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Abstract The increasing prevalence of myopia worldwide presents a significant public health challenge. A key strategy to combat myopia is with early detection and prediction in children as such examination allows for effective intervention using readily accessible imaging technique. To this end, we introduced DeepMyopia, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision support system to detect and predict myopia onset and facilitate targeted interventions for children at risk using routine retinal fundus images. Based on deep learning architecture, DeepMyopia had been trained and internally validated on a large cohort of retinal fundus images (n = 1,638,315) and then externally tested on datasets from seven sites in China (n = 22,060). Our results demonstrated robustness of DeepMyopia, with AUCs of 0.908, 0.813, and 0.810 for 1-, 2-, and 3-year myopia onset prediction with the internal test set, and AUCs of 0.796, 0.808, and 0.767 with the external test set. DeepMyopia also effectively stratified children into low- and high-risk groups (p

We experimentally investigate the dynamics characteristics of a two-state quantum dot laser (TSQDL) subject to optical feedback. Firstly, we inspect the impact of the temperature on the power-current characteristics of the ground state (GS) lasing and the excited state (ES) lasing in the TSQDL operating at free-running. The results demonstrate that with the decrease in the temperature, the threshold current for GS lasing (IthGS) and the threshold current for ES lasing (IthES) decrease very slowly. There exists a current for GS quenching (IQGS), which is gradually increased with the decrease in the temperature. After introducing optical feedback, the overall trend of change is similar to those obtained under free-running. Next, through inspecting the time series and power spectrum of the output from the TSQDL under optical feedback, the dynamical characteristics of the TSQDL are investigated under different feedback ratios, and diverse dynamical states including quasi-chaos pulse package, chaos state, regular pulse package, quasi-period two, quasi-regular pulsing, and chaos regular pulse package have been observed. Finally, for the TSQDL biased at three different cases: lower than IthES, slightly higher than IthES, and higher than IthES, nonlinear dynamic state evolutions with the increase in feedback ratio are inspected, respectively. The results show that, for the TSQDL biased at lower than IthES, it presents an evolution route of stable state—quasi-chaos pulse package—chaos state—regular pulse package. For the TSQDL biased at slightly larger than IthES, it presents an evolution route of stable state—quasi-regular pulsing—quasi-period two—chaos regular pulse package. For the TSQDL biased at higher than IthES, the TSQDL always behaves stable state within the range of feedback ratio that the experiment can achieve. However, with the increase in optical feedback ratio, the number of longitudinal modes for GS lasing and ES lasing are changed.

Oligoasthenospermia is the primary cause of infertility. However, there are still enormous challenges in the screening of critical candidates and targets of oligoasthenospermia owing to its complex mechanism. In this study, stem cell factor (SCF), c-kit, and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) biosensors were successfully established and applied to studying apoptosis and autophagy mechanisms. Interestingly, the detection limit reached 2.787 × 10−15 g/L, and the quantitative limit reached 1.0 × 10−13 g/L. Furthermore, biosensors were used to investigate the interplay between autophagy and apoptosis. Schisandrin A is an excellent candidate to form a system with c-kit similar to SCF/c-kit with a detection constant (KD) of 5.701 × 10−11 mol/L, whereas it had no affinity for SCF. In addition, it also inhibited autophagy in oligoasthenospermia through antagonizing TRPV1 with a KD of up to 4.181 × 10−10 mol/L. In addition, in vivo and in vitro experiments were highly consistent with the biosensor. In summary, high-potency schisandrin A and two potential targets were identified, through which schisandrin A could reverse the apoptosis caused by excessive autophagy during oligoasthenospermia. Our study provides promising insights into the discovery of effective compounds and potential targets via a well-established in vitro-in vivo strategy.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in hepatocytes. However, due to the complex pathogenesis of MAFLD, there are no officially approved drugs for treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find safe and effective anti-MAFLD drugs. Recently, the relationship between the gut microbiota and MAFLD has been widely recognized, and treating MAFLD by regulating the gut microbiota may be a new therapeutic strategy. Natural products, especially plant natural products, have attracted much attention in the treatment of MAFLD due to their multiple targets and pathways and few side effects. Moreover, the structure and function of the gut microbiota can be influenced by exposure to plant natural products. However, the effects of plant natural products on MAFLD through targeting of the gut microbiota and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Based on the above information and to address the potential therapeutic role of plant natural products in MAFLD, we systematically summarize the effects and mechanisms of action of plant natural products in the prevention and treatment of MAFLD through targeting of the gut microbiota. This narrative review provides feasible ideas for further exploration of safer and more effective natural drugs for the prevention and treatment of MAFLD.

