Objective: To investigate the mechanism of action of Wuzi Yanzong pill (WYP) in rats with oligoasthenozoospermia (OAZ) via metabolomics and to provide a possible basis for improving this WYP-based treatment. Methods: A rat model of OAZ was established by treating male Sprague–Dawley rats with glucosides from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. Seventy-two rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, L-carnitine (positive control), model, and low-, medium-, and high-dose WYP groups. Rats in the experimental groups were treated with WYP for 4 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, sperm cell quality (density, motility, and viability) was assessed using a semen analysis system, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed using flow cytometry, and testicular injury was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining to validate the therapeutic effect of WYP in OAZ. Further, serum metabolomics-based analysis was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify differential metabolic pathways and possible mechanisms of action of WYP in OAZ treatment. Results: A rat model of OAZ was considered successfully-established after comparing the quality of spermatozoa in the model group to that in the control group. WYP-M and WYP-H treatments significantly improved sperm cell density, motility, and viability compared with those in the model group (all P < .05). Compared with the model group, both WYP-M and WYP-H treatments increased MMP values (P = .006 and P = .021 respectively), while there was no significant difference in the L-carnitine group. L-carnitine and WYP administration reversed damage to the testes to varying degrees compared with that in the model group. Further, 44 differential metabolites and four metabolic pathways, especially autophagy pathway, related to OAZ were identified via metabolomics. Conclusions WYP improves sperm cell quality and MMP in OAZ primarily via autophagy regulation. These findings can be employed to improve the efficacy of WYP in humans.

Objective To screen the main environmental factors affecting the growth of Prunella vulgaris L.based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS;To predict its potential suitable habitats in China;To provide reference for the artificial cultivation of Prunella vulgaris L.Methods Totally 346 pieces of sample point data of Prunella vulgaris L.were collected.Combined with data of 38 ecological factors,the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of Prunella vulgaris L.were screened using MaxEnt model.ArcGIS software was used to evaluate the habitat suitability of Prunella vulgaris L.and analyze the distribution of suitable areas for Prunella vulgaris L.worldwide and in China.Results The main ecological factors affecting the distribution of Prunella vulgaris L.were upper(0-30 cm)soil gravel volume percentage,soil effective water content,upper(0-30 cm)soil exchangeable sodium salt,specific soil types related to agricultural use in soil units and upper(0-30 cm)soil sand content.The highly suitable areas of Prunella vulgaris L.were mainly in Yunnan,Heilongjiang,eastern Inner Mongolia and central Sichuan.Conclusion The predicted results can provide a reference for the introduction of cultivation and sustainable resource utilization of Prunella vulgaris L.

Wubeizi(Galla Chinensis)is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in modern clinical practice,which is widely used to treat hemorrhoids,bleeding,mouth ulcers and other diseases.Based on the incopat patent database,the global Galla Chinensis sub-patent search in the past 20 years was conducted,and a total of 8123 related patents were retrieved;Using the basic chart analysis method,the pattern analysis of Galla Chinensis sub-patents was carried out from the aspects of application trend,patent value,technical field,legal status,etc.The analysis results show that the development of Galla Chinensis is in the rapid development stage,Galla Chinensis has in-depth research in the treatment of hemorrhoids,oral ulcers,bleeding,Chinese herbal medicine,Chinese patent medicine and cosmetics are the hot spot of research and development at present,China and South Korea are the main distribution countries of Galla Chinensis patents.The number of Chinese Galla Chinensis patents is large,but the patent quality,value and patent level of the world have a certain gap.In view of the current development trend of Galla Chinensis,there is still a large amount of patent application space in this field.Chinese Galla Chinensis patent applicants can combine their own advantages,development trend and short board to formulate scientific development strategy,thus improving the core competitiveness of Galla Chinensis industry fundamentally.

Artemsia argyi Levl.et Vant is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion raw material plant,so far has more than two thousand years of medicinal history,as one of the most commonly used Chinese medicinal materials.The incopat patent database was used to search the worldwide patent data of the last 20 years,and a total of 25279 argyi related patents were retrieved.The pattern of argyi patents was analyzed from the perspectives of global application trend,main technical fields,national economy composition,applicant ranking,patent value and other aspects by means of graph combination.The analysis shows that the innovation and development of argyi is in the stage of rapid development;The medical,Chinese patent medicine,cosmetics and physiotherapy of argyi are the hot research and development of current technology;There are a large number of patents related to argyi in the world,but they are mainly distributed in China and South Korea.Among them,the number of patents related to argyi in China reaches 20381,far higher than that in other countries,but the number of high-value patents is not very large,and the value and quality of patents are still insufficient compared with other countries.From the perspective of the current development trend of argyi,with the deepening of clinical application recognition and scientific research of argyi,there is a large patent space in the field of argyi.Patent applicants can formulate corresponding patent application strategies according to the global development opportunities,technological development status and existing weaknesses.

