The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

Objective To explore the clinical effect of Fu's subcutaneous needling combined with western medicine in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).Methods A total of 112 patients with IBS were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group,with 56 patients in each group.The control group was given conventional western medicine treatment,and the observation group was treated with Chinese medicine Fu's subcutaneous needling on the basis of the treatment in the control group.Both groups were treated for 4 consecutive weeks.After 1 month of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the IBS system severity system(IBS-SSS)scores were observed before and after the treatment,as well as the time of the symptoms of abdominal pain,bloating and diarrhoea subsiding in the two groups,and the changes in the defecation thresholds,pain thresholds,sensory thresholds and the changes in the numbers of intestinal flora such as Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus,Enterobacteriaceae,and Bacteriodendrobacteriaceae in the two groups were compared.The changes in the levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide,gastric motility and substance P were observed in the two groups.The safety and occurrence of adverse reactions were also evaluated in the two groups.Results(1)The total effective rate of the observation group was 96.43%(54/56),and the control group was 83.93%(47/56).The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)The time for abdominal pain,abdominal distension and diarrhoea to subside was significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant when compared with the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the defecation threshold,pain threshold,and sensation threshold of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in terms of improving defecation threshold,pain threshold,and sensation threshold,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the numbers of Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus,Enterobacter,Bacteroides were significantly improved in the two groups(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in terms of improving the numbers of Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus,Enterobacter and Bacteroides,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide,gastric actin,and substance P of the patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide,gastric actin,and substance P,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).(6)There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Fu's subcutaneous needling combined with western medicine in the treatment of IBS can significantly shorten the relief time of patients'clinical symptoms,strengthen patients'gastrointestinal function,regulate the number of intestinal flora and improve the function of gastrointestinal mucous membrane barrier,and the therapeutic efficacy is remarkable.

This study using maltodextrin as raw material, 1%-5% polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 as template agent, 1%-5% ammonium bicarbonate as pore-forming agent, curcumin and ibuprofen as model drugs. Porous maltodextrin was prepared by template and pore-forming agent methods, respectively. The structure and drug delivery behavior of porous maltodextrin prepared by different technologies were comprehensively characterized. The results showed that the porous maltodextrin prepared by pore-forming agent method had larger specific surface area (6.449 4 m²·g^-1) and pore size (32.804 2 nm), which was significantly better than that by template agent method (3.670 2 m²·g^-1, 15.278 5 nm). The adsorption kinetics between porous maltodextrin prepared by pore-forming agent method and curcumin were suitable for quasi-first order adsorption kinetic model, and that between porous maltodextrin and ibuprofen were suitable for quasi-second order adsorption kinetic model. While the adsorption kinetics between porous maltodextrin prepared by template agent method and two model drugs were both suitable for the quasi-first order adsorption kinetic model. In addition, the dissolution behavior analysis showed that the porous maltodextrin prepared by the two technologies can significantly improve the dissolution behavior of insoluble drugs, and the drug release was both carried out by diffusion mechanism, which suitable for the Peppas kinetic release model, but the porous maltodextrin prepared by template agent method had a faster release rate. The change of nozzle diameter had no significant effect on the adsorption process and drug release behavior of porous maltodextrin. In conclusion, the porous maltodextrins prepared by two different technologies were both beneficial to the delivery of insoluble drugs, and the template agent method was the best for delivery of insoluble drugs. This study can provide theoretical basis for the preparation of porous particles, promote the application of porous particles in insoluble drugs, and improve the bioavailability of insoluble drugs.

