In China, the crude oil supply is highly dependent on overseas countries, and thus strengthening crude oil self-sufficiency has become an important issue of the national energy security. Tertiary oil recovery, especially polymer flooding, has been widely applied in large oil fields in China, which can increase the recovery rate by 15%-20% compared with water flooding. However, the widely used oil flooding polymers show poor thermal stability and salinity tolerance, complicated synthesis ways of monomers, and environmental unfriendliness. Moreover, the polymer flooding induces problems including pore plugging, heterogeneity intensification, high dispersion of remaining oil resources, pressure rise in injection wells, and low efficiency circulation of injection medium, which restrict the subsequent recovery of old oil fields. Here, we systematically review the developing and current situations of polymer flooding, introduce the innovative biomanufacturing of oil flooding polymers and their monomers or precursors as well as low-cost bio-based chemical raw materials for multiple compound flooding. The comprehensive study of the relationships between microbial fermentation metabolites and polymer flooding will reveal the green and low-carbon paths for polymer flooding. Such study will enable the application of enzymes produced by microorganisms in polymer production and polymer plugging removal after polymer flooding as well as the application of microbial metabolites such as biosurfactants, organic acids, alcohols, biogas, and amino acids in enhancing oil recovery. This review suggests that incorporating biomanufacturing into polymer flooding will ensure the high productivity and stability for crude oil production in China.
Polymers/metabolism* ; China ; Petroleum ; Oil and Gas Fields

Synthetic biology is a crucial tool for the development of the bio-industry and bio-economy, representing a significant aspect of new quality productive forces. As a core course for graduate students in bioengineering, Synthetic Biology plays a vital role in ensuring the supply of essential talents for the development of the bio-industry in the new era. To better serve regional economic development and provide high-level talents for China's progress in the bio-industry, we analyzed typical issues encountered in the past teaching activities, set up a multi-disciplinary teaching team, optimized the course contents, adjusted the teaching mode, and mobilized students' learning interest. With the application of scientific research project as the starting point, we guided students to think and discuss deeply through the simulation of application writing and project defense, which improved students' critical thinking and innovative thinking. With industrialization as a focus, we explored a new training model combining production, education, and research through the joint practice base of the university and enterprises introduced typical cases of biomanufacturing to encourage students to engage in scientific research. The teaching reform significantly enhances the comprehensive abilities and national sentiments of graduate students. This paper hopes to serve as a reference for colleagues engaged in teaching in this field.
Synthetic Biology/education* ; Teaching ; China ; Humans

