Recent molecular techniques to strengthen ecological studies in echinoderms / Técnicas moleculares recientes que fortalecen los estudios ecológicos de equinodermos

Abstract Introduction: Echinoderms, an integral component of marine ecosystems worldwide, have captivated scientific interest for centuries. Despite this longstanding attention, comprehending key facets such as trophic relationships, diet composition, and host-microbiota relationships still represents a challenge using traditional techniques. Recent years, however, have witnessed a transformative shift, thanks to the emergence of advanced molecular techniques, offering new approaches to strengthen ecological studies in echinoderms. Objective: Explore how recent advancements in molecular tools have impacted ecological research on echinoderms. Specifically, we aim to investigate the potential of these tools to shed light on trophic interactions, diet composition, and the characterization of gut microbial communities in these organisms. Methods: Available literature was used to clarify how novel molecular techniques can improve ecological studies. The focus is diet, trophic relationships, and gut microbiota. Results: Traditionally, studies of stomach contents using compound microscopy have provided an idea of ingested material; nevertheless, sometimes a simple magnified visualization of dietary content does not allow exhaustive identification of the entire food spectrum, as it is limited due to the rapid digestion and maceration of food items within the echinoderm's digestive tract. The use of DNA-metabarcoding, targeting specific DNA regions, such as the mitochondrial COI gene, has allowed us to enhance the accuracy and precision of diet characterization by enabling the identification of prey items down to the species or even genetic variant level, providing valuable insights into specific dietary preferences. Another approach is the use of stable isotopes, particularly carbon and nitrogen, which provide a powerful tool to trace the origin and flow of nutrients through food webs. By analyzing the isotopic signatures in muscular tissues and food items, we can discern the sources of their primary food items and gain insights into their trophic position within the ecosystem. Lastly, a third new technique used to elucidate the characterization of the prokaryotic community is 16S rRNA sequencing. This method allows us to explore the composition and dynamics of the digestive tract microbial communities. Conclusions: This is a promising era for ecological research on echinoderms, where advances of molecular tools have enabled an unprecedented level of detail, resolving longstanding challenges in comprehending their trophic interactions, diet composition, and host-microbiota relationships, and opening new avenues of investigation in ecological studies.

Resumen Introducción: Los equinodermos, un componente integral de los ecosistemas marinos en todo el mundo, han captado el interés científico durante siglos. A pesar de esta prolongada atención, el comprender facetas clave como las relaciones tróficas, la composición de la dieta y las relaciones huésped-microbiota todavía representa un desafío utilizando técnicas tradicionales. Sin embargo, los últimos años han sido testigos de un cambio transformador, gracias a la aparición de técnicas moleculares avanzadas, que ofrecen nuevos enfoques para fortalecer los estudios ecológicos en equinodermos. Objetivo: Explorar cómo los avances recientes en herramientas moleculares han impactado la investigación ecológica sobre equinodermos. Específicamente, nuestro objetivo es investigar el potencial de estas herramientas para arrojar luz sobre las interacciones tróficas, la composición de la dieta y la caracterización de las comunidades microbianas intestinales en estos organismos. Métodos: Se utilizó la literatura disponible para aclarar cómo las nuevas técnicas moleculares pueden mejorar los estudios ecológicos. La atención se centra en la dieta, las relaciones tróficas y la microbiota intestinal. Resultados: Tradicionalmente, los estudios del contenido estomacal mediante microscopía compuesta han proporcionado una idea del material ingerido; Sin embargo, a veces una simple visualización ampliada del contenido dietético no permite una identificación exhaustiva de todo el espectro alimentario, ya que está limitado debido a la rápida digestión y maceración de los alimentos dentro del tracto digestivo del equinodermo. El uso de metabarcoding de ADN, dirigidos a regiones específicas del ADN, como el gen COI mitocondrial, nos ha permitido mejorar la exactitud y precisión de la caracterización de la dieta al permitir la identificación de presas hasta el nivel de especie o incluso de variante genética, lo que proporciona valiosos resultados sobre preferencias dietéticas específicas. Otro enfoque es el uso de isótopos estables, en particular carbono y nitrógeno, que proporcionan una poderosa herramienta para rastrear el origen y el flujo de nutrientes a través de las redes alimentarias. Al analizar las firmas isotópicas en los tejidos musculares y los alimentos, podemos discernir las fuentes de sus alimentos primarios y obtener información sobre su posición trófica dentro del ecosistema. Por último, una tercera técnica nueva utilizada para dilucidar la caracterización de la comunidad procariótica es la secuenciación del ARNr 16S. Este método nos permite explorar la composición y dinámica de las comunidades microbianas del tracto digestivo. Conclusiones: Esta es una era prometedora para la investigación ecológica sobre equinodermos, donde los avances de las herramientas moleculares han permitido un nivel de detalle sin precedentes, resolviendo desafíos de larga data en la comprensión de sus interacciones tróficas, composición de la dieta y relaciones huésped-microbiota, y abriendo nuevas vías de investigación. en estudios ecológicos.

