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Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (S. miltiorrhiza) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The processing of S. miltiorrhiza requires the raw herbs to sweat first and then dry. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) of S. miltiorrhiza extracts (including tanshinones and phenolic acids) before and after sweating, and to further explore whether the “sweating” primary processing affected the efficacy of S. miltiorrhiza. The AMI animal model was established by subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO). After treatment, the cardiac function of rats was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG), biochemical, and histochemical analysis. Moreover, the regulation of S. miltiorrhiza extracts on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα)/retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway of rats was assessed by the Western blotting. The results showed that sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts including tanshinones and phenolic acids significantly reduced ST-segment elevation in ECG and the myocardial infarction area in varying degrees. Meanwhile, sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza reversed the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in AMI rats. Concurrently, the results of Western blotting revealed that S. miltiorrhiza extracts regulated the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Most importantly, sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts are more effective than the non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza, and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of tanshinones extract was also better than that of phenolic acid extract. Although phenolic acid extracts before and after sweating were effective in anti-AMI, there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, both tanshinones and phenolic acids extracts of sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza promote anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory against AMI via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, the comparations between sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts indicate that sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts have better therapeutic effects on AMI.

Since the existence of high-density gas voids, Ti3C2Tx (MXene), especially aerogels, whose diverse surface chemistry and porous hollow structure break the continuity of the heat transmission path and effectively reduce its thermal conductivity, has broad prospects in the field of new thermal insulation materials. Herein, MXene and carbonized bagasse fiber (CBF) are compounded into a special aerogel through hydroxyethyl cellulose, which not only reduces its cost but also improves its thermal insulation and mechanical properties. MXene/CBF aerogels have low thermal conductivity (69 mW·m−1·K−1) and excellent compressive stress (1.04 MPa), which make them to be used in the field of environmental protection and heat insulation materials.

Background: Kai-Xin-San (KXS) is one of the classic famous traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for amnesia, which has been applied for thousands of years. Modern pharmacological research has found that KXS has significant therapeutic efficacy on nervous system diseases, which is related to its antioxidant activity. However, the antioxidant material basis and quality markers (Q-makers) of KXS have not been studied. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the Q-makers of antioxidant activity of KXS based on spectrum-effect relationship.Methods: Specifically, the metabolites in KXS extracts were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS. The fingerprint profile of KXS extracts were established by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and seven common peaks were identified. Meanwhile, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test was used to evaluate the free radical scavenging ability of KXS. The spectrum-effect relationship between its HPLC fingerprint and DPPH free radical scavenging activity was preliminarily examined by the Pearson correlation analysis, grey relation analysis (GRA), and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Further, the antioxidant effect of KXS and its Q-makers were validated through human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells experiment.Results: The results showed that 103 metabolites were identified from KXS, and the similarity values between HPLC fingerprint of twelve batches of KXS were greater than 0.900. At the same time, the results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the peaks 8, 1, 14, 17, 18, 24, 16, 21, 15, 13, 6, 5, and 3 from KXS were positively correlated with the scavenging activity values of DPPH. Combined with the results of GRA and OPLS-DA, peaks 1, 3, 5 (Sibiricose A6), 6, 13 (Ginsenoside Rg1), 15, and 24 in the fingerprints were screen out as the potential Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect. Besides, the results of CCK-8 assay showed that KXS and its Q-makers remarkably reduced the oxidative damage of SH-SY5Y cells caused by H2O2. However, the antioxidant activity of KXS was decreased significantly after Q-makers were knocked out.Conclusion: In conclusion, the metabolites in KXS were successfully identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS, and the Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect was analyzed based on the spectrum-effect relationship. These results are beneficial to clarify the antioxidant material basis of KXS and provide the quality control standards for new KXS products development.

