ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Shenling Guben Granules on quality of life and immune function in patients with HIV classified as immunological non-responders （INRs）. MethodsA prospective， multicenter， randomized， double-blind， controlled trial was conducted from August 21， 2018， to January 6， 2021， across eight hospitals in China. A total of 300 INR patients， diagnosed with spleen-kidney yang deficiency or lung-spleen Qi deficiency syndromes， were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the observation group or the control group， with 150 patients in each group. The control group received antiretroviral therapy （ART） combined with placebo， while the observation group received ART combined with Shenling Guben Granules. After 72 consecutive weeks of treatment， the World Health Organization Quality of Life for HIV brief version （WHOQOL-HIV BREF） was used to assess quality of life before and after treatment in both groups. Immune indicators （CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell counts）， complete blood count， liver and renal function， and adverse events during treatment were also evaluated to assess safety. ResultsA total of 279 patients were included in the final analysis （140 in the observation group and 139 in the control group）. After treatment， CD4⁺ T cell counts in the observation group increased significantly compared to baseline （P< 0.05）， whereas the control group showed an upward trend without statistical significance. Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group showed a significantly greater increase in CD4⁺ levels （P<0.05）. There were no significant differences in the total score or domain scores of quality of life （physical， psychological， independence， social relationships， environment， and spirituality）， or in CD8⁺ T cell counts， before and after treatment in either group. The incidence of adverse events during treatment was 10% （14/140） in the observation group and 10.07% （14/139） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. ConclusionAlthough Shenling Guben Granules did not significantly improve quality of life in INR patients， they significantly increased CD4⁺ cell counts and demonstrated good safety， providing scientific evidence to support their use as a treatment option for INR patients.

This paper explains the mechanism of the mutual switching between physiological sleep and wakefulness from the aspects of the sleep circadian system and the sleep homeostasis system. In the circadian rhythm system, with the suprachiasmatic nucleus as the core, the anatomical connections between the suprachiasmatic nucleusand various systems that affect sleep are summarized, starting from the suprachiasmatic nucleus, passing through the four pathways of the melatonin system, namely, subventricular area of the hypothalamus, the ventrolateral nucleus of the preoptic area, orexin neurons, and melatonin, then the related mechanisms of their regulation of sleep and wakefulness are expounded. In the sleep homeostasis system, with adenosine and prostaglandin D2 as targets, the role of hypnogen in sleep arousal mechanisms in regulation is also expounded.

Oligonucleotide drugs have experienced accelerated development in the past 10 years, and some of them have been used in clinical treatment. Because of its convenient design, flexible sequence, and high specificity, it is expected to solve the “undruggable” challenge of many targets which are difficult in drug development. Moreover, its clinical transformation period and cost are relatively low, which makes oligonucleotide drug become the frontier of emerging biotechnology drug discovery. Brain diseases include a series of incurable diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, glioma, and motor neuron diseases. Many of them are age-related and regarded as aging-associated brain diseases. Due to the complex etiology, many targets are difficult to be drugged. At the same time, the existence of the barrier system “blood-brain barrier” in the brain makes most drugs unable to achieve effective accumulation at brain lesions, and many small molecule drugs have failed in clinical transformation. The specificity and sequence flexibility of oligonucleotide acid drugs provide new possibilities for drug development, but they also face the challenge of brain delivery. Although a variety of oligonucleotide drugs have been used in the medical market, brain-targeted oligonucleotide drugs are still extremely rare. This article reviewed recent advances and discussed key topics and clinical transformation challenges in this field, such as clinical approval cases, bottlenecks of brain-targeted delivery and current strategies, as well as potential targets for aging-related brain diseases.

Objective: To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) using a Mendelian randomization (MR) study, so as to provide insights into the pathogenesis of PCOS and the formulation of prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: The genetic data on gut microbiota was derived from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving 18 340 participants. The genetic data on PCOS was sourced from two GWAS meta-analyses in European populations, serving as the discovery set and the validation set, respectively. A two-sample MR analysis was conducted using the discovery set, with the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method as the primary approach. Sensitivity analyses employed the weighted median method, MR-Egger regression, and the MR-PRESSO test. The validation set was utilized for verification, and a meta-analysis was performed to combine the results from the two datasets. Results: Forward MR analysis results showed that nine types of gut microbiota were statistically associated with PCOS (all P<0.05). Specifically, the association of family Streptococcaceae (OR=1.442, 95%CI: 1.097-1.895), genus Actinomyces (OR=1.359, 95%CI: 1.036-1.784), genus Ruminococcaceae UCG 011 (OR=0.755, 95%CI: 0.619-0.921), genus Sellimonas (OR=0.766, 95%CI: 0.657-0.893) and genus Streptococcus with PCOS (OR=1.496, 95%CI: 1.136-1.972) remained consistent in the sensitivity analysis. Reverse MR analysis showed no evidence for the causal association between PCOS and the aforementioned five types of gut microbiota (all P>0.05). The MR analysis results of the validation set showed that there was no statistical association between the aforementioned five types of gut microbiota and PCOS (all P>0.05). However, the associations remained significant for genus Actinomyces (OR=1.226,95%CI：1.010-1.503) and genus Streptococcus (OR=1.266,95%CI：1.042-1.452) in the meta-analysis (both P<0.05). Conclusion This study provides the evidence that genus Actinomyces and genus Streptococcus are causally associated with PCOS.

