ObjectiveTo investigate the role and possible mechanism of action of rhubarb decoction （RD） retention enema in improving inflammatory damage of brain tissue in a rat model of mild hepatic encephalopathy （MHE）. MethodsA total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into blank group （CON group with 6 rats） and chronic liver cirrhosis modeling group with 54 rats using the complete randomization method. After 12 weeks， 40 rats with successful modeling which were confirmed to meet the requirements for MHE model by the Morris water maze test were randomly divided into model group （MOD group）， lactulose group （LT group）， low-dose RD group （RD1 group）， middle-dose RD group （RD2 group）， and high-dose RD group （RD3 group）， with 8 rats in each group. The rats in the CON group and the MOD group were given retention enema with 2 mL of normal saline once a day； the rats in the LT group were given retention enema with 2 mL of lactulose at a dose of 22.5% once a day； the rats in the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups were given retention enema with 2 mL RD at a dose of 2.5， 5.0， and 7.5 g/kg， respectively， once a day. After 10 days of treatment， the Morris water maze test was performed to analyze the spatial learning and memory abilities of rats. The rats were analyzed from the following aspects： behavioral status； the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and the level of blood ammonia； pathological changes of liver tissue and brain tissue； the mRNA and protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）， protein kinase B （AKT）， and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） in brain tissue. 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. ResultsCompared with the MOD group， the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups had a significantly shorter escape latency （all P<0.01）， significant reductions in the levels of ALT， AST， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， and blood ammonia （all P<0.05）， significant alleviation of the degeneration， necrosis， and inflammation of hepatocytes and brain cells， and significant reductions in the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K， AKT， and mTOR in brain tissue （all P<0.05）， and the RD3 group had a better treatment outcome than the RD1 and RD2 groups. ConclusionRetention enema with RD can improve cognitive function and inflammatory damage of brain tissue in MHE rats， possibly by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

The Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in maintaining liver homeostasis and liver regeneration.In healthy livers,the Wnt signaling pathway is mostly inactive,but it is continuously overactivated during cell renewal or regeneration processes,as well as in certain pathological conditions,diseases,precancerous states,and cancers.Persistent liver cell injury often leads to chronic liver diseases such as liver fibrosis,liver cirrhosis,and liver cancer.This article summarizes the basic structural features of the Wnt signaling pathway and analyzes its important role in the pathological progression of various liver diseases,so as to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases in clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo explore the recognition of oral breath odor map of chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） patients with dampness-heat syndrome by electronic nose technique. MethodsPatients with chronic gastritis were recruited， including 60 cases in CAG group of dampness-heat syndrome， 50 cases in CAG group of non-dampness-heat syndrome， 60 cases in chronic non-atrophic gastritis （CNAG） group of dampness-heat syndrome， 50 cases in CNAG group of non-dampness-heat syndrome， and 30 cases of healthy volunteers were selected to set up the health control group. Ten cases in the CAG dampness-heat group and 50 cases in the CAG non-dampness-heat group were selected to form the CAG group， and 10 cases in CNAG dampness-heat group and 50 cases in CNAG non-dampness-heat group were selected to form the CNAG group. In addition to the health control group， the remaining patients were tested for Helicobacter pylori （Hp）； the electronic nose （GISXM-MQWA01） was used to collect the oral breath odor of all the participants to draw the mapping， and amplitudes and slopes of each curve （including curves A， B， C， D， E， F， G， H， I， J） of the oral odor mapping of health control group， CAG group， CNAG group， CAG dampness-heat group， CAG non-dampness-heat group， and CNAG dampness-heat group was compared. The modified transformer model was used to classify the odor mapping characteristics， and the confusion matrix method was used to evaluate the classification model， with metrics including accuracy and area under ROC curve （AUC）. ResultsThe Hp positivity rate in CAG dampness-heat group was 80.00% （48/60）， CAG non-dampness-heat group was 62.00% （31/50）， CNAG dampness-heat group was 46.67% （28/60）， and CNAG non-dampness-heat group was 42.00% （21/50）； the difference in Hp positivity rate between CAG dampness-heat group and CAG non-dampness-heat group was statistically significant （P＜0.05）. The amplitudes of response curves A， B， C， D， F， G， and I， and slopes of A and F in the odor mapping of the CAG group were lower than those in health control group， while the amplitude and slope of curve E were higher than those in the health control group and CNAG group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； The amplitude of the response curves A， B， C， D， F， G， and I， and slopes of A， D， and F in the CNAG group were lower than those in the health control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The amplitude of response curve D and slope of response curve J in the odor mapping of the CAG dampness-heat group were higher than those in CNAG dampness-heat group， the amplitude of curve F was lower than that in CAG non-dampness-heat group， and the amplitude of curve H and slopes of curve A， H， and J were higher than those in CAG non-dampness-heat group （P＜0.05）. The recognition accuracy of CAG group and health control group reached 77.78%， AUC = 0.88； the recognition accuracy of CAG group and CNAG group was 69.44%， AUC = 0.61； the recognition accuracy of CAG dampness-heat group and CAG non-dampness-heat group reached 75.8%， AUC=0.70. ConclusionElectronic nose technology can make a more accurate identification of the oral breath odor in CAG patients with dampness-heat syndrome， with a decrease in the amplitude of the curve F and an increase in the amplitude of the curve H and in the slopes of the curves A， H， and J may as the characteristics of their odor mapping.

