ObjectiveThis study aims to enhance of the farnesyl pyrophosphate（FPP） pool in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by heterologously expressing different farnesyl diphosphate synthases（FPSs） from various plants， thereby increasing the production of terpenoid compounds by the engineered yeast. MethodsRNA from mixed samples of roots， stems， and leaves of seven plants including Arabidopsis thaliana， Rosa rugosa， Artemisia annua， Centella asiatica， Humulus lupulus， Medicago sativa， and Panax ginseng was extracted by column chromatography and reverse transcribed into the first strand of complementary DNA（cDNA）， and based on the transcriptome data of the seven species of plants， sequence-specific primers were designed for CaFPS， RrFPS， MsFPS， HiFPS， PgFPS， AtFPS， and AaFPS， the full-length of the genes was cloned， and the genes were analyzed for bioinformatics in order to construct a pESC yeast shuttle vector. These seven plant-derived FPSs were further heterologously expressed in the previous constructed β-elemene-producing yeast， and the yield of β-elemene was indicated for their catalytic acivities. ResultsThe coding sequences of CaFPS， RrFPS， MsFPS， HiFPS， PgFPS， AtFPS， and AaFPS were all of 1 021 bp in length and encoding 301 amino acids， all of which were similarly related to the endogenous FPS-encoding gene（ERG20） in S. cerevisiae. After heterologous expression， RrFPS was identified as the most effective in catalyzing the synthesis of FPP from isopentenyl pyrophosphate（IPP） and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate（DMAPP）. Compared to the control strains， the RrFPS overexpressed yeast strains YB-1-Rr and YB-3-Rr increased the production of β-elemene by 231.25% and 189.3%， respectively. ConclusionBy comparing the functions of FPS-encoding genes from seven different plant sources， it is determined that the protein encoded by the RrFPS from R. rugosa has the best catalytic ability， which can provide key genetic elements for the construction of engineered yeast strain constructs with high terpenoid production.

ObjectiveTo analyze the "compatibility" relationship of sugars and glycosides and the heat-clearing and blood-cooling effect of the roots of four varieties of Rehmannia glutinosa and provide a basis for research on the pharmacodynamic material basis and quality control of R. glutinosa. MethodsThe content of sugars and glycosides in the roots of four varieties of R. glutinosa was determined during the growth period. The principal component analysis （PCA）， orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA）， and the "compatibility" relationship of active components were employed to screen out the differential samples. A rat model of bleeding due to blood heat was used to verify the pharmacodynamic differences and the potential active components of differential samples. ResultsThe content and proportion characteristics of various components in roots of the four varieties of R. glutinosa during the expansion stage and the maturity stage had obvious differences. The proportion of phenylethanoid glycosides at the maturity stage was higher than that at the expansion stage. The R. glutinosa variety 85-5 had special quality characteristics among the tested varieties. All the samples alleviated the symptoms in the rat model. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood was different between the maturity stage and the expansion stage， as well as between 85-5 samples at the maturity stage and other samples. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood of R. glutinosa roots was the result of the combined action of multiple components in R. glutinosa roots and might be related to the high proportions of polysaccharides， iridoid glycosides， and phenylethanoid glycosides. ConclusionThe growth stage and variety affect the quality of R. glutinosa roots. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood of R. glutinosa roots was related to the content and proportions of various components. The study can provide a basis for the basic research on the active components and quality control of R. glutinosa.

ObjectiveTo analyze the "compatibility" relationship of sugars and glycosides and the heat-clearing and blood-cooling effect of the roots of four varieties of Rehmannia glutinosa and provide a basis for research on the pharmacodynamic material basis and quality control of R. glutinosa. MethodsThe content of sugars and glycosides in the roots of four varieties of R. glutinosa was determined during the growth period. The principal component analysis （PCA）， orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA）， and the "compatibility" relationship of active components were employed to screen out the differential samples. A rat model of bleeding due to blood heat was used to verify the pharmacodynamic differences and the potential active components of differential samples. ResultsThe content and proportion characteristics of various components in roots of the four varieties of R. glutinosa during the expansion stage and the maturity stage had obvious differences. The proportion of phenylethanoid glycosides at the maturity stage was higher than that at the expansion stage. The R. glutinosa variety 85-5 had special quality characteristics among the tested varieties. All the samples alleviated the symptoms in the rat model. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood was different between the maturity stage and the expansion stage， as well as between 85-5 samples at the maturity stage and other samples. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood of R. glutinosa roots was the result of the combined action of multiple components in R. glutinosa roots and might be related to the high proportions of polysaccharides， iridoid glycosides， and phenylethanoid glycosides. ConclusionThe growth stage and variety affect the quality of R. glutinosa roots. The effect of clearing heat and cooling blood of R. glutinosa roots was related to the content and proportions of various components. The study can provide a basis for the basic research on the active components and quality control of R. glutinosa.