Objective:To analyze the efficacy, safety and learning curve of Thulium laser enucleation of the prostate by laser controller(LC-THuLEP) anchored at six o'clock position of the bladder neck in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) with large gland.Methods:The clinical data of the 1st to 45th BPH cases with large gland(prostate volume> 80 ml) treated by a doctor with LC-THuLEP anchored at six o'clock position of bladder neck in Shanghai East Hospital from January to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into groups A, B and C according to the order of operation time, with 15 cases in each group. There were no significant differences among the three groups( P>0.05) in age[(71.8±9.4)years old vs. (73.5±8.2) years old vs.(71.4±5.5)years old], prostate volume[88.3(84.8, 100.6)ml vs.91.5(86.1, 118.4)ml vs. 94.5(84.7, 101.8)ml], prostate specific antigen(PSA)[4.8(2.9, 8.5)ng/ml vs. 7.2(3.2, 11.2)ng/ml vs. 7.8(4.5, 12.7)ng/ml], postvoid residual volume[44.0(34.0, 67.0)ml vs. 60.0(40.0, 76.0)ml vs. 39.0(0, 59.0)ml], maximum urine flow rate(Q max)[8.4(7.6, 11.1)ml/s vs. 8.6(6.5, 10.6)ml/s vs. 10.4(7.8, 13.2)ml/s], international prostate symptom score(IPSS)[20(18, 21) vs. 20(20, 22) vs. 20(20, 25)]and quality of life(QOL)[4(4, 5) vs. 4(4, 4) vs. 4(3, 5)].The doctor had more than 100 cases of TURP surgery experience. LC-THuLEP anchored at six o'clock position of bladder neck was described as follows. The bladder neck at six o'clock position is reserved 0.5-1.0 cm as an "anchor" to fix the prostatic bladder neck when the gland was pushed directly by the laser controller, preventing the detached prostate gland from turning. Finally the bladder neck was cut off at six o'clock position, and the prostate was en-bloc removed. The effect of surgery and postoperative complications were compared. The enucleation efficiency was equal to the weight of prostate tissue removed divided by the time of enucleation. Results:The differences among the three groups in operation time [100.0(90.0, 110.0)min vs. 80.0(70.0, 90.0)min vs. 75.0(70.0, 90.0)min], enucleation time[89.0(72.0, 97.0)min vs. 67.0(64.0, 77.0)min vs. 64.0(60.0, 77.0)min] and the efficiency of enucleation [0.65(0.62, 0.68)g/min vs. 0.84(0.83, 0.94)g/min vs. 0.93(0.82, 1.00)g/min] were statistically significant( P<0.05). The operation time and enucleation time in groups B and C were significantly lower than those in group A, and the enucleation efficiency was significantly higher than that in group A( P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between group B and C. However, the difference of three groups in hemoglobin decrease [8.0(5.0, 11.0)g/L vs. 7.0(2.0, 10.0)g/L vs. 11.0(4.0, 16.0)g/L] and catheter indwelling duration[4.0(2.0, 6.0)d vs. 6.0(3.0, 7.0)d vs. 4.0(3.0, 6.0)d] were not statistically different( P>0.05). All patients were followed up for 6 months after surgery. In three groups, postoperative Q max were 23.2(21.0, 25.1)ml/s, 22.7(21.1, 26.1)ml/s and 22.9(21.5, 25.7)ml/s, IPSS were 6(5, 8), 7(6, 8) and 7(7, 8), QOL were 2(1, 2), 2(1, 2) and 2(1, 2), postvoid residual volume were 20.0(10.0, 25.0)ml, 22.0(15.0, 25.0)ml and 5.0(0, 25.0)ml, respectively, which were all significantly different from that of pre-operation( P<0.05).However, there were no statistically significant differences in the postoperative indicators among the three groups ( P>0.05). No statistical difference was found in postoperative complications among the three groups[26.7%(4/15) vs. 20.0%(3/15) vs. 20.0%(3/15), P>0.05]. Conclusions:LC-THuLEP anchored at six o'clock position of bladder neck was an effective operation in the treatment of BPH with large gland, and the learning curve could be reached after 15 cases.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Peritoneal interposition flap (PIF) technique in preventing postoperative pelvic lymphocele formation during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection (LRP+ ePLND).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 113 patients with locally high-risk or locally advanced prostate cancer who underwent LRP+ ePLND at Shanghai East Hospital, from January 2020 to November 2023. Among them, 27 patients received PIF technique and 86 received traditional LRP+ ePLND. ePLND was carried out as the clearance of external iliac vessels, medial side of the internal iliac artery, and pararectal lymph nodes. The PIF technique was the suturing the peritoneal flap after freeing the bladder to the lateral side of the bladder, pulling the peritoneal edge that follows the bladder's free edge posteriorly to the pubis, curling it onto the lateral surface of the bladder. This could expose the lymph node clearance bed, establishing a pathway from the lymph node clearance bed to the abdominal cavity space, allowing exuded lymphatic fluid to flow into the abdominal cavity for absorption by the peritoneum. There were no statistically significant differences in age [(68.37±6.92)years vs.(70.47±5.72)years], body mass index [(25.47±2.49)kg/m 2vs.(24.46±2.80)kg/m 2], and preoperative PSA [(23.28±13.94)ng/ml vs.(24.81±13.99)ng/ml] between the PIF group and the control group ( P>0.05). Biopsy Gleason score in PIF group: 6 in 2 cases, 7 in 9 cases, 8 in 9 cases, 9-10 in 2 cases. Biopsy Gleason score in control group: 6 in 4 cases, 7 in 35 cases, 8 in 27 cases, 9-10 in 20 cases. Clinic stage in PIF group: T 2 in 18 cases, T 3 in 6 cases, T 4 in 3 cases. Clinic stage in control group: T 2 in 51cases, T 3 in 27 cases, T 4 in 8 cases. The preoperative Gleason scores and TNM staging comparisons between the PIF group and the control group showed no statistically significant differences ( P>0.05). Surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss, lymph node positivity rate, incidence of postoperative lymphocele, and recovery of urinary control were compared between the two groups. Results:All surgeries were completed successfully without intraoperative complications in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the PIF group and the control group in terms of surgical duration [(202.96±24.15)min vs.(201.1±29.85)min], intraoperative blood loss [(85.56±32.27)ml vs.(90.7±49.25)ml], and lymph node positivity rate [(4 in PIF group, 14.8%)vs.(25 in control group, 29.1%)]( P>0.05). Urinary catheters were retained for 10-14 days postoperatively. Following catheter removal, there were no statistically significant differences in urinary control rates at 1 month [51.85%(14/27)vs. 48.83%(42/86)]and 2 months[74.07%(20/27) vs. 72.09%(62/86)] between the PIF group and the control group ( P>0.05). At the 2 to 6-month follow-up CT scan, none of the 27 patients in the PIF group developed pelvic lymphocele, whereas 9 patients in the control group did (6 cases bilateral, 3 cases unilateral), showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.002). Postoperatively, 3 patients in the control group experienced symptoms, with 1 case of lymphocele infection causing fever 1 month after surgery. Lymphocysts were found in 2 patients with ipsilateral lower extremity swelling 2 weeks after surgery. Conclusions:The application of PIF technique during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection via the abdominal approach could be safe and feasible. It may prevent postoperative pelvic lymphocele formation.