Objective To explore the dyad coping experience of stress in pregnant women with undifferentiated connective tissue disease and their spouses,providing a basis for developing dyadic coping intervention measures.Methods By purposive sampling,15 pairs of pregnant women and their spouses who visited the outpatient clinic for pregnancy complicated with immune diseases in a matemity hospital in Jiangsu Province from April to August 2023 were selected as the research subjects for semi-structured interviews.Content analysis was conducted using the Colaizzi 7-step method,and an interview outline and integrated themes were developed based on the Developmental Contextual Coping Model.Results 3 themes(coexistence of positive and negative stress experiences;diverse approaches to dyadic coping with stress;growth and challenges following stress adaptation)and 11 subthemes were identified.Conclusion Healthcare professionals should attach importance to the stress coping issues of pregnant women with undifferentiated connective tissue disease and their spouses,take measures to regulate the negative emotions of couples,ensure multi-faceted support,help the couple adopt positive coping strategies,and promote good stress adaptation.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the prognosis in patients with extensive burns, in order to explore the hemoglobin warning threshold for blood transfusion in patients with extensive burns.Methods:The research was a retrospective observational study. From October 2012 to October 2022, 288 patients with extensive burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (the Third Military Medical University), including 243 males and 45 females, aged 18 to 65 years. These patients were assigned to the death group ( n=54) and the survival group ( n=234) based on their final prognosis. The clinical data including gender, age, body mass index, total burn area, full-thickness burn area, time of first operation after injury, preoperative prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and hemoglobin level of the first surgery, complication of inhalation injury, number of surgeries, total surgical area, total surgical time, total length of hospital stay, and highest procalcitonin value, lowest platelet count and hemoglobin values, and occurrence of sepsis during hospitalization were compared between the two groups of patients. According to the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization, the patients were assigned to <65 g/L group, ≥65 g/L and <75 g/L group, ≥75 g/L and <85 g/L group, and ≥85 g/L group. The total length of hospital stay, mortality and incidence of sepsis during hospitalization, and mortality within 90 days after injury were compared among the four groups of patients. The relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns was analyzed using a restricted cubic spline model before and after adjusting covariates. A logistic regression model was adopted to analyze the relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns after adjusting covariates, with the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization as a continuous variable and a categorical variable, separately. Results:Compared with those in survival group, the total burn area, full-thickness burn area, and total surgical area of patients in death group were significantly increased, the preoperative APTT of the first surgery was significantly prolonged, the number of surgeries was significantly reduced, the total length of hospital stay was significantly shortened, the highest procalcitonin value during hospitalization was significantly increased, the lowest platelet count and hemoglobin values during hospitalization were significantly decreased, and the incidence proportion of sepsis during hospitalization was significantly increased (with Z values of -6.72, -5.40, -2.15, -2.99, -2.21, -7.84, -6.23, -7.03, and -3.43, respectively, χ2=161.95, P values all <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the other clinical data of patients between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences in mortality and incidence of sepsis during hospitalization, and mortality within 90 days after injury of patients among the four groups divided according to the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization (with χ2 values of 12.12, 15.93, and 10.62, respectively, P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total length of hospital stay of patients among the four groups ( P>0.05). The restricted cubic spline model analysis revealed an approximately linear relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns before and after adjusting covariates (with χ2 values of 0.81 and 0.75, respectively, P>0.05). After adjusting covariates, the logistic regression model analysis showed that the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns increased with decreasing hemoglobin when the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization was analyzed as a continuous variable (with odds ratio of 0.96, with 95% confidence interval of 0.92 to 0.99, P<0.05). When using the median value of 75.5 g/L as the cut-off value for categorizing the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization, there was no statistically significant difference in the mortality risk between patients with hemoglobin <75.5 g/L and those with hemoglobin ≥75.5 g/L ( P>0.05). When the patients were divided into four groups based on the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization as above, using ≥85 g/L group as a reference, only patients in <65 g/L group had a significantly increased mortality risk (with odds ratio of 5.37, with 95% confidence interval of 1.57 to 18.29, P<0.05). Conclusions:There is an approximately linear correlation between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns. When the hemoglobin level drops to 65 g/L or lower, the mortality risk of patients increases significantly, suggesting that a hemoglobin level of 65 g/L could serve as a warning threshold for blood transfusion in patients with extensive burns.