Obesity is strongly associated with the occurrence and development of many types of cancers. Patients with obesity and cancer present with features of a disordered gut microbiota and metabolism, which may inhibit the physiological immune response to tumors and possibly damage immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In recent years, bariatric surgery has become increasingly common and is recognized as an effective strategy for long-term weight loss; furthermore, bariatric surgery can induce favorable changes in the gut microbiota. Some studies have found that microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), inosine bile acids and spermidine, play an important role in anticancer immunity. In this review, we describe the changes in microbial metabolites initiated by bariatric surgery and discuss the effects of these metabolites on anticancer immunity. This review attempts to clarify the relationship between alterations in microbial metabolites due to bariatric surgery and the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Furthermore, this review seeks to provide strategies for the development of microbial metabolites mimicking the benefits of bariatric surgery with the aim of improving therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients who have not received bariatric surgery.

BackgroundProbiotics play a vital role in treating immune and inflammatory diseases by improving intestinal barrier function; however, a comprehensive evaluation is missing. The present study aimed to explore the impact of probiotics on the intestinal barrier and related immune function, inflammation, and microbiota composition. A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted.MethodsFour major databases (PubMed, Science Citation Index Expanded, CENTRAL, and Embase) were thoroughly searched. Weighted mean differences were calculated for continuous outcomes with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), heterogeneity among studies was evaluated utilizing I2 statistic (Chi-Square test), and data were pooled using random effects meta-analyses.ResultsMeta-analysis of data from a total of 26 RCTs (n = 1891) indicated that probiotics significantly improved gut barrier function measured by levels of TER (MD, 5.27, 95% CI, 3.82 to 6.72, P < 0.00001), serum zonulin (SMD, -1.58, 95% CI, -2.49 to -0.66, P = 0.0007), endotoxin (SMD, -3.20, 95% CI, -5.41 to -0.98, P = 0.005), and LPS (SMD, -0.47, 95% CI, -0.85 to -0.09, P = 0.02). Furthermore, probiotic groups demonstrated better efficacy over control groups in reducing inflammatory factors, including CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6. Probiotics can also modulate the gut microbiota structure by boosting the enrichment of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.ConclusionThe present work revealed that probiotics could improve intestinal barrier function, and alleviate inflammation and microbial dysbiosis. Further high-quality RCTs are warranted to achieve a more definitive conclusion.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=281822, identifier CRD42021281822.

A simple schemefor generating chaotic signals with concealed time-delay signature (TDS) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The architecture of the system is based on a semiconductor laser (SL) under multi-path optical feedback (MPOF) provided by a 2 × 2 fiber coupler (FC) and a fiber mirror (FM). The results show that SLs with MPOF are more beneficial for achieving TDS suppressed chaotic output than those with single optical feedback (SOF) systems. In addition, the TDS of the chaotic signal generated by the SL under MPOF is insensitive to the length deviation of the feedback cavities, and therefore such a scheme is convenient for practical application. Furthermore, the influence of FC coupling ratio in the MPOF module, feedback strength, and bias current of the SL on the TDS is comprehensively studied. By selecting suitable parameters, the TDS of the chaotic signal generated by the SL under MPOF can be completely concealed. Finally, permutation entropy (PE) is adopted to evaluate the complexity of the generated chaotic signal, and the result demonstrates that the suppression of TDS does not lead to the degradation of complexity for the proposed scheme.