Exploration on the law of syndrome and treatment of TCM in the treatment of stable angina pectoris based on data mining / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To summarize the thinking and compatibility law of TCM in the treatment of stable angina pectoris (SAP) based on syndrome differentiation using data mining technology.Methods:The clinical studies of TCM treatment for SAP in databases of CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP and SinoMed China Biomedical Literature Service System were retrieved from the establishment of the databases to February 28, 2022. The frequency statistic, clustering analysis and association rule analysis of TCM data were conducted using Clementine 12.0, Excel 2016, SPSS Statistics 22.0 software, and core prescriptions were summarized.Results:Totally 289 prescriptions were included, involving 185 kinds of Chinese materia medica, including 38 TCM syndrome types. Based on the overall study of SAP "disease", the clinical treatment of SAP was mainly based on the drugs for activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis, tonifying deficiency and strengthening healthy qi, and regulating qi and resolving phlegm. The single Chinese materia medica with high frequency of use were Chuanxiaong Rhizoma, Salviea Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, etc. The commonly used drug pairs included Chuanxiaong Rhizoma-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiaong Rhizoma-Carthami Flos, Chuanxiaong Rhizoma-Aurantii Fructus Immaturus, etc. The drug complex network diagram and clustering analysis showed that the prescription of Buyang Huanwu Decoction was the basic prescription for the treatment of SAP; based on the specific research of SAP "syndrome", the most common TCM syndromes of SAP were qi deficiency and blood stasis, phlegm and blood stasis, and qi stagnation and blood stasis. The drug properties of the three drugs were mainly warm and mild; the tastes were mainly sweet, pungent and bitter, and most of them belong to the liver, spleen, lung and heart meridian; in terms of specific medication, the basic prescription of qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was Buyang Huanwu Decoction, which was composed of high-frequency drugs such as Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiaong Rhizoma, Salviea Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, etc; The phlegm and blood stasis syndrome was often based on the Gualou Xiebai Banxia Decoction and Taohong Siwu Decoction, which were composed of high frequency drugs such as Pinelliae Rhizoma, Chuanxiaong Rhizoma, Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, etc; the basic prescription of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome was Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction, which was composed of high frequency drugs such as Chuanxiaong Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Aurantii Fructus. Drug clustering analysis showed that both qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome and qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 3 categories, and phlegm and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 4 categories.Conclusions:Deficiency, blood stasis, phlegm and stagnation are important pathological factors of SAP, in which qi deficiency is the basis of SAP, blood stasis runs through the disease, or both phlegm and qi stagnation. Focusing on the pathogenesis of deficiency in root and excess in superficiality, drugs with the efficacy of tonifying the deficiency and promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis are used in clinical treatment, according to different syndrome differentiation of prescription selection.

Clinical effects of Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction combined with acupuncture on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable stage complicated with sarcopenia / 中成药

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction combined with acupuncture on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable stage complicated with sarcopenia.METHODS Ninety-four patients were randomly assigned into control group(47 cases)for 8-week intervention of conventional treatment,and observation group(47 cases)for 8-week intervention of Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction,acupuncture and conventional treatment.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,and levels of pulmonary function indices(FVC,FEV1,FEV1/FVC),inflammatory factors(CRP,IL-6,TNF-α),muscle-specific biomarkers(MSTN,IGF-1),relevant scale scores(SARC-F,SPPB)and skeletal muscle mass index were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P<0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,inflammatory factors,MSTN,SARC-F score(P<0.05),and increased pulmonary function indices,IGF-1,SPPB score,skeletal muscle mass index(P<0.05),especially for the observation group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable stage complicated with sarcopenia,Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction combined with acupuncture exhibits significant clinical efficacy.

