Objective To investigate the expression of serum CC chemokine ligand 2(CCL2),CX3C chemokine ligand 1(CX3CL1)and CXC chemokine ligand 10(CXCL10)in postmenopausal osteoporosis(PMOP)patients and the value of combination with fracture risk assessment tool(FRAX)in predicting fracture occurrence.Methods A total of 120 patients with PMOP admitted to Hainan West Central Hospital from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected,and they were divided into fracture group(n=52)and non-fracture group(n=68).According to the FRAX score examination,they were divided into a high-risk fracture group(n=73)and a low-risk fracture group(n=47).The levels of serum CCL2,CX3CL1 and CXCL10 in each group were compared.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the fracture risk factors in PMOP patients.ROC curve was drawn to analyze the value of CCL2,CX3CL1 and CXCL10 combined with FRAX score in predicting fracture of PMOP.Results The levels of serum CCL2(134.98±32.24 pg/ml),CX3CL1(186.25±41.60 pg/ml)and CXCL10(223.47±56.43 pg/ml)in the fracture group were higher than those in the non-fracture group(82.26±17.30 pg/ml,105.23±23.78 pg/ml,151.47±43.14 pg/ml),and the differences were statistically significant(t=11.503,13.452,7.923,all P＜0.001).The levels of serum CCL2(119.70±37.56 pg/ml),CX3CL1(161.43±53.79 pg/ml)and CXCL10(204.06±61.41pg/ml)in the high-risk group for fractures were higher than those in the low-risk group(82.43±17.23 pg/ml,107.55±24.75 pg/ml,149.45±42.50pg/ml),and the differences were statistically significant(t=6.377,6.436,5.327,all P＜0.001).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated levels of serum CCL2,CX3CL1 and CXCL10 were risk factors for fractures in PMOP patients.The ROC curve showed that the combination of CCL2,CX3CL1 and CXCL10 combined with FRAX scores predicted the highest AUC(95％CI)for PMOP fractures[0.951(0.892～0.993)],with sensitivity and specificity of 98.2％and 85.6％,respectively.Conclusion The increased levels of serum CCL2,CX3CL1 and CXCL10 are risk factors for fracture in PMOP patients,and the combination with FRAX score has a good predictive value for fracture.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is designed to provide protection against tuberculosis (TB). However, numerous epidemiological, clinical, and immunological studies have shown that BCG vaccination affects neonatal and infant mortality, which may be related to the reduction of TB-unrelated infections and diseases by BCG vaccine. We aimed to discuss the off-target effects of BCG vaccine on un-TB infections and diseases, as well as the potential mechanism and influencing factors. Literature was retrieved mainly from PubMed using medical subject headings "BCG, variations, and non-specific, heterologous or off-target". Studies have showed that BCG vaccination can prevent various heterologous infections, including respiratory tract infections, leprosy, and malaria, treat viral infections including human papillomavirus and herpes simplex virus infection as immunotherapy, and improve the immune responses as vaccine adjuvant. Besides, BCG vaccine can reduce the recurrence rate of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and may provide protection against autoimmune diseases. These off-target effects of BCG vaccine are thought to be achieved by modulating heterologous lymphocyte responses or inducing trained immunity, which were found to be sex-differentiated and affected by the BCG vaccine strains, sequence or time of vaccination.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of serum CircRNA_0048211 expression level in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) and its correlation with bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteopontin (OPN), procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) and β-crosslaps (β-CTX). Methods:Data of postmenopausal women who underwent physical examination in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were collected. All subjects were measured bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and divided into PMOP group, decreased bone mass group and normal bone mass group according to BMD level. The serum CircRNA_0048211, BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX levels were compared in each group. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of PMOP, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn to analyze the diagnostic value of CircRNA_0048211, BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX on PMOP. The correlation between CircRNA_0048211 expression level and BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results:A total of 218 patients were included in this study. Age is 60.52±6.83 years (range, 47-76 years), body mass index is 24.27±2.28 kg/m 2 (range, 22.18-25.73 kg/m 2) and menopausal time is 10.16±4.25 years (range, 2.30-21.80 years). There were 40 cases in PMOP group, 97 cases in osteopenia group and 81 cases in normal bone mass group. The serum CircRNA_ 0048211, BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX was significantly different between PMOP group, osteopenia group and normal group ( F=21.15, P<0.001; F=12.52, P<0.001; F=17.86, P<0.001; F=14.32, P<0.001; F=15.52, P<0.001). The serum CircRNA_0048211 level in PMOP group (0.37±0.08) were significantly lower than that of osteopenia group (1.05±0.46) and normal bone mass group (1.73±0.81), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The