The Property of a Key Amino Acid Determines the Function of Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Synthase in Sporobolomyces pararoseus NGR.

Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) catalyzes the synthesis of C15 farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) from C5 dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and two or three C5 isopentenyl diphosphates (IPPs). FPP is an important precursor for the synthesis of isoprenoids and is involved in multiple metabolic pathways. Here, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase from Sporobolomyces pararoseus NGR (SpFPPS) was isolated and expressed by the prokaryotic expression system. The SpFPPS full-length genomic DNA and cDNA are 1566 bp and 1053 bp, respectively. This gene encodes a 350-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 40.33 kDa and a molecular weight of 58.03 kDa (40.33 kDa + 17.7 kDa), as detected by SDS-PAGE. The function of SpFPPS was identified by induction, purification, protein concentration and in vitro enzymatic activity experiments. Structural analysis showed that Y90 was essential for chain termination and changing the substrate scope. Site-directed mutation of Y90 to the smaller side-chain amino acids alanine (A) and lysine (K) showed in vitro that wt-SpFPPS catalyzed the condensation of the substrate DMAPP or geranyl diphosphate (GPP) with IPP at apparent saturation to synthesize FPP as the sole product and that the mutant protein SpFPPS-Y90A synthesized FPP and C20 geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), while SpFPPS-Y90K hydrolyzed the substrate GGPP. Our results showed that FPPS in S. pararoseus encodes the SpFPPS protein and that the amino acid substitution at Y90 changed the distribution of SpFPPS-catalyzed products. This provides a baseline for potentially regulating SpFPPS downstream products and improving the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway.

Discrepancy of coordinate system selection in backscattering Mueller matrix polarimetry: exploring photon coordinate system transformation invariants.

In biomedical studies, Mueller matrix polarimetry is gaining increasing attention because it can comprehensively characterize polarization-related vectorial properties of the sample, which are crucial for microstructural identification and evaluation. For backscattering Mueller matrix polarimetry, there are two photon coordinate selection conventions, which can affect the following Mueller matrix parameters calculation and information acquisition quantitatively. In this study, we systematically analyze the influence of photon coordinate system selection on the backscattering Mueller matrix polarimetry. We compare the Mueller matrix elements in the right-handed-nonunitary and non-right-handed-unitary coordinate systems, and specifically deduce the changes of Mueller matrix polar decomposition, Mueller matrix Cloude decomposition and Mueller matrix transformation parameters widely used in backscattering Mueller matrix imaging as the photon coordinate system varied. Based on the theoretical analysis and phantom experiments, we provide a group of photon coordinate system transformation invariants for backscattering Mueller matrix polarimetry. The findings presented in this study give a crucial criterion of parameters selection for backscattering Mueller matrix imaging under different photon coordinate systems.

Polarization feature fusion and calculation of birefringence dynamics in complex anisotropic media.

As a complex anisotropic medium, variation in birefringence within biological tissues is closely associated with numerous physiological behaviors and phenomena. In this Letter, we propose a polarization feature fusion method and corresponding polarimetric parameters, which exhibit excellent performance of capturing the birefringence dynamic variation process in complex anisotropic media. By employing the feature fusion method, we combine and transform polarization basis parameters (PBPs) to derive fused polarization feature parameters (FPPs) with explicit expressions. Subsequently, we conduct Monte Carlo (MC) simulation to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed FPPs from two variation dimensions of birefringence direction θ and modulus Δn. Leveraging mathematical modeling and linear transformations, we investigate and abstract their response patterns concerning θ and Δn. Finally, the experiments confirm that the FPPs show superior adaptability and interpretability in characterizing the birefringence dynamic process of turbid media. The findings presented in this study provide new, to the best of our knowledge, methodological insights of information extraction for computational polarimetry in biomedical research.

Polarization enhancement mechanism from tissue staining in multispectral Mueller matrix microscopy.