Reflux esophagitis is an inflammatory disease of esophageal mucosa damage caused by the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Its incidence is on the rise， and it has become an important precancerous disease of esophageal cancer. Studies have shown that the continuous inflammatory response stimulates the esophageal mucosa， causing abnormal proliferation of esophageal epithelial cells and damage to esophageal mucosal tissue， which eventually leads to the occurrence of heterogeneous hyperplasia and even carcinogenesis. The nuclear transcription factor-kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway is one of the most classical inflammatory and cancer signaling pathways. It has been found that abnormal activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway is crucial to the development and prognosis of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. It is widely involved in the proliferation， autophagy， apoptosis， and inflammatory response of esophageal epithelial cells and tumor cells， accelerating the transformation of reflux esophagitis to esophageal cancer and making it a potential target for the treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. Currently， there is no specific treatment for reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， and large side effects often appear. Therefore， finding a promising and safe drug remains a top priority. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine scholars have conducted a lot of research on NF-κB signaling pathway， and the results indicate that NF-κB signaling pathway is an important potential target for traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， but there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic elaboration. Therefore， this paper summarized the relevant studies in recent years， analyzed the relationship among NF-κB signaling pathway， reflux esophagitis， esophageal cancer， and transformation from inflammation to cancer， and reviewed the research literature on the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， so as to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

Ulcerative colitis （UC） is a chronic， non-specific inflammatory bowel disease. The pathogenesis of this disease is complex and is attributed to multiple factors. Intestinal mucosal barrier damage is the basic pathological change of UC， and intestinal flora disorder is one of the important characteristics of UC. Intestinal flora plays a key role in the pathological process of UC by regulating intestinal mucosal immunity and inflammatory response to repair the damaged intestinal mucosal barrier. At present， western medicine has the advantages of rapid action onset and significant short-term efficacy， but the curative effect of long-term use is not good， accompanied by many adverse reactions， causing great physical and mental pain to patients. Therefore， it is urgent to explore new treatment methods with definite long-term efficacy and mild adverse reactions. A large number of studies have shown that Chinese medicine can regulate intestinal flora through multiple targets in an all-around way， restore the homeostasis of the flora， and repair the damaged intestinal mucosal barrier， thereby inhibiting the progression of UC. Numerous studies have shown that the active components， monomers， and compounds of Chinese medicine can effectively antagonize UC by regulating the intestinal flora to improve the intestinal mucosal immunity， reduce the inflammatory response of the intestinal mucosa， and restore the normal physiological function of the intestinal mucosal barrier， providing a new strategy for UC prevention and treatment. Although there are some studies of the regulation of intestinal flora by Chinese medicine to prevent and treat UC， those studies have the shortcomings of systematic and comprehensive inadequacy. Therefore， based on the research status of UC， intestinal flora， and Chinese medicine treatment， this study reviewed the relationship between intestinal flora and UC and clarified the key role of intestinal flora in the occurrence and development of UC. At the same time， this paper comprehensively summarized the Chinese medicine that targeted the regulation of intestinal flora for the treatment of UC in the past five years to provide new strategies and ideas for UC treatment.

