ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and potential mechanism of caffeic acid （CA） on severe acute pancreatitis （SAP） induced by caerulein combined with lipopolysaccharide （LPS）， and to provide a basis for the research on novel drugs for the treatment of SAP. MethodsC57BL/6J mice， aged 6 weeks， were divided into control group， model group， CA group， and octreotide acetate （OA） group， with 6 mice in each group. The mice in the control group were given injection of normal saline， and those in the other groups were given intraperitoneal injection of caerulein combined with LPS to establish a mouse model of SAP. At 1 hour after the first injection of caerulein， the mice in the CA group and the OA group were given intraperitoneal injection of CA or subcutaneous injection of OA at an interval of 8 hours. The general status of the mice was observed after 24 hours of modeling， and serum， pancreas， lung， and colon samples were collected. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the pancreas and lungs， and the serum levels of α-amylase， lipase， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， and creatinine were measured. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of proinflammatory factors in the pancreas and lungs； myeloperoxidase （MPO） immunohistochemistry was used to observe the degree of neutrophil infiltration； Western blot was used to measure the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） and the level of citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3）， a marker for the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）， in the pancreas and lungs， as well as the expression level of ZO-1 in colon tissue. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the Dunnett’s t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group had severe injury in the pancreas and lungs and significant increases in the activity of serum α- amylase and lipase and the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and TNF-α in serum and lung tissue （all P<0.05）， as well as significant increases in NF-κB activation， neutrophil infiltration， and the formation of NETs in the pancreas and lungs （all P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the CA group had alleviated pathological injury of the pancreas and lungs and significant reductions in the activity of serum α-amylase and the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α in serum and lung tissue （all P<0.05）， as well as significant reductions in NF-κB activation， neutrophil infiltration， and the formation of NETs in the pancreas and lungs （all P<0.05）. ConclusionCA can alleviate SAP induced by caerulein combined with LPS in mice， possibly by inhibiting neutrophil recruitment and the formation of NETs.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of cinobufotalin in inhibiting hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)metastasis by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT).Methods A total of 36 male BALB/c nude mice,aged 6 weeks,were given injection of MHCC97H cells via the caudal vein to establish a model of HCC lung metastasis,and then the mice were randomly divided into high-and low-dose cinobufotalin groups and control group.Since the day of modeling,the mice in the high-and low-dose cinobufotalin groups were given intraperitoneal injection of cinobufotalin at a dose of 120 μL/kg and 60 μL/kg,respectively,and those in the control group were given intraperitoneal injection of normal saline,twice a week.After 8 weeks,HE staining was performed for lung tissue to measure the lung metastasis rate of HCC.MHCC97H cells were treated with high-dose(2.5 μL/mL)or low-dose(5 μL/mL)cinobufotalin for 24 hours,and wound healing assay,RT-PCR,and Western blot were used to measure cell migration ability and the expression of EMT-related molecules.MHCC97H cells were induced in a simulated hypoxic environment with CoCl2 incubation,with high-and low-dose cinobufotalin added for intervention,and wound healing assay and Western blot were used to investigate the effect of cinobufotalin on cell migration ability and EMT induced by hypoxia.Transcriptome analysis was used to investigate the effect mechanism of cinobufotalin on MHCC97H cells,and Western blot was used to observe the effect of cinobufotalin on the expression levels of protein kinase B(AKT)and phosphorylated AKT(P-AKT)in MHCC97H cells.