Mueller matrix microscopy can provide comprehensive polarization-related optical and structural information of biomedical samples label-freely. Thus, it is regarded as an emerging powerful tool for pathological diagnosis. However, the staining dyes have different optical properties and staining mechanisms, which can put influence on Mueller matrix microscopic measurement. In this Letter, we quantitatively analyze the polarization enhancement mechanism from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining in multispectral Mueller matrix microscopy. We examine the influence of hematoxylin and eosin dyes on Mueller matrix-derived polarization characteristics of fibrous tissue structures. Combined with Monte Carlo simulations, we explain how the dyes enhance diattenuation and linear retardance as the illumination wavelength changed. In addition, it is demonstrated that by choosing an appropriate incident wavelength, more visual Mueller matrix polarimetric information can be observed of the H&E stained tissue sample. The findings can lay the foundation for the future Mueller matrix-assisted digital pathology.

Application of the combination of CBL teaching method and SEGUE framework to improve the doctor-patient communication skills of resident physicians in otolaryngology department.

BACKGROUND: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of applying CBL teaching method and SEGUE Framework in the doctor-patient communication skills of resident physicians in the department of otolaryngology. METHODS: This is an observational study to compare the score changes in doctor-patient communication skills of 120 resident physicians, before and after using CBL combined SEGUE Framework teaching method. The effects of gender, age, grade, educational background and marital status on SEGUE score were analyzed. RESULTS: Through the combined application of CBL teaching method and SEGUE Framework, the SEGUE score of 120 resident physicians was significantly improved. There was no significant difference in SEGUE score among different sex and marital status of resident physicians. SEGUE score is positively correlated with age; Different grades and educational backgrounds have significant effects on SEGUE score. CONCLUSION: The combination of CBL teaching method and SEGUE Framework is feasible and effective in the education program of doctor-patient communication skills for resident physicians in the department of otolaryngology, and worthy of popularization and application in other medical specialties.

[Mechanism of Ganke Granules intervening acute lung injury based on network pharmacology and experimental verification].

This study aims to explore the potential mechanism of action in the intervention of acute lung injury(ALI) based on the blood entry components of Ganke Granules in rats and in conjunction with network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experimental validation. The blood entry components of Ganke Granules in rats were imported into the SwissTargetPrediction platform to predict drug targets, and ALI-related targets were collected from the disease database. Intersections were taken, and protein-protein interaction(PPI) networks were constructed to screen the core targets, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) functional and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and gnomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. A "blood entry components-target-pathway-disease" network was constructed, and the core components for disease intervention based on their topological parameters were screened. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding ability of the core components to key targets. The key targets of Ganke Granules in the intervention of ALI were verified by the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced ALI mouse model. Through PPI topological parameter analysis, the top six key targets of STAT3, SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, HRAS, and MAPK1 related to ALI were obtained. GO functional analysis showed that it was mainly related to ERK1 and ERK2 cascade, inflammatory response, and response to LPS. KEGG analysis showed that the main enrichment pathways were MAPK, neutrophil extracellular trap(NET) formation, and so on. Six core components(schizantherin B, schisandrin, besigomsin, harpagoside, isotectorigenin, and trachelanthamine) were filtered out by the "blood entry components-target-pathway-disease" network based on the analysis of topological parameters. Molecular docking results showed that the six core components and Tectoridin with the highest content in the granules had a high affinity with the key targets of MAPK3, SRC, MAPK1, and STAT3. In vivo experiment results showed that compared with the model group, Ganke Granules could effectively alleviate LPS-induced histopathological injury in the lungs of mice and reduce the percentage of inflammatory infiltration. The total protein content, nitric oxide(NO) level, myeloperoxidase(MPO) content, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), gamma interferon(IFN-γ), interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), interleukin-6(IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), and chemokine(C-X-C motif) ligand 1(CXCL1) chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) were decreased, and the expression levels of lymphocyte antigen 6G(Ly6G), citrullinated histones 3(Cit-H3), and phosphorylated proteins SRC, ERK1/2, and STAT3 in lung tissue were significantly down-regulated. In conclusion, Ganke Granules could effectively inhibit the inflammatory response of ALI induced by LPS, protect lung tissue, regulate the release of inflammatory factors, and inhibit neutrophil infiltration and NET formation, and the mechanism of action may be related to inhibiting the activation of SRC/ERK1/2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Local optimized Stokes polarimetry for specific polarization states.