Ulcerative colitis （UC） is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with complex etiology. The pathogenesis of this disease， due to a combination of factors， is complex and has not yet been elucidated. Among them， intestinal mucosal barrier damage is the basic pathological change of UC. As a non-destructive response of cells， autophagy regulates intestinal mucosal immunity， inflammation， oxidative stress， and bacterial homeostasis through degradation and reabsorption to actively repair damaged intestinal mucosal barrier， exerting a key role in the occurrence and development of UC. The disease is mainly treated clinically with aminosalicylic acid preparations， glucocorticoids， and immunosuppressants. Western medicine treatment of the disease has a fast onset of effect， and the short-term efficacy is definite， but the long-term application is easy to be accompanied by more adverse reactions. Moreover， some drugs are expensive， bringing great physical and mental pain and economic burden to patients. Therefore， it is urgent to explore new therapies with stable efficacy and mild adverse effects. In recent years， a large number of studies have shown that Chinese medicine can regulate autophagy of the intestinal mucosa with multiple targets and effects and repair the intestinal mucosal barrier function， thereby inhibiting the development of UC. Many experiments have shown that the active ingredient or monomers and compound formulas of Chinese medicine can improve the immunity of the intestinal mucosa， inflammation， oxidative stress， and flora by regulating the level of autophagy to maintain the normal function of the intestinal mucosal barrier to effectively intervene in UC， providing a new measure for the prevention and treatment of UC. However， there is a lack of systematic review of Chinese medicine in regulating the level of autophagy in the intestinal mucosa for the prevention and treatment of UC. Therefore， based on the current research on UC， autophagy process， and Chinese medicine treatment， this article reviewed the relationship of autophagy and its key target proteins with UC to clarify the key role of autophagy in UC production and systematically summarized Chinese medicines targeting the regulation of autophagy to treat UC in recent years to provide new ideas for the treatment and drug development of UC.

Esophageal cancer （EC） is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system with an extremely poor prognosis. MicroRNA （miRNA） is an important regulator in tumor occurrence and development， and can participate in malignant biological behaviors such as tumor cell proliferation， invasion， metastasis and apoptosis. Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of accurate curative effects， wide range of effects， and few side effects. The review uses miRNA as the entry point to systematically elaborate on the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine-mediated miRNA intervening in EC. The results showed that active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine （including curcumin， Tussilago farfara polysaccharides， Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharides and ophiopogonin B） and Dougen guanshitong oral liquid could up-regulate the expressions of miRNAs such as miRNA-532-3p （miR-532-3p）， miR-551b-3p， miR-99a， miR-34a， miR-199a-3p and miR-377； and the active ingredients/parts of traditional Chinese medicine （including chrysin and Actinidia arguta extract）， and Chinese herbal formulas （including Chaihu shugan san combined with Xuanfu daizhe decoction and Modified jupi zhuru decoction） could down-regulate the expressions of miRNAs such as miR-199a-3p， miR-451 and miR-21， which could regulate the expressions of signaling pathways （phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B， etc.） or their downstream protein（zinc-finger and homeobox protein 1， etc.） or enzymes（thymidine kinase-1， etc.）， inhibit the proliferation， invasion and metastasis of EC cells and induce apoptosis， thereby ultimately achieving the purpose of preventing the disease from aggravating.

It is believed that wind pathogen is one of the core pathogenic factors of small cell lung cancer （SCLC）. The nature and pathogenic characteristics of wind pathogen are closely related to the occurrence and metastasis of SCLC. Mainly manifested as deficiency of both qi and yin， healthy qi deficiency of SCLC makes it susceptible to invasion of external wind. Simultaneously， there are internal wind pathogenesis such as yin deficiency causing wind， blood deficiency causing wind， phlegm， stasis and toxin causing wind， liver yang transforming into wind. The internal and external winds together lead to the disease. Therefore， it is proposed to treat SCLC from wind theory， that is， boosting qi and nourishing yin to extinguish wind with taizishen （Radix Pseudostellariae）， wuweizi （Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis） and others； resolving phlegm and moving stasis to dispel wind with wind-dispelling and phlegm-resolving medicinals such as jiangcan （Bombyx Batryticatus）， muhudie （Semen Oroxyli）， fangfeng （Radix Saposhnikoviae）， tianma （Rhizoma Gastrodiae）， quanxie （Scorpio） and blood-invigorating and wind-dispelling medi-cinals such as danggui （Radix Angelicae Sinensis）， chuanxiong （Rhizoma Chuanxiong） and danshen （Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae）； attacking toxin and dissipating masses to dispel wind with shuizhi （Hirudo）， dilong （Pheretima）， fengfang （Nidus Vespae）， quanxie， baihuashe （Agkistrodon）， jiuxiangchong （Aspongopus） and other drastic medicinals； calming liver and extinguishing wind to prevent brain metastasis of SCLC with Tianma Gouteng Beverage （天麻钩藤饮） modification.