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups;the independent-samples t test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.Results Compared with the control group,the cinobufotalin group had a significant reduction in the lung metastasis rate of HCC.Compared with the control group,cinobufotalin intervention reduced the wound healing rate of MHCC97H cells,upregulated the expression of epithelial-type molecules(t=2.860,P<0.05),and downregulated the expression of EMT transcription factors(EMT-TFs)and mesenchymal molecules(t=3.545,2.022,2.852,and 2.341,all P<0.05).Hypoxia induction upregulated the wound healing rate of MHCC97H cells and the expression levels of mesenchymal molecules and EMT-TFs(P<0.05),and cinobufotalin intervention reversed EMT change and inhibited wound healing(P<0.05).The transcriptome analysis of MHCC97H cells showed significant gene differences between the cinobufotalin group and the control group,and cinobufotalin mainly affected the expression of genes associated with tumor,metabolism,immunity,and signal transduction,with the largest number of differentially expressed genes in the AKT signal transduction pathway.Further measurement showed that cinobufotalin intervention downregulated the expression levels of AKT,P-AKT,and P-AKT/AKT in MHCC97H cells(t=2.434,3.401,and 2.258,all P<0.05).Conclusion Cinobufotalin can inhibit the metastasis of HCC,especially hypoxia-induced HCC metastasis,and regulation of EMT mediated by the AKT signal transduction pathway in HCC cells might be one of its mechanisms of action.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of mucosal vascular pattern (MVP) under narrow-band imaging (NBI) enteroscopy in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical remission for histological healing and clinical recurrence.Methods:A total of 142 patients with UC in clinical remission who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University from January 2018 to January 2021 were included in the study and underwent colonoscopy. The white light and NBI endoscopic images were collected and biopsies were obtained. The Mayo endoscopic score (MES) was calculated based on white light images, and MVP staging was evaluated based on mucosal vascular patterns under NBI. Nancy index (NI) was used to evaluate histological healing and patients were followed up for 1 year. The Spearman correlation coefficients of MES and MVP with histological healing and recurrence were calculated. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted and the area under curve (AUC) was applied to evaluate the accuracy of white light and NBI endoscopy for predicting histological healing of UC in clinical remission.Results:According to the MVP criteria, 47 were defined as clear, 63 blurred, and 32 invisible. Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between MVP under NBI and histological healing ( r=0.549, P<0.001) and a moderate correlation between MES under white light and histological healing ( r=0.462, P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed a moderate correlation between MVP under NBI and clinical recurrence ( r=0.451, P<0.001) and a moderate correlation between MES under white light and clinical recurrence ( r=0.352, P<0.001). AUC of NBI for diagnosing histological healing of UC in clinical remission was 0.809 (95% CI: 0.738-0.879), with a sensitivity of 84.6% (77/91) and specificity of 64.7% (33/51), superior to the white light endoscopy, of which AUC, sensitivity and specificity were 0.763 (95% CI: 0.678-0.848), 81.3% (74/91) and 66.7% (34/51). Conclusion:MVP staging under NBI could predict histological healing of UC patients in clinical remission and is superior to white light endoscopy.

DNA barcoding has been widely used for herb identification in recent decades,enabling safety and innovation in the field of herbal medicine.In this article,we summarize recent progress in DNA bar-coding for herbal medicine to provide ideas for the further development and application of this tech-nology.Most importantly,the standard DNA barcode has been extended in two ways.First,while conventional DNA barcodes have been widely promoted for their versatility in the identification of fresh or well-preserved samples,super-barcodes based on plastid genomes have rapidly developed and have shown advantages in species identification at low taxonomic levels.Second,mini-barcodes are attractive because they perform better in cases of degraded DNA from herbal materials.In addition,some mo-lecular techniques,such as high-throughput sequencing and isothermal amplification,are combined with DNA barcodes for species identification,which has expanded the applications of herb identification based on DNA barcoding and brought about the post-DNA-barcoding era.Furthermore,standard and high-species coverage DNA barcode reference libraries have been constructed to provide reference se-quences for species identification,which increases the accuracy and credibility of species discrimination based on DNA barcodes.In summary,DNA barcoding should play a key role in the quality control of traditional herbal medicine and in the international herb trade.