisting of 0.01％formic acid(1 mmol/L ammonium acetate)and acetonitrile.Positive electrospray ionization was performed using multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.Results The linear relationships of etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate were good in the range of 0.01～1 ng/mg(r ≥ 0.997 9),with recovery rates ranging from 87.9％to 101.5％.The accuracy was between 80.0％and 110.0％.The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations(RSD)were 2.9％～9.6％and 3.6％～19.9％.Conclusion This method is easy to operate and has high recovery efficiencies.It is sufficiently simple and sensitive to be applied to detect etomidate,metomidate,propoxate,and isopropoxate in hair.

OBJECTIVE T o explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors for plastic bronchitis(PB)in the chil-dren with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP).METHODS A retrospective case-control study was con-ducted for the medical data of the children with MPP who hospitalized in pediatrics department of Affiliated Hos-pital of Jining Medical College and underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage from Jan.2023 to Dec.2024.The enrolled children were divided into the PB group and the non-PB group according to the status of complication with PB.The baseline data,clinical characteristics,laboratory test indexes,imaging features,bron-choscopy findings and treatment outcomes were observed and compared between the two groups of children.RESULTS A total of 734 children with MPP were included in the study,131 of whom were assigned as the PB group,and 603 were assigned as the non-PB group.The children were younger[4.83(1.88,7.00)years],the du-ration of fever was longer,the peak temperature was higher[39.50(39.20,39.80)℃],the percentage of compli-cation with pleural effusion was higher(33.59％),the percentage of extrapulmonary organs involved was higher(27.48％),the levels of white blood cells,neutrophils percentage,C-reactive protein(CRP),lactic dehydrogen-ase(LDH),D-dimer(DD)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)were higher in the PB group than in the non-PB group,and there were significant differences(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the percentage of mucosal necrosis under bronchoscopy,number of times of treatments assisted by bronchoscopy and length of hospital stay between the two groups(P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS The MPP children with PB are characterized by younger rage,longer duration of fever,higher peak temperature,higher percentage of complication with pleural effusion,extrapulmonary organs more likely to be involved,more intensive inflammatory reactions and higher percentage of mucosal necrosis under bronchoscopy.Some of the children need to be treated repeatedly with assis-tance of bronchoscopy,and the length of hospital stay is long.

The regulation of gut flora metabo-lites-short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),NLRP3 inflam-matory vesicles,and interactions has been shown to play a key role in many diseases.While chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a common progressive dis-ease whose pathogenesis is related to the reduc-tion of SCFAs,a metabolite of intestinal flora,and the over-activation of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles.In this paper,we summarize the role of SCFAs and NLRP3 inflammatory pathway in the pathogenesis of CKD,and sort out the research on the interven-tion of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in this inflammatory pathway in the treatment of CKD in recent years,so as to provide the direction and ideas for the exact mechanism of TCM in the treat-ment of CKD.

Objective To predict the mechanism of Chaihu Shugan Powder against depression based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology;To verify them through animal experiment of chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)depression model rats.Methods TCMSP was used to screen the active components of Chaihu Shugan Powder and the related targets were obtained.Disease targets were retrieved by DisGeNET,GeneCards and GEO databases.The protein-protein interaction(PPI)network construction,GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were conducted to determine the action pathway of Chaihu Shugan Powder against depression.Molecular docking of main active components and potential targets was performed.The depression model was established by CUMS combined with solitary rearing method,in which Chaihu Shugan Powder and PI3K specific inhibitor LY294002 were used to intervene depression model rats.Western blot and qPCR were respectively used to detect the action pathway related proteins and mRNAs.ELISA was used to detect the contents of monoamine neurotransmitters 5-HT and NE in hippocampal tissue,and their pathways of action were integrated and analyzed.Results Totally 118 active components of Chaihu Shugan Powder against depression and 74 potential targets were screened;KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that action pathway of Chaihu Shugan Powder against depression were closely related to PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,etc.Molecular docking showed that quercetin,kaempferol,β-sitosterol,isorhamnetin,naringenin had good binding activity with AKT1,PIK3CA,GSK3B,IL6,IL1B.The animal experiments showed that Chaihu Shugan Powder could improve the depression-like behavior of model rats,increase the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt in hippocampal tissue,down-regulate the expression of GSK3β,and increase the contents of 5-HT and NE.LY294002 could reverse the effect of Chaihu Shugan Powder.The results of integration analysis showed that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway of Chaihu Shugan Powder was closely related to metabolism of 5-HT and NE.Conclusion Chaihu Shugan Powder can exert antidepressant effects by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,inhibiting the expression of GSK3β,and increasing the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters 5-HT and NE.