Eight compounds were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate part of 70% acetone extract of Rehmannia glutinosa by various chromatographic techniques such as silica gel, MCI gel CHP-20, ODS, Toyopearl HW-40C, combined with TLC and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by modern spectroscopy techniques (NMR, MS, UV, IR), and identified as neomartynoside A (1), osmanthuside B₆ (2), martynoside (3), isomartynoside (4), (E)-p-hydroxycinnamic acid (5), caffeic acid (6), ferulic acid (7), and methyl caffeate (8). Compound 1 is a new phenylethanol glycoside, which was identified as neomartynoside A. Compound 2 was isolated from Rehmannia glutinosa for the first time. In addition, compounds 2, 6 and 7 significantly increased relative glucose consumption, showing potential hypoglycemic activity.

This study aims to investigate the polarized microscopic mineral phase characteristics, inorganic element content, and potential health risks associated with the intake of raw and calcined fossil mineral Chinese medicinal material Draconis Os. Microscopy was employed to observe the mineralogical characteristics of Draconis Os and compare the microscopic features and phase composition of raw and calcined Draconis Os under monochromatic and orthogonal polarized light. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) was employed to determine the content of 30 inorganic elements. Health risk assessment was conducted by calculating the single pollution index(P_i), average daily intake of elements for adults(ADI), target hazard quotient(THQ), non-carcinogenic assessment method-hazard quotient(HQ), and the carcinogenic risk of elements(CR). The results indicated that under monochromatic polarized light, the Draconis Os powder sections exhibited light gray-brown to gray-brown irregular fragments, some with undulating textures that were slightly curved. Under crossed polarized light, they appeared dark gray, grayish-white, and yellowish-white. Clear apatite was visible in the ground sections of Draconis Os under crossed polarized light. P_i results indicated that Draconis Os samples were free from contamination and were of good quality. According to the maximum allowable limits of heavy metals stipulated in ISO Traditional Chinese Medicine: Determination of heavy metals in herbal medicines used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ADI, THQ, HQ, and CR were taken as assessment indicators. Only the THQ value for As(arsenic) in raw Draconis Os was greater than 1, while the THQ values for other heavy metal elements in the Draconis Os samples were all less than 1. The study demonstrates that the primary mineral phase of raw and calcined Draconis Os is apatite, with some samples co-existing with calcite, which can serve as one of the means for quality control of Draconis Os. The elemental analysis results from ICP-MS provide scientific evidence for the safety assessment of Draconis Os, indicating that Draconis Os is safe in clinical application.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Risk Assessment ; Minerals/chemistry* ; Fossils ; Humans ; Drug Contamination ; Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the molecular epidemiology of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) in Gansu, China, providing foundational data for intervention strategies. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 159 PKU families who attended Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital from January 2012 to December 2024. Sanger sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, whole exome sequencing, and deep intronic variant analysis were used to analyze the PAH gene. RESULTS: For the 1 159 children with PKU, 2 295 variants were identified in 2 318 alleles, resulting in a detection rate of 99.01%. The detection rates were 100% (914/914) in 457 classic PKU families, 99.45% (907/912) in 456 mild PKU families, and 96.34% (474/492) in 246 mild hyperphenylalaninemia families. The 2 295 variants detected comprised 208 distinct mutation types, among which c.728G>A (14.95%, 343/2 295) had the highest frequency, followed by c.611A>G (4.88%, 112/2 295) and c.721C>T (4.79%, 110/2 295). The cumulative frequency of the top 23 hotspot variants reached 70.28% (1 613/2 295), and most variant alleles were detected in exon 7 (29.19%, 670/2 295). CONCLUSIONS Deep intronic variant analysis of the PAH gene can improve the genetic diagnostic rate of PKU. The development of targeted detection kits for PAH hotspot variants may enable precision screening programs and enhance preventive strategies for PKU.
Humans ; Phenylketonurias/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Phenylalanine Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Mutation ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Child ; Infant