Objective To construct oligomeric hyaluronic acid(5 KDa)-modified ellagic acid-loaded liposomes(EA-HA-L)to improve the aqueous solubility,in vitro transdermal effect and whitening activity of ellagic acid.Methods Oligomeric hyaluronic acid-modified cholesterol(HA-Chol)was prepared by esterification reaction and structurally characterized by FTIR and 1H NMR;Oligomeric hyaluronic acid-modified ellagic acid-loaded liposomes were prepared by film dispersion-ultrasound method,and the prescribing process was optimized by Box-Behnken design-response surface method,and the particle sizes,the polydispersity index(PDI),zeta potential and encapsulation rate of liposomes under the optimal prescribing process were determined;the difference in solubility between EA-HA-L and free EA was evaluated;in vitro transdermal effect of liposomes were investigated using rat abdominal skin;inhibitory effect on tyrosinase and intracellular tyrosinase in mouse melanoma cells(B16-F10)was surveyed via dopa oxidation method.Results HA-Chol was synthesized and characterized;the optimized prescription process was mass ratio of 10:1 for soy phospholipids to HA-Chol,lipid-drug ratio of 40:1,hydration temperature of 30℃,hydration time of 60 min,ultrasound intensity of 35％,ultrasound time of 21 min,and the particle size of EA-HA-L produced under the optimized prescription process was(140.30±1.30)nm,PDI was(0.29±0.01),the encapsulation rate of ellagic acid was 91.16％±3.06％,and the zeta potential was(-5.67±0.09)mV;after EA was encapsulated by liposomes,the solubility of EA in water increased by about 40-fold;the cumulative transdermal amount of EA-HA-L was 46.98±2.17 μg·cm-2 in 24 h,and the intradermal retention was 66.15±0.61 μg·cm-2,which was 1.72 times higher than that of free EA(P<0.0001)and 1.23 times higher than plain liposome(EA-L)(P<0.01);and the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of EA-HA-L was higher than that of both free EA and EA-L in the EA concentration range of 50-400 μg·mL-1.Conclusion Oligomeric hyaluronic acid-modified ellagic acid-loaded liposomes with small particle size and high encapsulation rate were successfully prepared.EA-HA-L significantly improved the water solubility of EA and possessed better transdermal effect and stronger whitening activity than free EA and EA-L.

Objective:To evaluate and share the novel method for recruiting participants in clinical trials of vaccines in emergency situations.Methods:To publish recruitment notice in local areas of Wuhan through websites and medium, and guide interested persons to log in to the“Clinical Trials of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Reservation and Health Declaration System”to appoint and register their health information. The "Health Declaration System" provides each volunteer evaluation and risk levels to preliminarily exclude those who do not meet the inclusion criteria. Researchers review the qualified volunteers by telephone, organize them to go to the vaccination site, and finally conduct a strict medical screening to determine the final subjects.Results:A total of 4 819 people and 5 132 people registered in the Phase Ⅰ and Phase Ⅱ recruitment system respectively, with men 2 912 (60.43%) and 2 887 (56.25%) more than women 1 907 (39.57%) and 2 245 (43.75%), mostly in the 20-39 age group, with 3 211 (66.63%) and 3 966 (77.28%). All 13 districts in Wuhan have interested residents to participate clinical research.The initial qualified rate of the Phase Ⅱ recruitment system was higher than that of Phase Ⅰ, with men 2 047 (70.28%) and 2 135(73.95%), higher than women 1 083 (56.80%) and 1 472 (65.57%); 440 and 689 people were reviewed by telephone in Phase Ⅰ and Phase Ⅱ respectively, and the number of verified volunteers was about 440 (35.00%) and 689 (67.20%); Of the 201 603 people who arrived at the vaccination site, 12 and 26 of them were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 antibody with an antibody positive rate of 6.00% and 4.31% respectively.Conclusion:The novel method for recruiting subjects in this clinical study is efficient and reliable, and the recruitment situation of Phase Ⅰ had set a good example for Phase Ⅱ but the medium-and long-term compliance of subjects and the separation of willingness and behaviors still need to be further studied.

Genome reannotation aims for complete and accurate characterization of gene models and thus is of critical significance for in-depth exploration of gene function. Although the availability of massive RNA-seq data provides great opportunities for gene model refinement, few efforts have been made to adopt these precious data in rice genome reannotation. Here we reannotate the rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) genome based on integration of large-scale RNA-seq data and release a new annotation system IC4R-2.0. In general, IC4R-2.0 significantly improves the completeness of gene structure, identifies a number of novel genes, and integrates a variety of functional annota-tions. Furthermore, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are system-atically characterized in the rice genome. Performance evaluation shows that compared to previous annotation systems, IC4R-2.0 achieves higher integrity and quality, primarily attributable to mas-sive RNA-seq data applied in genome annotation. Consequently, we incorporate the improvedannotations into the Information Commons for Rice (IC4R), a database integrating multiple omics data of rice, and accordingly update IC4R by providing more user-friendly web interfaces and implementing a series of practical online tools. Together, the updated IC4R, which is equipped with the improved annotations, bears great promise for comparative and functional genomic studies in rice and other monocotyledonous species. The IC4R-2.0 annotation system and related resources are freely accessible at http://ic4r.org/.