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of adult Chinese patients with syncope.Methods:This is a cross-sectional survey study. Patients with preliminary diagnosis of syncope in the Emergency Department, Geriatrics and Cardiology Outpatient Department, or Syncope Unit of 37 hospitals in 19 provinces, autonomous regions and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from June 2018 to March 2021 were included in this study. The clinical features of these patients with syncope were analyzed.Results:A total of 4 950 consecutive patients with syncope were included in this study. The age was (56.3±16.8)years, and 2 604 cases (52.6%) were male. The most common type of syncope was neurally mediated syncope (2 345 (47.4%)), followed by cardiac syncope (1 085 (21.9%)), orthostatic hypotensive syncope (311 (6.3%)), and unexplained syncope accounted for nearly one third (1 155 (23.3%)). Predisposing syncope was more common in patients under 65 years of age(2 066(72.4%) vs. 786(27.6%),χ 2=136.5, P<0.001). Presyncope was more common in patients with neurally mediated syncope (1 972(79.0%) vs.1 908(73.9%), χ 2=17.756, P<0.001). Premonitory symptoms were more common in women(1 837(80.0%) vs. 1 863(73.0%),χ 2=33.432, P<0.001). Presyncope syndrome was more common in patients under 65 years of age (2 482(77.8%) vs. 1 218(73.4%),χ 2=17.523, P=0.001). Cyanosis was more common in ≥65 years old patients (271(18.2%) vs. 369(12.7%), χ 2=23.235, P<0.001). Urinary incontinence was more common in old patients aged ≥65 years(252(15.2%) vs. 345(10.8%), χ 2=19.313, P<0.001). Family history was more common in patients with cardiogenic syncope compared with other types of syncope (264(24.3%) vs. 754(19.5%), χ 2=11.899, P=0.001). Hypertention(1 480(30.5%)), coronary heart disease(1 057(21.4%)), atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation(359(7.2%)), second degree atrioventricular block(236(4.8%)) were common complications of syncope. The proportion of patients with coronary heart disease was significantly higher in cardiac syncope than that of other types of syncope(417(38.4%) vs. 640(16.6%), χ 2=241.376, P<0.001). Other common complications included cerebrovascular diseases (551 (11.1%)) and diabetes mellitus (632(12.8%)). Conclusions:Neurally mediated syncope is the most common syncope in adult Chinese population. Patients with predisposing conditions and premonitory conditions are younger. Presyncope is more common in women. The proportion of family history and coronary heart disease is higher in patients with cardiogenic syncope.

"The Expert Group on Tumor Ablation Therapy of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, The Tumor Ablation Committee of Chinese College of Interventionalists, The Society of Tumor Ablation Therapy of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and The Ablation Expert Committee of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology" have organized multidisciplinary experts to formulate the consensus for thermal ablation of pulmonary subsolid nodules or ground-glass nodule (GGN). The expert consensus reviews current literatures and provides clinical practices for thermal ablation of GGN. The main contents include: (1) clinical evaluation of GGN, (2) procedures, indications, contraindications, outcomes evaluation and related complications of thermal ablation for GGN and (3) future development directions.
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Wolfiporia cocos (F. A. Wolf) has been praised as a food delicacy and medicine for cen-turies in China. Here, we present the genome and transcriptome of the Chinese strain CGMCC5.78 of W. cocos. High-confidence functional prediction was made for 9277 genes among the 10,908 total predicted gene models in the W. cocos genome. Up to 2838 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified to be related to sclerotial development by comparing the transcriptomes of mycelial and sclerotial tissues. These DEGs are involved in mating processes, differentiation of fruiting body tissues, and metabolic pathways. A number of genes encoding enzymes and regulatory factors related to polysaccharide and triterpenoid production were strikingly regulated. A potential triter-penoid gene cluster including the signature lanosterol synthase (LSS) gene and its modified compo-nents were annotated. In addition, five nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS)-like gene clusters, eight polyketide synthase (PKS) gene clusters, and 15 terpene gene clusters were discovered in the genome. The differential expression of the velevt family proteins, transcription factors,carbohydrate-active enzymes, and signaling components indicated their essential roles in the regu-lation of fungal development and secondary metabolism in W. cocos. These genomic and transcrip-tomic resources will be valuable for further investigations of the molecular mechanisms controlling sclerotial formation and for its improved medicinal applications.