Effect of Dingkundan in Treatment of Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis Syndrome in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease at Stable Phase / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Dingkundan on Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） at a stable phase. MethodA randomized controlled clinical design method was adopted， and 60 patients who were diagnosed with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome in COPD at a stable phase in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the respiratory department of Guang' anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from June 2019 to December 2019 were divided into observation group and control group according to 1∶1. During the study period， there was no dropout， loss of follow-up， or exclusion between the two groups. On the basis of both groups receiving traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） lung rehabilitation training， the observation group took Dingkundan 7 g/time orally， twice a day. The control group received oral administration of the same specification of Dingkundan starch simulator of 7 g/time， twice a day. Both groups have a treatment period of 12 weeks. The COPD Assessment Test （CAT）， modified Medical Research Council （mMRC）， fatigue scale-14 （FS-14）， self-rating anxiety scale （SAS）， self-rating depression scale （SDS）， 6-minute walk distance （6MWD）， and pulmonary function before and after treatment were evaluated. ResultAfter treatment， both groups showed improvements in CAT， mMRC， FS-14， SAS scores， and 6MWD （P<0.05）. The observation group also showed improvements in SDS scores and lung function indicators （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group showed more significant improvement in CAT， FS-14， SAS， SDS scores， and 6MWD （P<0.05）. ConclusionDingkundan has a clear therapeutic effect on Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome in patients with COPD at a stable phase. It can reduce symptom burden， enhance exercise capacity， and improve psychological status and has the potential to improve lung function.

Prognostic Model of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Middle-aged and Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Complicated with Stable Angina Pectoris / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore risk factors for the development of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events （MACCEs） in middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with stable angina pectoris （T2DM-SAP） based on real-world clinical data in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， so as to develop a COX proportional risk prediction model and visualize the predicted results using a nomogram. MethodBased on the clinical scientific research information sharing system， the medical records of 586 T2DM-SAP patients （45-94 years old） were collected from January 2012 to December 2019， including age， gender， course of disease， major medical history， laboratory examination， tongue image， pulse image， TCM syndrome， and major treatment drugs. MACCE outcome indicators of patients were obtained by telephone follow-up and re-hospitalization records. The data was divided into a training set and a validation set according to 7∶3. In the training set， COX univariate analysis was used to determine the risk factors for MACCE in T2DM-SAP patients， and then variables were screened by forward-backward stepwise regression method， so as to establish a MACCE risk prediction model and construct a nomogram. The predictive efficacy of the model was reflected by the C-index， receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， calibration map， and clinical decision curve. ResultThe history of cerebrovascular disease ［Hazard ratio （HR）=1.983， 95% confidence interval （CI，1.314-2.993）］， low-density lipoprotein （LDL-C/mmol·L-1）≥4.1［HR=2.683， 95%CI（1.461-4.925）］， dull red tongue ［HR=1.955， 95%CI（1.273-3.002）］， dull purple tongue ［HR=4.214， 95%CI（2.017-8.803）］， white thick coating ［HR=3.030， 95%CI（1.634-9.293）］， thin and weak pulse ［HR=2.233， 95%CI（1.283-3.888）］， and syndrome of wind-phlegm blocking collaterals ［HR=2.007， 95%CI（1.179-3.418）］ were found to be risk factors in middle-aged and elderly T2DM-SAP patients. Insulin ［HR=0.604， 95%CI（0.399-0.914）］， glycosidase inhibitor ［HR=0.627， 95%CI（0.409-0.962）］， and TCM treatment ［HR=0.328， 95%CI（0.214-0.503）］ were protective factors in middle-aged and elderly T2DM-SAP patients. The prediction model was constructed based on the above risk factors. The C-index of the model was 0.818 （95% CI 0.777 -0.859） in the training set and 0.814 （95% CI 0.773-0.855） in the validation set， and the change of C-index over time was plotted. The AUC of patients for 5， 10， 15 years in the training set was 0.71， 0.67， and 0.61. The AUC of patients for 5， 10， and 15 years in the validation set was 0.60， 0.68， and 0.63， respectively. The calibration map and clinical decision curves of 5， 10， 15 years were drawn in the training set and the validation set， respectively. The model was well calibrated and clinically effective. ConclusionThe history of cerebrovascular disease， LDL， dull red tongue， dull purple tongue， white thick coating， thin and weak pulse， and syndrome of wind-phlegm blocking collaterals are risk factors for MACCE in middle-aged and elderly T2DM-SAP patients， and insulin， glycosidase inhibitors， TCM treatment are protective factors for MACCE in middle-aged and elderly T2DM-SAP patients. A clinical prediction model is established accordingly. This model has good discrimination， calibration degree， and clinical effectiveness and provides a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of MACCE in middle-aged and elderly T2DM-SAP patients.

Screening of stable amoxicillin resistant clones of Helicobacter pylori and detection of its gene mutations / 安徽医科大学学报

Objective @# To investigate the phenotype of amoxicillin ( AMX) unstable resistant Helicobacter pylori (Hp) evolving into AMX stable high level resistance and the detection of its mutated genes．@*Methods @#Using the frozen Hp strain H390 as the starting strain，the clones resistant to AMX were continuously cultured on the medium with increasing AMX concentration，and the minimum inhibitory concentration ( MIC) of the resistant clones was detected．After frozen at －80 ℃ for 3 months，the drug resistance was stable according to whether the MIC de- creased after frozen storage． Genome sequencing analysis and efflux pump inhibition assay were performed on cloned H390r and parental strain H390 with the highest AMX MIC value，and gene mutations associated with the high level AMX resistance obtained by H390r were detected and identified. @*Results @#Four AMX high level resistant clones were obtained by AMX screening with MICs of 12，32，64 and ≥ 256 mg / L ，respectively，and none of the MICs were altered after freezing at －80 ℃ . Compared to the parental strain H390，the AMX stable resistant clone H390r had mutations in several genes，including hefC encoding the RND efflux system，hopB and hopC encoding the pore proteins and ftsI encoding the penicillin binding protein ，which were associated with AMX resistance. H390r was substantially reduced in MIC to AMX in the presence of efflux pump inhibitors．@*Conclusion @#AMX can screen stable resistant clones from unstable resistant Hp．H390r had mutations in hefC，hopB，hopC，and ftsI asso- ciated with AMX resistance．These mutations may be the main reason why H390r acquired a stable high level of re- sistance to AMX.

Progressing researches on brain structural magnetic resonance in the conversion from stable to progressive mild cognitive impairment / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an unstable cognitive impairment state between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The symptoms of MCI are mild and it has four different types of outcomes: reversing normal, maintaining stability, progression and death. However, 2/3 of MCI patients may still progress to dementia. Therefore, early identification of stable MCI (sMCI) and progressive MCI (pMCI) is beneficial for timely intervention, and delaying the progression of MCI, then improving patients' quality of life. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) can predict dementia related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. A large number of studies have found that, in addition to abnormalities in clinical scales, there are significant changes in sMRI during the progression of sMCI to pMCI, mainly including differences in cortical thickness and brain atrophy, hippocampal volume, and structural brain network connectivity. Especially, machine learning methods such as big data based neural convolutional networks are helpful in early prediction of sMCI and pMCI. These studies contribute to the discovery of early imaging markers for the conversion of sMCI to pMCI.

Visualization Analysis on Research Literature of TCM Treatment for Stable Phase of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To understand the current status and trends of research on the TCM treatment for stable phase of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD);To provide references for relevant research.Methods Literature about TCM treatment for stable phase of COPD was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang Data,VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform,and SinoMed from the establishment of the databases to Sep 1,2022.NoteExpress 3.4 was used to sort out the basic data of papers.Excel 2016 was employed to count first authors,syndrome type,prescription and draw a run chart of publication,determine the number of journals in the core area according to Bradford law.Core authors statistically were analyzed according to Price law.Author collaboration network and keyword co-occurrence analysis were conducted using VOSviewer 1.6.18.CiteSpace 5.3.R4 was exploited to construct institutional collaboration network and study burst terms,and knowledge map was drawn.Results A total of 3 360 articles were included,involving 445 journals,with 2 691 first authors.The overall number of publications in this field showed an increasing trend,with clinical research being the main research type.There were 21 journals in the core region and the most frequently published journal was New Chinese Medicine.There were 125 core authors,with Li Zhuying and Li Jiansheng posting the most articles.Author collaboration network analysis showed 10 major research teams and the largest of which was Li Jiansheng's team.There were 1 451 institutions,mainly were universities and affiliated hospitals.There were 62 types of syndromes in the stable phase of COPD,the most common of which was the syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and spleen.There were 541 kinds of prescriptions in total,and the most commonly used was Bufei Decoction.Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed 8 subjects,and the high-frequency keywords included lung function,clinical efficacy,quality of life,clinical observation and TCM treatment.22 burst terms were obtained,with Budesonide Fumotro,six-word songs,Yupingfeng Powder and inflammatory factors highly concerned at present.Conclusion The research fever of TCM treatment for COPD in stable period shows an increasing trend,and clinical research accounts for the largest proportion,but the general quality is not high,and basic research is relatively lacking.The research focuses on the inhibition of airway inflammation and immune regulation,and lung function and quality of life are the most commonly used evaluation indicators.