Interference with quorum sensing(QS)represents an antivirulence strategy with a significant promise for the treatment of bacterial infections and a new approach to restoring antibiotic tolerance.Over the past two decades,a novel series of studies have reported that quorum quenching approaches and the discovery of quorum sensing inhibitors(QSIs)have a strong impact on the discovery of anti-infective drugs against various types of bacteria.The discovery of QSI was demonstrated to be an appropriate strategy to expand the anti-infective therapeutic approaches to complement classical antibiotics and antimicrobial agents.For the discovery of QSIs,diverse approaches exist and develop in-step with the scale of screening as well as specific QS systems.This review highlights the latest findings in strategies and methodologies for QSI screening,involving activity-based screening with bioassays,chemical methods to seek bacterial QS pathways for QSI discovery,virtual screening for QSI screening,and other potential tools for interpreting QS signaling,which are innovative routes for future efforts to discover additional QSIs to combat bacterial infections.

ObjectiveTo explore the research hotspots and development trends in the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the past ten years, the literatures of microglia-related neuroinflammation of ASD and the immune regulation and possible pathways of exercise ameliorating ASD symptoms were reviewed. MethodsArticles about microglia-related research in ASD during January, 2012 to December, 2021 were searched in the core collection database of Web of Science. The CiteSpace 5.8.R3 software was used to summarize the main findings, visualize and analyze the annual publication volume, high-frequency keywords and keyword clustering. Results and ConclusionA total of 783 papers were returned. The numbers of papers published increased with time. The neuroinflammation was a research hotspot in the pathogenesis of ASD, among which abnormal activation of microglia and the levels of inflammatory cytokines were important factors in the occurrence and development of ASD. Exercise was an important intervention to improve symptoms of ASD, which may associate with reducing neuroinflammation or regulating microglia-mediated inflammatory pathways.