When theoretically investigating the nonlinear dynamics of quantum dot lasers (QDLs), the parameter value of the electron escape rate (Ce) is sometimes approximated to zero to simplify the calculation. However, the value of Ce is dependent on the energy interval between the ground state (GS) and the excited state (ES) in the conduction band and is affected by the operation temperature. As a result, such simplified approximation treatments may lead to inaccurate results. In this study, after considering the effect of Ce, we investigate the nonlinear dynamics of QDLs with and without optical feedback based on the asymmetric electron-hole carrier rate equation model. The simulation results show that without optical feedback, the lasing conditions for ES and GS in free-running QDLs are dependent on the value of Ce. A larger Ce is more helpful for the ES emission, and the GS emission will stop lasing if Ce is large enough. Through analyzing the dynamical characteristics of GS and ES in QDLs with optical feedback under different Ce values, it can be found that the dynamical characteristics are strongly correlative with Ce.

Abstract Oligoasthenozoospermia (OA) is one of the most common types of male infertility affecting sperm count and sperm motility. Unfortunately, it is difficult for existing drugs to fundamentally improve the sperm quality of OA patients, because the pathological mechanism of OA has not been fully elucidated yet. Morinda officinalis–Lycium barbarum coupled-herbs (MOLBCH), as traditional Chinese Medicines, has been widely used for treating OA over thousands of years, but its molecular mechanism is still unclear. For this purpose, we adopted a comprehensive approach integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking to reveal the bioactive components and potential targets of MOLBCH against OA. The results showed that MOLBCH alleviated apoptosis, promoted male reproductive function, and reduced oxidant stress in the treatment of OA. Ohioensin-A, quercetin, beta-sitosterol and sitosterol were the key bioactive components. Androgen receptor (AR), Estrogen receptor (ESR1), Mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1), Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were the core potential targets. PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, prostate cancer, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications were the most representative pathways. Moreover, molecular docking was performed to validate the strong binding interactions between the obtained core components and targets. These observations provide deeper insight into the pathogenesis of OA and can be used to design new drugs and develop new therapeutic instructions to treat OA.

Background: Oligoasthenozoospermia is the leading cause of male infertility, seriously affecting men’s health and increasing the societal medical burden. In recent years, obesity-related oligoasthenozoospermia has attracted increased attention from researchers to find a cure. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Hua-Tan-Sheng-Jing decoction (HTSJD) in treating obesity with oligoasthenozoospermia, determine its active ingredients and identify its mechanism of action.Methods: The ingredients of HTSJD were determined by combining the ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and systems pharmacology approach. The common pathogenesis of obesity and oligoasthenozoospermia and the potential mechanism of HTSJD against obesity with oligoasthenozoospermia were obtained through target fishing, network construction, and enrichment analyses. Further, molecular docking of the key ingredients with the upstream receptors of the key signaling pathways of the potential mechanism was used to predict their affinity. Finally, high-fat-induced obesity with oligoasthenozoospermia rat model was constructed to determine the effects of HTSJD on semen concentration, sperm motility, body weight, and serum lipid metabolism. The key proteins were validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC).Results: A total of 70 effective components and 847 potential targets of HTSJD (H targets) were identified, of which 743 were common targets related to obesity and oligoasthenozoospermia (O-O targets) mainly enriched in the pathways related to inflammation, oxidative stress and hormone regulation. Finally, 143 common targets (H-O-O targets) for HTSJD against obesity with oligoasthenozoospermia were obtained. Combining the hub genes and the results of Gene Ontology (GO) functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of H-O-O targets, PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways were identified as the key pathways. Molecular docking results showed that Diosgenin, Kaempferol, Quercetin, Hederagenin, Isorhamnetin may act on the related pathways by docking EGFR, IGF1R and INSR. The animal-based in vivo experiments confirmed that HTSJD improves the sperm quality of high-fat diet-fed rats by reducing their body weight and blood lipid levels, influencing the PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways and altering the corresponding protein expressions.Conclusion: HTSJD treats obesity with oligoasthenozoospermia by up-regulating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and down-regulating the MAPK signaling pathway, which are at the crossroad of obesity and oligoasthenozoospermia.

Abstract Background The occurrence of segmental/lobar pattern pneumonia (S/L-PP) in children has recently increased. The pathogens of the disease may change for the misuse of antibiotics and the application of vaccines. Therefore, pathogens positive in hospitalized children with S/L-PP and their association with clinical characteristics may have changed. The aim of this study was to analyze the pathogens positive in hospitalized children with S/L-PP and their association with clinical characteristics. Method The current study analyzed the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pathogens positive in children with S/L-PP under 14 years old at a single hospital between 1st Jan 2014 and 31st Dec 2018 retrospectively. The pathogens were detected by microbial cultivation, indirect immunofluorescence of the kit (PNEUMOSLIDE IgM), Elisa, and/or real-time PCR in the samples of the patients. Results A total of 593 children with S/L-PP received treatment at a single hospital during the study period by inclusion criteria. Four hundred fifty-one patients were single positive for one pathogen and 83 patients were positive for at least 2 pathogens. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M.pneumoniae) (72.34%) was the most commonly detected pathogen, followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) (8.77%). The prevalence of M.pneumoniae in children with S/L-PP increased with time (p

Objective:This study investigated the COVID-19-prevention knowledge and practices of healthcare workers (HCWs), their psychological states concerning the return to work, and their trust and requirements in using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to prevent and treat COVID-19. It is hoped that the study can serve as a reference for policy making during the resumption of work in other countries or regions experiencing similar situations.Methods:This study comprised a quantitative cross-sectional online survey design. Purposive sampling and Cluster sampling were used to recruit all HCWs working in public hospitals in Huangzhou District, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, China. From April 23 to May 14, 2020, surveys were sent electronically to all 13 public hospitals in this area.Results:In total, 2,079 responses were received and 2,050 completed forms were included. After analysis, 47.9 and 46.6% of HCWs indicated that they possessed very good knowledge or good knowledge of preventative measures, respectively. Multivariable log-binomial regression indicated that male, tertiary hospital, medical staff, and undergraduate/postgraduate qualification were associated with good knowledge. Good knowledge was also well-correlated with good practice (OR: 3.277; 95% CI: 2.734–3.928; P < 0.01). 59.8% of HCWs reported worries about resuming work; especially asymptomatic infections. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) indicated that 10.8% of participants had mild anxiety, 1.5% moderate anxiety, and 0.1% severe anxiety. Female, divorced/widowed, and working in a high risk hospital (the Huangzhou District People's Hospital was used for throat swab examinations of returning workers) were risk factors for concerns about resuming work and anxiety symptoms. However, good preventive knowledge was a protective factor for anxiety. HCWs' trust in using TCM to treat COVID-19 was significantly higher than their trust in using TCM for prevention (P < 0.001). Regarding preferences for preventative TCM products, oral TCM granules were the most preferred (62.4%). HCWs also indicated they wanted to know more about the clinical efficacy, applicable population, and adverse reactions of preventative TCM products (89.3, 81.1, and 81.4%, respectively).Conclusion:While HCWs had good knowledge of COVID-19 preventative measures, this did not eliminate the psychological impact of resumption of work. Promotion of COVID-19 prevention knowledge reduces the risk of infection, and alleviates the worries and anxiety symptoms of HCWs about resuming work (especially in administrative staff, those with low education, and those working in primary hospitals). Additional psychological support is required for female HCWs, divorced/widowed HCWs, and those working in high-risk hospitals. Finally, systematic trials of preventative TCM products are recommended.

In this paper, we experimentally investigated the mode configuration of an excited-state quantum dot laser (ESQDL) under concave mirror optical feedback, and the influences of the feedback strength on the mode characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that after introducing concave mirror optical feedback, some longitudinal modes of the excited-state (ES) existing in a free-running ESQDL could be suppressed. When the feedback strength increased to a certain extent, the ground-state (GS) emission occurred and co-existed with the ES emission. By further increasing the feedback strength, all the longitudinal modes of the ES emission were suppressed, and only the longitudinal modes of the GS emission could be observed. As a result, the emission-state switching from the ES to GS emission was realized. When the ESQDL was biased at a larger current, the feedback strength required to achieve emission-state switching was stronger.

The extraction, characterization and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from Choerospondias axillaris leaves were investigated in the present study. Two purified polysaccharide fractions, CALP-1 and CALP-2, were isolated from crude Choerospondias axillaris leaf polysaccharides (CALP) by DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The characteristics of CAL-1 and CALP-2 were determined by using High-performance Gel Permeation Chromatography (HPGPC), High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography, HPAEC (HPAEC-PAD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). CALP-1 with molecular weight of 11.20 KDa was comprised of Rhamnose, Arabinose, Galactose, Glucose, Xylose, Mannose and galacturonic acid in a molar ratio of 5.16:2.31:5.50:27.18:1.00:0.76:1.07. CAL-2 with molecular weight of 8.03 KDa consisted of Rhamnose, Arabinose, Galactose, Glucose, and galacturonic acid at a ratio of 1.38:3.63:18.84:8.28:1.45. FTIR revealed that CALP-1 and CALP-2 were acidic polysaccharides. The antioxidant activity of crude CALP, CALP-1 and CALP-2 was evaluated in vitro. The fraction CALP-2 was demonstrated to be of polysaccharide nature containing a large percentage of Galactose but no Xylose and Mannose. The antioxidant activity assays showed that CALP-1 and CALP-2 exhibited antioxidant and scavenging activities on hydroxyl and DPPH radicals in vitro. Compared with pure polysaccharide, crude CALP exhibited stronger anti-oxidant activities. These results will provide a better understanding of Choerospondias axillaris leaf polysaccharide and promote the potential applications of Choerospondias axillaris leaf polysaccharide in the pharmacological field and as a natural antioxidant.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate how knowledge and practice of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention measures affected concerns about returning to work among supermarket staff. Attitudes about the ability of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to prevent COVID-19 were also assessed.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Huanggang, Hubei Province, China from April 23 to 25, 2020. Participants were invited to fill out an electronic questionnaire on their cell phones.Results: The results showed that from 2,309 valid questionnaires, 61.5% of participants were concerned about resuming work. Major concerns included asymptomatic infection (85.01%) and employees gathering in the workplace (78.96%). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that the female gender, having school-aged children and pregnancy were risk factors for being concerned about resuming work, while good knowledge and practice of preventive measures were protective factors. Knowledge and practice of preventive measures were positively correlated. Among preventive measures, the highest percentage of participants knew about wearing masks and washing hands. Meanwhile, 65.8% of participants expressed confidence in the ability of TCM to prevent COVID-19, where 74 and 51.3% thought there was a need and a strong need, respectively, for preventive TCM-based products. Among them, 71.5% preferred oral granules. Regarding TCM as a COVID-19 preventative, most were interested in information about safety and efficacy.Conclusion: These findings suggested that promoting knowledge and practices regarding COVID-19 prevention can help alleviate concerns about returning to work. Meanwhile, TCM can feasibly be accepted to diversify COVID-19 prevention methods.Clinical Trial Registration:http://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier: ChiCTR2000031955.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one type of the malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality. The molecular mechanism of LUAD is still unclear. Studies demonstrate that lncRNAs play crucial roles in LUAD tumorigenesis and can be used as prognosis biomarkers. Thus, in this study, to identify more robust biomarkers of LUAD, we firstly constructed LUAD-related lncRNA-TF network and performed topological analyses for the network. Results showed that the network was a scale-free network, and some hub genes with high clinical values were identified, such as lncRNA RP11-173A16 and TF ZBTB37. Module analysis on the network revealed one close lncRNA module, which had good prognosis performance in LUAD. Furthermore, through integrating ceRNAs strategy and TF regulatory information, we identified some lncRNA-TF positive feedback loops. Prognostic analysis revealed that ELK4- and BDP1-related feedback loops were significant. Secondly, we constructed the lncRNA-m6A regulator network by merging all the high correlated lncRNA-m6A regulator pairs. Based on the network analysis results, some key m6A-related lncRNAs were identified, such as MIR497HG, FENDRR, and RP1-199J3. We also investigated the relationships between these lncRNAs and immune cell infiltration. Results showed that these m6A-related lncRNAs were high correlated with tumor immunity. All these results provide a new perspective for the diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target identification of LUAD.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to explore the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) expression profiles of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). DCs are known to play a major role in the regulating function of allergic rhinitis (AR).MethodsPBMCs were separately isolated from the human peripheral blood of patients with AR and normal person (NP). The mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay was used to evaluate the function of DCs. Flow cytometry was used to determine the immune regulatory function of immature DCs (imDCs) and mature DCs (mDCs). lncRNAs and mRNAs in the NP group (DCs isolated from NP) and the test group (DCs isolated from patients with AR) were identified via chip technology and bioinformatic analyses. Moreover, bioinformatic analyses were employed to identify the related biological functions of monocyte-derived DCs and construct the functional networks of lncRNAs and mRNAs that are differentially expressed (DE) in imDCs and mDCs.ResultsMLR was significantly higher in the mDCs group than that in the imDCs group. CD14 was highly expressed in imDCs, whereas HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 were highly expressed in mDCs (p < 0.001). We identified 962 DE lncRNAs and 308 DE mRNAs in the imDCs of NP and patients with AR. Additionally, there were 601 DE lncRNAs and 168 DE mRNAs in the mDCs in the NP and test groups. Quantitative RT-qPCR was used to study the significant fold changes of lncRNAs and mRNAs. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis found 16 significant regulated pathways in imDCs and 10 significant regulated pathways in mDCs, including the phagosome, cell adhesion signaling pathway, and inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels pathway.ConclusionOur research studied the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of monocyte-derived DCs and demonstrated the functional networks that are involved in monocyte-derived DCs-mediated regulation in AR. These results provided possible molecular mechanisms of monocyte-derived DCs in the immunoregulating function and laid the foundation for the molecular therapeutic targets of AR.

Background/Aims: Based on the theory of constitution in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Chinese Han population has been classified into nine constitutions. Of these, Yang deficiency constitution mainly exhibit cold intolerance while Yin deficiency constitution mainly exhibit heat intolerance. Some studies have been carried out to explore the modern genetic and biological basis of such constitution classification, but more remains to be done. MicroRNA (miRNA) serves as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and may play a role in the classification process. Here, we examined miRNA expression profile of saliva to further improve the comprehensiveness of constitution classification. Methods: Saliva was collected from Chinese Han individuals with Yang deficiency, Yin deficiency and Balanced constitutions (n=5 each), and miRNA expression profile was determined using the Human miRNA OneArray®v7. Based on 1.5 Fold change, means log2|Ratio|≥0.585 and P-value< 0.05, differentially expressed miRNA was screened. Target genes were predicted using DIANA-TarBasev7.0 and analysis of KEGG pathway was carried out using DIANA-mirPathv.3. Results: We found that 81 and 98 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened in Yang deficiency and Yin deficiency constitution, respectively. Among them, 16 miRNAs were identical and the others were unique. In addition, the target genes that are regulated by the unique miRNAs were significantly enriched in 27 and 20 signaling pathways in Yang deficiency and Yin deficiency constitution, respectively. Thyroid hormone signaling pathway is present in both constitutions. These unique miRNAs that regulated target genes of thyroid hormone signaling pathway may be associated with cold intolerance or heat intolerance. Conclusion: The results of our study show that Yang deficiency and Yin deficiency constitutions exhibit systematic differences in miRNA expression profile. Moreover, the distinct characteristics of TCM constitution may be explained, in part, by differentially expressed miRNAs.

New sensor technologies play an important role in quality evaluation of Chinese materia medica (CMM) and include near-infrared spectroscopy, chemical imaging, electronic nose and electronic tongue. This review on quality evaluation of CMM and the application of the new sensors in this assessment is based on studies from 2010 to 2015, with prospects and opportunities for future research.