ObjectiveThis study was designed to explore the effect of MG53 on cardiac function affected by acute doxorubicin （DOX）-induced cardiotoxicity （DIC） in mice and its possible mechanism. MethodsIn vivo， C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with twenty mg/kg DOX for one week to induce the acute DIC. In vitro， neonatal rat cardiomyocytes （NRCs） were treated with 1 μmol/L DOX to induce DIC. A small animal ultrasound imaging system was used to evaluate cardiac function， and the left ventricular changes in ejection fraction （EF） and fraction shortening （FS） were measured. qPCR technology was used to evaluate cardiac remodeling related factors ANP， BNP and α-MHC， autophagy-related factors Beclin1 and LC3， and apoptosis-related factor CASPASE3. Autophagy-related protein levels of Beclin1， LC3 and apoptosis-related protein levels of caspase3 were assessed by Western Blot. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to detect autophagosomes in heart tissues. TUNEL assay kit was used to detect apoptosis in neonatal murine cardiomyocytes. ResultsThe small animal ultrasound imaging revealed cardiac function was significantly reduced by doxorubicin in the DOX group and DOX+AAV9-NC group compared with the sham group （EF： Sham： 86.06 ± 2.08 vs. DOX：58.97 ± 1.62， P < 0.000 1； Sham： 86.06 ± 2.08 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 59.00 ± 1.86， P < 0.000 1. FS： Sham： 45.47 ± 1.95 vs. DOX：30.68 ± 1.21， P < 0.000 1； Sham： 45.47 ± 1.95 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 30.79 ± 1.13， P < 0.000 1）. However， the overexpression of MG53 with adeno-associated virus9 （AAV9） ameliorated cardiac dysfunction （EF： DOX+AAV9-MG53： 66.93 ± 1.78 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 59.00 ± 1.86， P < 0.000 1. FS： DOX+AAV9-MG53： 36.35 ± 1.33 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 30.79 ± 1.13， P < 0.000 1）. TEM showed autophagosomes were increased in the DOX+AAV9-MG53 group compared with the DOX group and DOX+AAV9-NC. qPCR results suggested that MG53 down-regulated the mRNA expression of cardiac remodeling related genes. Additionally， Western blot results confirmed that the protein level of caspases3 was decreased and Beclin1 and LC3 expression was increased in the DOX+AAV9-MG53 group compared with those in the DOX group and DOX+AAV9-NC group （caspase： DOX+AAV9-MG53： 1.49 ± 0.13 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 2.49 ± 0.46， P = 0.000 2； Beclin-1： DOX+AAV9-MG53：0.82 ± 0.02 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 0.62 ± 0.05， P < 0.000 1； LC3： DOX+AAV9-MG53： 0.83 ± 0.04 vs. DOX+AAV9-NC： 0.40 ± 0.05， P < 0.000 1）. In contrast， knockdown of MG53 significantly up-regulated the protein level of Caspase3 and significantly down-regulated the protein level of Beclin1 and LC3 （caspase： DOX+si-MG53： 4.52 ± 0.28 vs. DOX+si-NC： 3.37 ± 0.08， P < 0.000 1； Beclin-1： DOX+si-MG53： 0.34 ± 0.06 vs. DOX+si-NC： 0.54 ± 0.07， P = 0.026 2； LC3： DOX+si-MG53： 0.41 ± 0.12 vs. DOX+si-NC： 0.70 ± 0.07， P = 0.001 5）. TUNEL analysis showed overexpression of MG53 significantly inhibited the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes （DOX+Ad-MG53： 9.41 ± 0.53 vs. DOX+Ad-NC： 29.34 ± 7.29， P < 0.000 1）， and knockdown of MG53 significantly facilitate the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes （DOX+si-MG53： 71.34 ± 5.90 vs. DOX+si-NC： 32.19 ± 9.91， P < 0.000 1）. ConclusionMG53 inhibits cardiac apoptosis and enhances autophagy， which delays cardiac remodeling and ameliorates cardiac dysfunction.

Objective: To characterize the prevalence and genomic epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from acute diarrheal patients in Shenzhen City from 2013 to 2021. Methods: Based on the Shenzhen Infectious Diarrhea Surveillance System, acute diarrheal patients were actively monitored in sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates was performed, and the genomic population structure, serotypes, virulence genes and multilocus sequence typing were analyzed. Outbreak clusters from 2019 to 2021 were explored based on single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis. Results: A total of 48 623 acute diarrhea cases were monitored in 15 sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021, and 1 135 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated, with a positive isolation rate of 2.3%. Qualified whole-genome sequencing data of 852 isolates were obtained. Eighty-nine serotypes, 21 known ST types and 5 new ST types were identified by sequence analysis, and 93.2% of strains were detected with toxin profile of tdh+trh-. 8 clonal groups (CGs) were captured, with CG3 as the absolute predominance, followed by CG189. The CG3 group was dominated by O3:K6 serotype and ST3 sequence type, while CG189 group was mainly O4:KUT, O4:K8 serotypes and ST189a and ST189 type. A total of 13 clusters were identified, containing 154 cases. About 30 outbreak clusters with 29 outbreak clusters caused by CG3 strains from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major pathogen of acute infectious diarrhea in Shenzhen City, with diverse population structures. CG3 and CG189 have been prevalent and predominant in Shenzhen City for a long time. Scattered outbreaks and persistent sources of contamination ignored by traditional methods could be captured by WGS analysis. Tracing the source of epidemic clone groups and taking precise prevention and control measures are expected to significantly reduce the burden of diarrhea diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in Shenzhen City.
Humans ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus/genetics* ; Diarrhea/epidemiology* ; Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology* ; Serogroup ; Genomics ; Dysentery ; Vibrio Infections/epidemiology* ; Serotyping