Objective:To evaluate and share the novel method for recruiting participants in clinical trials of vaccines in emergency situations.Methods:To publish recruitment notice in local areas of Wuhan through websites and medium, and guide interested persons to log in to the“Clinical Trials of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Reservation and Health Declaration System”to appoint and register their health information. The "Health Declaration System" provides each volunteer evaluation and risk levels to preliminarily exclude those who do not meet the inclusion criteria. Researchers review the qualified volunteers by telephone, organize them to go to the vaccination site, and finally conduct a strict medical screening to determine the final subjects.Results:A total of 4 819 people and 5 132 people registered in the Phase Ⅰ and Phase Ⅱ recruitment system respectively, with men 2 912 (60.43%) and 2 887 (56.25%) more than women 1 907 (39.57%) and 2 245 (43.75%), mostly in the 20-39 age group, with 3 211 (66.63%) and 3 966 (77.28%). All 13 districts in Wuhan have interested residents to participate clinical research.The initial qualified rate of the Phase Ⅱ recruitment system was higher than that of Phase Ⅰ, with men 2 047 (70.28%) and 2 135(73.95%), higher than women 1 083 (56.80%) and 1 472 (65.57%); 440 and 689 people were reviewed by telephone in Phase Ⅰ and Phase Ⅱ respectively, and the number of verified volunteers was about 440 (35.00%) and 689 (67.20%); Of the 201 603 people who arrived at the vaccination site, 12 and 26 of them were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 antibody with an antibody positive rate of 6.00% and 4.31% respectively.Conclusion:The novel method for recruiting subjects in this clinical study is efficient and reliable, and the recruitment situation of Phase Ⅰ had set a good example for Phase Ⅱ but the medium-and long-term compliance of subjects and the separation of willingness and behaviors still need to be further studied.

Objective Ascending aortic dissection(AAD),for which the pathogenesis remains unknown,is life-threatening.Matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and the pathological changes of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)have been reported to have roles the pathogenesis.The study examined the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and the pathological changes of,VSMCs in patients with AAD.Methods AAD samples were taken from 35 patients(disease group)in acute phase during aortic replacement operation for AAD and control samples were corresponding part of ascending aorta(control group,n=21)collected from the donor hearts for transplantation.Transmission electron microscepe,hematoxylin-eosin(H-E)staining.Mallory staining were used for observing the pathological changes of VSMCs and matrix in the affected aortic wall.The immunohistochemicai staining of MMP-9 was carried out in both groups and semi-quantified by staining intensity analysis.The affected patients were further grouped according to the diameter of dissected aorta as with a AAD of <55 mm or with a AAD of≥55 mm.The associations of clinical factors,such as smoking status,hypertensive disease and aneurysm diameter,with the expression of MMP-9 were analyzed.Results Increased synthetic function of VSMCs with decreased density,disrupted elastic fibers and fibrosis in the dissected aortic wall were observed in the disease group,but not in the control group.MMP-9 was scarcely expressed in the aortic wall of the patients in the control group,though it was notably expressed in the VSMCs of disease group.Both subgroups presented more MMP-9 than the control group(both P<0.001).In the disease group,sub-group with a AAD diameter of ≥55 mm presented more MMP-9 than that with a diameter of <55 mm(P<0.05).MMP-9 expression was positively correlated with a history of hypertension(P<0.01)or a great aneurysm diameter(P<0.05).MMP-9 expression was not associated with age,smoking status or other clinical factors.Conclusion Increased secretion of VSMCs and the expression of MMP-9 induced by elevated blood pressure may lead to the destruction of matrix proteins.The resulting fibrosis of the aortic wall would decrease the tensile strength of the wall.When the fibrotic aortic wall dilated further,the increased expression of MMP-9 would aggravate the damage to the wall.It can be speculated that acute AAD would occur as a result of partial tearing of the aortic intima.

Objective To screen and identify the phage-display random 7 amino acid peptide specific to the systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) and analyze its practical significance. Methods Using the phage random 7 peptide library screening, the SLE specific phage clones are obtained after binding with the mixture of sera from 30 SLE patients and 30 normal controls as ligand respectively. Then the Dot-ELISA is used to identify the SLE specific phage clones reactive to sera of the SLE patients and normal controls individually. Finally the identified phage-display random 7 amino acid peptides are sequenced and it's homology with the antigenic epitope of human being and other are also analyzed. Results Total 12 of the phage-display random 7 amino acid peptide are obtained by phage peptide library screening and the Dot-ELISA identification. Sequence analysis shows that the identified phage-display random 7 amino acid peptide epitope have homology with E. coli, Salmonella and human immunodeficiency virus, but not with that of human being. Conclusion SLE-specific peptides screened by phage random peptide library maybe used to diagnosis the SLE. Meanwhile, the antibodies in SLE patients which are combined with the Pathogen epitope, suggest that SLE maybe relate to pathogen infection.