AIM To evaluate the quality of Beidougen Formula Granules.METHODS Fifteen batches of standard decoctions and three batches of formula granules were prepared,after which paste rate and contents,transfer rates of magnoflorine,daurisoline,dauricine were determined.HPLC specific chromatograms were established,and cluster analysis was adopted in chemical pattern recognition.RESULTS For three batches of formula granules,the paste rates were 15.1%-16.6%,the contents of magnoflorine,daurisoline,dauricine were 18.93-19.39,9.42-9.60,6.79-6.85 mg/g with the transfer rates of 34.42%-35.25%,43.81%-44.65%,27.27%-27.51%from decoction pieces to formula granules,respectively,and there were seven characteristic peaks in the specific chromatograms with the similarities of more than 0.95,which demonstrated good consistence with those of standard decoctions and accorded with related limit requirements.Fifteen batches of standard decoctions were clustered into two types,and the medicinal materials produced from Jilin,Hebei,Shangdong could be used for the preparation of formula granules.CONCLUSION This reasonable and reliable method can provide references for the quality control and clinical application of Beidougen Formula Granules.

Solid organ transplantation has significantly prolonged the survival of patients with end-stage diseases. However, long-term use of immunosuppressants will increase the risk of post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) in the recipients, thereby elevating the risk of infection, cardiovascular disease and death. In recent years, with persistent improvement of diagnostic criteria of PTDM, clinicians have deepened the understanding of this disease. Compared with type 2 diabetes mellitus, PTDM significantly differs in pathophysiological characteristics and clinical progression. Hence, different treatment strategies should be adopted. Early identification of risk factors of organ transplant recipients, early diagnosis and intervention are of significance for improving the quality of life of recipients, prolonging the survival of grafts and reducing the fatality of recipients. Therefore, the diagnosis, incidence and risk factors of PTDM were reviewed in this article, aiming to provide reference for clinicians to deliver prompt diagnosis and intervention for PTDM.

Cosmetics containing plant extracts may pose health risks to consumers due to inadequate control over the quality of plant raw materials,which may lead to residues of pesticides such as carbendazim in cosmetics. Developing rapid detection methods is of paramount importance for regulating product quality and safeguarding human health. A rapid on-site analytical method was developed for the screening of six kinds of pesticide residues in plant extract-based cosmetics using fan-shaped paper spray ionization with chromatographic enrichment functionality coupled with a miniature mass spectrometer. Cosmetic samples were directly loaded onto the fan-shaped paper substrate drop by drop,followed by chromatographic enrichment,paper spray ionization,and the miniature mass spectrometry analysis. The entire analysis time for a single run was less than 1 min. By loading samples in a dropwise manner,significantly improved chromatographic enrichment on the tip and 6 to 32-fold signal enhancement were achieved on the fan-shaped paper substrate compared to traditional triangle-shaped paper substrate. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) for the six kinds of pesticides were 0.02-0.05 mg/kg and 0.05-0.10 mg/kg,respectively. The recoveries were 82.6％-101.8％ with relative standard deviations of 8.3％-16.5％. The established method was convenient,sensitive,and suitable for rapid,on-site screening of pesticide residues in plant extract-based cosmetics.

Objective Recombinase-aided polymerase chain reaction(RAP)is a sensitive,single-tube,two-stage nucleic acid amplification method.This study aimed to develop an assay that can be used for the early diagnosis of three types of bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus(SA),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA),and Acinetobacter baumannii(AB)in the bloodstream based on recombinant human mannan-binding lectin protein(M1 protein)-conjugated magnetic bead(M1 bead)enrichment of pathogens combined with RAP. Methods Recombinant plasmids were used to evaluate the assay sensitivity.Common blood influenza bacteria were used for the specific detection.Simulated and clinical plasma samples were enriched with M1 beads and then subjected to multiple recombinase-aided PCR(M-RAP)and quantitative PCR(qPCR)assays.Kappa analysis was used to evaluate the consistency between the two assays. Results The M-RAP method had sensitivity rates of 1,10,and 1 copies/μL for the detection of SA,PA,and AB plasmids,respectively,without cross-reaction to other bacterial species.The M-RAP assay obtained results for<10 CFU/mL pathogens in the blood within 4 h,with higher sensitivity than qPCR.M-RAP and qPCR for SA,PA,and AB yielded Kappa values of 0.839,0.815,and 0.856,respectively(P<0.05). Conclusion An M-RAP assay for SA,PA,and AB in blood samples utilizing M1 bead enrichment has been developed and can be potentially used for the early detection of bacteremia.

