AIM To prepare the soluble microneedles of Aconitum brachypodum Diels alkaloids.METHODS Centrifugal molding method was adopted in the preparation of soluble microneedles.With chondroitin sulfate consumption,PVP K120 consumption and 40%ethanol consumption as influencing factors,piercing rate as an evaluation index,the formulation was optimized by Box-Behnken response surface method,after which the morphology,piercing performance,drug content and in vitro transdermal performance were investigated.RESULTS The optimal formulation was determined to be 123 mg for chondroitin sulfate consumption,298 mg for PVP K120 consumption,and 2.4 mL for 40%ethanol consumption,the piercing rate was 98.3%.The soluble microneedles were yellow and square patch with conoid needle,which could pierce aluminum foil and rat skin,along with the drug content of(0.94±0.025)mg.The soluble microneedle group demonstrated the accumulative permeability rate of 91.4%within 24 h,which was higher than that in the gel ointment group,and the permeability accorded with Higuchi equation.CONCLUSION The soluble microneedles of A.brachypodum alkaloids exhibit good mechanical strength,which can achieve effective transdermal delivery of drugs.

Objective: To explore the mechanism by which icariin alleviates viral myocarditis. Methods: CVB3-induced cardiomyocytes were used as an in vitro model of viral myocarditis to assess the effects of icariin treatment on cell viability, inflammation, and apoptosis. Moreover, the effects of icariin on ferroptosis and TLR4 signaling were assessed. After AC16 cells were transfected with TLR4 overexpression plasmids, the role of TLR4 in mediating the regulatory effect of icariin in viral myocarditis was investigated. Results: Icariin significantly elevated cell viability and reduced inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18. Flow cytometry revealed that icariin decreased apoptosis rate, and the protein expression of Bax and cleaved caspase 3 and 9 in CVB3-induced cardiomyocytes. Additionally, it suppressed ferroptosis including lipid peroxidation and ferrous ion, as well as the TLR4 signaling. However, TLR4 overexpression abrogated the modulatory effects of icariin. Conclusions: Icariin mitigates CVB3-induced myocardial injury by inhibiting TLR4-mediated ferroptosis. Further animal study is needed to verify its efficacy.

[Objective] To analyze the influence of the cycle length of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) double reagent positive samples collected from voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou on the detection results. [Methods] A total of 127 044 blood samples from voluntary blood donors at Guangzhou Blood Center from August 10 to December 9, 2023 were selected. Two ELISA reagents were used for HBsAg detection, and samples with HBsAg double reagent positive and S/CO values<10 were tested continuously for 7 days to observe the changes in their S/CO values. [Results] A total of 505 HBsAg double reagent positive samples were detected, of which 52 had S/CO values less than 10. After 7 consecutive days of uninterrupted testing, the S/CO values of Wantai (median 5 decreased to 3) and Xinchuang (median 5 decreased to 3) showed an overall downward trend, and the HBsAg missed detection rate showed an upward trend (from 0 on the first day to 1/10 000 on the seventh day). A total of 13 cases had negative double reagent test results within the 7-day testing cycle. [Conclusion] With the extension of the detection cycle, the S/CO value of HBsAg detection shows a downward trend, and the missed detection rate of HBsAg shows an upward trend. Samples used for HBsAg detection should be tested promptly after sampling to improve the quality of blood testing.

Objective To investigate the pharmacological effects of"Yajieshaba"on mice with alcohol-induced liver injury and to investigate the mechanism of the impact of"Yajieshaba"on the regulation of intestinal flora by 16S rDNA technology.Methods Healthy male KM mice were randomly divided into control,model,"Yajieshaba"low,medium,and high dose(0.39,1.17 and 3.51 g·kg-1)groups and Bifendatatum(2.93 mg·kg-1)groups,with eight mice in each group.After one week of pre-administration of"Yajieshaba",a mouse model of acute alcoholic liver injury was established by a single instillation of 56%alcohol,and the levels of AST and ALT in the serum of mice were measured,and the morphological changes of liver histology were observed by HE staining;secondly,faecal DNA was extracted from each group under aseptic operation,and 16S rDNA sequencing and differential analysis by alpha diversity and species composition at the phylum and genus levels were performed.Results The results showed that the biochemical indexes of liver function(ALT and AST)were significantly improved by"Yajieshaba",and the degree of liver damage was significantly reduced by HE staining.At the phylum level,it significantly decreased the abundance of Aspergillus and increased the quantity of Bacteroides;at the genus level,it significantly up-regulated the plenty of Bacteroides and Prevotella and downregulated a lot of Prevotella and Helicobacter.At the genus level,"Yajieshaba"significantly up-regulated the abundance of Bacillus spp.and Prevotella spp.and down-regulated the abundance of Prevotella spp.and Helicobacter spp.Conclusion"Yajieshaba"may play an anti-acute alcoholic liver injury effect by regulating the intestinal flora and metabolites.