In this Letter, we propose a locally optimized Stokes polarimetry. Focusing on the effect on polarization measurements by Poisson noise, the studies establish a new, to the best of our knowledge, optimization function combining the equally weighted variance with the condition number. This method considers both the stability and the precision of polarization measurements; by trading an increase in the condition number by 2.48%, we realize a decrease in equal-weighted variance by 19.1% near the north pole. The advantages of this local optimization method are demonstrated based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and experiments of continuous polarization state modulation. Finally, an imaging demonstration using a 4 µm pathological section implies the potential of this new local optimization method in improving polarization measurements and applying it to more biomedical research.

Polarization phase unwrapping by a dual-wavelength Mueller matrix imaging system.

In this Letter, we report a dual-wavelength Mueller matrix imaging system for polarization phase unwrapping, allowing simultaneous acquisition of the polarization images at 633 nm and 870 nm. After phase unwrapping, the relative error of linear retardance is controlled to be 3% and the absolute error of birefringence orientation is about 6°. We first show that polarization phase wrapping occurs when the samples are thick or present obvious birefringence effects, and further analyze the effect of phase wrapping on anisotropy parameters via Monte Carlo simulations. Then, experiments on porous alumina with different thicknesses and multilayer tapes are performed to verify the feasibility of phase unwrapping by a dual-wavelength Mueller matrix system. Finally, by comparing the temporal characteristics of linear retardance during tissue dehydration before and after phase unwrapping, we emphasize the significance of the dual-wavelength Mueller matrix imaging system not only for anisotropy analysis in static samples, but also for determining the trend in polarization properties of dynamic samples.

The optimal intravesical maintenance chemotherapy scheme for the intermediate-risk group non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Although the current European Association of Urology(EAU) guideline recommends that patients with intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) should accept intravesical chemotherapy or Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for no more than one year after transurethral resection of bladder tumor(TURBT), there is no consensus on the optimal duration of chemotherapy. Hence, we explored the optimal duration of maintenance intravesical chemotherapy in patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a real-world single-center retrospective cohort study. In total 158 patients with pathologically confirmed intermediate-risk NMIBC were included, who were divided into 4 subgroups based on the number of instillations given. We used Cox regression analysis and survival analysis chart to explore the 3-yr recurrence outcomes of tumor.The optimal duration was determined by receive operating characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 5.2 years. Compared with instillation for 1-2 months, the Hazard Ratios(HR) values of instillation for less than 1 month, maintenance instillation for 3-6 months and > 6 months were 3.57、1.57 and 0.22(95% CI 1.27-12.41;0.26-9.28;0.07-0.80, P = 0.03;0.62;0.02, respectively). We found a significant improvement in 3-yr relapse-free survival in intermediate-risk NMIBC patients who maintained intravesical instillation chemotherapy for longer than 6 months, and the best benefit was achieved with 10.5 months of maintenance chemotherapy by ROC. CONCLUSIONS: In our scheme, the optimal duration of intravesical instillation with pirrubicin is 10.5 months. This new understanding provides valuable experience for the precise medical treatment model of intermediate-risk NMIBC.

Regulation of cell differentiation to promote pullulan synthesis in Aureobasidium pullulans NG.

