Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a plant with a longstanding history as a raw material for traditional medicine and functional diets in Asia, has been used traditionally to bathe and soak feet for its disinfectant and itch-relieving properties. Despite its widespread use, scientific evidence validating the antifungal efficacy of A. argyi water extract (AAWE) against dermatophytes, particularly Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum, remains limited. This study aimed to substantiate the scientific basis of the folkloric use of A. argyi by evaluating the antifungal effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of its active subfraction against dermatophytes. The results indicated that AAWE exhibited excellent antifungal effects against the three aforementioned dermatophyte species. The subfraction AAWE6, isolated using D101 macroporous resin, emerged as the most potent subfraction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AAWE6 against T. rubrum, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes were 312.5, 312.5, and 625 μg·mL^-1, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results and assays of enzymes linked to cell wall integrity and cell membrane function indicated that AAWE6 could penetrate the external protective barrier of T. rubrum, creating breaches ("small holes"), and disrupt the internal mitochondrial structure ("granary"). Furthermore, transcriptome data, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and biochemical assays corroborated the severe disruption of mitochondrial function, evidenced by inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism. Additionally, chemical characterization and molecular docking analyses identified flavonoids, primarily eupatilin (131.16 ± 4.52 mg·g^-1) and jaceosidin (4.17 ± 0.18 mg·g^-1), as the active components of AAWE6. In conclusion, the subfraction AAWE6 from A. argyi exerts antifungal effects against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. This research validates the traditional use of A. argyi and provides scientific support for its anti-dermatophytic applications, as recognized in the Chinese patent (No. ZL202111161301.9).
Antifungal Agents/chemistry* ; Arthrodermataceae ; Artemisia/chemistry* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Mitochondria ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

Important forensic diagnostic indicators of sudden death in coronary atherosclerotic heart dis-ease,such as acute or chronic myocardial ischemic changes,sometimes make it difficult to locate the ischemic site due to the short death process,the lack of tissue reaction time.In some cases,the de-ceased died of sudden death on the first-episode,resulting in difficulty for medical examiners to make an accurate diagnosis.However,clinical studies on coronary instability plaque revealed the key role of coronary spasm and thrombosis caused by their lesions in sudden coronary death process.This paper mainly summarizes the pathological characteristics of unstable coronary plaque based on clinical medi-cal research,including plaque rupture,plaque erosion and calcified nodules,as well as the influencing factors leading to plaque instability,and briefly describes the research progress and technique of the atherosclerotic plaques,in order to improve the study on the mechanism of sudden coronary death and improve the accuracy of the forensic diagnosis of sudden coronary death by diagnosing different patho-logic states of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of qualitative and quantitative fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in identifying colorectal cancer, so as to provide insights into perfecting screening strategies for colorectal cancer. Methods: Participants in the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program for Key Populations in Zhejiang Province from May 2020 to December 2021 were recruited, and their demographic information, lifestyle and disease history were collected through a questionnaire survey. Qualitative or quantitative FIT along with a questionnaire-based risk assessment were employed as the initial screening tests. Individuals who were positive in any FIT or had high-risk assessment results were required to attend a subsequent colonoscopy examination. The positive rate, detection rate of colorectal cancer, positive predictive value and number of colonoscopies required were compared between qualitative and quantitative FITs, and stratified analyses by gender and age were conducted. Results: Totally 4 099 769 participants were included. The qualitative FIT group included 3 574 917 individuals, yielding a positive rate of 11.35%, a detection rate of 1.19%, a positive predictive value of 0.48% and 83.84 colonoscopies required to detect one cancer case. The quantitative FIT group involved 524 852 individuals, yielding a positive rate of 6.70%, a detection rate of 2.31%, a positive predictive value of 1.01% and 43.23 colonoscopies required to detect one cancer case. The quantitative FIT group showed significantly higher detection rate of colorectal cancer, higher positive predictive value and less number of colonoscopies required compared to the qualitative FIT group (all P<0.05). The same results were obtained after stratification by gender and age. Conclusion Compared to qualitative FIT, quantitative FIT improves the detection of colorectal cancer and reduces the workload of colonoscopy examinations, making it more suitable for colorectal cancer screening in large-scale populations.