levels of BALP (28.42±7.35 μg/L), OPN (17.28±7.30 ng/ml), PINP (58.40±14.37 ng/ml) and β-CTX (1.52±0.28 μg/L) in PMOP group were significantly higher than those in osteopenia group (22.61±5.93 μg/L, 11.95±5.64 ng/ml, 49.16±11.24 ng/ml, 0.81±0.17 μg/L) and normal bone mass group (16.30±4.18 μg/L, 7.62±3.25 ng/ml, 35.48±7.12 ng/ml, 0.37±0.10 μg/L), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that decreased CircRNA_0048211 expression level [ OR=3.53, 95% CI (2.73, 10.32)] was a risk factor for the occurrence of PMOP ( P<0.001). ROC curve showed that CircRNA_0048211≤0.76 has a diagnostic significance on PMOP, and its combination of BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX has the highest AUC [0.95, 95% CI (0.89, 1.00)] in diagnosing PMOP. Correlation analysis showed that CircRNA_0048211 expression level were negatively correlated with BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX ( r=-0.46, P<0.001; r=-0.80, P<0.001; r=-0.81, P<0.001; r=-0.69, P<0.001). Conclusion:The CircRNA_0048211 showed low expression in PMOP, which was negatively correlated with BALP, OPN, PINP and β-CTX. The combination of these five factors has certain clinical value in the diagnosis of PMOP.

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of modified Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang （MHGW） on endoplasmic reticulum stress in the sciatic nerve of diabetes rats based on the pathways of inositol-requiring enzyme 1α （IRE1α） and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein （CHOP）. MethodSixty rats were fed on a high-sugar and high-fat diet for six weeks， followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at a dose of 35 mg·kg^-1. Random blood glucose levels were measured three days later and rats with a sustained blood glucose level ≥ 16.7 mmol·L^-1 were included in study （n=48）. The rats were randomly divided into a model group， an α-lipoic acid group （0.026 8 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a high-dose MHGW group （2.5 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and a low-dose MHGW group （1.25 g·kg^-1·d^-1）. Another 10 rats were assigned to the normal group. The intervention lasted for 16 weeks. After 16 weeks， the sciatic nerve structure of the rats in each group was observed under light microscopy using Luxol fast blue （LFB） staining. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of the sciatic nerve. Chemiluminescence method was employed to measure the serum reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels. Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to evaluate the expression of p-IRE1α protein， IRE1α mRNA， CHOP protein， and CHOP mRNA in the sciatic nerve of the rats. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed elevated serum ROS levels （P<0.01）. In contrast， the serum ROS levels were significantly reduced in the treatment groups compared with those in the model group （P<0.01）. The sciatic nerve of the model group showed pathological changes compared with that in the normal group， while the treatment groups exhibited improvement in sciatic nerve pathology compared with the model group. The protein expression of p-IRE1α and CHOP in the sciatic nerve significantly increased in the model group as compared with that in the normal group （P<0.01）. However， the treatment groups showed a significant decrease in the protein expression of p-IRE1α and CHOP in the sciatic nerve compared with the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， compared with the normal group， the model group showed upregulated mRNA expression of IRE1α and CHOP in the sciatic nerve （P<0.01）， while the treatment groups exhibited a significant decrease in the mRNA expression of IRE1α and CHOP compared with the model group （P<0.01）. ConclusionMHGW can alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced cell apoptosis and improve the structure and function of the sciatic nerve in diabetes rats by inhibiting the expression of IRE1α/CHOP pathway-related proteins and mRNA， thereby preventing and treating peripheral neuropathy in diabetes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of modified Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang （MHGW） on the protein and mRNA expression of B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein （Bax） and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-12 （Caspase-12） related to the apoptosis of sciatic nerve cells in diabetes rats to explore the mechanism of MHGW in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy in diabetes. MethodAnimal experiments were conducted. A diabetes model was induced in sixty male sprague-dawley （SD） rats by feeding on a high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin （STZ） intraperitoneal injection. Rats with random blood glucose levels ≥ 16.7 mmol·L^-1 for three consecutive days were considered to have successfully developed diabetes. Forty-eight rats that successfully developed diabetes were randomly divided into a model group， an α-lipoic acid group （0.026 8 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a high-dose MHGW group （2.5 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and a low-dose MHGW group （1.25 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. Another 10 rats were assigned to the normal group. Body weight and random blood glucose levels of the rats were monitored. At the end of a 16-week intervention period， the sciatic nerve conduction velocity of the rats was measured using the Key point electromyography collection system. The protein and mRNA expression of Bax and Caspase-12 in the sciatic nerve cells was detected by Western blot analysis and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， respectively. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant decrease in body weight （P<0.01） and a significant increase in random blood glucose levels （P<0.01）. After a 16-week intervention， compared with the model group， the high-dose MHGW group exhibited a significant increase in body weight （P<0.05）， while there were no statistically significant differences in body weight changes among the other treatment groups. Random blood glucose levels significantly decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. After 16 weeks of intervention， compared with the normal group， the model group had significantly reduced motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed significant increases in motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expression of Bax and Caspase-12 proteins in the sciatic nerve cells was significantly elevated in the model group compared with that in the normal group （P<0.01）. In contrast， all treatment groups showed significant reductions in the expression of Bax and Caspase-12 proteins in the sciatic nerve cells as compared with that in the model group （P<0.01）. The expression of Bax and Caspase-12 mRNA in the sciatic nerve cells significantly increased in the model group compared with that in the normal group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the α-lipoic acid group and the high-dose MHGW group showed significant reductions in the expression of Bax mRNA in the sciatic nerve cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the low-dose MHGW group showed a decreasing trend in the expression of Bax mRNA. The expression of Caspase-12 mRNA in the sciatic nerve cells significantly decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionMHGW may improve and repair sciatic nerve damage in diabetes rats by inhibiting sciatic nerve cell apoptosis.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by insulin resistance， hyperinsulinemia， and disturbance of glucose and lipid metabolism， with elevated blood glucose as the main clinical manifestation. Due to its complex etiology and pathogenesis， there is no effective treatment， which critically threatens human health and places a heavy burden on society and families. Saponins are a class of glycosides with complex structures that have the advantage of a wide range of sources， elevated safety， and low adverse effects. As an essential active ingredient in Chinese medicine， Chinese medicine saponins have a variety of biological activities such as hypoglycemia， hypoglycaemia， anti-inflammation， antioxidation， anti-tumor， and immune modulation. In recent years， numerous studies have shown that Chinese medicine saponins are effective in preventing and treating T2DM. Although there have been numerous studies on the hypoglycemic effects and mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins， there has been no systematic review of the mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins in the treatment of T2DM. Therefore， to provide a theoretical basis for an in-depth study of the hypoglycemic effects of Chinese medicine saponins and a scientific basis for the development and clinical application of drugs， this paper systematically summarized the hypoglycemic mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins， such as improving islet β-cell function， improving insulin resistance， inhibiting glycosidase activity， reducing the inflammatory response， anti-oxidative stress， and regulating intestinal flora， and analyzed the current research problems and development trends.

Objective:To evaluate the influence of a moisturizer containing oat kernel oil for xeroderma and water content of the stratum corneum in children.Methods:From September to December 2022, 30 children with xeroderma were treated in the Dermatology Department of Tongzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Beijing; 13 were males and 17 were females, and the age was 7.33±2.63 years. This was a single-center self-controlled trial. All children applied the moisturizer on the dry skin of the bilateral limbs two time per day for 14 days, and were followed up at 7 days and 14 days. Efficacy was evaluated according to the water content of the stratum corneum, visual scale, xerosis severity scale (XSS), Specified Symptom Sum Score (SRRC), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and so on. and side-reactions were recorded.Results:After application of the moisturizer, the median of water content in the stratum corneum was 49.00 (33.83, 87.25), 48.84 (32.58, 100.34) at 7 d and 14 d respectively, showing significant increases compared with that at baseline (median 26.51 (16.00, 47.75) ( Z=-3.075, Z=-2.911, P<0.01). The visual scale, XSS, SRRC and VAS showed that compared with the baseline at 7 d, 14 d, the skin dryness and pruritus scores improved significantly ( Z=-4.424, -4.150, -3.943, -4.400; Z=-4.744, -4.409, -4.260, -4.409, P<0.01). Conclusions:The application of this moisturizer containing oat kernel oil could effectively improve skin dryness and the water content of the stratum corneum without serious adverse reactions.

Pharmaceutical water is the most widely used raw material and solvent in the process of pharmaceutical products, which is widely used in the cleaning and disinfecting process of appliances, equipment, facilities and systems, and is involved in the whole process of pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceutical water is one of the main sources of microbial contamination of pharmaceutical products, so the microbial safety of pharmaceutical water is crucial for pharmaceutical quality. This paper mainly introduces the characterization of the pharmaceutical water system, and conducts biofilm analysis. Due to the characteristics of oligotrophic and slow-growing of microorganisms in the pharmaceutical water system, this paper also further discusses the microbiological testing and culture methods of pharmaceutical water, so as to provide reference for the establishment of a scientific and reasonable microbiological testing system, as well as provide an important theoretical basis and new ideas for further research on hard-to-culture microorganisms.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of the water extracts of Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma at different ratios on glucose and lipid metabolism in KKAy mice with spontaneous type 2 diabetes and explore the mechanism of the extract in alleviating insulin resistance based on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/forkhead box O1 （FoxO1） signaling pathway. MethodThe 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were taken as the normal control group， and KKAy male mice of the same age were randomly assigned into a model group， a metformin group， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma groups at the ratios of 1∶1 （Trichosanthis Radix 30 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 30 g）， 1∶3 （Trichosanthis Radix 15 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 45 g）， and 1∶5 （Trichosanthis Radix 10 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 50 g） according to blood glucose level and body weight， with 6 mice in each group. The administration lasted for 8 weeks， and the body weight （BW） and fasting blood glucose （FBG） of mice were recorded at the same time points of the 2nd， 4th， 6th， and 8th weeks， respectively. Oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was performed at the 7th week. After drug administration， the serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and fasting insulin （FINS） were measured， and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） index was calculated. The liver tissue samples were stained with hematylin-eosin （HE） and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） for observation of the fat distribution and glycogen content. The protein levels of PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， FoxO1， and p-FoxO1 in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased food intake， FBG， glucose tolerance， FINS， HOMA-IR， TC， TG， and LDL-C （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein levels of PI3K， Akt， phosphorylaison （p）-Akt， FoxO1， and p-FoxO1 in the liver （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma lowered FBG and HOMA-IR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In particular， the combination at the ratio of 1∶3 showed the best performance （P<0.01） comparable to metformin. Furthermore， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma at different ratios lowered blood glucose at different time points of OGTT （P<0.05） and TC and LDL-C （P<0.01）. Additionally， the combination at the ratio of 1∶3 reduced TG （P<0.01）. The liver of mice in the drug administration groups showed regular morphology， with few lipid droplets and rich glycogen. Western blot showed that Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma up-regulated the protein levels of PI3K and p-Akt， down-regulated the protein level of FoxO1， and up-regulated the protein level of p-FoxO1 （P<0.05）. ConclusionTrichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma， especially at the ratio of 1∶3， lowered the FBG， TC， LDL-C， and HOMA-IR index， promoted liver glycogen synthesis， and reduced steatosis in KKAy mice， which may be related to the regulation of PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway in the liver.

Objective:To compare the effects of ultrasound-guided dynamic needle tip positioning (DNTP) and long axis in-plane (LAX-IP) techniques for axillary vein puncture and catheterization.Methods:One hundred Society of Anesthesiologists physical statusⅠ-Ⅲ patients of both sexes, aged 18-64 yr, with body mass index of 20-28 kg/m 2, scheduled for elective axillary vein cannulation, were divided into 2 groups ( n=49 each) using the random number table method: DNTP group and LAX-IP group.Axillary vein puncture was performed using DNTP technique and LAX-IP technique under ultrasound guidance in DNTP group and LAX-IP group, respectively.Successful puncture at first attempt, overall successful catheterization, the number of needle tip redirection, and axillary vein puncture time and catheterization time were recorded.The occurrence of complications such as axillary artery puncture, posterior wall penetration of axillary vein, hematoma formation, pneumothorax, and nerve injury was recorded. Results:Compared with group LAX-IP, the success rate of puncture at first attempt was significantly increased, the number of cases required needle redirection was decreased, and the puncture time was shortened ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the logarithm of the posterior wall penetration of axillary vein in group DNTP ( P>0.05). No complications such as arterial puncture, hematoma, pneumothorax, or nerve injury occurred in two groups. Conclusions:Compared with LAX-IP technique, ultrasound-guided DNTP technique can dynamically observe the position of the needle tip, the operation is simple and safe, and it is worthy of clinical promotion when used for axillary vein puncture and cannulation.