OBJECTIVE To study the correlation between penetration enhancement effect and transepidermal water loss(TEWL)values of essential oils(EOs)from traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).METHODS The amount of 3 kinds of glycosides(geniposide,gentiopicroside,paeoniflorin)and their oil-water partition coefficient were determined by HPLC.The penetration enhancement effect of the five EOs from Gaoliangjiang(Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma,AOR),Ganjiang(Zingiberis Rhizoma,ZR),Bohe(Menthae Haploca-lycis Herba,MHH),Hujiao(Piperis Fructus,PF)and Wuzhuyu(Euodiae Fructus,EF)on geniposide,gentiopicroside,and paeoniflor-in were performed by the modified Franz diffusion cell method with the abdominal skin of rats.The TEWL values were measured to evalu-ate the effect of the five EOs on the skin barrier function of rats.The correlation between penetration enhancement effect of EOs and their effect on skin barrier function was investigated by correlation analysis.RESULTS AOR oil,ZR oil,MHH oil,and PF oil could im-prove the absorption of the three glycosides and reduce skin barrier function of rats.The results of correlation analysis showed that the penetration enhancement effect of EOs was significantly related to TEWL values following dermal administration of EOs.CONCLUSION TEWL measurement technology provides a more convenient method for the selection of penetration enhancers.

Objective To evaluate the application value of artificial intelligence mixed reality(AI-MR)technology in the planning of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL)for special types of complex upper urinary stones.Methods The prospective single-center,single-arm clinical study involved 15 patients with complex upper urinary stones undergoing ultrasound-guided PCNL during Aug.2022 and May 2023,including 9 male and 6 female,3 cases of pelvic ectopic kidney stones,5 cases of horseshoe kidney stones,3 cases of renal stones combined with spinal deformity,and 4 cases of transplant kidney stones.Based on preoperative computed tomography urography(CTU)data,digital three-dimensional reconstruction was performed,and AI-MR was used to project surgery-related three-dimensional images in real space to obtain"perspective"information of the surgical area.This facilitated preoperative design and planning,including target calyx,number of channels,and auxiliary measures.The compliance of target calyx and number of channels,stone clearance rate,total operation time,time required to establish the percutaneous renal channel,decrease in hemoglobin level,surgical complications,and postoperative hospital stay were analyzed.Results All 15 patients underwent preoperative planning using AI-MR and successfully completed one-stage ultrasound-guided PCNL.Based on the preoperative planning,we utilized S-PCNL alone or combined with Needle-perc or antegrade/retrograde FURS/RIRS.Among all patients,4 underwent single-channel S-PCNL,3 multi-channel S-PCNL,and 8 S-PCNL combined with Needle-perc or FURS.The compliance of target calyx and number of channels was 86.7％,the one-stage stone clearance rate was 80.0％,the average time for establishing the channel was(2.3±0.3)minutes,the average total operation time was(61.5±12.2)minutes,the mean decrease in hemoglobin level was(9.6±1.2)g/L,and the average postoperative hospital stay was(4.6±0.5)days.There were no Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ Ⅱ complications,such as blood transfusion,organ injury,or urosepsis.Conclusion Before surgery,AI-MR can be used to quantitatively analyze imaging data for patients with special types of complex upper urinary stones,which can achieve three-dimensional fluoroscopy effects,formulate surgical plans,optimize puncture paths,effectively avoid the risk of damage to surrounding organs,reduce complications,shorten treatment cycle and improve the first-stage stone clearance rate.