Panic disorder (PD) is a prevalent type of anxiety disorder. Previous studies have reported abnormal brain activity in the fear network of patients with PD. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether pharmacotherapy can effectively normalize these abnormalities. This longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to investigate the spontaneous neural activity in patients with PD and its changes after pharmacotherapy, with a focus on determining whether it could predict treatment response. The study included 54 drug-naive patients with PD and 54 healthy controls (HCs). Spontaneous neural activity was measured using regional homogeneity (ReHo). Additionally, support vector regression (SVR) was employed to predict treatment response from ReHo. At baseline, PD patients had aberrant ReHo in the fear network compared to HCs. After 4 weeks of paroxetine treatment (20 mg/day), a significant increase in ReHo was observed in the left fusiform gyrus, which had shown reduced ReHo before treatment. The SVR analysis showed significantly positive correlations (p < 0.0001) between the predicted and actual reduction rates of the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Here, we show patients with PD had abnormal spontaneous neural activities in the fear networks. Furthermore, these abnormal spontaneous neural activities can be partially normalized by pharmacotherapy and serve as candidate predictors of treatment response. Gaining insight into the trajectories of brain activity normalization following treatment holds the potential to provide vital insights for managing PD.

Early brain functional changes induced by pharmacotherapy in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in relation to drugs per se or because of the impact of such drugs on the improvement of OCD remain unclear. Moreover, no neuroimaging biomarkers are available for diagnosis of OCD and prediction of early treatment response. We performed a longitudinal study involving 34 patients with OCD and 36 healthy controls (HCs). Patients with OCD received 5-week treatment with paroxetine (40 mg/d). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), support vector machine (SVM), and support vector regression (SVR) were applied to acquire and analyze the imaging data. Compared with HCs, patients with OCD had higher ReHo values in the right superior temporal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus/parahippocampus/fusiform gyrus/cerebellum at baseline. ReHo values in the left hippocampus and parahippocampus decreased significantly after treatment. The reduction rate (RR) of ReHo values was positively correlated with the RRs of the scores of Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and obsession. Abnormal ReHo values at baseline could serve as potential neuroimaging biomarkers for OCD diagnosis and prediction of early therapeutic response. This study highlighted the important role of the hippocampal–cortical system in the neuropsychological mechanism underlying OCD, pharmacological mechanism underlying OCD treatment, and the possibility of building models for diagnosis and prediction of early treatment response based on spontaneous activity in the hippocampal–cortical system.

The homogeneous galactoglucan PCP-1C extracted from Poria cocos sclerotium has multiple biological activities. The present study demonstrated the effect of PCP-1C on the polarization of RAW 264.7 macrophages and the underlying molecular mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy showed that PCP-1C is a detrital-shaped polysaccharide with fish-scale patterns on the surface, with a high sugar content. The ELISA assay, qRT-PCR assay, and flow cytometry assay showed that the presence of PCP-1C could induce higher expression of M1 markers, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-12 (IL-12), when compared with the control and the LPS group, and it caused a decrease in the level of interleukin-10 (IL-10), which is the marker for M2 macrophages. At the same time, PCP-1C induces an increase in the CD86 (an M1 marker)/CD206 (an M2 marker) ratio. The results of the Western blot assay showed that PCP-1C induced activation of the Notch signaling pathway in macrophages. Notch1, ligand Jagged1, and Hes1 were all up-regulated with the incubation of PCP-1C. These results indicate that the homogeneous Poria cocos polysaccharide PCP-1C improves M1 macrophage polarization through the Notch signaling pathway.

Macrophage-derived exosomes have been implicated on the modulation of inflammatory processes. Recent studies have shown that macrophage-derived exosomes contribute to the progression of many diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and heart failure. This review describes the biogenesis of macrophage-derived exosomes and their biological functions in different diseases. In addition, the challenges facing the use of macrophage-derived exosomes as delivery tools for drugs, genes, and proteins in clinical applications are described. The application of macrophage-derived exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is also discussed.

Objective: Internet addiction (IA) has become a global public health issue. Although previous studies revealed several risk factors related to IA, most of them focused on the western societies. The present study assesses the relationships between gender and other factors with IA in university freshmen in the South China.Methods: A total of 3,380 first-year college students (1,995 males and 1,385 females) participated in an evaluation of their experiences surfing on the Internet. We investigated the severity of IA in the participants by considering their psychological characteristics, such as acceptance, anxiety levels, and coping styles. Then, we compared the results between males and females and between those in addiction group (Chinese Internet Addiction Scale, CIAS, scores≥64) and non-addiction group (CIAS scores ≤27). We also conducted a logistic regression analysis to detect the relationships between severity of IA and psychological characteristics and gender differences.Results: We observed that males showed significantly higher scores in CIAS than females. The addiction group exhibited significantly higher state anxiety and trait anxiety, and experienced less acceptance of self and others and acceptance by others, and adopted less positive coping style and preferred negative coping style than non-addiction group. The logistic regression analysis revealed that three factors (negative coping styles, acceptance of self and others, state anxiety levels) had a significant association with more severe IA.Conclusion: Gender differences affect the severity of IA in the first-year students in South China. Males with state anxiety and negative coping styles deserve attention because they are likely to be addicted to the Internet. Thus, health practitioners should perform efficient strategies while considering gender differences to precaution first-year college students with the risk factors for IA.

