ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Shenge Bushen Capsules （SBC） on sexual development in normal 3-week-old mice. MethodsThe experiment consisted of two parts. In the first part， mice were divided into four groups： The control group and the low， medium， and high-dose SBC groups （234.7， 469.4， 938.7 mg·kg^-1， respectively）. In the second part， mice were divided into four groups： Control group， Pseudostellariae Radix polysaccharide （PRP） group， total flavonoids group， and SBC group， all receiving a dose of 469.4 mg·kg^-1. After 7 days of administration， the vaginal opening of female mice and the descent of testes and scrotum in male mice， as well as the ovarian and testicular organ indices， were observed. After 4 weeks of administration， female and male mice were housed together for 2 days， and the pregnancy rate of females was monitored. After delivery， the pregnant female mice continued receiving the treatment for 4 weeks， and the sexual development of their offspring， including vaginal opening， testicular descent， and organ indices of ovaries and testes， was observed. Serum sex hormones were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and the expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone （GnRH） and growth hormone （GH） proteins in the hypothalamus was assessed by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， there was no significant effect on the vaginal opening of female mice or the descent of testes in male mice after 7 days of SBC administration. After 4 weeks of administration， the pregnancy rate in the low-dose group was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， but no significant effects were observed in the other groups. The three doses of SBC did not significantly affect the ovarian or testicular organ indices， and there was no significant upregulation in the expression of GnRH or GH in the hypothalamus. The primary component of SBC， Pseudostellariae Radix polysaccharide， significantly reduced the vaginal opening in female mice after 7 days of administration （P<0.05）. After 4 weeks， the serum estradiol levels of non-pregnant female mice were decreased （P<0.05）， but there was no significant effect on the expression of GnRH or GH proteins in the hypothalamus of either male or female mice. Additionally， there were no significant effects on precocious puberty indicators， such as vaginal opening and testicular descent， in the offspring mice. ConclusionSBC does not significantly promote precocious puberty in young mice， and it does not have any noticeable effects on the pregnancy rate of adult mice or the sexual development of their offspring.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg^-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg^-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D₃03)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.

Neuroscience is a significant frontier discipline within the natural sciences and has become an important interdisciplinary frontier scientific field. Brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body, and its structural and functional analysis is considered the “ultimate frontier” of human self-awareness and exploration of nature. Driven by the strategic layout of “China Brain Project”, Chinese scientists have conducted systematic research focusing on “understanding the brain, simulating the brain, and protecting the brain”. They have made breakthrough progress in areas such as the principles of brain cognition, mechanisms and interventions for brain diseases, brain-like computation, and applications of brain-machine intelligence technology, aiming to enhance brain health through biomedical technology and improve the quality of human life. Due to limited understanding and comprehension of neuroscience, there are still many important unresolved issues in the field of neuroscience, resulting in a lack of effective measures to prevent and protect brain health. Therefore, in addition to actively developing new generation drugs, exploring non pharmacological treatment strategies with better health benefits and higher safety is particularly important. Epidemiological data shows that, exercise is not only an indispensable part of daily life but also an important non-pharmacological approach for protecting brain health and preventing neurodegenerative diseases, forming an emerging research field known as motor neuroscience. Basic research in motor neuroscience primarily focuses on analyzing the dynamic coding mechanisms of neural circuits involved in motor control, breakthroughs in motor neuroscience research depend on the construction of dynamic monitoring systems across temporal and spatial scales. Therefore, high spatiotemporal resolution detection of movement processes and movement-induced changes in brain structure and neural activity signals is an important technical foundation for conducting motor neuroscience research and has developed a set of tools based on traditional neuroscience methods combined with novel motor behavior decoding technologies, providing an innovative technical platform for motor neuroscience research. The protective effect of exercise in neurodegenerative diseases provides broad application prospects for its clinical translation. Applied research in motor neuroscience centers on deciphering the regulatory networks of neuroprotective molecules mediated by exercise. From the perspectives of exercise promoting neurogenesis and regeneration, enhancing synaptic plasticity, modulating neuronal functional activity, and remodeling the molecular homeostasis of the neuronal microenvironment, it aims to improve cognitive function and reduce the incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This has also advanced research into the molecular regulatory networks mediating exercise-induced neuroprotection and facilitated the clinical application and promotion of exercise rehabilitation strategies. Multidimensional analysis of exercise-regulated neural plasticity is the theoretical basis for elucidating the brain-protective mechanisms mediated by exercise and developing intervention strategies for neurological diseases. Thus,real-time analysis of different neural signals during active exercise is needed to study the health effects of exercise throughout the entire life cycle and enhance lifelong sports awareness. Therefore, this article will systematically summarize the innovative technological developments in motor neuroscience research, review the mechanisms of neural plasticity that exercise utilizes to protect the brain, and explore the role of exercise in the prevention and treatment of major neurodegenerative diseases. This aims to provide new ideas for future theoretical innovations and clinical applications in the field of exercise-induced brain protection.

