This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

This study aims to investigate the polarized microscopic mineral phase characteristics, inorganic element content, and potential health risks associated with the intake of raw and calcined fossil mineral Chinese medicinal material Draconis Os. Microscopy was employed to observe the mineralogical characteristics of Draconis Os and compare the microscopic features and phase composition of raw and calcined Draconis Os under monochromatic and orthogonal polarized light. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) was employed to determine the content of 30 inorganic elements. Health risk assessment was conducted by calculating the single pollution index(P_i), average daily intake of elements for adults(ADI), target hazard quotient(THQ), non-carcinogenic assessment method-hazard quotient(HQ), and the carcinogenic risk of elements(CR). The results indicated that under monochromatic polarized light, the Draconis Os powder sections exhibited light gray-brown to gray-brown irregular fragments, some with undulating textures that were slightly curved. Under crossed polarized light, they appeared dark gray, grayish-white, and yellowish-white. Clear apatite was visible in the ground sections of Draconis Os under crossed polarized light. P_i results indicated that Draconis Os samples were free from contamination and were of good quality. According to the maximum allowable limits of heavy metals stipulated in ISO Traditional Chinese Medicine: Determination of heavy metals in herbal medicines used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ADI, THQ, HQ, and CR were taken as assessment indicators. Only the THQ value for As(arsenic) in raw Draconis Os was greater than 1, while the THQ values for other heavy metal elements in the Draconis Os samples were all less than 1. The study demonstrates that the primary mineral phase of raw and calcined Draconis Os is apatite, with some samples co-existing with calcite, which can serve as one of the means for quality control of Draconis Os. The elemental analysis results from ICP-MS provide scientific evidence for the safety assessment of Draconis Os, indicating that Draconis Os is safe in clinical application.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Risk Assessment ; Minerals/chemistry* ; Fossils ; Humans ; Drug Contamination ; Mass Spectrometry

Objective Using meta-analysis to identify the risk factors for slow-flow or no-reflow during percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods A computerized retrieval of academic papers concerning the risk factors for slow-flow or no-reflow during PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation AMI from the databases of CNKI,Wanfang Database,VIP,SinoMed,PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,and Cochrane Library was conducted.The retrieval time period was from the establishment of the database to January 2024.In order to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the study,two independent reviewers screened the literature according to the preset inclusion and exclusion criteria,extracted key data,and strictly evaluated the quality of the literature.RevMan5.4 software was used to make meta-analysis.Results A total of 23 articles with a total of 9 780 cases were included in this analysis.The results of meta-analysis showed that reperfusion time ≥6 h(OR=1.52),preoperative TIMI blood flow≤level-Ⅰ(OR=1.12),heavy thrombus burden(OR=1.60),advanced age(OR=1.56),diabetes(OR=1.83),preoperative Killip grade≥Ⅲ(OR=2.52),long target vessel disease(OR=1.95),and collateral flow≤level-Ⅰ(OR=1.61)were the risk factors for slow-flow or no-reflow during PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation AMI.Preoperative systolic blood pressure＜90 mmHg(OR=1.17)and high white blood cell(WBC)count(OR=1.27)were not the risk factors for slow-flow or no-reflow during PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation AMI.Conclusion Reperfusion time ≥ 6 h,preoperative TIMI blood flow≤level-Ⅰ,heavy thrombus burden,advanced age,diabetes,preoperative Killip grade≥level-Ⅲ,long target vessel lesion,and collateral blood flow≤level-Ⅰ are the independent risk factors for slow-flow or no-reflow during PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation AMI.

OBJECTIVE: Varied acupoint selections represent a potential cause of the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Skin temperature, a guiding factor for acupoint selection, may help to address this issue. This study explored thermal sensitization of acupoints used for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS: This cross-sectional case-control study enrolled cases aged 45-75 years with symptomatic knee OA and age- and gender-matched non-knee OA controls in a 1:1 ratio. All participants underwent infrared thermographic imaging. The primary outcome was the relative skin temperature of acupoint (STA), and the secondary outcome was the absolute STA of 11 acupoints. The Z test was used to compare the relative and absolute STAs between the groups. Principal component analysis was used to extract the common factors (CFs, acupoint cluster) in the STAs. A general linear model was used to identify factors affecting the STA in the knee OA cases. For the group comparisons of relative STA, P < 0.0045 (adjusted for 11 acupoints through Bonferroni correction) was considered to indicate statistical significance. For other analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The analysis included 308 participants, consisting of 151 cases (mean age: [64.58 ± 6.67] years; male: 25.83%; mean body mass index: [25.70 ± 3.16] kg/m²) and 157 controls (mean age: [63.37 ± 5.96] years; male: 26.11%; mean body mass index: [24.47 ± 2.84] kg/m²). The relative STAs of ST34 (P = 0.0001), EX-LE2 (P < 0.0001), EX-LE5 (P = 0.0006), SP10 (P < 0.0001), BL40 (P = 0.0012) and GB39 (P = 0.0037) were higher in the knee OA group. No difference was found in the STAs of ST35, ST36, SP9, GB33 and GB34. Four CFs were identified for relative STA in both groups. The acupoints within each CF were consistent between the groups. The mean values of the relative STAs across each CF were higher in the knee OA group. In the knee OA cases, no factors were observed to affect the relative STA, while age and gender were found to affect the absolute STA. CONCLUSION Among patients with knee OA, thermal sensitization occurs in the acupoints of the lower extremity, exhibiting localized and regional thermal consistencies. The thermally sensitized acupoints that we identified in this study, ST34, SP10, EX-LE2, EX-LE5, GB39 and BL40, may be good choices for the acupuncture treatment of knee OA. Please cite this article as: Tu JF, Wang XZ, Yan SY, Wang YR, Yang JW, Shi GX, Zhang WZ, Jing LN, Yang LS, Liu DH, Wang LQ, Mi BH. Thermal sensitization of acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 289-296.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Skin Temperature ; Acupuncture Therapy

Objective To investigate the effect of Modified Renshen Wumei Decoction on the TLR4/MyD88/pNF-κBp65 signaling pathway and elucidate the potential mechanism by which this formula repairs the intestinal mucosal barrier in diarrheal rats.Methods Twelve rats were randomly selected from a total of 48 rats to serve as the blank control group(CK),while the remaining 36 rats were used to establish a disease model via a compound method.After 14 days of model preparation,the rats were randomly divided into three groups:the model group(MC),the western medicine group(MV),and the traditional Chinese medicine group(MRWD).Each of the four groups(including CK)received corresponding interventions for 7 days.The concentrations of serum diamine oxidase(DAO),D-lactic acid(D-Lac),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6,IL-10,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),mucin 2(MUC2),MUC4,MUC6,and colonic homogenate secretory immunoglobulin A(SIgA)were measured using ELISA.Additionally,the protein and gene expressions of colonic toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation primary response 88(MyD88),phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells p65(pNF-κBp65),occludin,claudin-1,and zonula occludens-1(ZO-1)were analyzed by Western blot and RT-PCR.Results(1)Intestinal mucosal injury markers:Compared with the blank group,the serum levels of DAO and D-Lac in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group significantly decreased the serum levels of DAO(P<0.001),while the traditional Chinese medicine group also significantly reduced the serum levels of D-Lac(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the changes of DAO and D-Lac serum levels between the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group(P>0.05).(2)Inflammatory indicators:Compared with the blank group,the model group exhibited significant upregulation of TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κ Bp65 protein and gene expression,as well as serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05),along with a significant decrease in IL-10 serum levels(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group significantly downregulated TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κBp65 protein and gene expression,as well as serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05),and significantly upregulated IL-10 serum levels(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in serum levels of TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κBp65 protein,gene expression,and IL-1β,IL-6,IL-10,and TNF-α between the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group(P>0.05).(3)Intestinal mucosal barrier factors:Compared with the blank group,the model group exhibited significant downregulation in MUC2,MUC6,SIgA content,as well as Claudin-1,ZO-1 protein and gene expression,and Occludin protein expression(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both Chinese and Western medicine groups significantly upregulated the content of MUC2 and SIgA,as well as the protein and gene expression of Claudin-1 and ZO-1(P<0.05).The traditional Chinese medicine group also significantly increased the content of MUC6 and Occludin protein expression(P<0.05).No significant differ-ences were observed between the Chinese and Western medicine groups in terms of MUC2,MUC6,SIgA serum content,and Claudin-1 and ZO-1 gene expression(P>0.05).However,the Western medicine group showed better Claudin-1 protein expression than the Chinese medicine group(P<0.05),while the ZO-1 protein expression was higher in the traditional Chinese medicine group compared to the Western medicine group(P<0.05).Conclusion Modified Renshen Wumei Decoction exerts an intestinal mucosal barrier repair effect in diarrhea rats by modulating the TLR4/MyD88/pNF-κBp65 signaling pathway.

