Molecular prevalence of Bartonella spp. in bat flies in east coast Malaysia.

Bats are a significant reservoir for numerous pathogens, including Bartonella spp. It is one of the emerging zoonotic bacterial diseases that can be transmitted to humans and may cause various unspecific clinical manifestations. Thus, bartonellosis is rarely diagnosed and is regarded as a neglected vector-borne disease (VBD). Bat flies have been hypothesised to be a vector in the transmission of pathogens among bats. They are host-specific, which reduces the likelihood of pathogen transmission across bat species; however, they are likely to maintain high pathogen loads within their host species. To explore the presence of Bartonella spp. in bat flies from Peninsular Malaysia; bat fly samples collected from various sites at the east coast states were subjected to molecular detection for Bartonella spp. It was discovered that 38.7 % of bats from Terengganu and Kelantan were infested with bat flies; however, no bat fly was found in bats collected from Pahang. The collected bat flies belonged to the families Nycteribiidae (79.6 %) and Streblidae (20.4 %). The collected bat flies were pooled according to the locations and species into 39 pools. Out of these 39 pools, 66.7 % (n = 26) were positive for Bartonella spp. by PCR. Sequence analyses of five randomly selected PCR-positive pools revealed that pools from Kelantan (n = 3) have the closest sequence identities (99 %) to Bartonella spp. strain Lisso-Nig-922 from Nigeria. However, the other pools from Terengganu (n = 2) were closely related to Bartonella spp. strain KP277 from Thailand and Bartonella spp. strain Rhin-3 from the Republic of Georgia with 99 % and 100 % sequence identity, respectively. This suggests that the Bartonella spp. found in Malaysian bat flies are genetically diverse and can potentially serve as reservoirs for pathogenic Bartonella spp.

Microglial function interacts with the environment to affect sex-specific depression risk.

There is a two-fold higher incidence of depression in females compared to men with recent studies suggesting a role for microglia in conferring this sex-dependent depression risk. In this study we investigated the nature of this relation. Using GWAS enrichment, gene-set enrichment analysis and Mendelian randomization, we found minimal evidence for a direct relation between genes functionally related to microglia and sex-dependent genetic risk for depression. We then used expression quantitative trait loci and single nucleus RNA-sequencing resources to generate polygenic scores (PGS) representative of individual variation in microglial function in the adult (UK Biobank; N = 54753-72682) and fetal (ALSPAC; N = 1452) periods. The adult microglial PGS moderated the association between BMI (UK Biobank; beta = 0.001, 95 %CI 0.0009 to 0.003, P = 7.74E-6) and financial insecurity (UK Biobank; beta = 0.001, 95 %CI 0.005 to 0.015, P = 2E-4) with depressive symptoms in females. The fetal microglia PGS moderated the association between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and offspring depressive symptoms at 24 years in females (ALSPAC; beta = 0.04, 95 %CI 0.004 to 0.07, P = 0.03). We found no evidence for an interaction between the microglial PGS and depression risk factors in males. Our results illustrate a role for microglial function in the conferral of sex-dependent depression risk following exposure to a depression risk factor.

Survey on tick infestation in stray dogs in localities of Malaysia.

The close relationship between dogs and humans has led to concerns regarding the transmission of zoonotic pathogens through ectoparasites such as ticks. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of ticks and the intensity on stray dogs with specific risk factors (size, sex, neutering status, body part). Additionally, identifying the predilection sites of ticks on stray dogs was crucial for developing an effective tick control program in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 64 stray dogs from Kelantan and Selangor States. These dogs were subjected to integumentary examinations, collecting 431 ticks comprising Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. "tropical lineage" and Haemaphysalis bispinosa from 53 infested dogs. The overall occurrence of tick infestation was 82.81% (53/64), with an average intensity of 8.13 ticks (range: 1-17) per stray dog. All the potential risk factors considered in this study showed no statistically significant result (P value >0.05). The head, ear, and neck were the most preferred attachment sites for ticks. These findings underscore the importance of implementing tick control programs for stray dogs, which serve as reservoirs of ticks and tick-borne pathogens for owned dogs and humans.