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze and summarize the clinical experience and therapeutic effect of anterograde Needle-perc combined with RIRS, namely N+ R (Needle perc + RIRS) technique in the treatment of complex calyceal diverticular stone.Methods:Retrospective analysis of 23 cases of complex renal caliceal diverticulum stones admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to December 2022. The complex factors mainly include the invisible cervical orifice of diverticulum, large stone volume, and special anatomical location, which makes single RIRS or PCNL treatment difficult or unsuccessful. There were 14 males and 9 females with an average age of (42.3±6.1) years. Three cases were upper calyceal diverticular stone, average size was (0.9±0.2)cm. Nine patients had diverticular stone in the middle posterior calyx, and the average size was (1.2±0.3)cm. The average size of four diverticular stone was (1.8±0.2)cm in the anterior middle calyx. Seven patients had diverticular stone with an average size of (1.3±0.1)cm in lower calyx. Among them, 12 patients underwent RIRS which were difficult or stone undiscovered, and 3 patients underwent PCNL and the operation was terminated due to failure of channel establishment. In our center, oblique supine lithotomy position (male) or prone split-leg position (female) was adopted, and the combined treatment of Needle-perc and RIRS was performed. Needle-perc puncture was completed under the guidance of full ultrasound. During the operation, methylene blue reagent or mutual guidance of two endoscopes was used to find the diverticulum neck and expand the outlet with holmium laser incision. Depending on the size and location of the stones, a single Needle-perc laser lithotripsy combined with stone removal in flexible ureteroscope was used, or dual lasers were be used simultaneously for stone removal under double endoscopes. The first stage stone free rate, operation time, hemoglobin decrease, complications, postoperative hospital stay and other conditions were analyzed.Results:All the 23 operations were completed successfully. The stone free rate within 48 hours and one month after surgery was 78.2% and 100.0% respectively. The average operation time was (61.5±12.2)min. The mean postoperative hospital stay was (2.8±0.6) days. The mean decrease of hemoglobin was (3.6±0.4)g/L. Three patients had fever and one patient had renal subcapsular effusion. After anti-inflammatory and symptomatic treatment, the patient was discharged. There was no incidence of Clavien-Dindo≥Ⅱcomplications such as blood transfusion, abdominal organ injury or urosepsis.Conclusions:Treatment of complex renal caliceal diverticulum stones using N+ R technique of anterograde needle-perc combined with RIRS can effectively improve the success rate of first-stage surgery. Overall, it is safe, efficient and feasible with the advantages of high stone free rate, lower damage, and few postoperative complications.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the bioequivalence and safety of two k inds of Nadroparin calcium injection in healthy Chinese volunteers by subcutaneous injection. METHODS According to the block randomization method ，24 Chinese healthy adult volunteers were included and divided into TR （test preparation-reference preparation ）group and RT （reference preparation-test preparation）group at a ratio of 1∶1. A randomized ，open-labelled，single-dose and two-cycle crossover study was designed ，the fasting subjects of two groups were given test or reference preparation 6 150 AⅩaIU subcutaneously on the first day of each cycle and exchanged in the second cycle ，and the wash-out period was 7 days. The blood samples were collected at different time points before and after administration. The activity of anti-coagulant factor Ⅹa（Anti-Ⅹa）and Anti- Ⅱa in human plasma were determined by chromogenic substrate method ，and the pharmacodynamic parameters were calculated according to the non-atrioventricular model and the bioequivalence was evaluated. The occurrence of adverse events （AEs）was recorded. RESULTS After administration ，the main pharmacodynamic parameters for Anti- Ⅹa activity of test preparation and reference preparation were as follows ：t1/2 were（4.87±1.06） and（4.03±1.00）h，tmax were 4.50（2.00，8.00）and 5.50（2.50，8.00）h，Anti-Ⅹamax were（0.66±0.12）and（0.56±0.11）IU/mL；main pharmacodynamic parameters of Anti- Ⅱa activity of two preparations were as follows ：t1/2 were（3.64±1.60）and（5.74±7.23）h，tmax were 4.00（2.50，8.00）and 4.00（2.00，8.00）h，Anti-Ⅱamax were both （0.10±0.03）IU/mL. The values of 90％confidence interval of geometric mean ratio of Anti- Ⅹamax，AUEC0－t and AUEC 0－∞ were 110.98％-123.50％，112.11％-121.24％and 111.57％-120.00％， respectively. During experiment ，14 subjects reported 19 cases of mild AEs ，among which hematoma ，purpura and maculopapular rash may be related to drugs ；no serious AEs were observed. CONCLUSIONS The domestic Nadroparin calcium injection is bioequivalent to the reference preparation ，and both of them show good safety.

