Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

ObjectiveTo identify and analyze the possible influencing factors of obesity among public primary school students in Minhang District， Shanghai. MethodsBasic data， collected through questionnaire stars， was imported with merged physical examination data into Excel to form a database. Data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS 22.00. Independent sample t-test was used for the data with normal distribution. Nonparametric test was used for the data with non-normal distribution. χ² test was used for the quantitative data. Logistic regression was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. ResultsAccording to the national physical health standards for students （revised in 2014） ， the prevalence rate of obesity among primary school students in Minhang district was 29.63% . The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 32.1% in boys and 26.9% in girls. The trend of overweight and obesity in different grades was similar among different genders .A single factor analysis showed that， being the only child （χ²=9.300， P<0.01） ， father obesity（χ²=106.417， P<0.001） or mother obesity（χ²=118.534， P<0.001） ， mother's overweight during pregnancy （χ²=159.731， P<0.001） ， caregiver's role as grandparents （χ²=38.736， P<0.001） ， low education level （χ²=111.309， P<0.001） had effects on overweight and obesity of children while the differences had statistical significance. Pupil's bad eating habit （χ²=18.905，P<0.001） and preference （χ²=22.901， P<0.001） ， insufficient sleep time （χ²=61.685， P<0.001） ， long-time using of electronic products （χ²=37.182， P<0.001） and low-time of exercise （χ²=15.328， P<0.001） also affected the obesity of primary school students. Among the five factors of family， diet， psychology， static state and dynamic state， the influencing factors of obesity in primary school students from grade one to grade four were being the only child， obese father and/or mother， overweight mother during pregnancy， caregivers without higher education. In terms of diet， it was mainly based on eating habits before bedtime， as well as partial and picky eating habits. In terms of psychology， the main psychological source was the pressure of learning in school. There was a clear relationship between the pace of learning and not keeping up. Static analysis revealed a correlation with lack of sleep. After assigning values based on eye hygiene recommendations for the use of electronic products， it was found that there was no direct correlation between obesity in primary school students and the duration of electronic product use. Dynamic analysis showed that not taking part in school physical exercise was related to obesity. ConclusionThe obesity of primary school students is influenced by family， diet， psychology， static and dynamic factors. The intervention of obesity in primary school needs the joint efforts of school， society， family， self-cognition and so on.

The quality control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is the core issue to ensure the modernization,industrialization and internationalization of TCM.Compared with other detection methods,electrochemical analysis method has many advantages such as high sensitivity,fast detection speed and low cost,making it an important means of quality control for TCM and having broad development prospects.This article reviewed the research progress of electrochemical methods in quality control of TCM in recent years,discussed the application of electrochemical fingerprinting technique in identification of TCM,and comprehensively summarized the application of electrochemical technology in analyzing effective components and harmful substances in TCM,including flavonoids,alkaloids,quinones,glycosides,heavy metals and pesticide residues.Finally,the development prospects of electrochemical methods in the field of quality control of TCM were discussed.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of piperacillin-tazobactam in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection （cUTI） in adults. METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 352 cUTI adult patients in our hospital from January 1， 2021 to December 31， 2023. All patients received piperacillin-tazobactam. The detection of pathogens in patients， the clinical efficacy and microbial clearance rate after treatment， the occurrence of adverse drug reactions and treatment cost were observed in all patients. RESULTS Of the 352 patients， pathogen culture results of 54 patients were detected， mainly Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. The clinical effective rate was 94.3%， the microbial clearance rate was 81.5%， and the incidence of adverse reactions was 1.4%. The percentage of male effective patients in urinary surgery department was significantly higher than invalid patients， while the proportion of transplant treatment and the proportion of patients with concomitant kidney transplantation were significantly lower than invalid patients （P＜0.05）. There was no significant difference in clinical effective rate between the two groups after those patients were divided into target treatment group and empirical treatment group according to the sensitivity of pathogen to piperacillin-tazobactam （P＝0.902 5）. CONCLUSIONS Piperacillin-tazobactam is effective and safe in the treatment of cUTI.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Working memory is a core component of human cognitive functions, responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information, and plays a vital role in the execution of daily tasks. Working memory includes information encoding, maintenance, manipulation, and retrieval, with the underlying mechanisms corresponding to neural oscillations. The frequency bands most related to each step of working memory are θ (4-8 Hz), α (8-13 Hz), and γ (>30 Hz) waves. θ waves mainly correspond to the temporal organization of memory items; γ waves are related to information maintenance; α waves indicate inhibition of irrelevant information. These neural oscillations can be regulated by external rhythmic stimulation, gradually synchronizing to the rhythm and phase of external stimulation. This phenomenon is called neural entrainment. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can regulate working memory related neural oscillations through entrainment, and has the potential to become a method to enhance working memory performance. Another possible intervention approach to improve working memory is to enhance the excitability of key brain regions involved in working memory through NIBS. In this review, we reviewed more than 50 studies applying NIBS for working memory in healthy adults, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and other NIBS techniques. In terms of research paradigm, working memory NIBS studies with healthy adults usually adopt classic working memory behavioral paradigms, e.g., n-back tasks with numbers or space positions, Sternberg tasks, relatively few stimulating sessions, mainly focus on the simultaneous or short-term effects on behavioral performance. For stimulation sites, the prefrontal cortex (especially dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is the most commonly choice for it’s a vital role in functions such as information maintenance and cognitive resource allocation. The parietal lobe (especially the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) also plays an important role in information maintenance and manipulation, and is the second common stimulation site after DLPFC. Studies targeting the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and motor cortex are relatively limited. For stimulation methods, TMS studies mainly use repetitive TMS (rTMS) and θ burst stimulation (TBS) with stimulating frequency in θ or γ band, one-sided or bilateral prefrontal cortex as the stimulation site. The specific intervention effects may also depend on the phase of the neural oscillation that TMS targets. For tDCS studies, anodal stimulation of DLPFC or parietal lobe is widely utilized. The heterogeneous intervention effects such as relatively weak enhancement or impairment of working memory performance after intervention, may result from varied stimulation protocol or participants’ factors (e.g., small sample size, inconsistent baseline levels). For tACS studies, the most widely used stimulation frequencies are θ and γ bands, usually with in-phase manner, fixed or individualized frequencies. Enhancement of working memory performance has been reported for both settings, and the effects are also affected by stimulation parameters, task difficulty and baseline levels of participants. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), temporal interference stimulation (TIS), transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) are emerging NIBS techniques, of which TIS and TUS can stimulate deep brain regions. Current studies modulating working memory based on these cutting-edge techniques are limited, but they have potential in mechanism exploration and clinical applications in working memory research.

