Objective The complex evolutionary history of the origin of medicinal blue herbs might result in the presence of adulterants, affecting the accuracy and safety of clinical medication. To provide a reference basis for the identification of medicinal blue herbs with leaves as the medicinal part, based on the leaf epidermis microstructure. Methods The species belonging to medicinal blue herbs and their close relatives (10 species from 4 genera) were systematically investigated. The leaf epidermis microstructure of these species was observed and analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A species retrieval table was established based on the microstructure characteristics. Results By combining the distribution of stomata, types of subsidiary cells, stomatal index, stomatal density, characteristics of the periclinal walls of epidermal cells, and epidermal appendages, the species Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum, Polygonum tinctorium, Isatis indigotica, I. violascens, I. costata, I. minima, Strobilanthes wallichii, S. dalzielii, S. pentstemonoides, and S. cusia can be accurately distinguished. Conclusion Microscopic characteristics of leaf epidermis can provide reference data for accurately differentiating the botanical origins of medicinal blue herbs.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

ObjectiveFunctional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a novel non-invasive technique for monitoring cerebral activity, can be integrated with upper limb rehabilitation robots to facilitate the real-time assessment of neurological rehabilitation outcomes. The rehabilitation robot is designed with 3 training modes: passive, active, and resistance. Among these, the resistance mode has been demonstrated to yield superior rehabilitative outcomes for patients with a certain level of muscle strength. The control modes in the resistance mode can be categorized into dynamic and static control. However, the effects of different control modes in the resistance mode on the motor function of patients with upper limb hemiplegia in stroke remain unclear. Furthermore, the effects of force, an important parameter of different control modes, on the activation of brain regions have rarely been reported. This study investigates the effects of dynamic and static resistance modes under varying resistance levels on cerebral functional alterations during motor rehabilitation in post-stroke patients. MethodsA cohort of 20 stroke patients with upper limb dysfunction was enrolled in the study, completing preparatory adaptive training followed by 3 intensity-level tasks across 2 motor paradigms. The bilateral prefrontal cortices (PFC), bilateral primary motor cortices (M1), bilateral primary somatosensory cortices (S1), and bilateral premotor and supplementary motor cortices (PM) were examined in both the resting and motor training states. The lateralization index (LI), phase locking value (PLV), network metrics were employed to examine cortical activation patterns and topological properties of brain connectivity. ResultsThe data indicated that both dynamic and static modes resulted in significantly greater activation of the contralateral M1 area and the ipsilateral PM area when compared to the resting state. The static patterns demonstrated a more pronounced activation in the contralateral M1 in comparison to the dynamic patterns. The results of brain network analysis revealed significant differences between the dynamic and resting states in the contralateral PFC area and contralateral M1 area (F=4.709, P=0.038), as well as in the contralateral PM area and ipsilateral M1 area (F=4.218, P=0.049). Moreover, the findings indicated a positive correlation between the activation of the M1 region and the increase in force in the dynamic mode, which was reversed in the static mode. ConclusionBoth dynamic and static resistance training modes have been demonstrated to activate the corresponding brain functional regions. Dynamic resistance modes elicit greater oxygen changes and connectivity to the region of interest (ROI) than static resistance modes. Furthermore, the effects of increasing force differ between the two modes. In patients who have suffered a stroke, dynamic modes may have a more pronounced effect on the activation of exercise-related functional brain regions.