Aim To analyze serum exosome sequencing data from patients with coronary heart disease(CHD)and normal subjects by using bioinformatics-related methods to construct a competitive endogenous ln-cRNA-miRNA-mRNA(ceRNA)regulatory network,to mine the predicted potential Chinese medicines,and to perform preliminary validation of the biological processes and core Chinese medicines involved in the ceRNA network.Methods We used exoRbase data-base to obtain the expression matrix of differential genes,combined with the raw letter method to con-struct the ceRNA network,and performed GO analysis and KEGG analysis on the differential mRNAs in the network,and used COREMINE database to predict the biological processes and core target genes involved in the ceRNA network,and to screen the herbal medi-cines with potential therapeutic effects;AVECs oxida-tive damage cell model was constructed in vitro,and the cytoskeleton,tube-forming function,cell prolifera-tion,LDH leakage rate,ROS level and p-AKT,AKT,p-PI3K and AKT protein expression were examined to verify the action pathways and targets of the core Chi-nese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza for the treatment of coronary heart disease.Results Compared with nor-mal subjects,395 mRNAs,80 miRNAs,60 lncRNA differential genes,and 80 miRNAs were predicted in serum exosomes of coronary heart disease,and the constructed ceRNA sub-network,mainly consisted of 21 lncRNAs,80 miRNAs,and 82 mRNAs;AKT1,VEGFA,IL1B and other genes in the network.The abnormally expressed mRNAs were involved in biologi-cal processes such as oxidative stress and signaling pathways such as PI3 K/Akt,and Dan Shen,Chuanx-iong and Panax notoginseng were most closely related to exosome-mediated biological processes and core genes in coronary heart disease.The active ingredients of tanshinone ⅡA,the core Chinese medicine,could pro-mote vascular endothelial cell proliferation,tube for-mation,skeleton formation and repair,reduce LDH leakage rate and ROS level,and promote the expres-sion of p-AKT and p-PI3K protein.Conclusion There is a complex ceRNA regulatory network trans-duction in coronary artery disease serum exosomes,and traditional Chinese medicine can be used to treat CHD through multi-target intervention,and Dan Shen,Chuanxiong and Panax notoginseng are expected to be candidate sources of traditional Chinese medicine,a-mong which the active ingredient of Dan Shen,tanshi-none ⅡA,activates PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway to play a protective role against oxidative stress-injured cells,and treats CHD.

Objective To monitor the antifungal resistance of clinical isolates of Candida spp.in the East China region.Methods MALDI-TOF MS or molecular methods were used to re-identify the strains collected from January 2018 to December 2022.Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method.The susceptibility test results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of 2022 Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)documents M27 M44s-Ed3 and M57s-Ed4.Results A total of 3 026 strains of Candida were collected,65.33％of which were isolated from sterile body sites,mainly from blood(38.86％)and pleural effusion/ascites(10.21％).The predominant species of Candida were Candida albicans(44.51％),followed by Candida parapsilosis complex(19.46％),Candida tropicalis(13.98％),Candida glabrata(10.34％),and other Candida species(0.79％).Candida albicans showed overall high susceptibility rates to the 10 antifungal drugs tested(the lowest rate being 93.62％).Only 2.97％of the strains showed dose-dependent susceptibility(SDD)to fluconazole.Candida parapsilosis complex had a SDD rate of 2.61％and a resistance rate of 9.42％to fluconazole,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida glabrata had a SDD rate of 92.01％and a resistance rate of 7.99％to fluconazole,resistance rates of 32.27％and 48.24％to posaconazole and voriconazole non-wild-type strains(NWT),respectively,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida tropicalis had resistance rates of 29.55％and 26.24％to fluconazole and voriconazole,respectively,resistance rates of 76.60％and 21.99％to posaconazole and echinocandins non-wild-type strains(NWT),and a resistance rate of 2.36％to echinocandins.Conclusions The prevalence and species distribution of Candida spp.in the East China region are consistent with previous domestic and international reports.Candida glabrata exhibits certain degree of resistance to fluconazole,while Candida tropicalis demonstrates higher resistance to triazole drugs.Additionally,echinocandins resistance has emerged in Candida albicans,Candida glabrata,Candida tropicalis,and Candida parapsilosis.

