italic>Lamiophlomis rotata is an important medicinal plant species endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, which is prone to strong climate change impacts on its habitable range due to the high sensitivity of the Tibetan Plateau to climate change. Accurate quantification of species vulnerability to climate change is essential for assessing species extinction risk and developing effective conservation strategies. Therefore, we carried out the α-shape analysis to determine the habitat of L. rotata. We then carried out the climate-niche factor analysis (CNFA) to assess the vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change based on five climate variables (i.e., mean diurnal range, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of warmest quarter, precipitation of driest month and precipitation of warmest quarter) in the context of two shared socioeconomic pathways (i.e., SSP126 and SSP585) and three global climate models (CMCC-ESM2: Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici-Earth System Model version 2; HadGEM3-GC31-LL: Hadley Global Environment Model version 3-Global Coupled configuration 3.1; IPSL-CM6A-LR: Institut Pierre Simon Laplace-Climate Model version 6) during two different periods (2041-2060 and 2081-2100). The vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change was calculated by integrating the sensitivity and exposure indices of L. rotata to five climate variables. The results showed that L. rotata had the highest vulnerability to the precipitation of warmest quarter. Its vulnerability within its habitat range generally showed a spatial pattern of high value in the southern region and low in the northern region, high in the western region and low in the eastern region. In general, the vulnerability of L. rotata under the SSP585 scenario was higher than that under the SSP126 scenario. The climate data of different global climate models have some influence on the results, while the resulted uncertainty can be reduced by data integration methods. As a result of climate change, the pressure on the survival of L. rotata in the future will be intensified in the low-altitude areas such as the Yarlung Zangbo River, Yigongzangbu River, Zayu River, and Jiaomuzu River, etc., while the highly weathered scree flats or stony alpine meadows in the high-altitude zones, such as the eastern Tanggula Mountain Range, the northern part of Hengduan Mountain Range, and the western part of the Qinling Mountains, may become its refuge. It is necessary to focus on and strengthen the protection and management of L. rotata resources in these vulnerble and critical areas.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Cinnamomum camphora is an important economic tree species in China. According to the type and content of main components in the volatile oil of leaf, C. camphora were divided into five chemotypes, including borneol-type, camphor-type, linalool-type, cineole-type, and nerolidol-type. Terpene synthase(TPS) is the key enzyme for the formation of these compounds. Although several key enzyme genes have been identified, the biosynthetic pathway of(+)-borneol, which has the most economic value, has not been reported. In this study, nine terpenoid synthase genes CcTPS1-CcTPS9 were cloned through transcriptome analysis of four chemical-type leaves. After the recombinant protein was induced by Escherichia coli, geranyl pyrophosphate(GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate(FPP) were used as substrates for enzymatic reaction, respectively. Both CcTPS1 and CcTPS9 could catalyze GPP to produce bornyl pyrophosphate, which could be hydrolyzed by phosphohydrolase to obtain(+)-borneol, and the product of(+)-borneol accounted for 0.4% and 89.3%, respectively. Both CcTPS3 and CcTPS6 could catalyze GPP to generate a single product linalool, and CcTPS6 could also react with FPP to generate nerolidol. CcTPS8 reacted with GPP to produce 1,8-cineol(30.71%). Nine terpene synthases produced 9 monoterpene and 6 sesquiterpenes. The study has identified the key enzyme genes responsible for borneol biosynthesis in C. camphora for the first time, laying a foundation for further elucidating the molecular mechanism of chemical type formation and cultivating new varieties of borneol with high yield by using bioengineering technology.
Cinnamomum camphora/enzymology* ; Alkyl and Aryl Transferases/chemistry*

Chinese medicinal resources are the cornerstone of the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine industry. However, due to the fecundity of species, over-exploitation, and limitations of artificial cultivation, some medicinal plants are depleted and even endangered. Tissue culture, a breakthrough technology in the breeding of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, is not limited by time and space, and can allow the production on an annual basis, which plays an important role in the protection of Chinese medicinal resources. The present study reviewed the applications of tissue culture of medicinal plants in the field of Chinese medicinal resources, including rapid propagation of medicinal plant seedlings, breeding of novel high-yield and high-quality cultivars, construction of a genetic transformation system, and production of secondary metabolites. Meanwhile, the current challenges and suggestions for the future development of this field were also proposed.
Sustainable Development ; Plants, Medicinal/genetics* ; Plant Breeding ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Technology