Objective:This study aims to reveal the special immune infiltrating environment and possible immune escape mechanism of giant cell tumor of bone through single-cell sequencing data.Methods:The fresh samples obtained from 4 patients with primary giant cell tumor of bone from January 2018 to December 2021 were collected, and single-cell transcriptome sequencing was performed on the 10X platform to explore the characteristics and immune environment of giant cell tumor of bone by using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding ( t-SNE). The main cell types and signal pathways of immune cell regulation and function in giant cell tumor of bone were observed by cell communication analysis. Results:Cell clustering, the definition of basic cell types, the classification of immune cells, and the mutual regulatory relationship between cell types were analyzed for 35 643 single-cell data from 4 giant cell tumor samples of bone. It was found that giant cell tumor of bone was composed of 9 basic cell types, in which the immune cells were mainly CD8 + T cells (51%) and the non-immune cells were mainly fibroblast like spindle stromal cells (74%). The immune infiltration of giant cell tumor of bone is dominated by cytotoxic CD8 + T cells and lacks exhausted CD8 + T cells. CD4 + T cells are characterized by high expression of immune checkpoint genes CTLA4 and TIGIT. In giant cell tumor of bone, immune cells mainly act on multinucleated osteoclast like giant cells through PARs and CCL signaling pathways, but not stromal cells. Conclusion:This study defined the main cell types of giant cell tumor of bone through single cell sequencing data, and further revealed the composition characteristics of its immune infiltration, and found that the target of its immune cells was mainly multinuclear osteoclast like giant cells, which provided effective information for further understanding the occurrence and development of giant cell tumor of bone.

Wolfiporia cocos (F. A. Wolf) has been praised as a food delicacy and medicine for cen-turies in China. Here, we present the genome and transcriptome of the Chinese strain CGMCC5.78 of W. cocos. High-confidence functional prediction was made for 9277 genes among the 10,908 total predicted gene models in the W. cocos genome. Up to 2838 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified to be related to sclerotial development by comparing the transcriptomes of mycelial and sclerotial tissues. These DEGs are involved in mating processes, differentiation of fruiting body tissues, and metabolic pathways. A number of genes encoding enzymes and regulatory factors related to polysaccharide and triterpenoid production were strikingly regulated. A potential triter-penoid gene cluster including the signature lanosterol synthase (LSS) gene and its modified compo-nents were annotated. In addition, five nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS)-like gene clusters, eight polyketide synthase (PKS) gene clusters, and 15 terpene gene clusters were discovered in the genome. The differential expression of the velevt family proteins, transcription factors,carbohydrate-active enzymes, and signaling components indicated their essential roles in the regu-lation of fungal development and secondary metabolism in W. cocos. These genomic and transcrip-tomic resources will be valuable for further investigations of the molecular mechanisms controlling sclerotial formation and for its improved medicinal applications.

Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) and Scutellaria barbata (S. barbata) are common medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family. Both produce specific flavonoid compounds, including baicalein, scutellarein, norwogonin, and wogonin, as well as their glycosides, which exhibit antioxidant and antitumor activities. Here, we report chromosome-level genome assemblies of S. baicalensis and S. barbata with quantitative chromosomal variation (2n = 18 and 2n = 26, respectively). The divergence of S. baicalensis and S. barbata occurred far earlier than previously reported, and a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event was identified. The insertion of long terminal repeat elements after speciation might be responsible for the observed chromosomal expansion and rearrangement. Comparative genome analysis of the congeneric species revealed the species-specific evolution of chrysin and apigenin biosynthetic genes, such as the S. baicalensis-specific tandem duplication of genes encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase and chalcone synthase, and the S. barbata-specific duplication of genes encoding 4-CoA ligase. In addition, the paralogous duplication, colinearity, and expression diversity of CYP82D subfamily members revealed the functional divergence of genes encoding flavone hydroxylase between S. baicalensis and S. barbata. Analyzing these Scutellaria genomes reveals the common and species-specific evolution of flavone biosynthetic genes. Thus, these findings would facilitate the development of molecular breeding and studies of biosynthesis and regulation of bioactive compounds.