This study was aimed at analyzing the Salmonella infection rate,serotype distribution,and drug resistance rate among children with foodborne diseases in Wuhan,to provide evidence for the prevention and control of foodborne diseases in children.We collected pediatric cases of foodborne diseases and fecal specimens in Wuhan from 2017 to 2022,and conducted statistical analysis in SPSS 22.0.A total of 1 180 cases of foodborne diseases in children were monitored,and 281 strains of Salmonella were detected.Salmonella was distributed across 27 serotypes,primarily Salmonella enteritidis(138 strains,ac-counting for 49.11％)and Salmonella typhimurium(37 strains,accounting for 13.17％).The Salmonella-positive cases in-cluded more boys than girls(1.58∶1 ratio),and the age group with the highest detection rate was 7-18 years(34.48％).The proportion of positive patients gradually decreased,and the detection rate gradually increased,with increasing age.Milk and dairy products,fruits and fruit products,and grain and grain products were the main suspected food exposures with high Sal-monella detection rates.The Salmonella detection rate was highest in the third quarter(44.64％),and significant differences were observed in the positivity rates of Salmonella samples across seasons(x2=178.483,P＜0.05).The main clinical mani-festations of children with Salmonella infection were fever(87.19％)and diarrhea(96.44％),primarily watery stool(51.96％).Salmonella showed different degrees of resistance to 14 antibiotics(1.08％-75.99％),primarily ampicillin(75.99％),tetracycline(68.10％),and cefazolin(50.18％).A significant seasonal pattern was observed in the detection of Sal-monella in foodborne diseases among children in Wuhan,and in various suspected food exposures.The serotype composition was polymorphic,and the Salmonella resistance rate was relatively high.Therefore,active monitoring of foodborne diseases and Salmonella resistance surveillance must continue to be strengthened.

Objective To explore whether hepatocyte Perilipin-2(Plin2)is involved in the development of fatty liver related to comparative gene identification-58(CGI-58)deficiency mice and compare the effects of Plin2 and Plin3 on lipid droplet formation and lipid accumulation.Methods Based on CGI-58Flox/Flox mice as animal model,the adeno-associated viruses targeting mouse liver,CGI-58 knockout and Plini2 knockdown were achieved by co-expression Cre protein and micro-RNA targeting Plin2(Mi-KD).Then CGI-58 deficiency mice were used as control(NC)to detect the differences in metabolic phenotype and liver pathology.AML-12 mouse hepatocytes were used as cellular model and interfered with siRNA to achieve Plin2/Plin3 knockdown in AML-12 cells.Lipid droplet formation and lipid accumulation were compared with Bodipy staining and enzyme colorimetry in basal condition or lipid-overloaded condition(OA inducement)after Plin2/Plin3 knockdown.Results Plin2 knockdown(Mi-KD)reduced PLIN2 protein level by＞99％in mouse livers.Mi-KD decreased hepatomegaly(P=0.019 5)and liver injury(P=0.000 4),while reduced the histological NAS score(P=0.000 2)and hepatic triglyceride content(P=0.016 6)in the CGI-58 deficiency female mice.Mi-KD prevented microvesicular hepatic steatosis in the CGI-58 deficient female mice.Plin3 knockdown significantly reduced the triglyceride content in basal condition of hepatocytes(P=0.001 4),and Plin2 knockdown just showed a decreased trend.Plin2 or Plin3 knockdown significantly reduced the triglyceride content separately in lipid-overloaded hepatocytes(P＜0.05).Conclusion Hepatocyte Plin2 is essential in the development of microvesicular hepatic steatosis caused by CGI-58 deficiency.Both Plin2 and Plin3 are involved in lipid droplet formation and lipid accumulation in hepatocytes,and Plin3 shows a stronger effect.

Objective To investigate the effect of spleen on hepatic macrophages mediated activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)in mice with liver fibrosis.Methods Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups.Mice in Group A and Group B were injected intraperitoneally with CCl4 to establish liver fibrosis mouse model,while those in Group C were injected with corn oil as normal control.Four weeks later,mice with liver fibrosis received splenectomy(Spx)or sham operation(Sham),respectively.After continuous injection for 2 weeks,liver homogenates(L-Homo)were prepared and liver cells were isolated from the three groups.Expressions of IL-1β,IL-13,TGF-β,TNF-α,PDGF-β and VEGF in the liver homogenates of the three groups were detected by Luminex multifactor analysis.The expressions of these cytokines in liver macrophages(L-Mψ)and other non-parenchymal cells of Sham and Spx mice were analyzed by Real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and flow cytometry.Macrophage cell line RAW264.7 or bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)were treated with liver homogenates from the Sham and Spx groups.Then the differently treated RAW264.7 cells were analyzed for mRNA expressions of cytokines and glutamine metabolism-related molecules by RT-qPCR,or transwell co-cultured with hepatic stellate cell line JS1.After co-culture,the survival and extracellular matrix expression of JS1 cells were analyzed.For comparison,Student's t test(between two groups)or one-way analysis of variance(among multiple groups)were used.Results Compared with normal control group,the concentrations of IL-1β,IL-13,TGF-β and TNF-α in the L-Homo of model group were significantly increased and showed higher levels in Sham group than in Spx group.Moreover,the hepatic macrophages were indicated as the major source of these cytokines.Consistently,macrophages treated with liver homogenate of Sham mice had increased expressions of IL-1β,TGF-β and TNF-α and glutaminase(GLS).After co-culture with macrophages treated with liver homogenate of Sham group rather than Spx group,JS1 expressed higher expressions of α-SMA and collagens.Conclusion The spleen is involved in regulating the secretion of cytokines by hepatic macrophages and enhancing their ability to activate hepatic stellate cells.