OBJECTIVE: To explore the manifestations of jingjin (sinews/fascia) lesions and summarize their distribution rules in the patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis so as to provide the evidences for the development of clinical diagnosis and treatment scheme of acupuncture for cervical spondylosis. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis were collected. The meridian diagnostic method was used to examine the upper back of each patient, the manifestation category of jingjin lesions, locations and the affected muscle regions of twelve meridians were recorded. RESULTS: (1) The punctate lesions of jingjin were detected in 15 regions, and the highest frequency of lesion occurred in the region from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13) (113 cases, 94.2% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 10 regions was ≥50.0%. The punctate lesions were mainly distributed in the muscle regions of hand-shaoyang (349 cases) and foot-taiyang (333 cases). (2) The linear lesions of jingjin were detected in 10 regions, and the highest frequency of lesion occurred in the region from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13) (77 cases, 64.2% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 2 regions was ≥50.0%. The linear lesions occurred mainly in the muscle region of foot-taiyang (251 cases). (3) Eight regions were examined to be the planar lesions of jingjin, and the highest frequency of lesion was found in the site of Jianjing (GB 21) (84 cases, 70.0% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 3 regions was ≥50.0%. The muscle region of foot-taiyang (260 cases) was predominated in the planar lesions. (4) The distribution of all of the punctate, linear and planar lesions of jingjin was analyzed statistically. It was found that 25 regions were involved and those with the high lesion frequency were distributed in the area from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13), the sites of Jianjing (GB 21) and Dazhui (GV 14), transverse processes of C₃ to C₅ and the area from the lateral border of the scapula to the teres minor, separately. The muscle regions of foot-taiyang, hand-shaoyang and hand-yangming were involved in various kinds of jingjin lesions. CONCLUSION Jingjin lesions in patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis can be divided into three categories, namely, punctate, linear and planar lesions; of which, the punctate lesions are dominated. A majority of jingjin lesions is related to the muscle region of foot-taiyang, and the lesion frequency is higher compared with the lesions to the muscle regions of hand-shaoyang and hand-yangming. Jingjin lesions are commonly distributed in the area from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13).
Humans ; Meridians ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Spondylosis/therapy* ; Acupuncture

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases

Objective: To report the clinical features and genetic variations of monogenic lupus caused by DNASE1L3 deficiency and to introduce preliminary experience on diagnosis and treatment for this disease. Methods: Clinical data of 3 children from the same pedigree were collected who were diagnosed with DNASE1L3 defect-associated monogenic lupus in August 2020 by Department of Pediatrics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital referred from Department of Pediatrics, Boai Hospital of Zhongshan. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the patients and their parients to perform genetic analysis and confirmation. Six interferon-stimulated genes were relatively quantified to examine the activation of the type I interferon signaling. "DNASE1L3" "systemic lupus erythematosus" and "SLE" were searched in PubMed, Wangfang Data, CNKI databases for related reports from database established date to June 2022. Spectrum of genetic variations and clinical phenotypes were analyzed in combination with this pedigree. Results: Case 1, a 14-year-old girl with edema, hematuria, and heavy proteinuria, presented with membranous nephropathy. Case 2, the 12-year-old younger brother of case 1 with hematologic, cardiac, pulmonary, renal involvement, positive antinuclear antibody, positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibody and low complement C3, manifested with systemic lupus erythematosus. Case 3, the 8-year-old younger sister of case 1 with hematologic, cardiac, pulmonary and renal involvement, positive antinuclear antibody, positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibody, and low complement C3 and C4, manifested with systemic lupus erythematosus. Genetic testing revealed that all 3 patients carried homozygous deletions in exons 3 and 4 on DNASE1L3 gene. Interferon scores were elevated in case 1, 2 and their parents but normal in case 3. All 3 patients were diagnosed with monogenic lupus caused by DNASE1L3 defects. Literature searching identified 10 relevant publications in English and 0 publication in Chinese, involving 42 patients from 18 pedigrees (including the 3 cases from this pedigree). Nine variants were found: c.289_290delAC (p.T97Ifs*2), c.643delT (p.W215Gfs*2), c.320+4delAGTA, c.321-1G>A, Ex5 del, c.433G>A, c.581G>A (p.C194Y), c.537G>A (p.W179X), and Ex3-4 del. The hotspot variants were c.643delT (43% (36/84)) and c.289_290delAC (36% (30/84)). Kidney was affected in 31 cases (74%) of the 42 cases. Among the 25 patients, joints were affected in 16 cases (64%), fever were reported in 13 cases (52%) hematologic system was involved 13 cases (52%), rash was present in 10 cases (40%), intestinal tract was involved in 8 cases (32%), lungs were involved in 6 cases (24%), eyes were involved in 4 cases (16%), and the heart was involved in 4 cases (16%). The 2 cardiopulmonary affected patients from literature showed poor prognosis, with 1 died, and 1 right heart failure. Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of monogenic lupus caused by DNASE1L3 defect are highly heterogenous, primarily with renal, blood, joint, intestinal, and cardiopulmonary involvement. There is no correlation between the genotype and the phenotype. DNASE1L3 defects were predominantly mediated by null varations including nonsense, splicing, frameshift and exon deletions. The hotspot variants are c.643delT and c.289_290delAC. DNASE1L3 defects should be cautioned in early-onset lupus-like patients with renal, joint and hematologic involvement. Cardiopulmonary involved patients require close monitoring for poor prognosis. Copy number variations should be carefully analyzed after negative whole exome sequencing.
Male ; Child ; Humans ; Homozygote ; Complement C3 ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Sequence Deletion ; Interferons ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/genetics* ; Antiviral Agents ; Endodeoxyribonucleases