Pullulan is a polymer produced by Aureobasidium spp. The yield of pullulan production can be impacted by the cellular differentiation of Aureobasidium spp., which changes with alterations in the growth environment. To improve pullulan yield, identifying key factors that regulate cellular differentiation is crucial. In this study, the main form of pullulan synthesis in Aureobasidium pullulans NG was through swollen cells (SC). The results showed that citric acid (CA) can regulate the cellular differentiation of Aureobasidium pullulans NG by accumulating higher levels of CA in the cells to maintain growth in SC form and increase pullulan production. The addition of 1.0% CA to Aureobasidium pullulans NG for 96 h resulted in a significant increase in pullulan production, producing 18.32 g/l compared to the control group which produced 10.23 g/l. Our findings suggest that controlling cellular differentiation using CA is a promising approach for enhancing pullulan production in Aureobasidium pullulans. KEY POINTS: • The regulation of cell differentiation in Aureobasidium pullulans NG is demonstrated to be influenced by citric acid. • Intracellular citric acid levels in Aureobasidium pullulans NG have been shown to support the growth of swollen cells. • Citric acid has been found to increase pullulan production in Aureobasidium pullulans NG.

Use of a Flexible Ruler in Measuring the Length of Artificial Stapes During Stapedotomy Under Otoendoscopy.

BACKGROUND We explored a new method for measuring the length of artificial stapes during stapedotomy in otoendoscopic middle-ear surgery using a flexible ruler. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 56 cases of otosclerosis, comprising 56 ears with a follow-up of over 6 months and complete data. Patients were admitted to the Department of Otology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital from July 2020 to June 2022. SPSS statistical software was used for efficacy analysis. The results of different measurement methods on the implantation time of the prosthesis and postoperative hearing follow-up were compared. RESULTS The 56 patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. In 1 case measured by the metal measuring stick, the prosthesis was too short and was replaced during the operation; 2 patients experienced transient dizziness postoperatively, and the other patients had no surgical complications. All 56 patients had varying degrees of hearing improvement after surgery, and no dislocation of the ossicular chain was observed during the follow-up. There was a statistically significant difference in the implantation time of the prosthesis between the different measurement methods (P<0.05). The improvement in hearing in the flexible ruler group was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The selection of the length of the ossicular prosthesis is a crucial step in the operation and can directly affect hearing outcomes. The use of a flexible ruler to measure prosthesis length can significantly shorten operation time and improve hearing, and the ruler is easily obtainable. It is worth promoting its application in ear endoscopic stapedotomy.

Challenges of hesitancy in human papillomavirus vaccination: Bibliometric and visual analysis.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has immense research value in the prevention of related tumours. A huge body of work has been published in this field, which may pose difficulties for researchers aiming to investigate all the available information. However, bibliometrics can provide deep insights into this research field. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study HPV vaccine development, visually analyse the development status, trends, research hotspots, and frontiers of this field, and provide a reference for research on it. METHODS: Articles were acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection. VOS viewer and CiteSpace software were used to analyse publication growth, country/region, institution, journal distribution, author, reference, and keywords, and collected burst keyword words to display research hotspots. RESULTS: A total of 4831 references were obtained, and the annual number of publications increased fluctuating over the past decade. The United States of America ranked at the top in terms of percentage of articles. The institution with the highest number of research publications in this field was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most productive and frequently cited authors was Lauri E Markowitz. The journal with the most publications in this field was Vaccine, and the most influential journal was Paediatrics. The most frequently cited reference was 'A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine against Infection and Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women'. Burst detection analysis of top keywords showed that 'national immunisation survey', 'social media', and 'hesitancy' are the current research frontiers in this field. CONCLUSION: This study provides useful information for acquiring knowledge on HPV vaccine. Research on solving the hesitation of HPV vaccination will become an academic trend in this field, which can offer guidance for more extensive and in-depth studies in the future.