Evolution, Molecular ; Flavonoids/biosynthesis* ; Genome, Plant ; Plant Extracts/genetics* ; Scutellaria/metabolism* ; Whole Genome Sequencing

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TE-SCC), construct a prediction model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC, and stratify the probability of celiac lymph node metastasis.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 443 patients with TE-SCC who underwent thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy with systematic lymph node dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between March 2015 and April 2019 were collected. There were 259 males and 184 females, aged from 41 to 81 years, with a median age of 64 years. The nomogram prediction model was constructed based on the results of multivariate analysis of influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC, of which calibration curve and decision curve were drawed. The predictive performance was evaluated using the concordance index. The score for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC predicted by nomogram model was used for further recursive partitioning analysis, and patients were stratified into risk subgroups using the decision-making tree model. Observation indicators: (1) celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC; (2) analysis of influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC; (3) construction of nomogram prediction model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC; (4) construction of decision-making tree model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC and risk subgroup analysis of celiac lymph node metastasis probability. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers and percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data between groups was analyzed using the nonparametric rank sum test. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Logistic regression model. Based on Logistic regression model multivariate analysis, a new nomogram model was constructed using the RStudio 3.4 software. Results:(1) Celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC: celiac lymph node metastasis was found in 89 of the 443 patients, with a celiac lymph node metastasis rate of 20.09%(89/443). (2) Analysis of influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC. Results of univariate analysis showed that tumor location, tumor length, tumor differentiation degree, pathological T staging, nerve invasion, vessel invasion, and thoracic lymph node metastasis were related factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC ( χ2=12.177, Z=-2.754, -4.218, -4.254, χ2=3.908, 33.025, 30.387, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that tumor location, vessel invasion, and thoracic lymph node metastasis were independent influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC ( odds ratio=2.165, 3.442, 2.876, 95% confidence interval: 1.380-3.396, 1.787-6.633, 1.631-5.071, P<0.05). (3) Construction of nomogram prediction model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC: based on the factors screened by multivariate analysis, including tumor location, vessel invasion, and thoracic lymph node metastasis, the nomogram prediction model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC was established, with the concordance index of 0.846. The calibration curve showed a high consistency between the celiac lymph node metastasis probability estimated by the prediction model and the actual rate of celiac lymph node metastasis. The decision curve showed that the nomogram prediction model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC had a good prediction value when the probability threshold was 0.001-0.819.(4) Construction of decision-making tree model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC and risk subgroup analysis of celiac lymph node metastasis probability: patients were stratified into six risk subgroups using the decision-making tree model based on the celiac lymph node metastasis probability. The group A included patients with no vessel invasion+negative thoracic lymph node, group B included patients with no vessel invasion+the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes of 1-3, group C included patients with no vessel invasion+the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes of ≥4, group D included patients with vessel invasion+the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes of 0-2+upper or middle thoracic esophageal carcinoma, group E included patients with vessel invasion+the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes of 0-2+lower thoracic esophageal carcinoma, group F included patients with vessel invasion+the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes of ≥3. The group A was low-risk group with the celiac lymph node metastasis probability of 11%, group B and D were intermediate low-risk groups with the celiac lymph node metastasis probability of 27% and 21%, group C and E were the intermediate high-risk groups with the celiac lymph node metastasis probability of 56% and 55%, and group F was high-risk group with the celiac lymph node metastasis probability of 80%. Conclusions:The tumor location, vessel invasion, and thoracic lymph node metastasis are independent influencing factors for celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC. Vessel invasion has the dominant influence on celiac lymph node metastasis, followed by the number of positive thoracic lymph nodes, and then the tumor location. Patients can be stratified into six risk subgroups based on the nomogram prediction model and decision-making tree model of celiac lymph node metastasis in TE-SCC.