Objective:To analyze the disease burden of kidney cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer and attributed risk factors in China from 1990 to 2019, and provide reference for the development of comprehensive prevention and control strategies.Methods:Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 platform, we collected the crude and age-standardized incidence rate, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) of kidney cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer in China from 1990 to 2019. By using the log-linear regression model, trends were analyzed for overall and risk-attributable disease burden by calculating the average annual percentage change (AAPC).Results:From 1990 to 2019, the crude incidence rates of kidney cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer showed increasing trends in China, with an AAPC of 5.4% (95% CI: 4.9% - 5.9%), 4.1% (95% CI: 3.9% - 4.2%) and 5.6% (95% CI: 5.3% - 6.0%) (all P<0.001), respectively. Similar trends were found in age-standardized incidence rates with smaller AAPCs. For kidney cancer, the ASMR and age-standardized DALY rate significantly increased, with AAPC of 2.2% (95% CI: 1.5%-2.8%) and 1.5% (95% CI: 1.2%-1.9%) (all P<0.001), while the ASMR of bladder cancer and prostate cancer decreased gradually, with AAPC of -0.6% (95% CI: -0.7% - -0.5%) ( P<0.001) and -0.2% (95% CI: -0.3% - -0.1%) ( P=0.002). The age-standardized DALY rate of bladder cancer and prostate cancer decreased gradually, with AAPC of -0.6% (95% CI: -0.8% - -0.4%) ( P<0.001) and -0.2% (95% CI: -0.3% - -0.1%) ( P=0.002). Smoking was responsible for 48.2% of bladder cancer, 18.8% of kidney cancer and 9.8% of prostate cancer in total DALY. The age-standardized DALY rate of kidney cancer caused by smoking and high BMI showed an increasing trend, with AAPC of 3.0% (95% CI: 2.8%-3.2%) and 4.9% (95% CI: 4.7%-5.0%) (all P<0.001), and smoking-attributed age-standardized DALY rates of bladder cancer and prostate cancer decreased gradually with AAPC of -0.4% (95% CI: -0.6% - -0.2%) ( P<0.001) and -0.3% (95% CI: -0.4% - -0.1%) ( P=0.001). Conclusions:In the past 30 years, the disease burden of kidney cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer in China increased gradually, while the deaths and DALY of bladder cancer and prostate cancer decreased slightly. We should continue to strengthen the primary prevention strategies for smoking, obesity and other risk factors, and explore the appropriate screening tests and population-based screening strategies.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hypomethylating agents (HMA) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) .Methods:A total of 409 MDS patients from 45 hospitals in Zhejiang province who received at least four consecutive cycles of HMA monotherapy as initial therapy were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HMA. Mann-Whitney U or Chi-square tests were used to compare the differences in the clinical data. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyze the factors affecting efficacy and survival. Kaplan-Meier was used for survival analysis. Results:Patients received HMA treatment for a median of 6 cycles (range, 4-25 cycles) . The complete remission (CR) rate was 33.98% and the overall response rate (ORR) was 77.02%. Multivariate analysis revealed that complex karyotype ( P=0.02, OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.84) was an independent favorable factor for CR rate. TP53 mutation ( P=0.02, OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.77) was a predictive factor for a higher ORR. The median OS for the HMA-treated patients was 25.67 (95% CI 21.14-30.19) months. HMA response ( P=0.036, HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95) was an independent favorable prognostic factor, whereas complex karyotype ( P=0.024, HR=2.14, 95% CI 1.10-4.15) , leukemia transformation ( P<0.001, HR=2.839, 95% CI 1.64-4.92) , and TP53 mutation ( P=0.012, HR=2.19, 95% CI 1.19-4.07) were independent adverse prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in efficacy and survival between the reduced and standard doses of HMA. The CR rate and ORR of MDS patients treated with decitabine and azacitidine were not significantly different. The median OS of patients treated with decitabine was longer compared with that of patients treated with azacitidine (29.53 months vs 20.17 months, P=0.007) . The incidence of bone marrow suppression and pneumonia in the decitabine group was higher compared with that in the azacitidine group. Conclusion:Continuous and regular use of appropriate doses of hypomethylating agents may benefit MDS patients to the greatest extent if it is tolerated.