Inhibitory Effect of Sesquiterpenoid M36 from Myrrha on Growth of Human Hepatoma Cells / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveThe antitumor activity of sesquiterpenoid M36 isolated from Myrrha against human hepatoma HepG2 cells was investigated in this study. MethodHepG2 cells were treated with M36 at different concentrations （0， 2， 4， 6， 8， 10 μmol·L-1）. Firstly， the effects of M36 on the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT）， colony formation assay， and EdU proliferation assay. Hoechst staining， flow cytometry analysis， and Western blot were used to explore the effect of M36 on the apoptosis of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Acridine orange staining and western blotting were used to examine the effect of M36 on autophagy in HepG2 cells. Finally， Western blot was used to detect protein expression of cancer-related signaling pathways. ResultCompared with the blank group， M36 treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells （P<0.01）， and the half inhibitory concentration （IC50） value of M36 for 48 h was 5.03 μmol·L-1， in a dose- and time-dependent manner. M36 was also able to induce apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. After treatment with 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 hours， the apoptosis rate of HepG2 cells was （42.03±9.65）% （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， HepG2 cells treated with 4 and 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 h had a significant increase in cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase （cleaved-PARP） protein levels （P<0.01）. Acridine orange staining showed that autophagy was significantly activated in HepG2 cells treated with 4 and 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 h compared with the blank group （P<0.01）， which was further verified by the up-regulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ （LC3 Ⅱ）. Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the levels of phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase （p-ERK）， phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p-p38 MAPK）， phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase （p-JNK）， and its downstream nuclear transcription factors c-Jun and p-c-Jun protein were significantly increased in M36 group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of MAPK signaling pathway. ConclusionThe sesquiterpenoid M36 isolated from Myrrha inhibits the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells and promotes apoptosis and autophagy， which may be related to the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

Effect and mechanism of safranal in a mouse model of sepsis-related liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide / 临床肝胆病杂志

‍ ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of safranal against sepsis-related liver injury （SRLI） induced by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） in mice and its mechanism. MethodsA total of 32 experimental male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control group， single drug group， model group， and treatment group using the simple random method， with 8 mice in each group. The mice in the single drug group and the treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with safranal （60 mg/kg） for 7 days of pretreatment， and the mice in the model group and the treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with LPS （10 mg/kg） to induce acute liver injury. The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were measured； HE staining was used to observe liver tissue sections； immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of the downstream protein heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） in the signal pathway； TUNEL was used to analyze the apoptosis of hepatocytes； Western blot was used to measure the expression of total proteins （nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 ［Nrf-2］ and HO-1） in liver tissue. The human liver cell line L02 was pretreated with safranal （100 μmol/L）， followed by induction of acute hepatocellular injury with LPS （100 ng/mL）， and DCFH-DA fluorescent labeling was used to detect reactive oxygen species （ROS）. ResultsAfter safranal pretreatment， the treatment group had significantly lower levels of ALT and AST than the model group （both P<0.001）， with a relatively intact pseudolobular structure and a smaller necrotic area in the liver. Compared with the model group， the treatment group had significant increases in the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in liver tissue after safranal+LPS treatment （both P<0.001）， and immunohistochemistry showed that safranal pretreatment increased the number of HO-1-positive cells. In the cell model of LPS-induced acute liver injury， the treatment group had a significant reduction in the production of ROS compared with the model group. ConclusionSafranal can exert a protective effect against SRLI induced by LPS in mice through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Establishment and Application of Rapid Screening Method for Influenza Virus Neuraminidase Inhibitors Sourced from Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Fluorescence Detection / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo establish a rapid screening method for influenza virus neuraminidase（NA） inhibitors sourced from Chinese medicines based on fluorescence detection. MethodThe method was constructed based on the principle that after the reaction of the test sample and a certain amount of NA， the activity of some NA will be inhibited by the test sample， and the NA that is still active after the addition of the substrate can generate fluorescence at a specific wavelength when combined with the fluorescent substrate， and the inhibition rate of the test sample on NA was calculated according to the measured fluorescence intensity， so as to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory activity of the test sample on NA. A total of 49 high-purity chemical components from 12 Chinese medicines were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-NA activity by the established method. The theoretical calculated values of binding energy and inhibition constant after docking between the NA protein receptor and the test sample were used to prove the accuracy of the experimental results. The established method was applied to detect the in vitro NA inhibitory activity of different batches of Banlangen granules and Kangbingdu granules， so as to evaluate the quality consistency among different batches of samples. ResultThe methodological examination results showed that the method had good accuracy and repeatability. The screening results of 49 components showed that 22 of them had strong in vitro inhibitory activity against NA than peramivir ［half inhibitory concentration（IC50） was 131.2 μmol·L-1］， such as schaftoside， isoorientin， chebulinic acid， menthone and isoschaftoside. The inhibitory activity of the remaining 27 components was weaker than that of peramivir. The molecular docking results showed that the theoretical calculation results of binding energies and inhibition constants of most compounds were basically consistent with the experimental results. The test results of the inhibitory activity of 12 batches of Banlangen granules on NA showed that the quality consistency among samples A1， A2， B2， C1， C2， E2 and F2 was good. The analysis results of the inhibitory activity of 9 batches of Kangbingdu granules produced by the same manufacturer on NA showed that the inhibitory rates of samples K1 to K9 were 37.68%， 36.18%， 31.37%， 33.98%， 40.36%， 33.76%， 40.69%， 41.08%， 40.06% when the concentration of 0.02 g·mL-1， and the average inhibitory rate was 37.24%. ConclusionIn this paper， we successfully established an analytical method that can be used to rapidly evaluate whether Chinese medicines （derived from chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine or proprietary Chinese medicines） have in vitro anti-NA activity， which can be a powerful supplement to the existing screening methods for influenza virus NA inhibitors. And this method was used to screen 22 compounds from 12 Chinese medicines with good in vitro inhibitory activity against NA， which can provide candidate compounds for the development of anti-influenza small molecule drugs.

The first molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne pathogens in captive wild animals from Lohi Bher zoo, Pakistan.

Tick-borne pathogens are causing severe diseases in livestock, wild animals, and humans. Wild animals play a crucial role in tick-borne pathogens' transmission life cycle by serving as reservoir hosts or intermediate hosts, posing a continuous risk for domestic animals and humans. The presence of tick-borne pathogens is often ignored in wild animals kept in zoos, which is a public health concern. In the present study, we investigated these pathogens in tick-infested captive wild animals at the Lohi Bher zoo, Pakistan. Blood samples were collected from 22 animals, which include urials (4) (Ovis aries vignei), blackbucks (3) (Antilope cervicapra), fallow deer (1) (Dama dama), hog deer (6) (Axis porcinus), chinkaras (4) (Gazella bennettii), white tiger (2) (Panthera tigris tigris), a giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), and African lions (2) (Panthera leo). The samples were screened for Piroplasm and Anaplasma spp. by polymerase chain reaction targeting different gene loci. We detected three Theileria spp. and one Anaplasma sp. from the investigated captive wild animals. The Theileria sp. dama gazelle was detected from chinkara, Theileria sp. NG-2012b from chinkara and giraffe and T. parva from African lion, and Anaplasma bovis was identified in a giraffe. Moreover, Theileria sp. and Anaplasma sp. coinfection was detected in one giraffe. Overall, this study shows that Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp. are circulating in captive wild animals, which can play an important role in their spread. Further studies are required to monitor tick-borne pathogens in zoo animals and their potential to spread from exotic wild captive animals to local wild and domestic.

Smartic: A smart tool for Big Data analytics and IoT.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is leading the physical and digital world of technology to converge. Real-time and massive scale connections produce a large amount of versatile data, where Big Data comes into the picture. Big Data refers to large, diverse sets of information with dimensions that go beyond the capabilities of widely used database management systems, or standard data processing software tools to manage within a given limit. Almost every big dataset is dirty and may contain missing data, mistyping, inaccuracies, and many more issues that impact Big Data analytics performances. One of the biggest challenges in Big Data analytics is to discover and repair dirty data; failure to do this can lead to inaccurate analytics results and unpredictable conclusions. Different imputation methods were employed in the experimentation with various missing value imputation techniques, and the performances of machine learning (ML) models were compared. A hybrid model that integrates ML and sample-based statistical techniques for missing value imputation is being proposed. Furthermore, the continuation involved the dataset with the best missing value imputation, chosen based on ML model performance for subsequent feature engineering and hyperparameter tuning. K-means clustering and principal component analysis were applied in our study. Accuracy, the evaluated outcome, improved dramatically and proved that the XGBoost model gives very high accuracy at around 0.125 root mean squared logarithmic error (RMSLE). To overcome overfitting, K-fold cross-validation was implemented.