Background. Previous studies have revealed the abnormalities in homotopic connectivity in schizophrenia. However, the relationship of these deficits to antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia remains unclear. This study explored the effects of antipsychotic therapy on brain homotopic connectivity and whether the homotopic connectivity of these regions might predict individual treatment response in schizophrenic patients. Methods. A total of 21 schizophrenic patients and 20 healthy controls were scanned by the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The patients received olanzapine treatment and were scanned at two time points. Voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and pattern classification techniques were applied to analyze the imaging data. Results. Schizophrenic patients presented significantly decreased VMHC in the temporal and inferior frontal gyri, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and motor and low-level sensory processing regions (including the fusiform gyrus and cerebellum lobule VI) relative to healthy controls. The VMHC in the superior/middle MPFC was significantly increased in the patients after eight weeks of treatment. Support vector regression (SVR) analyses revealed that VMHC in the superior/middle MPFC at baseline can predict the symptomatic improvement of the positive and negative syndrome scale after eight weeks of treatment. Conclusions. This study demonstrated that olanzapine treatment may normalize decreased homotopic connectivity in the superior/middle MPFC in schizophrenic patients. The VMHC in the superior/middle MPFC may predict individual response for antipsychotic therapy. The findings of this study conduce to the comprehension of the therapy effects of antipsychotic medications on homotopic connectivity in schizophrenia.

Whether brain function is altered in patients with dry eye disease (DED) remains unclear. Twenty patients with DED and 23 healthy controls (HCs) were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and support vector machine (SVM) were used to analyze the imaging data. Relative to the HCs, the patients with DED showed significantly increased ReHo values in the left inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), left superior temporal gyrus, and right superior medial prefrontal cortex, and significantly decreased ReHo values in the right superior frontal gyrus/middle frontal gyrus and bilateral middle cingulum (MC). SVM results indicated that the combination of ReHo values in the left MC and the left IOG in distinguishing patients with DED from HCs had a sensitivity of 95.00%, a specificity of 91.30%, and an accuracy of 93.02%. The present study found that the patients with DED had abnormal ReHo values in the limbic-cortical circuits. A combination of ReHo values in the left MC and the left IOG could be applied as a potential imaging biomarker to distinguish patients with DED from HCs. The dysfunction of limbic-cortical circuits may play an important role in the pathophysiology of DED.

ObjectiveStudies on alterations in the regional neural activity in the brain of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have provided conflicting results because of different medications used and study designs. A low bone mineral density (BMD) is also observed in patients with BD. This study aimed to further explore regional neural activities in unmedicated patients with BD and their association with BMD.MethodsIn this study, 40 patients with BD and 42 healthy controls were scanned through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Imaging data were analyzed with regional homogeneity (ReHo) and pattern classification. Pearson’s correlation analyses were performed to explore the correlations between abnormal ReHo and BMD.ResultsA significant increase in ReHo values in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)/temporal pole, left cerebellum vermis I/vermis II/parahippocampal gyrus/brainstem, and right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and a decrease in ReHo in the occipital gyrus (OG; left middle OG/superior OG/bilateral cuneus) were found in the patients with BD (p < 0.05) compared with those in the healthy controls. No significant correlation was observed between the abnormal ReHo values in any of the brain regions of the patients with BMD.Support vector machine (SVM) analyses revealed that the ReHo values in the right STG for distinguishing patients from healthy controls showed an accuracy of 91.89%, a sensitivity of 75.68%, and a specificity of 83.78%. The ReHo values in the left cerebellum vermis I/vermis II/parahippocampal gyrus/brainstem indicated an accuracy of 78.38%, a sensitivity of 75.68%, and a specificity of 81.08%.ConclusionThis study further confirms the abnormal brain activities in extensive regions, and these brain regions are primarily located in the fronto–temporal–occipital circuit and the cerebellum vermis of patients with BD. The regional neural activity in the right STG and the left cerebellum vermis I/vermis II/parahippocampal gyrus/brainstem may serve as potential imaging markers to distinguish patients with BD from healthy controls.