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Abstract: Objective　To evaluate the potential transmission risk of schistosomiasis in Yunnan Province, and to provide strategic basis for the prevention and control. Methods　Based on the prevalence of schistosomiasis, the social and environmental factors that may lead to the epidemic, 1-3 villages from 3 provincial-level and 15 county-level counties (cities and districts) were selected as the evaluated villages in 2021. The risk of schistosomiasis spread was analyzed comprehensively by consulting, reviewing and collecting routine surveillance data of schistosomiasis in the villages, combined with snail and wild feces survey. The risk level was evaluated for the positive snails, positive wild feces, resident infection, average density of live snails and snail frame occurrence rate. Results　Totally 7 snail counties schistosomiasis transmission was blocked of 18 epidemic counties and the rest were eliminated counties. A total of 152 447 snail frames were investigated and 3 043 frames with snails, 15 895 snails were captured and included 15 727 live snails in the 32 evaluated villages. The total area of snail was 58.87 hm2 and the area of reoccurrence was 34.19 hm2 with snail frame occurrence rate of 2.00% and average density of live snails 0.103 2/0.11 m2, and no positive snails were found by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. A total of 1 374 wild feces were collected in 27 evaluated villages of 14 epidemic counties, mainly from cattle, dogs, sheep, equine animals, pigs and so on, all of which were negative. According to the risk assessment of epidemic spread, Yongle Village and Yongsheng Village in Eryuan County, Zhiming Village in Chuxiong City were Ⅱ risk, and the rest were Ⅲ risk. Conclusions　Although the risk of transmission is low in Yunnan Province, the risk of transmission and spread still exists. It is necessary to strengthen the risk monitoring, control of snail and effective management of livestock to prevent the rebound of the epidemic.

BACKGROUND: Reports on the prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among Chinese patients with psoriasis are very limited. This study, conducted by rheumatologists, estimated the prevalence of PsA in a large number of Chinese patients with psoriasis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis attending nine dermatology clinics in five hospitals were recruited. All psoriasis patients were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising 16 questions to identify possible cases of PsA. All patients with one or more positive answers to the questionnaire were evaluated by two experienced rheumatologists. RESULTS: A total of 2434 psoriasis patients, including 1561 males and 873 females, were enrolled. Both the questionnaire and rheumatologists' examinations were completed in the dermatology clinics. The results identified 252 patients with PsA, comprising 168 males and 84 females. The overall prevalence of PsA among psoriasis patients was 10.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 9.1%-11.7%). By sex, the prevalence was 10.8% (95% CI, 9.2%-12.5%) for males and 9.6% (95% CI, 7.7%-11.9%) for females and there was no significant sex difference in the prevalence of PsA (P = 0.38). Of the 252 PsA patients, 125 (49.6%, 95% CI, 41.3%-59.1%) were newly diagnosed by rheumatologists. Consequently, the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA among psoriasis patients was 5.2% (95% CI, 4.4%-6.2%). CONCLUSION The prevalence of PsA in the Chinese population with psoriasis is about 10.4%, which is almost double that of previous reports in the Chinese population, but lower than that in Caucasians.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthritis, Psoriatic/epidemiology* ; Rheumatologists ; Prevalence ; East Asian People ; Psoriasis/epidemiology*

Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Blood Transfusion ; Infant, Premature, Diseases

Currently, the gut-organ axis has become a hot research topic. As increasing attention has been paid to the role of gut microbiota in the health of organs, the complex and integrated dialogue mechanism between the gastrointestinal tract and the associated microbiota has been demonstrated in more and more studies. Skin as the largest organ in the human body serves as the primary barrier protecting the human body from damage. The proposal of the gut-skin axis has established a bidirectional link between the gut and the skin. The disturbance of gut microbiota can lead to the occurrence of skin diseases, the mechanism of which is complex and may involve multiple pathways in immunity, metabolism, and internal secretion. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), the connection between the intestine and the skin can be established through the lung, and the interior disorders will definitely cause symptoms on the exterior. This paper reviews the research progress in the gut-skin axis and its correlation with TCM theory and provides ideas and a basis for cli-nical treatment and drug development of skin and intestinal diseases.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Skin Diseases/drug therapy* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome