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Back pain is a common clinical symptom. Degeneration of intervertebral discs is one of the most important factors leading to back pain, namely, discogenic back pain. However, at present, the understanding of lumbar intervertebral discs causing back pain is confined to biomechanical and histological studies. The neuropathological mechanism related to discogenic back pain is still not well understood. Many studies have found that as an intervertebral disc degenerates, the peripheral nerve tissues have corresponding structural reorganization, and a series of nerve cells become involved in progression of discogenic back pain. Therefore, study of neural mechanisms that are involved in progression of discogenic back pain will provide additional assistance for treatment of its symptoms. We review the anatomical structure of intervertebral discs and the related neural mechanisms involved in discogenic back pain. We also discuss the current view of neural mechanisms underlying discogenic back pain.

Background Within China, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains widely prevalent and one of the major public health problems. There have been only two previous estimates of its prevalence at the population level in China, with the latest survey conducted in 2006. A meta-analysis estimated the prevalence of HBV within China between 2013 and 2017 as 7%. This review provides an updated estimate of HBV prevalence in China from 2018 to 2022. Methods Systematic searches of literature from January 1, 2018 to December 25, 2022 were conducted in four international databases (Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) and three Chinese databases (CNKI, CBM, and WanFang data). Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to calculate the pooled HBV prevalence with 95% confidence intervals in the overall population and subgroups. Publication bias, heterogeneity between studies, and study quality were assessed. Results Twenty-five articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of HBV infection in the Chinese general population from 2018 to 2022 was 3% (95%CI: 2–4%). The prevalence of HBV infection was similar between males and females (both 3%), while rural areas had a higher prevalence than urban areas (3% vs 2%). The highest prevalence of HBV was reported in the eastern provinces (4, 95%CI: 2–6%). The HBV prevalence of people aged ≥18 years old (6, 95%CI: 4–8%) was higher than people aged < 18 years old (0, 95%CI: 0–1%). Conclusion Compared to the previous meta-analysis prevalence in 2013–2017, the updated meta-analysis estimated prevalence of HBV infection (3%) from 2018 to 2020 showed a decreasing trend, suggesting China had moved into a lower intermediate epidemic area (2–5%). However, the prevalence of HBV in rural areas and eastern regions was still higher than the national average. People aged ≥18 years old showed a higher HBV prevalence. HBV prevention should be prioritized in the highest-prevalence areas and high-risk populations. Due to heterogeneity in data collection methods among studies, there remains a need for systematic surveillance of nationwide HBV prevalence.

Aquaculture offers a promising source of economic and healthy protein for human consumption, which can improve wellbeing. Viral diseases are the most serious type of diseases affecting aquatic animals and a major obstacle to the development of the aquaculture industry. In the background of antibiotic-free farming, the development and application of antibiotic alternatives has become one of the most important issues in aquaculture. In recent years, many medicinal plants and their active pharmaceutical ingredients have been found to be effective in the treatment and prevention of viral diseases in aquatic animals. Compared with chemical drugs and antibiotics, medicinal plants have fewer side-effects, produce little drug resistance, and exhibit low toxicity to the water environment. Most medicinal plants can effectively improve the growth performance of aquatic animals; thus, they are becoming increasingly valued and widely used in aquaculture. The present review summarizes the promising antiviral activities of medicinal plants and their active pharmaceutical ingredients against aquatic viruses. Furthermore, it also explains their possible mechanisms of action and possible implications in the prevention or treatment of viral diseases in aquaculture. This article could lay the foundation for the future development of harmless drugs for the prevention and control of viral disease outbreaks in aquaculture.

Inflammation is a pivotal pathogenic factor in numerous diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has garnered significant attention due to its rich bioactive compounds with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Nevertheless, clinical translation of TCM is often limited by poor pharmacokinetic properties, including low solubility, rapid clearance, and inadequate biomembrane permeability. Nanocarrier-based delivery systems have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations and enhance therapeutic outcomes. This review systematically summarizes: (1) the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of key TCM-derived compounds (resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, honokiol, bergenin, ginsenosides, and berberine); (2) the classification and functional advantages of contemporary nanocarriers; and (3) recent advances in nanoengineered co-delivery systems for TCM active ingredients against inflammation-associated pathologies. Furthermore, we critically analyze persisting challenges and propose future directions to optimize nano-TCM platforms, offering new perspectives for targeted therapy of inflammatory diseases.

The bacterium is a multispecies pathogen associated with meningitis-like disease that has been isolated from several amphibian species, including the bullfrog, but this is the first isolation in Guangxi. In the present study, the dominant bacteria were isolated from the brains of five bullfrogs with meningitis-like disease on a South China farm in Guangxi. The NFEM01 isolate was identified by Gram staining; morphological observations; , and -based phylogenetic tree analysis; and physiochemical characterization and was subjected to drug sensitivity and artificial infection testing. As a result of identification, the NFEM01 strain was found to be . An artificial infection experiment revealed that NFEM01 infected bullfrogs and could cause symptoms of typical meningitis-like disease. As a result of the bacterial drug sensitivity test, NFEM01 is highly sensitive to mequindox, rifampicin, enrofloxacin, nitrofural, and oxytetracycline and there was strong resistance to gentamicin, florfenicol, neomycin, penicillin, amoxicillin, doxycycline, and sulfamonomethoxine. This study provides a reference to further study the pathogenesis mechanism of -induced bullfrog meningitislike disease and its prevention and treatment.

Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary hypertension (BPD-PH) remains a devastating clinical complication seriously affecting the therapeutic outcome of preterm infants. Hence, early prevention and timely diagnosis prior to pathological change is the key to reducing morbidity and improving prognosis. Our primary objective is to utilize machine learning techniques to build predictive models that could accurately identify BPD infants at risk of developing PH. Methods The data utilized in this study were collected from neonatology departments of four tertiary-level hospitals in China. To address the issue of imbalanced data, oversampling algorithms synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) was applied to improve the model. Results Seven hundred sixty one clinical records were collected in our study. Following data pre-processing and feature selection, 5 of the 46 features were used to build models, including duration of invasive respiratory support (day), the severity of BPD, ventilator-associated pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage, and early-onset PH. Four machine learning models were applied to predictive learning, and after comprehensive selection a model was ultimately selected. The model achieved 93.8% sensitivity, 85.0% accuracy, and 0.933 AUC. A score of the logistic regression formula greater than 0 was identified as a warning sign of BPD-PH. Conclusions We comprehensively compared different machine learning models and ultimately obtained a good prognosis model which was sufficient to support pediatric clinicians to make early diagnosis and formulate a better treatment plan for pediatric patients with BPD-PH.

Hao Lin, Orthopedic Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, No. 57 Renmin Avenue South, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, 524002, People’s Republic of China, Email linhao@gdmu.edu.cn Lijiao Peng, Department of Digestive System Oncology, Oncology Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, No. 57 Renmin Avenue South, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, 524002, People’s Republic of China, Email 244348566@qq.comPurpose: BLM and RECQL4, key RecQ helicases and “genome guardians”, maintain genomic stability. Their abnormal function/dysregulated expression is linked to tumorigenesis, but their roles in osteosarcoma (OS) remain unclear.Patients and Methods: Comprehensive bioinformatic analyses (multiple public databases) assess OS-related expression, gene networks, prognosis, targets, and drugs. Cellular experiments verified the effects of these compounds on 143B cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.Results: BLM and RECQL4 were significantly upregulated in OS tissues compared to normal tissues, correlating with a poor prognosis. Among the 153 patients with OS, 9% and 7% had altered BLM and RECQL4 expression, respectively. Abnormal methylation of BLM and RECQL4 may affect OS. BLM, RECQL4, and their altered neighboring genes (ANGs) form interaction networks that regulate tumor metabolism, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Their miRNA and kinase targets in OS were also identified. BLM and RECQL4 expression was negatively correlated with OS immune cell infiltration. In addition, anti–PD-1/CTLA-4/PD-L1 therapy, Sphingosine kinase 1 inhibitor II, and pilaralisib inhibited OS cell viability (by downregulating BLM or RECQL4) and the proliferation, migration, and invasion of 143B cells. Knockdown of BLM or RECQL4 suppressed the migration and invasion of 143B cells.Conclusion: BLM and RECQL4 are promising prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OS.

Bullfrogs ( Rana catesbeiana ) are amphibians with high economic value, but in recent years, bullfrog farming has encountered serious threats of bacterial diseases, and the “bullfrog economy” is facing a continuous decline. In this study, the dominant strain was isolated from diseased bullfrogs in a bullfrog farm in Nanning, Guangxi, and based on its morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, the strain was identified as a non-O1/O139 group Vibrio cholerae and named TC1. Three virulence factors were identified in this strain, including hemolysin, outer membrane protein, and toxin-coregulated pili. Drug susceptibility testing showed that the strain resisted gentamicin, florfenicol, nitrofural, oxytetracycline, neomycin, penicillin, amoxicillin, doxycycline, and sulfamonomethoxine. The results of artificial infection experiments showed that TC1 caused serious pathologies such as abdominal swelling and anal prolapse in bullfrogs, especially severe intestinal bleeding. Histopathological observations revealed that the bullfrog intestine exhibited obvious pathological lesions. These results provide an essential epidemiological basis for controlling V. cholerae infections in aquatic animals and demonstrate the promise of bullfrogs as an amphibian model for studying the pathogenesis of V. cholerae .

The mechanism of Fe+NO was calculated by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) with the B3LYP methods combined with the 6-311+G (d, p) basis set. The geometry of reactants, transition states, intermediates and products of two reaction systems were completely optimized, and all the transition states were verified by the vibration analysis and intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculations. The “Two State Reactivity (TSR)” was used to analyze the reaction mechanisms; Results showed that the reaction system preferentially involves low-spin state entrance channel and the high-spin state exit channel. In the reaction channel, the crossing point appears, which would effectively reduce the activation energy and increase the release of reaction heat, play a significant and beneficial role in the kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of this catalytic reaction.

One of the most efficient and environmentally friendly methods for preventing a landslide on a slope is to vegetate it. Vegetation-pervious concretes have a promising potential for soil protection. In this study, the vegetation-pervious concrete with low alkalinity was developed and studied. Combined with a grid beam structure system, the stability and strength between the vegetation-pervious concrete and base soil are believed to be enhanced effectively. For improving plant adaptability, the alkalinity of concrete can be decreased innovatively by adding a self-designed admixture into the cement paste. The effects of the admixture content on alkalinity and compressive strength of the hardened pervious concrete were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and compression test, respectively. Meanwhile, the permeability of the vegetation-pervious concrete was studied as well. Through comparing with ordinary pervious concrete, the effect of low alkaline pervious concrete on vegetation growth was investigated in a small-scale field for ten weeks. The test results indicated that the alkalinity of the cement samples decreased with the increase of admixture content, and the vegetation grew successfully on previous concrete. By increasing the admixture content to approximately 3.6%, the compressive strength of pervious concrete was more than 25 MPa.