BackgroundPrevious studies have revealed the efficacy of metacognitive training for schizophrenia. However, the underlying mechanisms of metacognitive training on brain function alterations, including the default-mode network (DMN), remain unknown. The present study explored treatment effects of metacognitive training on functional connectivity of the brain regions in the DMN.MethodsForty-one patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were randomly assigned to drug plus psychotherapy (DPP) and drug therapy (DT) groups. The DPP group received olanzapine and metacognitive training, and the DT group received only olanzapine for 8 weeks. Network homogeneity (NH) was applied to analyze the imaging data, and pattern classification techniques were applied to test whether abnormal NH deficits at baseline might be used to discriminate patients from healthy controls. Abnormal NH in predicting treatment response was also examined in each patient group.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, patients at baseline showed decreased NH in the bilateral ventral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, and bilateral precuneus and increased NH in the right cerebellum Crus II and bilateral superior MPFC. NH values in the right PCC/precuneus increased in the DPP group after 8 weeks of treatment, whereas no substantial difference in NH value was observed in the DT group. Support vector machine analyses showed that the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for distinguishing patients from healthy controls were more than 0.7 in the NH values of the right PCC/precuneus, bilateral ventral MPFC, bilateral superior MPFC, and bilateral precuneus regions. Support vector regression analyses showed that high NH levels at baseline in the bilateral superior MPFC could predict symptomatic improvement of positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) after 8 weeks of DPP treatment. No correlations were found between alterations in the NH values and changes in the PANSS scores/cognition parameters in the patients.ConclusionThis study provides evidence that metacognitive training is related to the modulation of DMN homogeneity in schizophrenia.

This study aims to explore the potential benefits of antidepressant drugs related to metabolic enzyme and drug-targeted genes, identify the optimal treatment of major depression, and provide a reference for individualized medication selection. A prospective randomized single-blind investigation was conducted for 8 weeks. A pharmacogenomic-based interpretive report was provided to the treating physician in the guided group. Patients in this group were informed that their medication selection was directed by DNA testing. In the unguided group, treatment was provided based on the clinical experience of the physician without the guidance of pharmacogenomic testing. Pharmacogenomic-based interpretive report was not provided to these patients until treatment completion. The 17-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17), Hamilton anxiety scale, and treatment emergent symptom scale were used to assess the clinical efficacy and side effects at baseline and after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment. Among the 80 initially enrolled patients with depression, 71 participated in the full data analysis sets and were designated into guided (31) and unguided (40) groups, respectively. No significant difference (P > 0.05) in HAMD-17 total scores, response and remission rates was found between the guided and unguided groups at the end of the treatment. The incidence rate of adverse reaction was 55.56% in guided group and 57.89% in the unguided group. Our study suggested that pharmacogenomic testing might not considerably improve the clinical efficiency and safety for the guided group.

The notion of dysconnectivity in schizophrenia has been put forward for many years and results in substantial attempts to explore altered functional connectivity (FC) within different networks with inconsistent results. Clinical, demographical, and methodological heterogeneity may contribute to the inconsistency. Forty-four patients with first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia, 42 unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients and 44 healthy controls took part in this study. Global-brain FC (GFC) was employed to analyze the imaging data. Compared with healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia and unaffected siblings shared enhanced GFC in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG). In addition, patients had increased GFC mainly in the thalamo-cortical network, including the bilateral thalamus, bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, left superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right angular gyrus, and right SFG/middle frontal gyrus and decreased GFC in the left ITG/cerebellum Crus I. No other altered GFC values were observed in the siblings group relative to the control group. Further ROC analysis showed that increased GFC in the left SFG could separate the patients or the siblings from the controls with acceptable sensitivities. Our findings suggest that increased GFC in the left SFG may serve as a potential endophenotype for schizophrenia.