Obesity, as a chronic recurrent disease, has become a major public health challenge in China. To implement the requirements of the Healthy China Initiative (2019—2030), under domestic guidelines or consensus statements on overweight and obesity, and in alignment with the latest scientific advances globally, the Quality control protocol for adult overweight and obesity screening in health management (examination) institutions (2025 edition) was developed. This protocol was drafted by the Health Management Center of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital and formulated through multiple rounds of deliberation by experts in China’s health examination quality control field. The protocol establishes unified standards for screening facilities, personnel qualifications, and measurement or testing procedures. It defines specific screening items, outlines a standardized screening pathway, and sets requirements for the final medical review, ensuring the scientific validity, effectiveness, and safety of the screening process. The implementation of this protocol will enhance the consistency of weight management practices for adults across health examination institutions and strengthen the quality control of overweight and obesity screening programs.

Background::Although some well-established oncogenes are involved in cancer initiation and progression such as prostate cancer (PCa), the long tail of cancer genes remains to be defined. Goosecoid ( GSC) has been implicated in cancer development. However, the comprehensive biological role of GSC in pan-cancer, specifically in PCa, remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of GSC in PCa development. Methods::We performed a systematic bioinformatics exploration of GSC using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, Gene Expression Omnibus, German Cancer Research Center, and our in-house cohorts. First, we evaluated the expression of GSC and its association with patient prognosis, and identified GSC-relevant genetic alterations in cancers. Further, we focused on the clinical characterization and prognostic analysis of GSC in PCa. To understand the transcriptional regulation of GSC by E2F transcription factor 1 ( E2F1), we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Functional experiments were conducted to validate the effect of GSC on the tumor cellular phenotype and sensitivity to trametinib. Results::GSC expression was elevated in various tumors and significantly correlated with patient prognosis. The alterations of GSC contribute to the progression of various tumors especially in PCa. Patients with PCa and high GSC expression exhibited worse progression-free survival and biochemical recurrence outcomes. Further, GSC upregulation in patients with PCa was mostly accompanied with higher Gleason score, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Mechanistically, the transcription factor, E2F1, stimulates GSC by binding to its promoter region. Detailed experiments further demonstrated that GSC acted as an oncogene and influenced the response of PCa cells to trametinib treatment. Conclusions::GSC was highly overexpressed and strongly correlated with patient prognosis in PCa. We found that GSC, regulated by E2F1, acted as an oncogene and impeded the therapeutic efficacy of trametinib in PCa.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by viscerotropic Leishmania species and transmitted by bites of infected phlebotomine sandflies, which is predominantly prevalent in the Indian subcontinent, eastern Africa and South America. Currently, visceral leishmaniasis is the second most fatal parasitic disease in the world. Because of climate changes, urban development and individual conditions, there are changes in the density of visceral leishmaniasis vector sandflies and the likelihood of contact with humans, resulting in a visceral leishmaniasis transmission risk. The review summarizes natural, social and biological factors affecting the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis, so as to provide insights into formulation of targeted control measures for visceral leishmaniasis.

Six compounds were isolated from the roots of Ephedra sinica Stapf using various chromatographic techniques such as silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their chemical structures were identified by analysis of physicochemical properties and spectral data, and determined as (Z)-docosanylferulate (1), (E)-docosanylferulate (2), bis (2-ethylheptyl) phythalate (3), 2,2′-oxybis (1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene) (4), diisobutyl phthalate (5), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (6). Among them, compound 1 is a new compound, compounds 2-4 were first isolated from Ephedra. A corticosterone-induced PC-12 cell injury model was used for compound activity screening. The results showed that compounds 1 and 5 significantly improved corticosterone-induced PC-12 cell injury and significantly increased 5-HT₇ receptor protein expression in the cells, indicating potential antidepressant activity.