Plant natural products have a wide range of pharmacological properties, not only can they be used as plant dietary supplements to meet the nutritional needs of the human body in the accelerated pace of life, but also occupy an important position in the research and development of therapeutic drugs for the treatment of tumors, inflammation and other diseases, and have been widely accepted by the public due to their good safety. However, despite the above advantages of plant natural products, limiting factors such as low solubility, poor stability, lack of targeting, high toxicity and side effects, and unacceptable odor have greatly impeded their conversion to clinical applications. Therefore, the development of new avenues for the application of new natural products has become an urgent problem to be solved at present. In recent years, with the continuous development of research, various strategies have been developed to improve the bioavailability of natural products. Among them, nanocarrier delivery system is one of the most attractive strategies at present. In past studies, a large number of nanomaterials (organic, inorganic, etc.) have been developed to encapsulate plant-derived natural products for their efficient delivery to specific organs and cells. Up to now, nanotechnology has not only been limited to pharmaceutical applications, but is also competing in the fields of nanofood processing technology and nanoemulsions. Among the various nanocarriers, liposomes are the largest nanocarriers with the largest market share at present. Liposomes are bilayer nanovesicles synthesized from amphiphilic substances, which have advantages such as high drug loading capacity and stability. Attractively, the flexible surface of liposomes can be modified with various functional elements. Functionalized modification of liposomes with different functional elements such as antibodies, nucleic acids, peptides, and stimuli-responsive moieties can bring out the excellent drug delivery function of liposomes to a greater extent. For example, the modification of functional elements with targeting function such as nucleic acids and antibodies on the surface of liposomes can deliver natural products to the target location and improve the bioavailability of drugs; the modification of stimulus-responsive groups such as photosensitizers, magnetic nanoparticles, pH-responsive groups, and temperature sensitizers on the surface of liposomes can achieve controlled release of drugs, localized targeting, and synergistic thermotherapy. In addition to the above properties, by using functionalized liposomes to encapsulate natural products with irritating properties can also effectively mask the irritating properties of natural products, improve public acceptance, and increase the possibility of application of irritating natural products. There are various strategies for modifying liposomes with functional elements, and the properties of functionalized liposomes constructed by different construction strategies differ. The commonly used construction strategies for functionalized liposomes include covalent modification and non-covalent modification. These two types of construction strategies have their own advantages and disadvantages. Covalent modification has better stability than non-covalent modification, but its operation is cumbersome. With the above background, this review focuses on the three typical problems faced by plant natural products at present, and summarizes the specific applications of functionalized liposomes in them. In addition, this paper summarizes the construction strategies for building different types of functionalized liposomes. Finally, this paper will also review the opportunities and challenges faced by functionalized liposomes to enter clinical therapy, and explore the opportunities to overcome these problems, with a view to better realizing the precise control of plant nanomedicines, and providing ideas and inspirations for researchers in related fields as well as relevant industrial staff.