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cryptorchidism/genetics* ; Disorders of Sex Development/genetics* ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Male ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypospadias/genetics* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of melatonin on the growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and explore the mechanism. METHODS: MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 1, 3 or 5 mmol/L melatonin, and the changes in cell proliferation were examined using CCK-8 assay. Colony-forming assay and wound healing assay were used to assess the effects of melatonin treatmnent on colony-forming ability and migration of the cells. Flow cytometry and immunofluoresnce assay were employed to examine apoptosis and positive staining for autophagy-related proteins in the cells treated with 3 mmol/L melatonin. The effects of melatonin treatment alone or in combination with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) on the expressions of the proteins associated with autophagy (LC3, P62 and Beclin1), apoptosis (Bcl2 and Bax) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (E-cadherin and Snail) were examined with Western blotting. RESULTS: Melatonin treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (P < 0.05), suppressed colony-forming ability and migration (P < 0.01), and promoted apoptosis of the cells (P < 0.01). Melatonin treatment alone significantly increased the expressions of Bax (P < 0.05), E-cadherin, LC3-II/LC3-I, and Beclin1 and lowered the expressions of Bcl2 (P < 0.05), Snail, P62 (P < 0.05), and Bcl2/Bax ratio (P < 0.01) in the cells, and caused enhanced positive staining of Beclin1 protein and attenuated staining of P62 protein. Compared with melatonin treatment alone, melatonin treatment combined with 3-MA significantly decreased the expressions of Beclin1 (P < 0.001), LC3-II/LC3-I (P < 0.05), Bax (P < 0.01), and E-cadherin (P < 0.001) and increased the expressions of Bcl2 (P < 0.05), Snail, and Bcl2/Bax ratio (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Melatonin can induce autophagy of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to inhibit cell proliferation and metastasis and promote cell apoptosis, and suppressing autophagy can weaken the inhibitory effect of melatonin on the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells.
Autophagy ; Autophagy-Related Proteins/metabolism* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Melatonin/pharmacology*

Medicinal plants are the main source of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). China has achieved large-scale cultivation and production of medicinal plants. As an important resource for the sustainable development of agriculture in the future, microorganisms can also promote the green, ecological and high-quality development of Chinese medicine agriculture. However, research on the medicinal plant microbiome is still limited. Therefore, based on the development timeline of microbiome research, the present study reviewed the origin, technology, and hotspots of microbiome research and proposed some suggestions for future research according to the advances in medicinal plant microbiome.(1)Systematic investigation of medicinal plant microbiome on the species, genus, and family levels should be carried out on the medicinal plants of different chemotypes in order to reveal the coevolution of the microorganisms and their host plants.(2)Spatial and temporal research on medicinal plant microbiome should be performed to reveal the effects of microorganisms on the growth, development, and secondary metabolite accumulation of medicinal plants, as well as the underlying mechanisms.(3)Model medicinal plant species should be selected and microorganism-plant interaction research models should be established.(4)Core microbiome of medicinal plants should be explored for the future application of crucial microbes in the sustaina-ble agriculture of Chinese medicine.(5)Breeding of medicinal plant-associated microbes should be carried out to lay the foundation for novel medicinal plant breeding strategies.(6)High-throughput sequencing, traditional incubation, and isolation of microbes should be combined to study medicinal plant microbiome, thereby promoting the exploitation and application of uncultured microbial strains.(7)Platforms for the preservation of medicinal plant-associated microbe strains and data of their metabolites should be established and the exchange of information and cooperation between these platforms should be subsequently enhanced. With these suggestions, the efficient and rapid development of medicinal plant microbiome research is expected to be promoted.
Plants, Medicinal ; Plant Breeding ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Agriculture ; Microbiota