Objective To explore the effect of gastrodin(GAS)on the polarization of M2 microglia under oxygen and glucose deprivation(OGD)and the effect of p38 MAPK inhibition on the polarization status of microglia.Methods BV2 microglia was divided into the control group(Ctrl),p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 group(Ⅰ),OGD group(OGD),OGD+I group,gastrodin treatment group(G+OGD),and G+OGD+Ⅰ group.The expressions of p38 MAPK,phosphorylated p38 MAPK(p-p38 MAPK),M2 microglia marker arginase-1(Arg-1)and chitinase like protein 1/2(YM1/2)were detected by immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting.Results Immunofluorescent staining results showed that the pretreatment with gastrodin reduced the fluorescence expression of p-p38 MAPK in OGD induced BV2 microglia,enhanced the fluorescence expressions of Arg-1 and YM1/2.After pretreatment with SB203580,the fluorescence expressions of p-p38 MAPK further decreased,the fluorescence expressions of Arg-1 and YM1/2 further increased,both were significantly different from the G+OGD group(n=3,P＜0.05).The fluorescence expressions of p38 MAPK in each group was not statistically significant(n=3,P＞0.05).Western blotting results showed that the protein expressions of p-p38 MAPK,Arg-1 and YM1/2 in the OGD group enhanced,compared with that in the control group(n=3,P＜0.05).After the pretreatment with gastrodin,the protein expression of p-p38 MAPK was reduced significantly,the protein expressions of Arg-1 and YM1/2 was enhanced obviously,both were significantly different from the OGD group(n=3,P＜0.05).After pretreatment with SB203580,the protein expressions of p-p38 MAPK was further reduced,the protein expression of Arg-1 and YM1/2 were further enhanced,both were significantly different from the G+OGD group(n=3,P＜0.05).In addition,there was no significant change in p38 MAPK protein expression among groups(n=3,P＞0.05).Conclusion Gastrodin inhibits p38 MAPK signaling activation to promote BV2 microglial polarization towards the M2 phenotype,reducing inflammatory responses and exerting a protective effect.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of MRI quantitative enhancement parameters in breast cancer and their rela-tionships with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER-2)and angiopoietin-2(Ang-2).Methods A total of 80 patients with breast cancer were selected as the study objects.The MRI quantitative enhancement parameters[rate constant(Kep),extravascular extracellular space volume fraction(Ve),volume transfer constant(Ktrans)]of all patients with different clinical staging and lymph node metastasis were compared,respectively.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of MRI quantitative enhancement parameters on the expression of HER-2 and Ang-2.Results Kep and Ktrans in stage Ⅱ group were significantly lower than those in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups(F=6.322,F=6.676;P＜0.05).Kep and Ktrans in lymph node metas-tasis group were significantly higher than those in lymph node non-metastasis group(t=4.265,t=4.557;P＜0.05).Kep and Ktrans in HER-2 positive group were significantly higher than those in HER-2 negative group(t=3.988,t=4.616;P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of the combination of Kep and Ktrans for the diagnosis of HER-2 expression in breast cancer patients was 0.887,with specificity of 0.811 and sensitivity of 0.889,respectively.Kep and Ktrans in Ang-2 positive group were signifi-cantly higher than those in Ang-2 negative group(t=2.534,t=3.189;P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the com-bination of Kep and Ktrans for the diagnosis of Ang-2 expression in breast cancer patients was 0.767,with specificity of 0.867 and sensitivity of 0.569,respectively.Conclusion MRI quantitative enhancement parameters can improve the diagnostic value of breast cancer and the expression of HER-2 and Ang-2,which are beneficial to guide the selections of clinical therapeutic regimens.

Objective:We aimed to develop a novel visualized model based on nomogram to predict postoperative overall survival.Methods:This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study, including participants with histologically confirmed gastric and colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery from 11 medical centers in China from August 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. Baseline characteristics, histopathological data and nutritional status, as assessed using Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score and the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and Cox regression were used to identify variables to be included in the predictive model. Internal and external validations were performed.Results:There were 681 and 127 patients in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. A total of 188 deaths were observed over a median follow-up period of 59 (range: 58 to 60) months. Two independent predictors of NRS 2002 and Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage were identified and incorporated into the prediction nomogram model together with the factor of age. The model's concordance index for 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival was 0.696, 0.724, and 0.738 in the training cohort and 0.801, 0.812, and 0.793 in the validation cohort, respectively.Conclusions:In this study, a new nomogram prediction model based on NRS 2002 score was developed and validated for predicting the overall postoperative survival of patients with gastric colorectal cancer. This model has good differentiation, calibration and clinical practicability in predicting the long-term survival rate of patients with gastrointestinal cancer after radical surgery.