Objective To examine the impact of different numbers of microsatellite markers on the analysis of population genetic diversity of Schistosoma japonicum, so as to provide insights into studies on the population genetic diversity of S. japonicum. Methods Oncomelania hupensis snails were collected from a wasteland in Gong’an County, Hubei Province, and 37 S. japonicum-infected O. hupensis snails were identified using the cercarial shedding method. A single cercaria released from each S. japonicum-infected O. hupensis snail was collected, and 10 cercariae were randomly collected from DNA extraction. Nine previously validated microsatellite loci and 15 additional microsatellite loci screened from literature review and the GenBank database and confirmed with stable amplification efficiency were selected as molecular markers. Genomic DNA from cercariae was subjected to three multiplex PCR amplifications of microsatellite markers with the Type-it Microsatellite PCR kit, and genotyped using capillary electrophoresis. The population genetic diversity of S. japonicum cercariae DNA was analyzed with observed number of alleles (Na), effective number of alleles (Ae), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), and polymorphism information content (PIC), and tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage disequilibrium (LD). To further investigate the impact of the number of microsatellite loci on the population genetic diversity of S. japonicum, the number of microsatellite markers was sequentially assigned from 1 to 24, and the mean and standard deviation of Na were calculated for S. japonicum populations at different locus numbers. In addition, the coefficient of variation (CV) of allelic number (defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean) was determined, and the variation in Na with increasing microsatellite locus numbers was analyzed. Results Genomic DNA from 345 S. japonicum cercariae was selected for genotyping of 24 microsatellite markers, and all 24 microsatellite loci met linkage equilibrium (standardized linkage disequilibrium coefficient D′ < 0.7, r² < 0.3) and deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.001). The mean Na, Ae, Ho and He were 27.46 ± 2.18, 12.46 ± 0.95, 0.46 ± 0.03, and 0.91 ± 0.01 for 24 microsatellite loci in S. japonicum cercarial populations, respectively, and PIC ranged from 0.85 to 0.96, indicating high genome-wide representativeness of 24 microsatellite loci. The mean value of Na-Ae was higher in genotyping with 9 previously validated microsatellite loci (19.88 ± 8.43) than with all 24 loci (14.99 ± 8.09). As the number of microsatellite loci increased, the mean Na showed no significant variation; however, the standard deviation gradually decreased. Notably, if the locus number reached 18 or more, the variation in the standard deviation of Na remarkably reduced. In addition, the standard deviation of Na at 18 loci was less than 5% of the mean Na at 24 loci, with a CV of 4.6%. Conclusions The number of microsatellite loci significantly affects the population genetic diversity analysis of S. japonicum. Eighteen or more microsatellite loci are recommended for analysis of the population genetic diversity of S. japonicum under the current conditions of low-prevalence infection and unbalanced genetic distribution of S. japonicum.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） is a common disease in clinical practice. It is associated with obvious exposure to toxic particles or gases and has become the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The pathogenesis of COPD is complex， and the oxidative stress involved in COPD plays a crucial role in the pathological process of the disease. Patients with COPD usually have high levels of oxidative stress in the lungs， which will affect the whole body for a long time， causing a variety of complications and accelerating the development of the disease. On the one hand， oxidative stress can directly damage the airway and lung tissue. On the other hand， it also drives other pathological mechanisms to jointly promote the development of disease， such as participating in inflammatory reactions and protease/anti-protease imbalance， promoting mucus secretion， accelerating cellular senescence， causing autoimmunity， and involving in genetic regulatory pathways. At present， western medicine treatment is mostly based on conventional drug treatment， and antioxidant-targeted oxidative stress is adopted， but there are still some challenges in efficacy and safety. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of preventing and treating COPD. In particular， Chinese herbal medicine formulas have great potential to interfere with the oxidative stress of COPD. Whether it is the modified classical traditional Chinese medicine or the new formulation developed by modern doctors， the research results reflect the multi-target and multi-channel advantages of traditional Chinese medicine treatment， and their efficacy and safety are gradually verified. This paper reviewed the literature in recent years， starting with the basic and clinical research on the intervention of traditional Chinese herbal medicine formulas on oxidative stress of COPD， so as to provide further ideas for related research on the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress of COPD by traditional Chinese medicine.