Aim To explore the antioxidative effect of the Chinese medicine Baitouweng(BTW)on treating ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods Sixty male mice were randomly divided into six groups:control,dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)(3 g·105 L-1),BTW(20,10,and 5 g·kg-1),and 5-aminosalicylic acid(5-ASA)(800 mg·kg-1).UC model was constructed by 3％DSS for seven days,and the UC model was given by ga-vage once daily from the 5 th day of modeling for seven days.Results BTW effectively reduced the symptoms and histopathological scores of UC mice.Additionally,it downregulated the inflammatory factors,interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-1 β,the immunoglobulins vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and intercellular adhesion mole-cule 1,and metalloprotease matrix metallopeptidase 9.Moreover,it downregulated high mobility group box 1 protein.Furthermore,it inhibited the nuclear factor er-ythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)pathway.Conclusions BTW improves the general condition,inflammatory indexes and oxidative stress level,and its mechanism may be related to inhib-iting the level of HMGB1 to regulate the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathway and rescue intestinal barrier-related protein expression.

Objective:To search, evaluate, and summarize the best evidence for postpartum contraceptive health guidance, providing evidence-based support for clinical healthcare providers in implementing standardized contraceptive counseling and management.Methods:A systematic search was conducted across guideline repositories, professional association websites, and databases for literature related to postpartum contraception guidance, including guidelines, best practices, expert consensus, and systematic reviews, with a search timeframe from database inception to December 2023. Four researchers independently evaluated the quality of the included studies, extracted relevant data, and synthesized evidence from eligible literature.Results:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 documents were included, comprising 5 guidelines, 2 clinical decision-making documents, 1 best practice document, 4 expert consensus statements, and 6 meta-analyses or systematic reviews. Totally 46 pieces of best evidence were summarized from 9 aspects, including health educators, health education recipients, assessment, planning, mode and content of health education, available contraceptive methods, evaluation index of health education, and considerations.Conclusion:This study systematically synthesizes the best available evidence on postpartum contraceptive health guidance. It emphasizes strengthening the competencies of clinical practitioners, supported by structured assessments and standardized guidance, to improve the feasibility and accessibility of contraceptive services. It further highlights the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of contraceptive plans and integrating digital tools to enhance the precision and coverage of guidance, ultimately reducing unintended and short-interval pregnancies and safeguarding women's reproductive health.

Objective:To search, evaluate, and summarize the best evidence for postpartum contraceptive health guidance, providing evidence-based support for clinical healthcare providers in implementing standardized contraceptive counseling and management.Methods:A systematic search was conducted across guideline repositories, professional association websites, and databases for literature related to postpartum contraception guidance, including guidelines, best practices, expert consensus, and systematic reviews, with a search timeframe from database inception to December 2023. Four researchers independently evaluated the quality of the included studies, extracted relevant data, and synthesized evidence from eligible literature.Results:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 documents were included, comprising 5 guidelines, 2 clinical decision-making documents, 1 best practice document, 4 expert consensus statements, and 6 meta-analyses or systematic reviews. Totally 46 pieces of best evidence were summarized from 9 aspects, including health educators, health education recipients, assessment, planning, mode and content of health education, available contraceptive methods, evaluation index of health education, and considerations.Conclusion:This study systematically synthesizes the best available evidence on postpartum contraceptive health guidance. It emphasizes strengthening the competencies of clinical practitioners, supported by structured assessments and standardized guidance, to improve the feasibility and accessibility of contraceptive services. It further highlights the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of contraceptive plans and integrating digital tools to enhance the precision and coverage of guidance, ultimately reducing unintended and short-interval pregnancies and safeguarding women's reproductive health.