Mutual Information Entropy Analysis of Compatibility of Traditional Chinese Patent Medicines Against Liver Diseases in Chinese Pharmacopoeia（2020 Edition） / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the compatibility rule of traditional Chinese patent medicines （TCPMs） against liver diseases through network analysis. MethodWith “liver” as the search term， TCPMs against liver diseases were retrieved from volume Ⅰ of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （2020 edition）， and the basic information of them was collected. TCPMs with same Chinese medicinal materials （CMMs）， usage， and indications， but different dosage forms， were unified as one formula. Mutual information entropy （MIE） of CMM couples was calculated to quantify the relationship between them， and the top 25% CMM pairs in MIE were used to construct the compatibility network， with CMM as node and the relationship between CMM pairs as the edge. Key CMM and frequently used CMM combinations were identified based on node centrality and cluster analysis， respectively. The indications of TCPMs related to the CMMs in clusters were recorded. Cytoscape 3.6.1 was employed for visualization and topology analysis of the compatibility network. ResultA total of 179 TCPMs， involving 428 CMMs， were retrieved. Angelicae Sinensis Radix， Paeoniae Radix Alba， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were identified as key CMMs with high frequency， and Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium-Cyperi Rhizoma， and Ecliptae Herba-Ligustri Lucidi Fructus combinations had high MIE. Furthermore， the CMMs were clustered into ten groups corresponding to different diseases which， however， all belonged to digestive diseases. ConclusionThis study unveils potential CMM pairs and common CMM combinations against liver diseases， which can serve as a reference for revealing compatibility rules of CMMs and research and development of Chinese medicine.

Establishment of a rapid method for quality assessment of cardiotonic effect of Shengfupian / 药学学报

Based on the similar structure of adrenaline shared by higenamine (HI), salsolinol (SA) and coryneine (CO), a photochemical colorimetric sensor based on the displacement reaction of o-diphenol hydroxyl group and alizarin red S-phenylboric acid system was constructed to quickly distinguish and identify the cardiac strength of Shengfupian. The results show that the optimal condition of the sensor is: the molar ratio of alizarin red S (ARS) to phenylboric acid (PA) is 1∶3, reaction temperature is 0 ℃; The preparation method of the sample solution is optimized as follows: 2.5 g of Shengfupian powder was taken, 10 times the amount of methanol was added, and 300 W, 40 kHz ultrasound was carried out for 15 min; methodological studies showed that the method had good precision, repeatability and stability. The |△G| value (G is green, |△G| = |G after - G before|) of each sample was obtained by response values determination of 14 batches of Shengfupian. LC-MS/MS was used to determine the contents of three cardiac components in Shengfupian. It was found that the order of the total contents of cardiotonic components was basically consistent with |△G|. Then the correlation was analyzed, and the correlation coefficient R2 was as high as 0.87, which proved the scientificity and accuracy of this method. This study fills the methodological gap of rapid evaluation of the quality of Shengfupian, and provides the key technical support for the high quality and good price of Shengfupian in the market circulation and clinical application.

Luminescence intensity ratio thermometry based on combined ground and excited states absorptions of Tb3+ doped CaWO4.

Luminescence intensity ratio (LIR) thermometry is of great interest, because of its wide applications of noninvasive temperature sensing. Here, a LIR thermometry based on combined ground and excited states absorptions is developed using CaWO4:Tb3+. The ratio of single luminescence (5D4-7F5) intensities under 379 and 413 nm excitations with opposite temperature dependences, attributed to the thermal coupling of ground state 7F6 and excited state 7F5, is used to measure temperature. This LIR method achieves a high relative sensitivity of 2.8% K-1, and can avoid complex spectral splitting by collecting all down-shifting luminescence bands, being a promising accurate luminescence thermometry.

BNT162b2 COVID-19 VACCINATION AND ITS EFFECT ON BLOOD PRESSURE

This study aims to explore the trends of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) before and 15-minutes after two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, which were administered 21 days apart. This vaccine safety active surveillance study was carried out on 15th-16th March (first dose) and 5th-6th April 2021 (second dose), in academic hospital.. Vaccinees above 18 years old, SBP, DBP, MAP and PP pre- and 15 minutes post-vaccination for both doses were analysed. Study outcomes were mean of BP, mean of BP changes, and BP trends measurements. A total of 287 vaccinees were included. A quarter (n=72) had decreased DBP [≥] 10mmHg (mean DBP deceased: 15mmHg, 95%CI: 14-17mmHg) after the first dose, and 12.5% post-second dose (mean DBP decreased: 13mmHg, 95%CI: 12-15mmHg). Post-first dose, 28.6% (n= 82) were found to have widened PP > 40mmHg. After the first dose, those who had elevated and decreased SBP [≥] 20mmHg were 5.2% and 4.9%, respectively. Eleven percent (n = 32) had decreased SBP [≥] 20mmHg post-second dose, nevertheless the psychology effect cannot be ruled out. The BNT162b2 vaccine was generally well tolerated. BP changes after vaccination emphasizes the need for monitoring.