Platycodonis Radix is the dry root of Platycodon grandiflorum of Campanulaceae, which has a variety of pharmacological effects and is a commonly used bulk Chinese medicine. In this study, the chloroplast genome sequences of six P. grandiflorum from different producing areas has been sequenced with Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. The specific DNA barcodes were screened, and the germplasm resources and genetic diversity were analyzed according to the specific barcodes. The total length of the chloroplast genome of 6 P. grandiflorum samples was 172 260-172 275 bp, and all chloroplast genomes showed a typical circular tetrad structure and encoded 141 genes. The comparative genomics analysis and results of amplification efficiency demonstrated that trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF were the potential specific DNA barcodes for identification the germplasm resources of P. grandiflorum. A total of 305 P. grandiflorum samples were collected from 15 production areas in 9 provinces, for which the fragments of trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF were amplificated and the sequences were analyzed. The results showed that trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF have 5 and 11 mutation sites, respectively, and 5 and 7 haplotypes were identified, respectively. The combined analysis of the two sequences formed 13 haplotypes (named Hap1-Hap13), and Hap4 is the main genotype, followed by Hap1. The unique haplotypes possessed by the three producing areas can be used as DNA molecular tags in this area to distinguish from the germplasm resources of P. grandiflorum from other areas. The haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity and genetic distance were 0.94, 4.79×10^-3 and 0.000 0-0.020 3, respectively, suggesting that the genetic diversity was abundant and intraspecific kinship was relatively close. This study laid a foundation for the identification of P. grandiflorum, the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, and molecular breeding.

italic>Acanthopanax senticosus is one of the genuine regional herb in Northeast China. In this study, we identified the germplasm resources of commercial A. senticosus samples based on atpI and atpB_rbcL according to the previous chloroplast genome sequencing results, and determinated the content of syringin by HPLC to evaluated the quality of commercial samples. A total of 80 A. senticosus samples were collected from 47 cities in 24 provinces. DNA was extracted to amplify the products of atpI and atpB_rbcL by PCR. The results showed that 7 haplotypes (H2, H5, H8, H10, H12, H14, H23) were formed by the combined analysis of the two gene fragments. H2 from Yichun in Heilongjiang, Shangzhi in Harbin, Suihua in Heilongjiang, Fushun in Liaoning, Benxi in Liaoning, Changbai in Jilin and Jingyu in Jilin were the dominant genotype, representing 58.75% of the total samples. H14 and H23 were the unique haplotypes of the producing area. It is speculated that the commercial A. senticosus samples with haplotypes of H14 and H23 are from Raohe, Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang and Mingshui, Suihua, Heilongjiang, respectively. HPLC analysis indicated that the content of syringin in 73.96% of the samples met the Pharmacopoeia standards. There was a significant difference in the content of syringin among the samples, ranging from 0.003 7% to 0.524 5%, with a difference of 0.520 8%, indicating that the quality of the samples in the market of A. senticosus was uneven. However, there were no significant differences in the contents of syringin in the commercial A. senticosus among different haplotypes. The content of syringin in the haplotype H23 in the market sample is relatively high, so it may be a germplasm with better quality. This study researched the germplasm resources and medicinal materials quality of commercial A. senticosus samples and will help guide the commercial circulation, reasonable medication of A. senticosus, and the screening of excellent germplasm.