Dietary supplementation with probiotics increases growth performance, improves the intestinal mucosal barrier and activates the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activity in chicks.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics comprise effective feed additives that can replace antibiotics in animal livestock production. However, mono-strain probiotics appear less effective because of their instability. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate dietary supplementation with compound probiotics (CPP) on growth performance, diarrhea rate and intestinal mucosal barrier, as well as the possible molecular mechanism, in chicks. In total, 360 1-day-old chicks of the Hy-Line Brown Chicks were randomly divided into the control group (CON, basal diet), chlortetracycline group (500 mg kg-1 CTC) and compound probiotics group (1000 mg kg-1 CPP, consisting of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Enterococcus faecium and yeast). The experiment period was 56 days. RESULTS: The results showed that, in comparison with the CON group, CPP significantly increased the average daily feed intake and average daily gain of chicks and reduced diarrhea (P < 0.05). The probiotic group exhibited increased immune organ (i.e. spleen and thymus) mass and increased levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgM and IgG (P < 0.05) compared to the CTC group. In addition, the jejunal mass and morphology were improved in the probiotic group (P < 0.05). Moreover, CPP reinforced jejunal barrier function, as indicated by increased transepithelial electrical resistance, protein expression of occludin and claudin-1, and diamine oxidase levels in the jejunum (P < 0.05). Likewise, enhanced fluorescence signals of proliferating cell nuclear antigen-labeled mitotic cells and villin-labeled absorptive cells in the jejunum (P < 0.05) suggested that CPP promoted intestinal stem cells activity. Mechanistically, the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, including ß-catenin, TCF4, c-Myc, cyclin D1 and Lgr5, was amplified in the jejunum by CPP addition (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that dietary supplementation with CPP reinforced the jejunal epithelial integrity by activating Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and enhanced immune function in chicks. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Research progress in treatment of Sjögren's syndrome by traditional Chinese medicine].

Sj9gren's syndrome(SS) is an autoimmune disease with glandular dysfunction caused by the massive infiltration of the exocrine glands by lymphocytes. The pathogenesis of this disease is related to the chronic inflammatory response of the exocrine glands due to excessive activation of B cells and T cells. In addition to dry mouth and eyes, SS can also cause damage to other organs and systems in the human body, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has definite clinical efficacy in the treatment of SS as it can alleviate symptoms and regulate immune disorders without causing adverse reactions, demonstrating high safety. This paper reviews the current status of preclinical and clinical trials about the TCM treatment of SS in the past decade. TCM mainly mitigates SS symptoms such as dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin, and joint pain and improves the prognosis and quality of life of patients by regulating the abnormally activated B cells and T cells, inhibiting the autoimmune response, restoring the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and reducing the pathological damage caused by immune complexes to exocrine glands and joints in SS patients.

[Relationship between pyroptosis and cardiovascular diseases and traditional Chinese medicine prevention and treatment research].

Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death initiated by the activation of caspases, which is involved in the development and progression of several cardiovascular diseases. The gasdermins, a protein family, are key executive proteins in the development of pyroptosis, which increase cell membrane permeability, mediate the release of inflammatory factors, and aggravate the inflammatory injury. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has shown unique therapeutic advantages in cardiovascular diseases with multi-component and multi-target characteristics. Currently, the effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases based on the theory of pyroptosis become a new research hotspot in this field. Based on the theories of TCM and modern medicine, this study summarized the role of pyroptosis in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and myocarditis. The role of TCM, including active monomers, crude extracts, and compound preparations, in cardiovascular protection through the regulation of pyroptosis was also summarized, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases by TCM.

[Experimental study of cardioprotective effects of Cinnamomi Ramulus and Cinnamomi Cortex formula granules on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats based on efficacy of "warming and coordinating heart Yang"].