Double S-shaped elastic stable intramedullary nailing to treat pediatric fractures of the distal tibia diaphyseal metaphyseal junction / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of double S-shaped elastic stable intramedullary nailing in the treatment of paediatric fractures of the distal tibia diaphyseal metaphyseal junction.Methods:From January 2018 to January 2022, a total of 25 children with fracture of the distal tibia diaphyseal metaphyseal junction were treated at Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University. All of them were treated with closed reduction and double S-shaped elastic stable intramedullary nailing. There were 16 males and 9 females with an average age of (10.4±3.3) years, and 14 left sides and 11 right sides. The operation time, imaging results and complications were recorded after operation. At the last follow-up, the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) scoring was used to evaluate the efficacy.Results:Closed reduction succeeded in all patients. The operation time was (55.6±23.7) min. Follow-up lasted (20.5±4.7) months for this cohort. Bony union was achieved in all patients after (11.5±2.7) weeks. No postoperative complications occurred in the patients, like infection, loss of reduction, disparity in length of lower limbs, delayed union or non-union. The AOFAS scoring at the last follow-up yielded 23 excellent and 2 good cases, and an excellent and good rate of 100% (25/25).Conclusion:In the treatment of paediatric fractures of the distal tibia diaphyseal metaphyseal junction, double S-shaped elastic stable intramedullary nailing is a safe, effective and feasible option.

Myocardial strain analysis by 4D-speckle tracking echocardiography for prediction of coronary artery disease severity in patients with stable angina pectoris

Objective: We sought to evaluate the myocardial strain by four-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (4D-STE) in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) to determine the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the Gensini score. Methods: The present study comprised of 150 patients with SAP. Patients with history of SAP, normal left ventricular ejection fraction, and without regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) were scheduled for elective coronary angiography. Based on Gensini score, there were two groups: non-critical stenosis group [Gensini score (0e19), n ¼ 117] and critical stenosis group [Gensini score 20, n ¼ 33]. Correlation between Gensini score and 4D-STE strain parameters were investigated. Results: Out of 150 patients, critical stenosis group had significantly depressed values of all 4D-STE strain parameters than non-critical stenosis group (p < 0.001), except global radial strain (GRS) parameter. Significant positive correlation was found between Gensini score and 4D global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), global area strain (GAS) with Spearman's correlation coefficient (r) as 0.626, 0.548, and 0.631, respectively (p < 0.001), whereas significant negative correlation was found between Gensini score and GRS (r ¼ 0.433, p < 0.001). A 4D GLS value of 17 had 84.9% sensitivity and 97.4% specificity, GAS 31 (90.9% sensitivity, 78.6% specificity), GCS 17 (69.7% sensitivity, 92.3% specificity), and GRS <47 (sensitivity 72.7%, specificity 76.1%) to detect critical CAD described by Gensini score 20. Conclusion: The 4D-STE can aid in the assessment of severe CAD stenosis with good sensitivity and specificity in the patients with SAP without RWMA on traditional echocardiography.

Taking the mechanism of glucose catabolism disorder in depression as an example to explore the research ideas and strategies of stable isotope tracer metabolomics / 药学学报

Stable isotope tracer metabolomics tracks and analyzes the whole metabolic process of the body through the tracer atoms, which belongs to the frontier technology in the field of biomedicine. This technology is of great significance and value for explaining the pathogenesis of diseases, finding biomarkers of diseases and drug action targets. Taking the mechanism of glucose catabolism disorder in depression as an example, this paper systematically expounds the stable isotope tracer metabolomics technology and its application. The research idea of stable isotope tracer metabolomics based on unmarked metabolomics was put forward, and the research strategy of biological significance interpretation from four dimensions of metabolite isotope abundance, key metabolic enzymes, metabolic flow direction and metabolite flow was given, which broke through the bottleneck of stable isotope tracer metabolomics research technology based on overall animal experiment, and provided scientific basis for the promotion and application of this technology.

Research progress on stable gene transfection methods of Plasmodium falciparum / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Transfection of Plasmodium falciparum is helpful to study the function of its genes, such as drug resistance. However, transgenic manipulation has been very challenging, mainly due to the high A/T base sequence structure (A+T content of about 82%) and low transfection efficiency of the Plasmodium genome. Electroporation-based transfection of Plasmodium falciparum has been successfully applied in the study of certain genes, and electroporation by preloading is currently the preferred method for introducing foreign DNA into Plasmodium falciparum. The site-directed editing of Plasmodium genes mostly adopts the method of two-plasmid transfection. It is generally believed that successful transfection of Plasmodium requires a large amount of high-purity plasmid DNA and an accurate transfection system. In addition to the evaluation of the current commonly used electrotransfection methods, this paper also introduces a new transfection method, namely lyse-reseal erythrocytes for transfection (LyRET). This paper also review the role of factors such as plasmid DNA concentration, the use of transfection reagents, the setting of transfection parameters, the addition of fresh red blood cells, and the markers of successful transfection in improving the success rate and efficiency of Plasmodium transfection, in the hope of providing a reference for study in this field.