With the extensive application of nuclear technology in industry, agriculture, and medicine, the safety issues associated with neutron radiation have become increasingly prominent. Due to their high penetrability and strong ionization effect, neutrons can cause serious health risks by directly damaging DNA or inducing secondary γ radiation. Therefore, the neutron radiation protection has become a core challenge in radiation protection, especially the research and development of neutron shielding materials. To ensure the safe development of nuclear technology, neutron shielding materials are indispensable and constitute a fundamental core technology for radiation protection. This paper reviews the theory of neutron radiation protection and the research progress of neutron shielding materials, with a focus on the current application status and existing problems of neutron shielding materials. This article also discusses the future development trends. This review aims to provide theoretical support and technical references for the safe application and development of nuclear technology.

ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect of Huangliansan on atopic dermatitis （AD） model mice induced by 2， 4-dinitrochlorobenzene （DNCB）. MethodA total of 42 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， hydrocortisone group， low， medium， and high-dose groups （0.3， 0.6， 1.2 g·kg^-1） of Huangliansan oil， and water extract group （0.6 g·kg^-1） of Huangliansan. In addition to the normal group， DNCB was applied on the back of mice in other groups to establish the AD model. On the 15^th day after DNCB stimulation， each group was given the corresponding drug or solvent， and the changes in skin lesions， dermatitis score， and frequency of scratching were observed and recorded. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the skin and spleen. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect mRNA levels of filaggrin （FLG）， lorophane （LOR）， and involucrin （IVL） in skin， as well as immunoglobulin E （lgE）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and interferon-γ （IFN-γ） in spleen. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed symptoms of skin swelling and scab， and the score of dermatitis， the frequency of scratching， and the spleen index were increased （P<0.05）. The expression levels of FLG， LOR， and IVL in skin tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the mRNA expressions of IgE， IL-4， IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the spleen were significantly increased， while the expression level of IFN-γ was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the symptoms of skin erythema， scaly， and scab of mice in each drug group were alleviated to varying degrees， and the score of dermatitis， the frequency of scratching， and the spleen index were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， the expression levels of FLG， LOR， and IVL in the skin of mice in the drug group were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA expression of IgE， IL-4， IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α in spleen were decreased. IFN-γ was increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the lesions of the skin and spleen were improved to varying degrees. The medium-dose group of Huangliansan oil and hydrocortisone group had the most obvious manifestations （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The indexes in the medium-dose group of Huangliansan oil were better than those in the water extract group of Huangliansan. ConclusionHuangliansan may improve the expression level of skin barrier protein， inhibit the expression of helper T cell 2 （Th2）-related inflammatory factors， increase the expression of helper T cell 1 （Th1） inflammatory factors， restore the skin barrier function and Th1/Th2 balance in the spleen， regulate the inflammatory response in the spleen of AD mice， and thus relieve AD. Huangliansan oil is more effective than water extract.

【Objective】 To analyze the situation of regular whole blood donation in Tianjin between 2013 and 2022, in order to provide data support for improving the recruitment and retention measures of regular blood donors and ensuring safe clinical blood supply. 【Methods】 From 2013 to 2022, 185 639 regular whole blood donors in Tianjin were selected as the study group and 1 015 312 other whole blood donors in the same period were selected as the control group. The demographic data, blood collection volume and blood retest screening of blood donors in the two groups were statistically analyzed. 【Results】 The number of regular blood donors and the volume of blood donated in Tianjin increased year by year from 2013 to 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 6.22% and 6.18%, respectively. From 2013 to 2021, the retention rate of regular blood donors increased first and then decreased. The proportion of male blood donors in the study and control groups showed a decreasing trend but the proportion of female donors showed an increasing trend, with the proportion of male donors in the study group higher than that in the control group and the proportion of female donors lower than that in the control group (both P<0.05). In the study group, the majority of blood donors were in the age of 26-35 years old, followed by those of 36-45 years old; in the control group, the majority of blood donors were in the age of 18-25 years old, followed by those of 26-35 years old; the proportion of blood donors in the study group in the age of 18-25 years old was lower than that in the control group, while the proportion of blood donors of other age group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The rates of 200 mL and 300 mL blood donations and insufficient blood donations in the study group were lower than those in the control group, while the rate of 400 mL blood donations was higher than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant. Among the blood donors in the study group, the proportion of students, civil servants, medical workers, military personnel, teachers and others was lower than that of the control group, while the proportion of the rest occupations was higher in the study group than that of the control group, and the differences were all statistically significant. There was a significant difference in the proportion of regular blood donors among blood donors of different professions. The re-test deferral rates of ALT and anti-TP in the study group showed a decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend, and the re-test deferral rates of HBV, HCV and HIV showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend, and all the re-test deferral rates in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . 【Conclusion】 From 2013 to 2022, the situation of regular blood donors in Tianjin has a certain regularity, and there is certain room for growth. Precise recruitment strategies targeting different populations should be adopted to have more regular blood donors.

[Objective]To analyze the trends in the disease burden of esophageal cancer attributed to smoking in Chi-na from 1990 to 2019.[Methods]Using the Joinpoint 4.9.1.0 software,based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 data,we examined the mortality,Disability-Adjusted Life Years(DALY)data,and death rates of esophageal cancer at-tributed to smoking in China from 1990 to 2019,along with national population data.The trends in disease burden was de-scribed and the age-period-cohort model was employed to analyze the effects of age,period,and cohort on the trends in disease burden due to smoking.[Results]Joinpoint analysis indicated that the age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR)and DALY rate attributable to smoking showed an average annual percent change(AAPC)of-1.42%and-1.72%,respec-tively.For females,the AAPC values for ASMR and DALY rate were-3.26%and-3.70%,respectively,while for males,these were-1.28%and-1.54%,respectively.The disease burden by age attributable to smoking showed a general declin-ing trend across all age groups in mortality and DALY rates.The disease burden from smoking,measured by age,dis-played a consistent downward trend in both mortality and DALY rates across all age groups.The 40-44 age group saw the sharpest decline,with Annual Average Percent Changes(AAPC)of-3.05%for mortality and-3.04%for DALY rates.This was closely followed by the 45-49 age group,which experienced AAPC values of-2.73%and-2.72%,respectively.Analysis using the age-period-cohort model showed that the impact of age on mortality and DALY rates due to smoking ini-tially increases with age before subsequently decreasing.The period effect revealed a general increase in the mortality rate from smoking in China,except for a dip between 2005 and 2010;otherwise,the trend was upward over time.The DALY rate demonstrated variability across different periods.The cohort effect indicated a decrease in both mortality and DALY rates due to smoking as successive birth cohorts progressed.[Conclusions]Our study reveals that the disease burden of esophageal cancer attributed to smoking factors exhibits gender differences and shows an overall declining trend over time.Efforts should be intensified to enhance health education for men,particularly focusing on smoking cessation education for smokers aged 35-39,in order to improve the overall level of primary prevention of esophageal cancer.

Objective To explore the influencing factors of over active bladder(OAB)in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)and its correlation with CSVD imaging markers.Meth-ods A total of 163 elderly CSVD patients admitted in our hospital from January 2021 to Decem-ber 2022 were enrolled and divided into OAB group(37 cases)and non-OAB group(126 cases)based on the results of OAB rating scale.Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE)score,Fazekas scale score,and total CSVD burden score were recorded and compared between the two groups.Results The OAB group had older age,higher urinary frequency,larger proportions of nocturia,urgency,and urge incontinence ratio,increased Fazekas score,periventricular white matter hyper-intensity(PWMH)score and deep white matter hyperintensity(DWMH)score,and elevated total CSVD burden score and lower MMSE score than the non-OAB group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).PWMH score and DWMH score were risk factors for the occurrence of OAB(P＜0.01).The OAB score was positively correlated with Fazekas score,PWMH score,and DWMH score in the CSVD patients(r=0.533,P=0.001;r=0.462,P=0.004;r=0.398,P=0.015).The occurrence of urgency urinary incontinence was positively correlated with Fazekas score and PWMH score in the CSVD patients(r=0.352,P=0.033;r=0.346,P=0.036).Conclusion PWMH and DWMH are risk factors for OAB occurrence in CSVD patients.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacies of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the clearance of Bovine Kobu (BK) virus and treatment of BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) in kidney transplantation recipients.Methods:From March 1, 2018 to March 31, 2022, the relevant clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for 13 kidney transplantation recipients with histologically proven BKVN on a full course of IVIG. The changes of serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were compared before and after Month 1/3/6/12. Univariate Cox regression analysis was performed for examining the overall risk factors of BK virus clearance failure.Results:kidney transplantation (12 cases) and combined pancreatorenal transplantation (1 case) were performed. Among them, 9/13 patients were pathologically classified as stage A (early changes without tubular necrosis) and another 4 cases as stage B (active nephropathy with viral tubular necrosis). After IVIG dosing, all patients with BK virus in blood turned negative. Urinary BK virus DNA load of 7 patients with BK virus declined by 10 3 copies/ml, and 6 patients with BK virus in urine turned negative. Blood BK viral DNA load, urinary BK viral DNA load, GFR and serum creatinine before IVIG were 26 100 (1 000, 254 000) copies /ml and 1 450 (438, 7 480) ×10 6 copies /ml, (35. 36±14. 57) ml/min and (208. 50±66. 89) μmol/L, respectively, after 12 months of use of IVIG were 0、0(0, 0. 58) ×10 6 copies/ml、(46. 05±13. 00) ml/min and(175. 38±50. 64) μmol/L, the differences were statistically significant ( P=0. 012, 0. 027, 0. 046 and 0. 039) . Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that the overall risk factor for viral clearance failure was high initial viral load ( HR=0. 780, 95% CI: 0. 64-0. 98, P=0. 032) , concurrent transplanted kidney rejection ( HR=0. 847, 95% CI: 0. 52-0. 93, P=0. 013) and higher BKVN grade ( HR=0. 426, 95% CI: 0. 22-0. 81 , P=0. 010) were the overall risk factors for urinary BK virus clearance failure. No major adverse events occurred. Conclusions:IVIG may achieve a high efficacy of BK virus clearance. IVIG is effective in the treatment of BKVN. The graft renal function was stable or improved after treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the value of the ROX index [blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2)/fraction of inspiration O 2 (FiO 2)/respiratory rate (RR)], ROX-heart rate (HR) index (ROX index/HR × 100), modified ROX (mROX) index [partial pressure of oxygen in the blood (PaO 2)/FiO 2/RR], and mROX-HR index (mROX index/HR × 100) in predicting prognosis for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC). Methods:The clinical data of 100 patients with ARDS who received HFNC between January 2018 and December 2022 at The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province, Jianghan University, were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups based on whether HFNC treatment was successful or not: a success group with 65 patients and a failure group with 35 patients. The differences in the ROX index, ROX-HR index, mROX index, and mROX-HR index in the observation group were observed at the designated time points: 2, 12, and 24 hours after HFNC treatment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the value of ROX index, ROX-HR index, mROX index, and mROX-HR index in predicting the success or failure of HFNC treatment at 2, 12, and 24 hours. Cutoff values were determined.Results:There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, or the proportions of underlying diseases and pulmonary causes between the success and failure groups (all P > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in baseline HR, RR, FiO 2, SpO 2, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2), PaO 2, pH, lactate, oxygenation index, ROX index, mROX index, ROX-HR index, or mROX-HR index between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The ROX index in the success group at 2, 12, and 24 hours after HFNC treatment was 6.86 ± 1.09, 6.31 ± 1.61, and 8.24 ± 2.29, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in the failure group (6.36 ± 0.67, 5.65 ± 1.44, and 5.41 ± 0.84) at the corresponding time points ( F = 5.97, 4.04, 49.40, all P < 0.05). At 2, 12, and 24 hours after HFNC treatment, the mROX index in the success group was 5.94 ± 1.28, 5.74 ± 1.23, and 8.51 ± 2.64, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in the failure group (5.26 ± 0.74, 4.80 ± 0.97, 4.81 ± 1.17) at the corresponding time points ( F = 8.23, 15.38, 61.79, all P < 0.05). At 2, 12, and 24 hours after HFNC treatment, the ROX-HR index in the success group was 6.53 ± 1.32, 6.85 ± 1.44, and 7.57 ± 1.47, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in the failure group (5.79 ± 1.04, 5.87 ± 1.03, 5.57 ± 0.63) at the corresponding time points ( F = 8.28, 12.61, 58.34, all P < 0.05). At 2, 12, and 24 hours after HFNC treatment, the mROX-HR index in the success group was 6.11 ± 1.30, 6.86 ± 1.13, and 7.79 ± 1.79, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in the failure group (5.20 ± 1.06, 5.66 ± 1.46, 4.92 ± 0.90) at the corresponding time points ( F = 12.60, 20.87, 78.56, all P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the optimal thresholds were 6.56, 6.02, 6.24, and 5.25 for the ROX index, mROX index, ROX-HR index, and mROX-HR index, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.63, 0.66, 0.68, and 0.72, with sensitivity of 55.4%, 47.7%, 56.9%, and 76.9%, and specificity of 71.4%, 91.4%, 77.1%, and 62.9%, respectively. At 12 hours after treatment, the optimal thresholds were 6.09, 5.53, 6.52, and 5.99, with AUC values of 0.62, 0.70, 0.67, and 0.80, sensitivity of 55.4%, 53.8%, 61.5%, and 80.0%, and specificity of 74.3%, 77.1%, 71.4%, and 74.3%, respectively. At 24 hours after treatment, the optimal thresholds were 6.23, 6.4, 5.99, and 6.22, with AUC values of 0.88, 0.90, 0.91, and 0.93, sensitivity of 81.5%, 80.0%, 87.7%, and 83.1%, and specificity of 91.4%, 94.3%, 80.0%, and 91.4%, respectively. Conclusion:The use of the ROX index, mROX index, ROX-HR index, and mROX-HR index can aid in predicting the prognosis of ARDS patients. The predictive value of these indices increases as treatment time progresses. The mROX-HR index offers marked advantages during the initial stages of treatment and could serve as a reliable early predictor.