Objective: To investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 early genes E2 and E6 and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) E2 and their interaction effects in the progression of the cervical cancer. Methods: Women with normal cervix (NC), low cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN Ⅰ) and high cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ) from the cervical lesions cohort in Jiexiu County of Shanxi Province from June 2014 to September 2014, and patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated at the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in the same period were enrolled in this study. There were 257 participants, about 67 NC cases (26.07%), 69 CIN Ⅰ cases (26.85%), 68 CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ cases (26.46%), and 53 SCC cases (20.62%), respectively. The information of demographic characteristics, life health habits and cervical lesions were collected by using the structured questionnaire. Cervical exfoliated cells and cervical biopsy tissues were collected to detect the infection of HPV16 and the protein expression levels of hnRNP E2, HPV16 E2 and E6. According to the median-value of the protein expression levels of hnRNP E2, HPV16 E2 and E6 and E2/E6 ratio in the NC group, the study participants were divided into the high and low expression groups/ratio groups. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between HPV16 early gene E2 and E6, hnRNP E2 and cervical cancer. The interaction effect was analyzed by using the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) model. Results: The ages of NC, CIN Ⅰ, CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ and SCC groups were (47.00±9.07), (47.64±7.35), (46.37±8.67) and (51.26±8.03) years old, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that the HPV16 E2 low expression, E6 high expression and E2/E6 low ratio could increase the risk of CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ, about OR (95%CI) values 11.11 (1.63-75.56), 8.00 (1.28-50.04), and 9.75 (1.22-77.72), respectively and SCC, about OR (95%CI) values 14.22 (2.11-95.88), 10.33 (1.67-64.00), and 12.38 (1.56-97.91), respectively. The hnRNP E2 low expression could increase the risk of CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ and SCC, about OR (95%CI) values 3.35 (1.39-8.10) and 5.53 (1.54-19.88). The result of GMDR showed that there were interaction effects of the hnRNP E2 low expression, HPV16 E2 low expression and HPV16 E6 high expression in both CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ and SCC groups. Conclusion The HPV16 E2 low expression, HPV16 E6 high expression and hnRNP E2 low expression could increase the risk of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer, and they might have an important interaction effect in the progression of the cervical cancer.

Global concerns have been paid to the potential hazard of traditional herbal medicinal products (THMPs). Substandard and counterfeit THMPs, including traditional Chinese patent medicine, health foods, dietary supplements, etc. are potential threats to public health. Recent marketplace studies using DNA barcoding have determined that the current quality control methods are not sufficient for ensuring the presence of authentic herbal ingredients and detection of contaminants/adulterants. An efficient biomonitoring method for THMPs is of great needed. Herein, metabarcoding and single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing were used to detect the multiple ingredients in Jiuwei Qianghuo Wan (JWQHW), a classical herbal prescription widely used in China for the last 800 years. Reference experimental mixtures and commercial JWQHW products from the marketplace were used to confirm the method. Successful SMRT sequencing results recovered 5416 and 4342 circular-consensus sequencing (CCS) reads belonging to the ITS2 and regions. The results suggest that with the combination of metabarcoding and SMRT sequencing, it is repeatable, reliable, and sensitive enough to detect species in the THMPs, and the error in SMRT sequencing did not affect the ability to identify multiple prescribed species and several adulterants/contaminants. It has the potential for becoming a valuable tool for the biomonitoring of multi-ingredient THMPs.