Acupuncture and moxibustion in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable stage: a network Meta-analysis / 中国针灸

The efficacy on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at stable stage treated with different methods of acupuncture and moxibustion was evaluated using network Meta-analysis method. The articles of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) on stable COPD treated with acupuncture and moxibustion were searched electronically in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science and Cochrane library. The search was conducted from the inception of the databases to March 20th, 2022. Data analysis was performed using R4.1.1, Stata16.0 and RevMan5.3 softwares. A total of 48 RCTs were included, involving 15 kinds of acupuncture and moxibustion interventions and a sample size of 3 900 cases. The results of network Meta-analysis showed that: ① For the forced expiratory volume in one second predicted (FEV1%), both the governor vessel moxibustion combined with conventional treatment (G+C therapy) and the yang-supplementing moxibustion combined with conventional treatment (Y+C therapy) obtained the better effect than that of the conventional treatment (P<0.05), and the G+C therapy was more effective compared with the thread-embedding therapy combined with conventional treatment (E+C therapy) and warm needling (P<0.05). ② Concerning to COPD assessment test (CAT) score, the results indicated that the Y+C therapy, and the mild moxibustion combined with conventional treatment (M+C therapy) were more effective when compared with the conventional treatment (P<0.05), and the effect of the Y+C therapy was better than that of the E+C therapy (P<0.05). ③ Regarding six-minute walking distance (6MWD), the effect of acupuncture combined with conventional treatment (A+C therapy) was better than that of either the E+C therapy or the conventional treatment (P<0.05). The effect of the G+C therapy was optimal for improving FEV1%, the Y+C therapy obtained the best effect for improving CAT score, and A+C therapy was the most effective for improving 6MWD. Due to the limitation of the quality and quantity of included studies, this conclusion needs to be further verified through high-quality RCT.

Discrimination of cultivation modes of Dendrobium nobile based on content of mineral elements and ratios of nitrogen stable isotopes / 中国中药杂志

This study explored the feasibility of mineral element content and ratios of nitrogen isotopes to discriminate the cultivation mode of Dendrobium nobile in order to provide theoretical support for the discrimination of the cultivation mode of D. nobile. The content of 11 mineral elements(N, K, Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and B) and nitrogen isotope ratios in D. nobile and its substrate samples in three cultivation methods(greenhouse cultivation, tree-attached cultivation, and stone-attached cultivation) were determined. According to the analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis, the samples of different cultivation types were classified. The results showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios and the content of elements except for Zn were significantly different among different cultivation types of D. nobile(P<0.05). The results of correlation analysis showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios, mineral element content, and effective component content in D. nobile were correlated with the nitrogen isotope ratio and mineral element content in the corresponding substrate samples to varying degrees. Principal component analysis can preliminarily classify the samples of D. nobile, but some samples overlapped. Through stepwise discriminant analysis, six indicators, including δ~(15)N, K, Cu, P, Na, and Ca, were screened out, which could be used to establish the discriminant model of D. nobile cultivation methods, and the overall correct discrimination rates after back-substitution test, cross-check, and external validation were all 100%. Therefore, nitrogen isotope ratios and mineral element fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analysis could effectively discriminate the cultivation types of D. nobile. The results of this study provide a new method for the identification of the cultivation type and production area of D. nobile and an experimental basis for the quality evaluation and quality control of D. nobile.