Data-driven analysis of COVID-19 reveals specific severity patterns distinct from the temporal immune response

Key immune signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection may associate with either adverse immune reactions (severity) or simply an ongoing anti-viral response (temporality); how immune signatures contribute to severe manifestations and/or temporal progression of disease and whether longer disease duration correlates with severity remain unknown. Patient blood was comprehensively immunophenotyped via mass cytometry and multiplex cytokine arrays, leading to the identification of 327 basic subsets that were further stratified into more than 5000 immunotypes and correlated with 28 plasma cytokines. Low-density neutrophil abundance was closely correlated with hepatocyte growth factor levels, which in turn correlated with disease severity. Deep analysis also revealed additional players, namely conventional type 2 dendritic cells, natural killer T cells, plasmablasts and CD16+ monocytes, that can influence COVID-19 severity independent of temporal progression. Herein, we provide interactive network analysis and data visualization tools to facilitate data mining and hypothesis generation for elucidating COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Development of a novel and practical bioassay for the quality evaluation and control of Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum based on the detection of digestive enzyme activity / 药学学报

Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum (GGEC) represents digestion-promoting medicines with measurable effects and extensive clinical application. However, its effective components are not clear. The quality control index in the current edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia is rather elementary and does not reflect its clinical efficacy. In this study, a bioassay method based on pepsin activity was proposed as a novel quality control method. With pepsin activity as the evaluation index, the extraction of GGEC was optimized and a method for the determination of biological potency was established by using the qualitative reaction parallel line method. The biological potency and consistency of 20 batches of GGEC were investigated. To provide scientific evidence in support of this bioassay method, two validation experiments were designed. One was to study the viscosity-reducing activity of a nutritional semi-solid paste after adding GGEC samples with differing potency. The other was to correlate the gastric residual rate in mice and pepsin activity with the alcohol soluble extract content. The results showed that the optimal preparation method was to dilute crude powder of GGEC with 50 volumes of water and subject to ultrasonic extraction at 300 W and 40 kHz for 0.5 h. The shape of the dose-response curve was similar to that of the positive control drug multienzyme tablets and the precision, intermediate precision and repeatability met the methodology requirements. The results showed that the potency of 20 batches of samples ranged from 13.49 to 34.69 U·mg-1, with an average value of 22.21 U·mg-1. The validation experiment demonstrated that the effect of reducing the viscosity of the nutrient paste became more significant as GGEC sample potency increased. The correlation coefficient R of gastric residual rate with pepsin potency and alcohol soluble extract content was 0.867 and 0.518, respectively, which indicated that the pepsin potency was highly correlated with in vivo activity. This study shows that a bioassay method based on pepsin activity is reliable and reproducible for GGEC and could provide reference method for the quality evaluation of other digestant herbs.