Objective:To explore the cerebral cortical mechanism of intravesical electrical stimulation (IVES) on neurogenic underactive bladder (UAB).Methods:A prospective study was conducted on healthy subjects (HS) recruited in our center and patients with neurogenic UAB treated with IVES from March 2022 to June 2023 were included. HS inclusion criteria: females aged 18-60 years; the 72-hour voiding diary was normal; the urine volume was 200-400 ml, and the free urine flow rate > 20 ml/s. HS exclusion criteria: urinary and neurological related disorders; major diseases of all systems of the body; cognitive dysfunction. Inclusion criteria for UAB patients: females aged 18-60 years; neurogenic UAB due to incomplete spinal cord injury (grade D or E) with a duration of > 3 months; previous routine use of intermittent catheterization, or indication of intermittent catheterization (residual urine accounts for > 40% of functional bladder capacity). Exclusion criteria for UAB patients: decreased bladder compliance on urodynamic examination; symptomatic urinary tract infection; concomitant hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux or renal insufficiency (serum creatinine greater than 1.5 times of the normal upper limit); bladder tumors; neurological related diseases; pregnant or trying to conceive; a pacemaker or defibrillator has been implanted in the body. At baseline, the 24-hour voiding diary, residual urine, voiding efficiency, first sensation of bladder filling volume and American Urological Association Symptom Index Quality of Life scores(AUA-SI-QOL)were recorded, and the resting state-functional near-infrared spectroscopy scans of the prefrontal cortex was completed in the bladder emptying state and the strong desire to void stage. The UAB group was re-evaluated after completing 20 IVES treatments. Improvement in residual urine > 50% was defined as success of IVES treatment. The differences in functional connectivity in the prefrontal lobe between the successful UAB group before and after IVES and between the successful UAB group and the HS group were compared.Results:A total of 16 HS and 18 UAB patients were included. Eleven UAB patients were successfully treated by IVES, and 7 UAB patients were failed. Compared with pre-treatment, the post-treatment residual urine volume [90.0(50.0, 120.0) ml vs. 210.0(110.0, 300.0) ml], 24-h intermittent catheterization [3.0(2.0, 4.0) times vs. 4.0(3.0, 4.0) times], first sensation of bladder filling volume [275.0(245.0, 280.0) ml vs. 295.0 (290.0, 315.0) ml] and AUA-SI-QOL score [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) vs. 4.0 (4.0, 4.0)] of the successful UAB group were significantly lower ( P<0.05), and the voiding efficiency [75.0% (69.0%, 85.0%) vs. 42.0% (35.0%, 77.0%)] was significantly higher ( P< 0.05). Before IVES, the successful UAB group compared with the HS group, internal prefrontal functional connectivity was significantly attenuated in the bladder emptying state involving 5 brain regions: bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), bilateral frontopolar area, and left pars triangularis. And in the strong desire to void stage significantly attenuated involving 4 brain regions: bilateral DLPFC and bilateral frontopolar area. In the successful UAB group after IVES compared with the HS group, internal prefrontal functional connectivity was significantly attenuated in the bladder emptying state involving 2 brain regions: left pars triangularis and left DLPFC. And in the strong desire to void stage involving 4 brain regions: left DLPFC, right frontopolar area, the left pars opercularis Broca's area, and the left pars triangularis. After IVES in the successful UAB group compared with pretreatment, prefrontal internal functional connectivity was significantly enhanced in the bladder emptying state involving 4 brain regions: bilateral DLPFC and bilateral frontopolar area, and in the strong desire to void stage involving 4 brain regions: bilateral DLPFC, bilateral frontopolar area. Conclusions:Significant enhancement of functional connectivity within the prefrontal lobes (bilateral DLPFC and bilateral frontopolar area) may be the cortical mechanism of IVES for neurogenic UAB.