Aim To explore the antioxidative effect of the Chinese medicine Baitouweng(BTW)on treating ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods Sixty male mice were randomly divided into six groups:control,dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)(3 g·105 L-1),BTW(20,10,and 5 g·kg-1),and 5-aminosalicylic acid(5-ASA)(800 mg·kg-1).UC model was constructed by 3％DSS for seven days,and the UC model was given by ga-vage once daily from the 5 th day of modeling for seven days.Results BTW effectively reduced the symptoms and histopathological scores of UC mice.Additionally,it downregulated the inflammatory factors,interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-1 β,the immunoglobulins vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and intercellular adhesion mole-cule 1,and metalloprotease matrix metallopeptidase 9.Moreover,it downregulated high mobility group box 1 protein.Furthermore,it inhibited the nuclear factor er-ythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)pathway.Conclusions BTW improves the general condition,inflammatory indexes and oxidative stress level,and its mechanism may be related to inhib-iting the level of HMGB1 to regulate the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathway and rescue intestinal barrier-related protein expression.

Objective To investigate the effect of Modified Renshen Wumei Decoction on the TLR4/MyD88/pNF-κBp65 signaling pathway and elucidate the potential mechanism by which this formula repairs the intestinal mucosal barrier in diarrheal rats.Methods Twelve rats were randomly selected from a total of 48 rats to serve as the blank control group(CK),while the remaining 36 rats were used to establish a disease model via a compound method.After 14 days of model preparation,the rats were randomly divided into three groups:the model group(MC),the western medicine group(MV),and the traditional Chinese medicine group(MRWD).Each of the four groups(including CK)received corresponding interventions for 7 days.The concentrations of serum diamine oxidase(DAO),D-lactic acid(D-Lac),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6,IL-10,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),mucin 2(MUC2),MUC4,MUC6,and colonic homogenate secretory immunoglobulin A(SIgA)were measured using ELISA.Additionally,the protein and gene expressions of colonic toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation primary response 88(MyD88),phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells p65(pNF-κBp65),occludin,claudin-1,and zonula occludens-1(ZO-1)were analyzed by Western blot and RT-PCR.Results(1)Intestinal mucosal injury markers:Compared with the blank group,the serum levels of DAO and D-Lac in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group significantly decreased the serum levels of DAO(P<0.001),while the traditional Chinese medicine group also significantly reduced the serum levels of D-Lac(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the changes of DAO and D-Lac serum levels between the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group(P>0.05).(2)Inflammatory indicators:Compared with the blank group,the model group exhibited significant upregulation of TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κ Bp65 protein and gene expression,as well as serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05),along with a significant decrease in IL-10 serum levels(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group significantly downregulated TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κBp65 protein and gene expression,as well as serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05),and significantly upregulated IL-10 serum levels(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in serum levels of TLR4,MyD88,pNF-κBp65 protein,gene expression,and IL-1β,IL-6,IL-10,and TNF-α between the Chinese medicine group and Western medicine group(P>0.05).(3)Intestinal mucosal barrier factors:Compared with the blank group,the model group exhibited significant downregulation in MUC2,MUC6,SIgA content,as well as Claudin-1,ZO-1 protein and gene expression,and Occludin protein expression(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,both Chinese and Western medicine groups significantly upregulated the content of MUC2 and SIgA,as well as the protein and gene expression of Claudin-1 and ZO-1(P<0.05).The traditional Chinese medicine group also significantly increased the content of MUC6 and Occludin protein expression(P<0.05).No significant differ-ences were observed between the Chinese and Western medicine groups in terms of MUC2,MUC6,SIgA serum content,and Claudin-1 and ZO-1 gene expression(P>0.05).However,the Western medicine group showed better Claudin-1 protein expression than the Chinese medicine group(P<0.05),while the ZO-1 protein expression was higher in the traditional Chinese medicine group compared to the Western medicine group(P<0.05).Conclusion Modified Renshen Wumei Decoction exerts an intestinal mucosal barrier repair effect in diarrhea rats by modulating the TLR4/MyD88/pNF-κBp65 signaling pathway.