AIM: To explore the current status, research hotspots, and trends of global uveitis research to provide a theoretical basis and references for researchers in the field of uveitis, and promote further development in this area.METHODS: Relevant literatures on uveitis were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)database, Wanfang database, and Web of Science core collection database since their establishment until 24 August 2023. The country/publishing institutions, research authors, high-frequency keywords, and burst keywords were visual analyzed by using software such as GraphPad Prism 9, CiteSpace 6.2. R2, and VOSviewer.RESULTS: Research teams for uveitis have been formed in various countries globally. The top three countries in terms of publications are the United States of America(7 585 papers), the United Kingdom(2 412 papers)and Germany(1 679 papers). The top three foreign institutions in terms of publications are Harvard University, Oregon Health & Science University, and Moorfields Eye Hospital, while the top three domestic institutions are Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University. The analysis of high-frequency keywords and burst keywords in Chinese and English shows that research hotspots mainly focus on exploring pathogenesis and different treatment methods for uveitis. The research hotspots related to uveitis treatment are transitioning to molecular biology-related research topics, such as molecular biological signaling pathways(NF-κB signaling pathway with a strength value of 22.89), biological agents(adalimumab with a strength value of 32.21), and tumor necrosis factor(with a strength value of 48.44). Related research is also expanding to basic experiments on relevant rats.CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, the research hotspots and trends of global uveitis mainly focus on precise diagnosis, pathogenesis, and more effective treatment methods. It is important for more scholars to dedicate themselves to uveitis-related research in the future to make breakthroughs and progress in the field. More large-scale and multicenter clinical studies on uveitis can provide high-quality research evidence.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea(AAD)in children is a type of diarrhea that occurs after the use of antibiotics in children,and its pathogenesis is closely related to the intestinal flora.The medication of antibiotics can affect the metabolic function of the intestinal flora and the immune function of the body,and then leads to the occurrence of AAD.In the view of Chinese medicine,AAD in children is mainly involved the spleen,and the etiology of the disease is due to the weakness of the spleen and stomach of the body constitution together with the attack of the pestilential pathogen and the accumulation of drug toxin.The pathogenesis of ADD in children is characterized by spleen deficiency with predominant dampness,deficiency of spleen qi,and insufficiency of spleen yang.Spleen deficiency is the root cause of pediatric AAD,and spleen and intestinal flora have commonality,so the treatment of pediatric AAD can be performed from the perspective of the spleen.The treatment of pediatric ADD from the spleen follows the principle of strengthening and activating the spleen,and the regulation of the spleen for achieving the purpose of treating the disease from the root can be achieved by the methods of strengthening spleen and draining dampness,strengthening spleen and replenishing qi,and strengthening spleen and warming yang separately with the fundamental prescriptions of Shenlin Baizhu Powder,Sijunzi Decoction,and Fuzi Lizhong Pills.