To characterize human antibodies against low-calcium response V(LcrV)antigen of Yersinia pestis,the mono-clonal antibodies were screened and assayed.Antibody gene was derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the vaccin-ees immunized by plague subunit vaccine in phase Ⅱb clinical trial.Human ScFv antibody library was constructed by phage dis-play.After panning library by using recombinant LcrV antigen,antibody variable genes were sequenced and converted into IgG1 format to evaluate its binding specificity and relevant parameters.An anti-plague human ScFv antibody library was estab-lished contained 7.54× 108 independent clones.After panning by LcrV antigen,3 human antibodies named as RV-B4,RV-D1 and RV-E8,respectively,were identified.Using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and Western blot(WB),the specific bindings of the mAbs to LcrV antigen were confirmed.The dissociation constant(KD)of them to LcrV is 2.1 nmol/L,1.24 nmol/L and 42 nmol/L,respectively.Minor protective efficacy was found among 3 human antibodies in Y.pestis 141-infected mice.Three anti-LcrV monoclonal antibodies generated from immunized vaccinees were binding specific antibod-ies and could not block plague infection in mice.These antibodies are the potential candidate reagents for basic research of plague immunity and the application of plague diagnosis.

Shoulder pain ranks the third in musculoskeletal pain,with relatively high incidence in the population.Early diagnosis of shoulder diseases is crucial.Deep learning(DL)in shoulder joint imaging was conducive to clinical diagnosis,treatment and prognosis evaluation of shoulder diseases.The research progresses of DL in shoulder joint imaging were reviewed in this article.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of leptospirosis in China from 2010 to 2022, so as to provide insights into formulation of the leptospirosis control strategy. Methods All data pertaining to clinically diagnosed cases and confirmed cases of leptospirosis reported in China from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022 was collected from Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information Management System. The spatial, temporal and population distributions, and report and diagnosis institutions of leptospirosis cases were analyzed using a descriptive epidemiological method. Results A total of 4 559 leptospirosis cases were reported in China from 2010 to 2022, with an annual average number of 351 cases, and the number of reported leptospirosis cases reduced from 679 cases in 2010 to 158 cases in 2018. A total of 4 276 leptospirosis cases were reported in Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Guangdong Province, Hunan Province, Fujian Province, Zhejiang Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Anhui Province, Jiangxi Province and Guizhou Province, accounting for 93.79% of the total number of leptospirosis cases in China. The number of leptospirosis cases had recently appeared a remarkable decline in Yunnan Province, while a significant rise was seen in the number of leptospirosis cases in two provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong. No leptospirosis cases were reported in Henan Province from 2010 to 2020; however, there were 5 cases and 2 cases reported in 2021 and 2022, respectively. There was only one leptospirosis case reported in Shaanxi Province from 2010 to 2017; however, leptospirosis cases were reported in the province for 5 consecutive years since 2018. Leptospirosis cases were reported throughout the year in China from 2010 to 2022, with the peak of incidence found during the period between August and October, and the peak of leptospirosis incidence varied in provinces. A higher number of leptospirosis cases was seen among men than among women, with a male to female ratio of 2.3:1, and the median age of leptospirosis cases was 50 years (interquartile range, 23 years), with the highest proportion of leptospirosis cases reported at ages of 51 to 60 years (23.21%). Among all reported leptospirosis cases, 53.28% were confirmed cases, and the proportion of confirmed cases increased from 35.05% in 2010 to 61.66% in 2022. In addition, there were 67.22% of leptospirosis cases (2 937 cases) reported by comprehensive hospitals, 20.44% (893 cases) by disease control and prevention institutions, 7.23% (316 cases) by grassroots healthcare institutions and 5.10% (223 cases) by other healthcare and medical institutions, and the mortality of reported leptospirosis cases was 1.07% in China from 2010 to 2022, with a higher mortality seen among men than among women (1.39% vs. 0.36%; χ² = 9.52, P = 0.002). Conclusions The incidence of leptospirosis remained at a low level in China from 2010 to 2022, and southern China was still the main endemic area for leptospirosis. The epidemiological characteristics of leptospirosis cases varied in endemic provinces, and leptospirosis cases had been continued to be reported in Shaanxi and Henan provinces, which should be paid much attention to. Intensified surveillance of leptospirosis, improved diagnosis and treatment capability of leptospirosis cases and leptospirosis control with adaptations to local circumstance are recommended.