italic>Anoectochilus roxburghii liquid (spray, a hospital preparation of Wu Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University) has shown a good clinical treatment effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its material basis and mechanism of action are still unclear. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking methods were used to predict the molecular mechanism of A. roxburghii liquid against COVID-19, and pharmacodynamic experiments in vitro were conducted to study the interaction between the current targets with clear preventive and therapeutic effects and the key components of A. roxburghii liquid. UPLC-MS and database were used to compare and analyze the active ingredients in the liquid, and 17 potential active ingredients with good drug-like properties were screened by in vivo pharmacokinetics process in SwissADME database. SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards were searched to find 93 common targets. Cytoscape 3.8.2 software was used to construct the "component-target" network map, and the Metascape platform was used for gene function annotation and pathway enrichment analysis. It was found that the extract could regulate the positive response to external stimuli, inflammatory response, cytokine production and other biological processes by binding the active ingredients such as isorhamnetin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin to the common targets (NOS3, MPO, MMP3, etc.), and play an anti-COVID-19 role. In the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity inhibition assay, it was found that the stock solution of A. roxburghii liquid (for spray), and the supernatant after removing polysaccharides (mainly containing flavonoids) could to some extent inhibit the activity of ACE2. Crucially, in the experiment of 2019-nCOV-S pseudovirus infecting HEK-293T-ACE2 cells, we found that A. roxburghii liquid may exert anti-COVID-19 effects by blocking the binding of SARS-CoV-S protein to ACE2.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Xibining （XBN） and adipose stem cell exosome （ADSC-Exos） in the cases of separate or joint application on cartilage degeneration and mitochondrial autophagy and explore its mechanism of action to improve knee osteoarthritis （KOA）. MethodSD rats were divided into a sham operation group （sham group）， a model group， an ADSC-Exos group （Exos group）， an XBN group， and an ADSC-Exos+XBN group （Exos+XBN group）. KOA model was established by using anterior cruciate ligament transection （ACLT）. The pain sensitivity status of rats was evaluated， and the degeneration degree of the knee joint and cartilage tissue was detected by Micro-CT and pathological staining. The expression of p62 and LC3B was observed by immunofluorescence， and the serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， and IL-15 in rats were detected by ELISA. The Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of MMP-3， MMP-13， ADAMTS5， ColⅡ， TIMP， ACAN， PINK1， Parkin， p62， and LC3A/B. ResultCompared with the sham group， rats in the model group showed decreased cold-stimulated foot-shrinkage thresholds and mechanical pain sensitivity thresholds， varying degrees of abrasion and loss of cartilage tissue， degeneration of cartilage tissue， elevated serum IL-1β， IL-6， IL-15， and TNF-α levels （P<0.01）， and increased protein expression of MMP-3， MMP-13， and ADAMTS5 in cartilage tissue. In addition， the protein expression of ColⅡ， TIMP1， and ACAN was decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， rats in each treatment group showed higher cold-stimulated foot-shrinkage thresholds and mechanical pain sensitivity thresholds， reduced cartilage tissue degeneration， lower serum levels of IL-1β， IL-6， IL-15， and TNF-α （P<0.05，P<0.01）， decreased protein expression of MMP-3， MMP-13， and ADAMTS5， and higher protein expression of Cold， TIMP1， and ACAN in cartilage tissue （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Moreover， the changes were the most obvious in the Exos+XBN group. ConclusionBoth ADSCs-Exos and XBN can increase the level of mitochondrial autophagy in chondrocytes and delay cartilage tissue degeneration by promoting the expression of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， and the combination of the two can enhance the therapeutic effect.

Objective:To compare the imaging quality and metabolic quantitative parameters of pulmonary nodules between Q. Flex whole information five-dimensional (5D) and conventional three-dimensional (3D) PET/CT imaging for clinical evaluation.Methods:Fifty-four patients (30 males, 24 females, age: 60(42, 75) years; 78 solid pulmonary nodules (maximum diameter≤3 cm) with abnormal uptake of 18F-FDG) from Tianjin Cancer Hospital Airport Hospital between June 2022 and August 2022 were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent 5D scanning and 3D, 5D reconstruction. Image quality scores, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), SUV max, SUV mean and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) of pulmonary nodules of 5D group and 3D group were evaluated and compared with χ2 test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Correlation of quantitative parameters between 2 groups were analyzed by using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results:Thirty-five of 78(45%) pulmonary nodules with image quality score≥4 were found in 5D group, which were more than those in 3D group (22/78(28%); χ2=4.67, P=0.031). Meanwhile, SNR, SUV max, SUV mean, and MTV were significantly positively correlated between the 2 groups ( rs values: 0.86, 0.86, 0.85, and 0.95, all P<0.001). SNR, SUV max and SUV mean of pulmonary nodules in 5D group were significantly higher than those in 3D group, which were 37.46(18.42, 62.00) vs 32.72(16.97, 54.76) ( z=-4.07, P<0.001), 9.71(5.48, 13.82) vs 8.96(4.82, 12.63) ( z=-3.05, P<0.001) and 6.30(3.39, 8.94) vs 5.61(2.99, 7.63)( z=-4.07, P<0.001) respectively. MTV of pulmonary nodules in 5D group was significantly lower than that in 3D group, which was 1.72(0.66, 2.74) cm 3vs 1.98(1.06, 4.63) cm 3 ( z=-7.13, P<0.001). Quantitative parameters of lower lung field and nodules with maximum diameters of >10 mm and ≤20 mm based on 5D scanning changed most significantly compared with those based on 3D scanning ( z values: from -5.23 to -2.48, all P<0.05). Conclusion:Q. Flex 5D PET significantly improves the quantitative accuracy of SUV and MTV of pulmonary nodules, and the improvement of image quality is substantial without increasing the radiation dose, which has clinical practical value.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and maternal and fetal outcomes of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy(APIP)and the risk factors for disease aggravation,and to establish a predictive model.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 52 APIP patients who were admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022,and according to disease severity,they were divided into mild acute pancreatitis(MAP)group with 32 patients,moderate-severe acute pancreatitis(MSAP)group with 8 patients,and severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)group with 12 patients.The logistic regression analysis was performed for the clinical data of each group,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to assess the value of risk factors in predicting the severity of APIP.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparision between two groups.The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for further comparision between two groups;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.Results Of all patients in terms of etiology,26(50%)had hyperlipidemic pancreatitis,20(38.4%)had biliary pancreatitis,and 6(11.5%)had idiopathic pancreatitis.In terms of gestational week,1 patient(1.9%)was in early pregnancy,25(48.1%)were in mid-pregnancy,and 26(50.0%)were in late pregnancy.A total of 10 patients(19.2%)had acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS),among whom 9(90%)required respiratory support.There were significant differences between the patients with different severities of APIP in aspartate aminotransferase,alanine aminotransferase,blood urea nitrogen,blood glucose,C-reactive protein(CRP),international normalized ratio(INR),pneumonia,ARDS,sepsis,hepatic insufficiency,and coagulation dysfunction(all P<0.05).The univariate analysis showed that the severity of APIP was associated with blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,CRP,and pneumonia(all P<0.05),and pneumonia was a risk factor for the aggravation of APIP(odds ratio=18.938,95%confidence interval:1.020—351.747,P=0.048).CRP,blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,and INR used in combination had a larger area under the ROC curve than each index used alone(0.954 vs 0.778/0.796/0.721/0.801).Conclusion Pneumonia is a risk factor for the aggravation of APIP,and the combination of CRP,blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,and INR can be used to predict the severity of APIP.

[Objective]To investigate the efficacy of a blended instruction model which incorporated preceptorship into the clinical anatomy course at Sun Yat-sen University and improve satisfaction and performance of medical students.[Methods]The study recruited participants including 375 Chinese students aged 20-24 years old,2 anatomy professors,49 surgeons and 7 lab technicians. The students were divided into 10 teams and each team was tutored by 1 anatomy professor,2 surgeons and 1 lab technician. After the course ended,the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Student Experience in Education Questionnaire (SEEQ) were used in the survey to measure the quality of teaching and students' overall educational experience. Students' performance scores were collected and analyzed.[Results]The response rates for CEQ and SEEQ were 60.3％ (226/375) and 54.6％ (200/375),respectively. CEQ indicated a moderate level of overall satisfaction with 7.12 out of 10. Subscales like Clear Goals,Good Teaching and Generic Skills showed moderately positive reception of the course,while subscales like Appropriate Workload and Appropriate Assessment revealed students' concerns about heavy workload and difficult exam. There was no statistically significant difference in perceptions between male and female students. The students who are more satisfied with the quality of the course are also more satisfied with the way it is taught (P<0.01). SEEQ further confirmed the universal appeal of the course,with high scores in dimensions like Learning,Enthusiasm and Individual Rapport among the students. Qualitative responses highlighted areas of improvement,such as consistent teaching methods,practical hands-on experience for the students and alignment between what was taught and tested.The students after the preceptorship introduction achieved better academic performance than before.[Conclusions]The blended instruction model incorporating preceptorship enhances the student satisfaction and performance in clinical anatomy course,and also stimulates students' learning enthusiasm and group interaction. We need further improvement in the teaching quality control,syllabus contents and course assessment for teaching of clinical anatomy.