This study aimed to parallelly investigate the cardioprotective activity of Cinnamomi Ramulus formula granules(CRFG) and Cinnamomi Cortex formula granules(CCFG) against acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury(MI/RI) and the underlying mechanism based on the efficacy of "warming and coordinating the heart Yang". Ninety male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham group, a model group, CRFG low and high-dose(0.5 and 1.0 g·kg~(-1)) groups, and CCFG low and high-dose(0.5 and 1.0 g·kg~(-1)) groups, with 15 rats in each group. The sham group and the model group were given equal volumes of normal saline by gavage. Before modeling, the drug was given by gavage once a day for 7 consecutive days. One hour after the last administration, the MI/RI rat model was established by ligating the left anterior descending artery(LAD) for 30 min ischemia followed by 2 h reperfusion except the sham group. The sham group underwent the same procedures without LAD ligation. Heart function, cardiac infarct size, cardiac patho-logy, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, cardiac injury enzymes, and inflammatory cytokines were determined to assess the protective effects of CRFG and CCFG against MI/RI. The gene expression levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD(ASC), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1(caspase-1), Gasdermin-D(GSDMD), interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), and interleukin-18(IL-18) were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). The protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and N-GSDMD were determined by Western blot. The results showed that both CRFG and CCFG pretreatments significantly improved cardiac function, decreased the cardiac infarct size, inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and reduced the content of lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), creatine kinase MB isoenzyme(CK-MB), aspartate transaminase(AST), and cardiac troponin Ⅰ(cTnⅠ). In addition, CRFG and CCFG pretreatments significantly decreased the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in serum. RT-PCR results showed that CRFG and CCFG pretreatment down-regulated the mRNA expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, ASC, and downstream pyroptosis-related effector substances including GSDMD, IL-18, and IL-1ß in cardiac tissues. Western blot revealed that CRFG and CCFG pretreatments significantly decreased the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and N-GSDMD in cardiac tissues. In conclusion, CRFG and CCFG pretreatments have obvious cardioprotective effects on MI/RI in rats, and the under-lying mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway to reduce the cardiac inflammatory response.

[Mechanism of essential oil from Schizonepeta tenuifolia in treatment of depression based on network pharmacology and experimental verification].

This paper aimed to explore the antidepressant effect of the essential oil from Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq.(EOST) on the treatment of depression and its mechanism by using a combination of network pharmacology and the mouse model of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced depression. The chemical components in EOST were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS), and 12 active components were selected as the study objects. The targets related to EOST were obtained by Traditional Chinese Medicines Systems Pharmacology(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction database. The targets related to depression were screened out through GeneCards, Therapeutic Target Database(TTD), and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM) database. The Venny 2.1 was applied to screen out the common targets of EOST and depression. The targets were imported into Cytoscape 3.7.2 to generate "drug-active component-diease-target" network diagram. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed using STRING 11.5 database and Cytoscape 3.7.2, and the core targets were screened out. DAVID 6.8 database was used for Gene Ontology(GO) func-tional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and subsequently the enrichment results were visualized through the bioinformatics platform. The mouse model of depression was induced by intraperitoneally injecting with LPS in mice. Before modeling, mice were administrated orally with EOST. The antidepressant effect of EOST was evalua-ted by tail suspension test(TST), forced swimming test(FST), and novelty suppressed feeding test(NSFT) after modeling. The content of interleukin(IL)-1ß was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the protein expression levels of IL-1ß and pro IL-1ß in the hippocampus were determined by Western blot. There were 12 main components and 179 targets in EOAT, of which, 116 targets were related to depression, mainly involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) signaling pathway. Biological processes such as synaptic signal transduction, G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway, and chemical synaptic transmission were involved. Molecular functions such as neurotransmitter receptor activity, RNA polymerase Ⅱ transcription factor activity, and heme binding were involved. In mice experiments, the results showed that EOST at 100 mg·kg~(-1) and 50 mg·kg~(-1) significantly shortened the immobility time in TST and FST as well as the feeding latency in NSFT compared with the model group, decreased the levels of serum IL-1ß and NO, and reduced the protein expression levels of IL-1ß and pro IL-1ß in the hippocampus. In conclusion, EOST shows a good antidepressant effect in a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway manner. The mechanism may be attributed to the fact that EOST can down-regulate the protein expression levels of IL-1ß and pro IL-1ß, decrease the release of inflammatory factors, and reduce neuroinflammation response.