Objective To study the role of sphingosine-1-phosphate(S1P)signal on the proliferation of breast cancer BT549 cells.Methods Cells were divided into control group and experimental group,experimental group were treated with 0.1,1.0,10.0 μmol·L-1 S1P receptor agonist SEW2871 for 72 h.Control group was cultured with 0.1％fetal bovine serum.Cell proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay.Cell models of overexpressing S1P receptors in BT549 were divided into three groups:blank plasmid group(LUC),wild type S1P receptor overexpression group(WT),S1P receptor phosphorylation site mutation overexpression group(MUT);the proliferation ratio was detected by MTT,the number of cell clones was counted by colony formation experiment.S1P antagonist W146(10 μmol·L-1)and protein kinase(AKT)signaling inhibitor MK2206(90 nmol·L-1)were used to detect the role of S1P signaling in the proliferation of breast cancer cells.The expression of phosphorylate signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(p-STAT3),c-Myc proteins were detected by Western blot.Results The growth ratio of BT549 cells in control group and 0.1,1.0,10.0 μmol·L-1experimental groups were 1.00±0.03,1.13±0.06,1.06±0.10 and 1.07±0.03,0.1 μmol·L-1 SEW2871 promot the cell proliferation(P＜0.05).Compared between WT group,MUT group and LUC group,the growth rate and the number of clonal colonies were increased after overexpression of S1P receptor(all P＜0.05).The growth ratio of BT549 cells after treatment with W146 and MK2206 in the LUC group,WT group and MUT group were 1.25±0.12,1.31±0.03,1.43±0.14 and 0.87±0.15,0.77±0.03,0.88±0.02.Compared between MUT group,WT group and corresponding DMSO group,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.01).The number of cell clony formation number after treatment with W146 were 65.65±5.12,141.48±5.63 and 93.64±5.14;compared between MUT,WT group and corresponding DMSO group,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The relative protein expression levels of p-STAT3 in LUC group,WT group and MUT group were 0.67±0.04,0.69±0.08 and 0.81±0.06,the relative protein expression levels of proto-oncogene c-Myc were 1.69±0.03,0.70±0.10 and 0.67±0.07,compared between WT group,MUT group and corresponding DMSO group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion S1P signaling can promote proliferation in breast cancer BT549 cells,and the mechanism could be related to AKT and STAT3 signaling pathway.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the lipid-lowering activity of LFBEP-C1 in high glucose-fed Caenorhabditis elegans(C.elegans). Methods In this study,the fermented barley protein LFBEP-C1 was prepared and tested for its potential anti-obesity effects on C.elegans.The worms were fed Escherichia coli OP50(E.coli OP50),glucose,and different concentrations of LFBEP-C1.Body size,lifespan,movement,triglyceride content,and gene expression were analyzed.The results were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results Compared with the model group,the head-swing frequency of C.elegans in the group of LFBEP-C1 at 20 μg/mL increased by 33.88%,and the body-bending frequency increased by 27.09%.This indicated that LFBEP-C1 improved the locomotive ability of C.elegans.The average lifespan of C.elegans reached 13.55 days,and the body length and width of the C.elegans decreased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Additionally,LFBEP-C1 reduced the content of lipid accumulation and triglyceride levels.The expression levels of sbp-1,daf-2,and mdt-15 significantly decreased,while those of daf-16,tph-1,mod-1,and ser-4 significantly increased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Changes in these genes explain the signaling pathways that regulate lipid metabolism. Conclusion LFBEP-C1 significantly reduced lipid deposition in C.elegans fed a high-glucose diet and alleviated the adverse effects of a high-glucose diet on the development,lifespan,and exercise behavior of C.elegans.In addition,LFBEP-C1 regulated lipid metabolism mainly by mediating the expression of genes in the sterol regulatory element-binding protein,insulin,and 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathways.

AIM To investigate the effects of different compatibility ratios and processing method on the content of rutin,isoquercetin,ferulic acid,quercetin,isotoosendanin,kaempferol,toosendanin,α-pinene,trans-anethole in the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus,and to explore the optimal compatibility ratio for its use.METHODS The analysis of HPLC-DAD was performed on a 30℃thermostatic ZORBAX SB C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the use of DAD detector.SPSS 24.0 software was used to analyze the data differences.RESULTS Nine constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 1),whose average recoveries were 96.19%-103.13%with the RSDs of 1.86%-2.67%.Generally higher total content of nine constituents were detected in the combination use groups when Toosendan Fructus-Foeniculi Fructus were at ratios of 1 ∶ 1,1 ∶ 2,and 2 ∶ 1 than those single uses(P<0.05),and among which the 1 ∶ 1 ratio contributed the highest total content.After salt processing,decreased content of toosendanin and isotoosendanin,α-pinene and trans-anethole(P<0.05,P<0.01)),increased isoquercetin content(P<0.01),and no significant content changes of other ingredients were detected.CONCLUSION Through this method of high accuracy and good reproducibility,we learn that the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus promotes the dissolution of the nine constituents,and the maximum content is achieved at ratio of 1 ∶ 1.