In this study, the effective substance group and molecular mechanism of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Persicae Semen combination (RRR-PS) in activating blood circulation and dispelling blood stasis were investigated by integrating efficacy experiments, network pharmacology and HPLC. The rat model of blood stasis syndrome was established, and the blood rheology index and coagulation four comprehensive evaluation were carried out. The results showed that compared with the model group, the whole blood viscosity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and erythrocyte aggregation index of the rats in the RRR-PS group were significantly callback (P < 0.01). Network pharmacology found that RRR-PS combination exerted the effect of activating blood circulation and dispelling blood stasis by acting on calmodulin-1 (CALM1), nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS2), glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) and other targets, regulating platelet activation, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF) and other signaling pathways, and found key components: sennoside B, (+)-catechin, emodin, physcion, rhein, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, gallic acid. HPLC was used to explore the dissolution rate of key components. The results showed that the contents of catechin, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion were significantly increased after RRR-PS combination (P < 0.01). In summary, RRR-PS has a significant effect on promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and its mechanism of action is related to promoting angiogenesis, anti-coagulation, anti-thrombosis and anti-inflammation. The efficacy is related to the change of solvent system and the large dissolution of catechin, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion after the RRR-PS combination. The results of the study can further provide a reference for the follow-up study on the active substances and mechanism of the RRR-PS combination. Animal experiments have been approved by the Experimental Animal Committee of Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. SUCMDL20210309002).

Objective:To explore the application value and surgical experience of neuroendoscopic resection for pediatric patients with cerebellar tumors.Methods:This was a case series study.The clinical data and outcomes of 30 pediatric patients with cerebellar tumors treated through neuroendoscopic surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery, the Guizhou Hospital of Shanghai Children′s Medical Center and Guizhou Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2021 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Twenty-six patients underwent total resection, 3 patients underwent subtotal resection, and 1 patient underwent biopsy.Postoperative pathological findings showed 9 cases of medulloblastoma, 3 cases of ependymoma, 17 cases of astrocytoma (5 cases of World Health Organization Grade Ⅰ, 3 cases of Grade Ⅱ, and 9 cases of Grade Ⅲ), and 1 case of cerebellar benign lesion.During the perioperative period, malignant arrhythmia occurred and induced death in 1 case, cerebellar mutism occurred in 12 cases, and ataxia occurred in 22 cases.During the 1-36 months of follow-up, 2 cases developed communicating hydrocephalus at the 2 nd and the 6 th month, respectively, and improved after ventriculoperitoneal shunt; cerebellar mutism was relieved to varying degrees after an average postoperative follow-up period of (115±23) days(46-194 days), and ataxia was alleviated after an average postoperative follow-up period of (127±42) days(27-173 days).Tumors relapsed in 5 cases during the last follow-up. Conclusions:Neuroendoscopy provides an alternative to the microscope for experienced operators to achieve the surgical exposure requirements during the resection of pediatric cerebellar vermis tumors.

Background::Clinical opportunistic screening is a cost-effective cancer screening modality. This study aimed to establish an easy-to-use diagnostic model serving as a risk stratification tool for identification of individuals with malignant gastric lesions for opportunistic screening.Methods::We developed a questionnaire-based diagnostic model using a joint dataset including two clinical cohorts from northern and southern China. The cohorts consisted of 17,360 outpatients who had undergone upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination in endoscopic clinics. The final model was derived based on unconditional logistic regression, and predictors were selected according to the Akaike information criterion. External validation was carried out with 32,614 participants from a community-based randomized controlled trial.Results::This questionnaire-based diagnostic model for malignant gastric lesions had eight predictors, including advanced age, male gender, family history of gastric cancer, low body mass index, unexplained weight loss, consumption of leftover food, consumption of preserved food, and epigastric pain. This model showed high discriminative power in the development set with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.791 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.750–0.831). External validation of the model in the general population generated an AUC of 0.696 (95% CI: 0.570–0.822). This model showed an ideal ability for enriching prevalent malignant gastric lesions when applied to various scenarios.Conclusion::This easy-to-use questionnaire-based model for diagnosis of prevalent malignant gastric lesions may serve as an effective prescreening tool in clinical opportunistic screening for gastric cancer.

Piperazines are a class of new psychoactive substances with hallucinogenic effects that af-fect the central nervous system by affecting the level of monoamine neurotransmitters.Abuse of pipera-zines will produce stimulating and hallucinogenic effects,accompanied by headache,dizziness,anxiety,insomnia,vomiting,chest pain,tachycardia,hypertension and other adverse reactions,and may even cause cardiovascular diseases and multiple organ failure and lead to death,seriously affecting human physical and mental health and public safety.The abuse of new psychoactive substance piperazines has attracted extensive attention from the international community.The study of its pharmacological toxi-cology and analytical methods has become a research hotspot in the field of forensic medicine.This paper reviews the in vivo processes,sample treatment and analytical methods of existing piperazines,in order to provide reference for forensic identification.