Objective: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients and pancreatic cancer cells. Methods: A total of 16 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Hunan Cancer Hospital were collected from April 2016 to August 2017. Meanwhile, 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group at the same period. The plasma exosomes were extracted, and the levels of miR-1231 were detected by qRT-PCR in PC and healthy control groups. Moreover, the clinicopathological significance of exosomal miR-1231 expression was analyzed. Furthermore, the expression of exosomal miR-1231 was detected in several pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, SW1990, AsPC-1 and BxPc-3) and two normal pancreatic epithelial cells (HPDE and human primary pancreatic epithelial cell). Results: qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of miR-1231 in plasma exosomes of pancreatic cancer patients (1.06±0.46) was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (2.30±0.99; P<0.05). The levels of exosomal miR-1231 in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (1.515±0.531), no distant metastasis (1.236±0.461) and no lymph node metastasis (1.337±0.522) were significantly higher than those with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (0.848±0.224), distant metastasis (0.757±0.278) and lymph node metastasis (0.838±0.261), respectively (P<0.05 for all). In addition, there were no correlation between exosomal miR-1231 expression and age, sex, smoking history, CA19-9 levels and tumor sites (P>0.05). Furthermore, the expression level of exosomal miR-1231 in pancreatic cancer cell lines (0.142±0.135) was significantly lower than that in normal epithelial cells (1.127±0.179; P<0.05). Conclusions The downregulation of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer patients and pancreatic cancer cells suggests that it is related to the initiation and development of PC. It may be a new diagnostic and prognostic marker for PC.

Objective: To investigate the value of preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in reducing the rate of tumor-positive resection margins after breast conserving surgery in patients with early non-mass breast carcinoma. Methods: Seventy-two patients with early non-mass breast carcinoma received ultrasonographic and mammographic examination and subsequently underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI examination before breast conserving surgery. The control group consisted of 74 patients who had early non-mass breast carcinoma. They only received ultrasonographic and mammographic examination and didn′t undergo contrast-enhanced MRI examination. The comparison of the rate of tumor-positive resection margins between two groups was performed. The MRI findings that had the significant influence on the rate of tumor-positive resection margins were analyzed using Logistic regression model. Results: In 28 patients (28/72, 38.9%), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI could correct or supplement the ultrasonographic and mammographic findings and resulted in the reasonable change of surgical program. The preoperative MRI examination group (n=30) had lower rate of tumor-positive resection margins than control group for invasive ductal carcinoma (23.3% vs 40.0%, P=0.02), but there was no significant difference (21.4% vs 26.9%, P=0.10) between two groups for ductal carcinoma in situ (n=28). The preoperative MRI examination group (n=14) had lower rate of tumor-positive resection margins than control group for the other pathologic types of breast carcinoma (14.3% vs 38.9%, P=0.02). The statistical analysis on the basis of Logistic regression model showed that some main MRI findings, including change surrounding the tumor, distance between tumor and nipple and tumor size, had the significant influence on the rate of tumor-positive resection margins. Conclusion Preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI significantly increased the accuracy of resection margins evaluation, and greatly reduced the rate of tumor-positive resection margins after breast conserving surgery in patients with early non-mass breast carcinoma.

We cloned and analyzed the two genes of the 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl-4-diphosphate reductase (HDR) gene family from Huperzia serrate. The two transcripts coding HDR, named HsHDR1 and HsHDR2, were discovered in the transcriptome dataset of H. serrate and were cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The physicochemical properties, protein domains, protein secondary structure, and 3D structure of the putative HsHDR1 and HsHDR2 proteins were analyzed. The full-length cDNA of the HsHDR1 gene contained 1431 bp encoding a putative protein with 476 amino acids, whereas the HsHDR2 gene contained 1428 bp encoding a putative protein of 475 amino acids. These two proteins contained the conserved domain of 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl-4-diphosphate reductase (PF02401), but without the transmembrane region and signal peptide. The most abundant expression of HsHDR1 and HsHDR2 was detected in H. serrate roots, followed by the stems and leaves. Our results provide a foundation for exploring the function of HsHDR1 and HsHDR2 in terpenoid and sterol biosynthesis in Huperziaceae plants.