Network Meta-analysis of Chinese medicine injection combined with conventional western medicine in treatment of stable angina pectoris / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of different Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine for stable angina pectoris. PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed were searched to collect randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Chinese medicine injection combined with conventio-nal western medicine in the treatment of stable angina pectoris from the inception of the databases to July 8, 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Stata 15.1 was used for network Meta-analysis. A total of 52 RCTs were included, involving 4 828 patients treated by 9 Chinese medicine injections(Danhong Injection, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Polyphenol Hydrochloride Injection, Tanshinone Sodium Ⅱ_A Sulfonate Injection, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Ligustrazine Injection, Dazhu Hongjingtian Injection, Puerarin Injection, Safflower Yellow Pigment Injection, Shenmai Injection and Xuesaitong Injection). The network Meta-analysis showed that:(1)in terms of improving the efficacy of angina pectoris, the surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA) followed the order of conventional western medicine combined with Salvia Miltiorrhiza Ligustrazine Injection>Tanshinone Sodium Ⅱ_A Sulfonate Injection>Danhong Injection>Salvia Miltiorrhiza Polyphenol Hydrochloride Injection>Xuesaitong Injection>Shenmai Injection>Puerarin Injection>Safflower Yellow Pigment Injection>Dazhu Hongjingtian Injection;(2)in terms of improving the efficacy of electrocardiogram(ECG), SUCRA followed the order of conventional western medicine combined with Salvia Miltiorrhiza Ligustrazine Injection>Puerarin Injection>Danhong Injection>Salvia Miltiorrhiza Polyphenol Hydrochloride Injection>Shenmai Injection>Xuesaitong Injection>Safflower Yellow Pigment Injection>Tanshinone Sodium Ⅱ_A Sulfonate Injection>Dazhu Hongjingtian Injection;(3)in terms of increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), SUCRA followed the order of conventional western medicine combined with Danhong Injection>Shenmai Injection>Safflower Yellow Pigment Injection>Xuesaitong Injection>Tanshinone Sodium Ⅱ_A Sulfonate Injection>Dazhu Hongjingtian Injection;(4)in terms of lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), SUCRA followed the order of conventional western medicine combined with Safflower Yellow Pigment Injection>Danhong Injection>Shenmai Injection>Tanshinone Sodium Ⅱ_A Sulfonate Injection>Dazhu Hongjingtian Injection>Xuesaitong Injection;(5)in terms of safety, the overall adverse reactions of Chinese medicine injection combined with conventional western medicine were less than those of the control group. Current evidence indicated that Chinese medicine injection combined with conventional western medicine could improve the curative effect of stable angina pectoris with higher safety. Limited by the number and quality of included studies, the above conclusion needed to be verified by more high-quality studies.

Stable Angina Pectoris with Sleep Disorders Treated by Modified Tongmai Anshen Formula （通脉安神方加减）： An Clinical Observation of 74 Cases / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of the Modified Tongmai Anshen Formula （通脉安神方加减， MTAF） in the treatment of stable angina pectoris （SAP） with sleep disorders. MethodsA total of 148 patients suffering from SAP with sleep disorder were included and randomly divided into control group and treatment group， with 74 patients in each group. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group additionally received MTAF （1 dose per day）， both for 4 weeks. The changes in angina pectoris symptoms， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， sleep quality， quality of life， serological indicators including serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1） and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1）， brain-derived nerve growth factor （BDNF） and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） were compared between groups before and after treatment， and the safety was evaluated. ResultsIn the treatment group and the control group， the total effective rates of TCM syndromes（82.43% vs 52.70%）， angina pectoris （79.73% vs 64.86%） and sleep （89.19% vs 68.92%） showing significant difference （P＜0.001）. After treatment， the total TCM syndrome score， primary symptom score， secondary symptom score， and secondary symptoms sleeplessness， restlessness， tiredness and fatigue individual score， angina pectoris score， PSQI total score and each item score were all significantly reduced in both groups， while the SF-36 single item score significantly increased （P＜0.05）. The total TCM syndromes and primary symptom scores， secon-dary symptoms sleeplessness， restlessness， tiredness and fatigue individual score， angina pectoris score， time to fall asleep， sleep quality， hypnotic medication， sleep disturbance， daytime dysfunction score and PSQI total score were significantly lower in the treatment group than those in the control group after treatment （P＜0.05）， while the somatic pain， general health status， social functioning， emotional functioning， mental health， and health change were significantly higher in the treatment group （P＜0.05）. After treatment， ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 level significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， and BDNF and TrkB levels increased （P＜0.05） in the treatment group， while BDNF level significantly decreased in the control group （P＜0.05）. The TrkB level was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the control group after treatment （P＜0.05）. A total of four adverse events occurred during the treatment， none of which were considered to be related to this study. ConclusionMTAF can significantly improve angina pectoris symptoms， TCM syndromes， sleep quality and quality of life in patients suffering from SAP with sleep disorders， the mechanism of which may be related to the protection of vascular endothelial function and central neurons.

Progress of Biomarkers to Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Microsatellite Stability Colorectal Cancer / 肿瘤防治研究

The exploration of biomarkers predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in microsatellite stability colorectal cancer can enable more patients to benefit from immunotherapy. Tumor mutational burden (TMB), POLE/POLD1 mutation, CMS classifications, MGMT methylation, and other indicators own the potential and value of predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in microsatellite stability colorectal cancer. In this paper, we reviewed the related research on predictive biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors in microsatellite stability colorectal cancer, provide a reference for the best treatment strategy for microsatellite stability colorectal cancer.