Objective To study the action of kaempferol (KAE) against Candida albicans biofilms and explore the potential mechanisms. Methods Biofilm metabolic activity assay was used to investigate the action of KAE against C. albicans biofilm formation as well as mature biofilm. The inhibition of KAE in hyphal formation was examined by microscope. The water-hydrocarbon two-phase separation assay was used to test the effect of KAE on the cell surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans. The mRNA expression of the genes involved in biofilm formation was determined by real time RT-PCR. Results KAE showed inhibition effect on C. albicans biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, KAE inhibited mature biofilm. The biomass of biofilm was reduced upon KAE treatment. KAE inhibited hyphal formation and reduced the cell surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans. In the presence of KAE, the mRNA expression of the genes involved in biofilm formation was changed, with the up-regulation of BCR1,NRG1,TUP1 and down-regulation of HWP1,EFG1,CPH1,ALS1,ALS3 and CSH1. Conclusion KAE showed antifungal activity against C. albicans biofilm. The mechanisms may relate to the inhibition of hyphal formation and reduction of cell surface hydrophobicity.

Objective:To explore the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) intake and chronic inflammation state of body.Methods:A total of 306 samples of 102 types of food were purchased from a supermarket in Xiamen in September 2019, including grains, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. The content of Neu5Gc in food was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 500 healthy freshmen from Xiamen University were selected by using a simple random sampling method. The food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the food intake in the past year. The food intake was corrected by 3 consecutive 24-hour recalls, and the amount of Neu5Gc intake was calculated. The concentration of anti-Neu5Gc antibody, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was detected. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between Neu5Gc intake and anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels.Results:Neu5Gc was mainly found in red meat and liquid dairy products. The contents of Neu5Gc in beef, lamb and pork were (30.32±2.84), (20.39±4.73) and (5.58±1.04) mg/kg, respectively, and in liquid milk and yogurt were (10.87±1.54) and (6.91±0.24) mg/L, respectively. The M ( P25, P75) intake of Neu5Gc for all participants was 4.62 (2.20, 8.60) mg/d. The M( P25, P75) intake of Neu5Gc for males about 6.60(2.83, 10.20) was higher than that for females about [3.84 (1.84, 6.35) mg/d] ( P<0.001). The M ( P25, P75) of serum anti-Neu5Gc, CRP and IL-6 levels were 3.07 (2.17, 4.14) μg/ml, 0.37 (0.22, 0.87) mg/ml and 61.82 (12.23, 315.30) pg/ml, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the intake level of Neu5Gc was positively correlated with serum anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels, with r s values about 0.222, 0.102 and 0.126, respectively (all P values <0.05). Conclusion:Dietary Neu5Gc intake is mainly from red meat and liquid dairy products, and its intake level is positively correlated with chronic inflammatory state of body.

Objective:To explore the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) intake and chronic inflammation state of body.Methods:A total of 306 samples of 102 types of food were purchased from a supermarket in Xiamen in September 2019, including grains, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. The content of Neu5Gc in food was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 500 healthy freshmen from Xiamen University were selected by using a simple random sampling method. The food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the food intake in the past year. The food intake was corrected by 3 consecutive 24-hour recalls, and the amount of Neu5Gc intake was calculated. The concentration of anti-Neu5Gc antibody, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was detected. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between Neu5Gc intake and anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels.Results:Neu5Gc was mainly found in red meat and liquid dairy products. The contents of Neu5Gc in beef, lamb and pork were (30.32±2.84), (20.39±4.73) and (5.58±1.04) mg/kg, respectively, and in liquid milk and yogurt were (10.87±1.54) and (6.91±0.24) mg/L, respectively. The M ( P25, P75) intake of Neu5Gc for all participants was 4.62 (2.20, 8.60) mg/d. The M( P25, P75) intake of Neu5Gc for males about 6.60(2.83, 10.20) was higher than that for females about [3.84 (1.84, 6.35) mg/d] ( P<0.001). The M ( P25, P75) of serum anti-Neu5Gc, CRP and IL-6 levels were 3.07 (2.17, 4.14) μg/ml, 0.37 (0.22, 0.87) mg/ml and 61.82 (12.23, 315.30) pg/ml, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the intake level of Neu5Gc was positively correlated with serum anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels, with r s values about 0.222, 0.102 and 0.126, respectively (all P values <0.05). Conclusion:Dietary Neu5Gc intake is mainly from red meat and liquid dairy products, and its intake level is positively correlated with chronic inflammatory state of body.