Characteristics and Treatment of Pediatric Tracheobronchial Foreign Bodies: A Retrospective Analysis of 715 Cases.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in children in Shenzhen and to explore the diagnosis and treatment methods for special cases. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included a total of 715 children who were diagnosed with tracheobronchial foreign bodies at Shenzhen Children's Hospital between October 2016 and October 2021. Data on sex, age, inducement, symptoms, foreign body type, foreign body location, foreign body retention time, foreign body history, and complications were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS Tracheal foreign bodies were found to occur primarily in children aged 0-2 years (90.6%). The overall incidence rates were 69.1% and 30.9% in boys and girls, respectively. Among them, 42.5% of the foreign bodies were detected in the left bronchus and 45.6% in the right bronchus. Inducements included playing while eating (n=398, 55.7%) and also crying (n=209, 29.2%). Operations were performed on 710 (99.3%) children, including 80 (11.2%) immediate surgeries and 2 tracheotomies. One child had no vital signs upon admission and died after emergency foreign body removal. All of the other children who underwent surgery recovered well postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS This study presents the characteristics and methods of diagnosis and treatment of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in pediatric patients in Shenzhen. Tracheobronchial foreign bodies are a major cause of accidental injury in infants and young children. In critical cases, airways should be immediately and rapidly cleared with multidisciplinary collaboration. In addition, public safety awareness should be strengthened, particularly among parents, teachers, and other child caregivers, to reduce and prevent instances of tracheobronchial foreign body accidents in children.

Digital Intervention Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity Among Preschoolers: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Digital interventions are increasingly used to improve health behaviors. Improved access and lower costs (relative to in-person interventions) make such interventions appealing. Specifically, digital platforms may be a promising approach for increasing physical activity (PA) in young children. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this systematic review was three-pronged: (1) to determine the quality of studies using digital PA intervention strategies with preschool-aged children (ie, 3 to 5 years old); (2) to assess the efficacy of digital interventions and approaches designed to improve PA in preschool-aged children; and (3) to examine theoretical application and implementation outcomes with current approaches to digital PA interventions. METHODS: This review identified and summarized studies on digitally supported interventions for promoting PA in preschool-aged children. We generated 3 lists of relevant search terms that included technology-related terms, PA-related terms, and weight-related terms. The search included Ovid MEDLINE(R) and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, and Daily, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus. Study selection was led by a single author and verified by a second; the same 2 authors assessed study quality using a standardized tool, and 3 authors completed data extraction on PA outcomes, theory application, and implementation outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 601 studies were identified; 8 met the inclusion criteria. For study quality, only 2 studies received an overall rating of strong quality and low risk of bias. All but 1 study had a small sample size (<100). Positive and significant changes in child PA outcomes were reported in only 2 studies with weak overall quality, both of which used child-directed approaches. In total, 5 studies applied a behavioral theory for designing the intervention; no patterns of effectiveness were identified based on the application of theory. Finally, no studies reported on the implementation outcomes of adoption, cost, penetration, or sustainability; 1 study did not assess any implementation outcomes, and no single study reported on more than 2 implementation outcomes. Studies measured the implementation outcome of acceptability most frequently (n=4), and researchers assessed fidelity in 3 studies. CONCLUSIONS: The interventions with a significant effect on PA used child-centered activities; parent-directed digital interventions alone were ineffective for improving PA. Future research with rigorous designs, monitoring of implementation outcomes, and testing of the contributions of digital components will advance understanding of the effectiveness of digital interventions for increasing PA in children.

Real time and online aerosol identification based on deep learning of multi-angle synchronous polarization scattering indexes.

In this study, we employ our developed instrument to obtain high-throughput multi-angle single-particle polarization scattering signals. Based on experimental results of a variety of samples with different chemical composition, particle size, morphology, and microstructure, we trained a deep convolutional network to identify the polarization signal characteristics during aerosol scattering processes, and then investigate the feasibility of multi-dimensional polarization characterization applied in the online and real-time fine and accurate aerosol recognition. Our model shows a high classification accuracy rate (>98%) and can achieve aerosol recognition at a very low proportion (<0.1%), and shows well generalization ability in the test set and the sample types not included in the training set. The above results indicate that that the time series pulses from multi-angle polarization scattering contain enough information related with microscopic characteristics of an individual particle, and the deep learning model shows its capability to extract features from these synchronous multi-dimensional polarization signals. Our investigations confirm a good prospect of aerosol attribute retrieval and identifying and classifying individual aerosols one by one by the combination of multi-dimensional polarization scattering indexes with deep learning method.