Objective To analyze the effects of different anastomotic methods on flap survival rate and wound healing factors of patients with transplantation of superficial branch perforator flap of superficial circumflex iliac artery(SCIA).Methods A total of 100 patients with skin defects of limbs admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to August 2022 were selected and divided into end-to-end anastomosis group(56 cases)and end-to-side anastomosis group(44 cases)according to different anastomosis methods.In the end-to-end anastomosis group,the end of the flap artery was anastomosed with the end of the aortic branch in the affected area.In the end-to-side anastomosis group,the end of recipient flap artery was anastomosed with the side of aorta.Patients in both groups were followed up for 6 to 12 months,the arterial caliber,lateral caliber and anastomosis time were compared between the two groups.The survival of the flap,the occurrence of venous crisis,the shape and function of the flap and donor area were observed.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the arterial caliber or lateral caliber of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).The anastomosis time of patients in the end-to-end anastomosis group was significantly shorter than that in the end-to-side anastomosis group(P<0.05).All 56 cases in the end-to-end anastomosis group survived.In the end-to-side anastomosis group,venous crisis occurred in 4 cases,with venous thrombosis,2 cases survived after re-anastomosis,2 cases were changed to abdominal pedicled flap when venous crisis occurred again,the appearance and function of the flap and donor area were satisfactory 6 months to 1 year after surgery(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in color,thickness,vascular distribution or flexibility of donor area of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in pain,appearance,vitality and recreation of recipient area of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The application of different arterial anastomosis methods in the transplantation of superficial branch perforator flap of SCIA for the treatment of skin and soft tissue defects of limbs is safe and reliable,the postoperative survival of the flap is good,the healing is not affected by the anastomosis method,and the appearance of the affected area is satisfactory,which is worthy of clinical promotion.

This study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory material basis and molecular mechanism of Artemisia stolonifera based on the analysis of the chemical components in different extracted fractions of A. stolonifera and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in combination with network pharmacology and molecular docking. Thirty-two chemical components were identified from A. stolonifera by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Among them, there were 7, 21 and 22 compounds in water, n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions, respectively. The antio-xidant capacity of different extracted fractions was evaluated by measuring their scavenging ability against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl(DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)(ABTS) free radicals and total antioxidant capacity [ferric reducing antioxidant power(FRAP) assay]. The inflammatory model of RAW264.7 cells was induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS), and the levels of nitrite oxide(NO), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6) in the supernatant and the mRNA expression of related inflammatory factors in cells were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects. The results revealed that ethyl acetate fraction of A. stolonifera was the optimal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory fraction. By network pharmacology, it was found that flavonoids such as rhamnazin, eupatilin, jaceosidin, luteolin and nepetin could act on key targets such as TNF, serine/threonine protein kinase 1(AKT1), tumor protein p53(TP53), caspase-3(CASP3) and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), and regulate the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathways to exert the anti-inflammatory effects. Molecular docking further indicated excellent binding properties between the above core components and core targets. This study preliminarily clarified the anti-inflammatory material basis and mechanism of ethyl acetate fraction of A. stolonifera, providing a basis for the follow-up clinical application of A. stolonifera and drug development.