Background: Kai-Xin-San (KXS) is one of the classic famous traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for amnesia, which has been applied for thousands of years. Modern pharmacological research has found that KXS has significant therapeutic efficacy on nervous system diseases, which is related to its antioxidant activity. However, the antioxidant material basis and qualitymarkers (Q-makers) of KXS have not been studied. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the Q-makers of antioxidant activity of KXS based on spectrum-effect relationship. Methods: Specifically, the metabolites in KXS extracts were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS. The fingerprint profile of KXS extracts were established by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and seven common peaks were identified. Meanwhile, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test was used to evaluate the free radical scavenging ability of KXS. The spectrum-effect relationship between its HPLC fingerprint and DPPH free radical scavenging activity was preliminarily examined by the Pearson correlation analysis, grey relation analysis (GRA), and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Further, the antioxidant effect of KXS and its Q-makers were validated through human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells experiment. Results: The results showed that 103 metabolites were identified from KXS, and the similarity values between HPLC fingerprint of twelve batches of KXS were greater than 0.900. At the same time, the results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the peaks 8, 1, 14, 17, 18, 24, 16, 21, 15, 13, 6, 5, and 3 from KXSwere positively correlated with the scavenging activity values of DPPH. Combined with the results of GRA and OPLS-DA, peaks 1, 3, 5 (Sibiricose A6), 6, 13 (Ginsenoside Rg1), 15, and 24 in the fingerprints were screen out as the potential Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect. Besides, the results of CCK-8 assay showed that KXS and its Q-makers remarkably reduced the oxidative damage of SH-SY5Y cells caused by H2O2. However, the antioxidant activity of KXS was decreased significantly afterQ-makerswere knocked out. Conclusion: In conclusion, the metabolites in KXS were successfully identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS, and the Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect was analyzed based on the spectrum-effect relationship. These results are beneficial to clarify the antioxidant material basis of KXS and provide the quality control standards for new KXS products development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundConstitution is a valuable part of traditional Chinese medicine theory; it is defined as the internal foundation for the occurrence, development, transformation and outcome of diseases, and has its characteristic gut microbiota. Previous study showed that deficiency constitution was related to lower Hb counts. However, no research has examined how alterations in the gut microbiome induced by deficiency constitution may increase the tendency for anemia.MethodsWe used a multiomics strategy to identify and quantify taxonomies and compounds found under deficient constitution individuals and further explore the possible pathological factors that affect red blood cell indices.Results① People with deficient constitution showed lower hemoglobin (Hb), more Firmicutes, less Bacteroidetes, and higher α diversity. ② We identified Escherichia coli, Clostridium bolteae, Ruminococcus gnavus, Streptococcus parasanguinis and Flavonifractor plautii as potential biomarkers of deficient constitution. ③ Slackia piriformis, Clostridium_sp_L2_50 and Bacteroides plebeius were enriched in balanced-constitution individuals, and Parabacteroides goldsteinii was the key bacterial marker of balanced constitution. ④ Flavonifractor plautii may be a protective factor against the tendency for anemia among deficient individuals. ⑤ Ruminococcus gnavus may be the shared microbe base of deficiency constitution-related the tendency for anemia. ⑥ The microorganism abundance of the anaerobic phenotype was lower in deficient constitution group. ⑦ Alterations in the microbiome of deficient-constitution individuals were associated with worse health status and a greater risk of anemia, involving intestinal barrier function, metabolism and immune responses, regulated by short-chain fatty acids and bile acid production.ConclusionThe composition of the gut microbiome was altered in people with deficient constitution, which may explain their poor health status and tendency toward anemia.