Effect of Removing Core on Quality of Phyllanthi Fructus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:The differences of chemical compositions and pharmacological activities between the core and pulp of Phyllanthi Fructus were investigated by chemical analysis and <italic>in vitro</italic> test to explore the effect of the core on the quality of this medicinal material. Method:Literature， medicinal material standards and market research on the appearance of Phyllanthi Fructus were conducted based on existing databases. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbital trap high resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS） was used to identify the constituents of the core and pulp. The analysis was performed on Thermo Scientific Accucore C₁₈ column （2.1 mm×100 mm， 2.6 μm） with the mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution （A）-methanol （B） for gradient elution （0-25 min， 5%B； 25-30 min， 5%-95%B； 30-35 min， 95%-5%B）， the flow rate was 0.2 mL·min^-1， heating electrospray ionization （HESI） was adopted with positive and negative ion modes， and the scanning range was <italic>m</italic>/<italic>z</italic> 100-1 500. High performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was used to determine the contents of gallic acid， corilagin， chebulagic acid and ellagic acid in the core and pulp of Phyllanthi Fructus. Analysis was performed on Welchrom C₁₈ column （4.6 mm×250 mm， 5 μm） with mobile phase of methanol （A）-0.05% phosphoric acid aqueous solution （B） for gradient elution （0-6 min， 5%A； 6-15 min， 5%-7%A； 15-20 min， 7%-15%A； 20-25 min， 15%-21%A； 25-31 min， 21%-22%A； 31-41 min， 22%A； 41-47 min， 22%-28%A； 47-51 min， 28%-32%A； 51-57 min， 32%-38%A； 57-70 min， 38%-45%A； 70-80 min， 45%-65%A； 80-85 min， 65%-5%A）， the detection wavelength was set at 270 nm. The antibacterial effects of the core and pulp of Phyllanthi Fructus on <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> and <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> were investigated by filter paper method， and their antioxidant activities were compared by 1，1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH） free radical scavenging assay. Result:A total of 47 compounds were identified in the core and pulp of Phyllanthi Fructus， mainly including tannins， flavonoids， phenolic acids， fatty acids， amino acids， organic acids， saccharides and glycosides， most of which were concentrated in the pulp， and the fatty acids in the core accounted for a higher proportion. The contents of gallic acid， corilagin， chebulagic acid， ellagic acid and other phenolic compounds in the pulp of 20 batches of Phyllanthi Fructus were much higher than those in the core. The results of antibacterial test showed that the core of Phyllanthi Fructus with different concentrations had no antimicrobial effect. The DPPH radical scavenging test showed that the antioxidant activity of the core ［half-inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀）=199.632 mg·L^-1］ was much less than that of the pulp （IC₅₀=12.688 mg·L^-1）. Conclusion:From the perspectives of polyphenol content， antibacterial and antioxidant activities， it is scientific to use Phyllanthi Fructus pulp in ancient and modern times， which may be to remove the secondary parts of Phyllanthi Fructus， so as to enhance the actual utilization rate and therapeutic effect of medicinal materials. In view of the large proportion of the core of Phyllanthi Fructus and its high content of fatty acids and other components， whether or not to use it remains to be further studied in clinical application.

Preliminary Study on Commodity Grade Classification of Phyllanthi Fructus Based on Color Component Correlation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To provide a scientific basis for the classification of Phyllanthi Fructus product grades. Method:A total of 30 batches of Phyllanthi Fructus currently available in the market were collected for quantification based on such appearance indexes as diameter， thickness， grain weight， and crust colour （<italic>L</italic>^*， <italic>a</italic>^*， and <italic>b</italic>^* values）. The contents of gallic acid， corilagin， chebulagic acid， and ellagic acid were measured by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）， followed by descriptive statistical analysis （DSA）， analysis of variance （ANOVA）， and principal component analysis （PCA） to determine the importance of each main index and explore the correlations between the appearance indexes and internal components. The classification standard of Phyllanthi Fructus product grades was formulated， and its scientificity was verified in hepatocelular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Result:The correlation analysis revealed that the crust colour <italic>L</italic>^*， <italic>a</italic>^*， and <italic>b</italic>^* values were significantly negatively correlated with corilagin， chebulagic acid， and ellagic acid （<italic>|r|</italic>>0.5， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， but irrelevant to gallic acid （<italic>|r|</italic><0.1）. Considering the variable coefficient of each index， PCA results， and the requirement of gallic acid as quality indicator for Phyllanthi Fructus in <italic>Chinese Pharmacopoeia</italic>， the crust colour <italic>L</italic>^*， <italic>a</italic>^*， and <italic>b</italic>^* values and gallic acid content were determined to be the classification indexes. The K-means cluster analysis confirmed that products with crust colour <italic>L</italic>^*<44， <italic>a</italic>^*<7， and <italic>b</italic>^*<10 and gallic acid content >1.6% could be classified into the first class， and those failing to meet the above requirements into the second class. The cell experiment demonstrated that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） of the first-class product against hepatocelular carcinoma HepG2 cells was lower than that of the second-class product. A colourimetric card was developed based on crust colour <italic>L</italic>^*， <italic>a</italic>^*， and <italic>b</italic>^* values to provide a visual tool for on-site evaluation of Phyllanthi Fructus products. Conclusion:This study has initially established the classification standard of Phyllanthi Fructus product grades， which contributes to guiding price negotiation of Phyllanthi Fructus products based on quality grade and thus ensuring high quality and high price.