Antioxidants/chemistry* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Artemisia ; Network Pharmacology ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-6

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and advantages of unilateral primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) treated by transthyretal interosseous muscle approach surgery.Methods:Clinical data of 7 patients with unilateral PHPT treated by interstitial sternocleidomastoid muscle approach from Jan. 2021 to Feb. 2022 in the thyroid surgery of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University were retrospectively analyzed, including preoperative blood calcium concentration, operation time, incision length, intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) , blood calcium concentration and PTH value in the first month after surgery, abnormal sensation of the skin in the anterior cervical area, etc. The feasibility and advantages of interstitial sternocleidomastoid muscle approach surgery for unilateral PHPT were analyzed.Results:All 7 patients with unilateral PHPT were operated successfully. The PTH was 17.2-63.3 pg/ml on recheck 1 month after surgery, which were all within the normal range. The time from skin opening to resection of the diseased parathyroid gland was 20-35 min, and the length of the surgical incision was 3-4 cm. all patients were given intravenous and oral calcium therapy after surgery, and the blood calcium and PTH levels were within the normal range at 3-12 months of follow-up; the incision recovered well, and there was no significant sensory and functional abnormalities in the anterior neck area.Conclusion:The treatment of unilateral PHPT through the sternocleidomastoid interosseous approach can ensure the safety and efficacy of the operation while better protecting the sensory and motor functions of the anterior cervical region and improving the aesthetics of the surgical incision.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mood states, cognitive performance and the factors related to cognitive function of patients with complete spinal cord injury. MethodsA total of 60 male patients with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital from November, 2020 to March, 2022 were selected as SCI group, and 30 healthy males were selected as the control group. They were assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment Beijing Version (MoCA), Digital Span Test (DST) of Wechsler Memory Scale, Symbol Digit Modalities Test-Oral Version (SDMT), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test-30 min recall (CFT), Stroop Color-Word Test Chinese Version (CWT), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). ResultsCompared with the control group, the SDMT and CFT scores were significantly lower (t > 3.052，P < 0.01); the reflect and square root transformation of MoCA score, the square root transformation of Stroop interference effects time consuming, HAMA score and HAMD score were higher (|t| > 2.542, |Z| > 7.676, P < 0.05) in SCI group. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that age, education level, HAMD score and sleep disorder were significantly correlated with the scores of cognitive function in SCI group. ConclusionThere are more intensive anxiety and depression in patients with complete SCI. The patients with complete SCI present cognitive impairment, especially in information processing speed, visuospatial ability and visual memory, and executive function. Age, education level, depression and sleep disorder are the related factors of cognitive impairment in patients with complete SCI.

Objective: To investigate the association between physical exercise and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in people infected with HBV. Methods: The information about the 3 813 participants infected with HBV, including the prevalence of NAFLD, prevalence of physical exercise and other covariates, were collected from the National Science and Technology Major Project of China during 2016-2020. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between physical exercise and NAFLD in HBV infected patients, and subgroup analysis was performed to identify the effect modifiers. Results: A total of 2 259 HBV infected participants were included in the final analysis and 454 (20.10%) had NAFLD. After adjusting for covariates, we found that moderate physical exercise was a protective factor for NAFLD (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.46-0.94). Subgroup analysis suggested that the protective effect of moderate physical exercise on NAFLD might be stronger in women (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.36-1.01), those <45 years old (OR=0.24, 95%CI: 0.06-0.80), those who had low education level (OR=0.16, 95%CI: 0.04-0.49), those who had low annual income (OR=0.39, 95%CI: 0.16-0.89 for <30 000 yuan RMB; OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.40-1.00 for 30 000-80 000 yuan RMB), those who had hypertension (OR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.21-0.88), those with BMI ≥24.0 kg/m² (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.43-1.01), those who had more daily fruit or vegetable intake (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.38-0.97), those who had more daily meat intake (OR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.23-0.97), and those who had no smoking history (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.45-0.95) or passive smoking exposure (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.37-0.97). Conclusions: Among HBV infected patients, moderate physical exercise was negatively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD. Women, young people, those who had low education level, those who had low annual income, those with hypertension, those with high BMI, those who had more daily fruit or vegetable and meat intakes, and those who had no smoking history or passive smoking exposure might be more sensitive to the protective effect.
Humans ; Female ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/epidemiology* ; Hepatitis B virus ; Risk Factors ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Exercise ; Hypertension