Abstract Background Blood stasis constitution in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is believed to render individuals more susceptible to metabolic diseases. However, the biological underpinnings of this constitutional imbalance remain unclear. Methods This study explored the association between blood stasis constitution, serum metabolic markers including uric acid (UA), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), their ratio (UHR), serum metabolites, and gut microbiota. Clinical data, fecal and serum samples were acquired from 24 individuals with a blood stasis constitution and 80 individuals with a balanced constitution among healthy individuals from Guangdong. Gut microbiota composition analysis and serum metabolomics analysis were performed. Results Females with a blood stasis constitution had higher UA levels, lower HDLC levels, and higher UHR in serum, suggesting a higher risk of metabolic abnormalities. Analysis of the gut microbiome revealed two distinct enterotypes dominated by Bacteroides or Prevotella. Intriguingly, blood stasis subjects were disproportionately clustered within the Bacteroides-rich enterotype. Metabolomic analysis identified subtle differences between the groups, including lower phenylalanine and higher trimethylaminoacetone levels in the blood stasis. Several differential metabolites displayed correlations with HDLC, UA, or UHR, unveiling potential new markers of metabolic dysregulation. Conclusions These findings elucidate the intricate interplay between host constitution, gut microbiota, and serum metabolites. The concept of blood stasis offers a unique perspective to identify subtle alterations in microbiome composition and metabolic pathways, potentially signaling underlying metabolic vulnerability, even in the presence of ostensibly healthy profiles. Continued investigation of this TCM principle may reveal critical insights into the early biological processes that foreshadow metabolic deterioration.

Non-cooperative targets, such as birds and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are typical low-altitude, slow, and small (LSS) targets with low observability. Radar observations in such scenarios are often complicated by strong motion clutter originating from sources like airplanes and cars. Hence, distinguishing between birds and UAVs in environments with strong motion clutter is crucial for improving target monitoring performance and ensuring flight safety. To address the impact of strong motion clutter on discriminating between UAVs and birds, we propose a frequency correlation dual-SVD (singular value decomposition) reconstruction method. This method exploits the strong power and spectral correlation characteristics of motion clutter, contrasted with the weak scattering characteristics of bird and UAV targets, to effectively suppress clutter. Unlike traditional clutter suppression methods based on SVD, our method avoids residual clutter or target loss while preserving the micro-motion characteristics of the targets. Based on the distinct micro-motion characteristics of birds and UAVs, we extract two key features: the sum of normalized large eigenvalues of the target’s micro-motion component and the energy entropy of the time–frequency spectrum of the radar echoes. Subsequently, the kernel fuzzy c-means algorithm is applied to classify bird and UAV targets. The effectiveness of our proposed method is validated through results using both simulation and experimental data.

ObjectivesThe intestinal microbiota is essential in absorbing nutrients and defending against pathogens and is associated with various diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. As an alternative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long been used in disease treatment and healthcare, partly because it may mediate gut microbiota. However, the specific effects of TCM on the abundance and interactions of microbiota remain unknown. Moreover, using TCM ingredients and data detailing changes in the abundance of gut microorganisms, we developed bioinformatic methods that decipher the impact of TCM on microorganism interactions.MethodsThe dynamics of gut microorganisms affected by TCM treatments is explored using a mouse model, which provided the abundance of 70 microorganisms over time. The Granger causality analysis was used to measure microorganism interactions. Novel “serial connection” and “diverging connection” models were used to identify molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of TCM on gut microorganism interactions, based on microorganism proteins, TCM chemical ingredients, and KEGG reaction equations.ResultsCodonopsis pilosula (Dangshen), Cassia twig (Gui Zhi), Radices saussureae (Mu Xiang), and Sijunzi Decoction did not cause an increase in the abundance of harmful microorganisms. Most TCMs decreased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, suggesting a Bifidobacterium pseudolongum supplement should be used during TCM treatment. The Granger causality analysis indicated that TCM treatment changes more than half the interactions between the 70 microorganisms, and “serial connection” and “diverging connection” models suggested that changes in interactions may be related to the reaction number connecting species proteins and TCM ingredients. From a species diversity perspective, a TCM decoction is better than a single herb for healthcare. The Sijunzi Decoction only significantly increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and did not cause a decrease in the abundance of other species but was found to improve the alpha diversity with the lowest replacement rate.ConclusionsBecause most of the nine TCMs are medicinal and edible plants, we expect the methods and results presented can be used to optimize and integrate microbiota and TCMs into healthcare processes. Moreover, as a control study, these results can be combined with future disease mouse models to link variations in species abundance with particular diseases.

ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to explore the alterations in gut microbiota composition and cytokine responses related to disease progression, severity, and outcomes in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).MethodsFecal microbiota communities of 64 patients with ICH, 46 coronary heart disease controls, and 23 healthy controls were measured by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene. Serum concentrations of a broad spectrum of cytokines were examined by liquid chips and ELISA. Relationships between clinical phenotypes, microbiotas, and cytokine responses were analyzed in the group with ICH and stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP), the major complication of ICH.ResultsIn comparison with the control groups, the gut microbiota of the patients with ICH had increased microbial richness and diversity, an expanded spectrum of facultative anaerobes and opportunistic pathogens, and depletion of anaerobes. Enterococcus enrichment and Prevotella depletion were more significant in the ICH group and were associated with the severity and functional outcome of ICH. Furthermore, Enterococcus enrichment and Prevotella depletion were also noted in the SAP group in contrast to the non-SAP group. Enterococci were also promising factors in the prognosis of ICH. The onset of ICH induced massive, rapid activation of the peripheral immune system. There were 12 cytokines (Eotaxin, GM-CSF, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-15, IL-23, IL-1RA, IP-10, RANTES, and TNF-α) changed significantly with prolongation of ICH, and the Th2 responses correlated with the 90-day outcomes. Cytokines TNF-α, IP-10, IL-1RA, IL-8, IL-18, and MIP-1β in SAP group significantly differed from non-SAP group. Among these cytokines, only IP-10 levels decreased in the SAP group. Enterococcus was positively associated with IL-1RA and negatively associated with IP-10, while Prevotella was inversely associated in both the ICH and SAP groups.ConclusionThis study revealed that gut dysbiosis with enriched Enterococcus and depleted Prevotella increased the risk of ICH and subsequently SAP. The altered gut microbiota composition and serum cytokine profiles are potential biomarkers that reflect the inciting physiologic insult/stress involved with ICH.

Metabolic status and gut microecology are implicated in psoriasis. Methotrexate (MTX) is usually the first-line treatment for this disease. However, the relationship between MTX and host metabolic status and the gut microbiota is unclear. This study aimed to characterize the features of blood metabolome and gut microbiome in patients with psoriasis after treatment with MTX. Serum and stool samples were collected from 15 patients with psoriasis. Untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and metagenomics sequencing were applied to profile the blood metabolome and gut microbiome, respectively. We found that the response to MTX varied according to metabolomic and metagenomic features at baseline; for example, patients who had high levels of serum nutrient molecular and more enriched gut microbiota had a poor response. After 16 weeks of MTX, we observed a reduction in microbial activity pathways, and patients with a good response showed more microbial activity and less biosynthesis of serum fatty acid. We also found an association between the serum metabolome and the gut microbiome before intervention with MTX. Carbohydrate metabolism, transporter systems, and protein synthesis within microbes were associated with host metabolic clusters of lipids, benzenoids, and organic acids. These findings suggest that the metabolic status of the blood and the gut microbiome is involved in the effectiveness of MTX in psoriasis, and that inhibition of symbiotic intestinal microbiota may be one of the mechanisms of action of MTX. Prospective studies in larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings.

The human gut microbiome is a reservoir for antibiotic resistance gene (ARG). Therefore, characterizing resistome distribution and potential disease markers can help manage antibiotics at the clinical level. While much population-level research has highlighted the strong effect of donor geographic origin on ARG prevalence in the human gut, little is known regarding the effects of other properties, such as age, sex, and disease. Here we employed 2,037 fecal metagenomes from 12 countries. By quantifying the known resistance genes for 24 types of antibiotics in each community, we showed that tetracycline, aminoglycoside, beta-lactam, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS), and vancomycin resistance genes were the dominant ARG types in the human gut. We then compared the ARG profiles of 1427 healthy individuals from the 2,037 samples and observed significant differences across countries. This was consistent with expectations that regional antibiotic usage and exposure in medical and food production contexts affect distribution. Although no specific uniform pattern of ARG was observed, a significant increase in resistance potential among multiple disease groups implied that the disease condition may be another source of ARG variance. In particular, the co-occurrence pattern of some enriched bacterial species and ARGs that were obtained in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and liver cirrhosis patients implied that some disease-associated species may be potential hosts of enriched ARGs, which could be potential biomarkers for the prediction and intervention of such diseases. Overall, our study identifies factors associated with the human gut resistome, including substantial effects of region and heterogeneous effects of disease status, and highlights the value of ARG analysis in disease research and clinical applications.