Objective To compare image quality of 5.0T and 3.0T non-contrast MRI for displaying insulinoma.Methods Twelve patients with insulinoma were prospectively enrolled,and non-contrast abdominal T1WI,T2WI as well as diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)were acquired using 5.0T and 3.0T MR scanners,respectively.The subjective scores of image quality of each sequence of 5.0T and 3.0T MRI,also of tumor-pancreas parenchyma contrast scores were compared.The signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of insulinomas were observed,and the displayed rate of insulinoma by each sequence and overall MRI were compared.Results The subjective scores of 5.0T T1WI and DWI were higher than those of 3.0T T1WI and DWI(both P＜0.05),but not significantly different between 5.0T and 3.0T T2WI(P=0.166).Furthermore,the tumor-pancreas parenchyma contrast score of 5.0T T1WI was higher than that of 3.0T T1WI(P=0.023),but not significantly different between 5.0T and 3.0T T2WI,nor between 5.0T and 3.0T DWI(both P＞0.05).SNR of insulinomas on 5.0T T2WI were higher than on 3.0T T2WI(P=0.015),however,no significant difference of SNR was found between 5.0T and 3.0T T1WI,nor between 5.0T and 3.0T DWI(both P＞0.05).CNR of insulinomas on all 5.0T MRI were not significantly different with those on 3.0T MRI(all P＞0.05).The displayed rate of insulinoma on 5.0T T1WI,T2WI and DWI was 100％(12/12),66.67％(8/12)and 83.33％(10/12),respectively,on 3.0TT1WI,T2WI and DWI was 75.00％(9/12),58.33％(7/12),66.67％(8/12),respectively.The overall displayed rate of insulinoma on 5.0T and 3.0T MRI was 100％(12/12)and 83.33％(10/12),respectively.Conclusion Compared with 3.0T MRI,5.0T MRI was superior for displaying insulinoma,hence being helpful for diagnosis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of patients with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma(RCC) syndrome-associated RCC (HLRCC-RCC) in China.Methods:The clinical data of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients with fumarate hydratase (FH) germline mutation confirmed by genetic diagnosis from 15 medical centers nationwide from January 2008 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 73 were male and 46 were female. The median age was 38(13, 74) years. The median tumor diameter was 6.5 (1.0, 20.5) cm. There were 38 cases (31.9%) in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱand 81 cases (68.1%) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. In this group, only 11 of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients presented with skin smooth muscle tumors, and 44 of 46 female HLRCC-RCC patients had a history of uterine fibroids. The pathological characteristics, treatment methods, prognosis and survival of the patients were summarized.Results:A total of 86 patients underwent surgical treatment, including 70 cases of radical nephrectomy, 5 cases of partial nephrectomy, and 11 cases of reductive nephrectomy. The other 33 patients with newly diagnosed metastasis underwent renal puncture biopsy. The results of genetic testing showed that 94 patients had FH gene point mutation, 18 had FH gene insertion/deletion mutation, 4 had FH gene splicing mutation, 2 had FH gene large fragment deletion and 1 had FH gene copy number mutation. Immunohistochemical staining showed strong 2-succinocysteine (2-SC) positive and FH negative in 113 patients. A total of 102 patients received systematic treatment, including 44 newly diagnosed patients with metastasis and 58 patients with postoperative metastasis. Among them, 33 patients were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), 8 patients were treated with bevacizumab combined with erlotinib, and 61 patients were treated with TKI monotherapy. Survival analysis showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) of TKI combined with ICI was 18 (5, 38) months, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The median PFS and OS were 12 (5, 14) months and 30 (10, 32) months in the bevacizumab combined with erlotinib treatment group, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 10 (3, 64) months and 44 (10, 74) months in the TKI monotherapy group, respectively. PFS ( P=0.009) and OS ( P=0.006) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in bevacizumab combined with erlotinib group. The median PFS ( P=0.003) and median OS ( P=0.028) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in TKI monotherapy group. Conclusions:HLRCC-RCC is rare but has a high degree of malignancy, poor prognosis and familial genetic characteristics. Immunohistochemical staining with strong positive 2-SC and negative FH can provide an important basis for clinical diagnosis. Genetic detection of FH gene germ line mutation can confirm the diagnosis. The preliminary study results confirmed that TKI combined with ICI had a good clinical effect, but it needs to be confirmed by the results of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled clinical study.

Objective: Poor bone quality is a risk factor for postoperative complications after degenerative lumbar fusion surgery. The magnetic resonance imaging-based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score is a good tool for assessing bone quality, and this is the first meta-analysis performed to summarize the predictive value of the VBQ score for cage subsidence and screw loosening in patients undergoing degenerative lumbar surgery. Methods: Studies were comprehensively searched in electronic databases. The quality of the studies was assessed. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and summary receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated. Publication bias was assessed and meta-regression was conducted. Results: We ultimately included 9 studies with a total of 1,404 patients with a mean age of 60.4 years and a percentage of females of 57.0%. According to the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2) tool to assess methodological quality, the quality of the included studies was relatively low and risks of bias might exist. Results showed that a high VBQ was significantly associated with cage subsidence and screw loosening, and risk factor analysis revealed that the merged odds ratio was 5.37 for cage subsidence and 3.87 for screw loosening. With a VBQ cutoff value of 3.34±0.45, the pooled sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of postoperative complications were 0.75 and 0.75, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.78–0.85). Conclusion A high VBQ was associated with a high risk of cage subsidence and screw loosening in patients who underwent degenerative lumbar surgery. The VBQ score could be considered for identifying high-risk patients for further evaluation.