Finite Element Analysis on Different Internal Fixations for Treating Proximal Humeral Fractures in Children / 医用生物力学

Objective To compare biomechanical characteristics of external fixator, Kirschner’s wire, elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) for fixing proximal humeral fractures in children by finite element method.Methods The CT scanning data from the healthy humerus of an 8-year-old patient with proximal humeralfractures were collected, and the image data were imported in Mimics 21. 0 to establish the rough humeralmodel, which was imported in Geomagic 2013 to construct the three-dimensional (3D) model of cancellous and cortical bones of the humerus. After the model was assembled with 3 fixators ( external fixator, Kirschner’swire, ESIN), it was imported in ANSYS 2019 to simulate the upper limb under quiet, abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, external rotation, internal rotation working conditions. The maximum displacement of the distal humerus, the maximum stress of the fixture, and the maximum displacement of the distal fracture surface were analyzed. Results The minimum values of the maximum displacement of the distal humerus in models fixed by external fixator, Kirschner’s wire, ESIN appeared under extension (2. 406 mm), external rotation (0. 203 mm), external rotation (0. 185 mm) working conditions, respectively. Conclusions External fixator is the most unstable fixation of proximal humeral fractures in children, and the biomechanical performance of ESIN is better than that of external fixator and Kirschner’s wire fixation

Research progress on tumor microenvironment and immune combination therapy of MSS colorectal cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

In recent years, immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors, has shown obvious advantages in prolonging the survival of patients with advanced tumors, and the tumor microenvironment is one of the important factors affecting the efficacy of immunity. Patients with microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer exhibit immune responses in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In-depth exploration of the tumor microenvironment characteristics of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer and the application of combined immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy can provide new ideas and directions for colorectal cancer immunotherapy.

Clinical outcomes of selecting the vertebra above sagittal stable vertebra as distal fusion level for Scheuermann's thoracic kyphosis / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical outcome and complications associated with utilizing sagittal plane stable vertebra-1 (SSV-1) as the distal instrumented vertebra (LIV) in posterior fusion of thoracic kyphosis with Scheuermann's Disease kyphosis (STK).Methods:A longitudinal study on patients with STK who underwent posterior correction and fusion surgery from January 2018 to June 2021 were conducted. All participants had a follow-up duration over two years. Patients were divided into two groups according to the segment of LIV: the SSV group, where LIV was located in SSV; and the SSV-1 group, where LIV was located in the vertebral body above SSV. The radiographic parameters, including global kyphosis (GK), lumbar lordosis (LL), and sagittal plane (SVA), LIV offset distance (LIV translation), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT) and sacral slope (SS), were compared between the two groups. The SRS-22 scale was used to evaluate health-related quality of life at pre-operation and last follow-up, and the incidence of postoperative distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) was also recorded. Analytical techniques, such as Analysis of Variance and Mann-Whitney tests, were employed to compare inter-group differences.Results:A total of 57 patients were included in the study, 36 in the SSV group and 21 in the SSV-1 group. The average age for patients were 16.1±2.3 years (range 13-20 years), and the average follow-up time was 32.8±6.8 months (range 24-53 months). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender, age, follow-up time, surgical time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and fusion level. Before surgery, the LIV deviation distance in the SSV group was significantly lower than that in the SSV-1 group (-7.9±11.0 mm vs. 31.5±11.5 mm, t=7.64, P<0.001). In the SSV group, the preoperative GK was 79.3°±10.5°, and the last follow-up GK was 44.4°±8.5°, which was significantly improved compared to preoperative value ( t=28.28, P<0.001); in the SSV-1 group, the preoperative GK was 81.1°±10.6°, and the value at 1-week post-operative was 44.9°±7.8°, which was significantly improved compared to pre-operative value ( t=22.23, P<0.001). At the last follow-up, it was 45.1°±8.7°, with a correction rate of 44.3%±8.5%. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of GK, LL, SVA, PI, PT and SS at pre-operative, 1-week post-operative and last follow-up ( P>0.05). All patients had no intraoperative complications of nerve injury. During the follow-up period, one patient (1/21, 4.8%) developed DJK without complications such as proximal kyphosis, pseudarthrosis, or failed internal fixation. At the last follow-up, the functional score of SRS-22 in SSV-1 group improved from preoperative (3.5±0.54) to postoperative (4.1±0.62), with an average improvement rate of 19.2%±3.2%, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=3.74, P=0.001). These results indicating that the surgical treatment was effective in relieving the symptoms of the patients. Conclusion:Selecting SSV-1 as LIV in corrective surgeries for STK appears to produce commendable clinical results with minimal implant-associated complications over a two-year observation period.