Establishment and Application of Identification Method for Fishy Odor of Cordyceps Based on HS-SPME/GC-QQQ-MS/MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To establish and apply a new practical analytical method for identifying the fishy odor of Cordyceps based on headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry （HS-SPME/GC-QQQ-MS/MS） technique. Method:The InertCap Pure-WAX capillary column （0.25 mm×30 m， 0.25 μm） was used for chromatographic separation. The injection port temperature was set at 250 ℃. The injection mode was split injection with a ratio of 5∶1. High purity helium was used as the carrier gas and control mode was set to constant pressure. The column flow rate was 1.43 mL∙min^-1， the linear velocity was 43.3 cm∙s^-1， and the purge flow rate was 3.0 mL∙min^-1. The chromatographic column temperature program as follows：maintained the initial temperature at 50 ℃ for 5 min， and increased the temperature at a rate of 10 ℃∙min^-1 to 250 ℃， held for 10 min. The column equilibrium time was 2.0 min. The ion source of mass spectrographic analysis was electron ionization with ion source temperature of 200 ℃， and the monitoring mode was set to multiple reaction monitoring. Result:Seven batches of Cordyceps samples were collected， including 3 batches from Sichuan， 3 batches from Qinghai and 1 batch from Tibet. There were six batches of counterfeits， including 3 batches from Sichuan， 2 batches from Guizhou and 1 batch in Xinjiang. A total of 81 volatile compounds were screened out in Cordyceps， which could be divided into 13 types （esters， ketones， aldehydes and others） according to the compound structure， indicating that the fishy odor of Cordyceps was a complex odor. There was no significant difference in the types of volatile compounds of Cordyceps from different regions， which suggested that these volatile compounds in Cordyceps produced in Tibet （Naqu）， Qinghai （Yushu and Guoluo） and Sichuan （Litang， Rangtang and Seda） were relatively consistent. However， the contents of some volatile compounds in Cordyceps produced in different regions were quite different， and 16 volatile compounds with significant difference were screened out， including 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate， <italic>γ</italic>-octalactone， hexyl acetate and others， those compounds maybe could been used as the quality markers for identification of regions of Cordyceps. There was a large difference in volatile compounds between Cordyceps and its counterfeits， and 34 volatile compounds were screened out， including ethyl acetate， acetophenone， 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and others， those compounds maybe could been used as the quality markers for authenticity identification of Cordyceps. Conclusion:In summary， the established method for identifying the fishy odor of Cordyceps in this paper has the characteristics of high sensitivity， accuracy and simplicity， which can provide reference for the analysis of volatile compounds in other Chinese herbal medicines.

Research advances in Kupffer cells participating in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of primary liver cancer with high mortality worldwide. Among the common malignant tumors in China, HCC ranks fourth in terms of incidence rate and ranks second in terms of mortality, which seriously threatens the health and life safety of the Chinese people. This article mainly introduces the dual role of Kupffer cells (KCs) in HCC and briefly describes its interaction with liver parenchymal cells and nonparenchymal cells and related targeted treatment methods. The analysis shows that in-depth research on KCs in the regulation of HCC helps to provide new ideas for further treatment of HCC.

Research advances in Kupffer cells participating in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of primary liver cancer with high mortality worldwide. Among the common malignant tumors in China, HCC ranks fourth in terms of incidence rate and ranks second in terms of mortality, which seriously threatens the health and life safety of the Chinese people. This article mainly introduces the dual role of Kupffer cells (KCs) in HCC and briefly describes its interaction with liver parenchymal cells and nonparenchymal cells and related targeted treatment methods. The analysis shows that in-depth research on KCs in the regulation of HCC helps to provide new ideas for further treatment of HCC.

Strategies and ideas of comprehensive development and utilization of medicine and food homologous variety Phyllanthus emblica / 中国中药杂志

Phyllanthus emblica is a kind of traditional medicine and medicinal and edible plant, with rich variety resources and high development value. It is a key poverty alleviation variety in China at present. As P. emblica processing industry is rising gradually in recent years, in order to fully develop and utilize its industrial resources, this paper systematically introduces current comprehensive development and utilization of P. emblica, discusses the problems in P. emblica processing industry, and puts forward comprehensive development and utilization strategies and industrial models in terms of cultivation, breeding, grading, quality evaluation and waste recycling, so as to provide a certain reference for promoting the high-quality development of P. emblica industry in China.