This paper aimed to explore the effects of Duzhong Decoction(DZD)-containing serum on the proliferation and osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells through L-type voltage-gated calcium channels(L-VGCCs). L-VGCCs inhibitors, nifedipine and verapamil, were used to block L-VGCCs in osteoblasts. MC3T3-E1 cells were divided into a control group, a low-dose DZD-containing serum(L-DZD) group, a medium-dose DZD-containing serum(M-DZD) group, a high-dose DZD-containing serum(H-DZD) group, a nifedipine group, a H-DZD + nifedipine group, verapamil group, and a H-DZD + verapamil group. The CCK-8 method was used for cell proliferation analysis, alkaline phosphatase(ALP) assay kits for intracellular ALP activity measurement, Western blot for protein expression level in cells, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technology for intracellular mRNA expression level determination, fluorescence spectrophotometer for free Ca~(2+) concentration determination in osteoblasts, and alizarin red staining(ARS) for mineralized nodule formation in osteoblasts. The experimental results show that compared to the control group, DZD groups can promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, ALP activity, and mineralized nodule formation, increase intracellular Ca~(2+) concentrations, and upregulate the protein expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2), collagen Ⅰ(COL1), α2 subunit protein of L-VGCCs(L-VGCCα2), and the mRNA expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2), and BMP2. After blocking L-VGCCs with nifedipine and verapamil, the intervention effects of DZD-containing serum were inhibited to varying degrees. Both nifedipine and verapamil could inhibit ALP activity, reduce mineralized nodule areas, and downregulate the expression of bone formation-related proteins. Moreover, the effects of DZD-containing serum on increasing MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, osteoblast differentiation, and Ca~(2+) concentrations, upregulating the mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin(OPG) and protein expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-Akt) and phosphorylated forkhead box protein O1(p-FOXO1), and upregulating phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN) expression were reversed by nifedipine. The results indicate that DZD-containing serum can increase the Ca~(2+) concentration in MC3T3-E1 cells to promote bone formation, which may be mediated by L-VGCCs and the PTEN/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway, providing a new perspective on the mechanism of DZD in treating osteoporosis.
Animals ; Osteoblasts/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Calcium Channels, L-Type/genetics* ; Alkaline Phosphatase/genetics* ; Serum/chemistry* ; Cell Line ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/genetics*

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple systems, characterized by the development of harmful autoantibodies and immune complexes that lead to damage in organs and tissues. Chinese medicine (CM) plays a role in mitigating complications, enhancing treatment effectiveness, and reducing toxicity of concurrent medications, and ensuring a safe pregnancy. However, CM mainly solves the disease comprehensively through multi-target and multi-channel regulation process, therefore, its treatment mechanism is often complicated, involving many molecular links. This review introduces the research progress of pathogenesis of SLE from the aspects of genetics, epigenetics, innate immunity and acquired immunity, and then discusses the molecular mechanism and target of single Chinese herbal medicine and prescription that are commonly used and effective in clinic to treat SLE.
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals

BACKGROUND: The use of inserted sham acupuncture as a placebo in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is controversial, because it may produce specific effects that cause an underestimation of the effect of acupuncture treatment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic survey investigates the magnitude of insert-specific effects of sham acupuncture and whether they affect the estimation of acupuncture treatment effects. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify acupuncture RCTs from their inception until December 2022. INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs that evaluated the effects of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture and no treatment. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: The total effect measured for an acupuncture treatment group in RCTs were divided into three components, including the natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (controlled for no-treatment group), the placebo effect, and the specific effect of acupuncture. The first two constituted the contextual effect of acupuncture, which is mimicked by a sham acupuncture treatment group. The proportion of acupuncture total effect size was considered to be 1. The proportion of natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (PNE) and proportional contextual effect (PCE) of included RCTs were pooled using meta-analyses with a random-effect model. The proportion of acupuncture placebo effect was the difference between PCE and PNE in RCTs with non-inserted sham acupuncture. The proportion of insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture (PIES) was obtained by subtracting the proportion of acupuncture placebo effect and PNE from PCE in RCTs with inserted sham acupuncture. The impact of PIES on the estimation of acupuncture's treatment effect was evaluated by quantifying the percentage of RCTs that the effect of outcome changed from no statistical difference to statistical difference after removing PIES in the included studies, and the impact of PIES was externally validated in other acupuncture RCTs with an inserted sham acupuncture group that were not used to calculate PIES. RESULTS: This analysis included 32 studies with 5492 patients. The overall PNE was 0.335 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.255-0.415) and the PCE of acupuncture was 0.639 (95% CI, 0.567-0.710) of acupuncture's total effect. The proportional contribution of the placebo effect to acupuncture's total effect was 0.191, and the PIES was 0.189. When we modeled the exclusion of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, the acupuncture treatment effect changed from no difference to a significant difference in 45.45% of the included RCTs, and in 40.91% of the external validated RCTs. CONCLUSION The insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture in RCTs represents 18.90% of acupuncture's total effect and significantly affects the evaluation of the acupuncture treatment effect. More than 40% of RCTs that used inserted sham acupuncture would draw different conclusions if the PIES had been controlled for. Considering the impact of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, caution should be taken when using inserted sham acupuncture placebos in RCTs. Please cite this article as: Luo XC, Liu JL, Yao MH, Chen YM, Fan AY, Liang FR, Zhao JP, Zhao L, Zhou X, Zhong XY, Yang JH, Li B, Zhang Y, Sun X, Li L. Specific effect of inserted sham acupuncture and its impact on the estimation of acupuncture treatment effect in randomized controlled trials: A systematic survey. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):630-640.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Placebo Effect ; Placebos ; Treatment Outcome

A nodule in the right middle lobe of the lung was treated by a combination of cone-beam CT,three-dimensional registration for fusion imaging,and electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy-guided thermal ablation.The procedure lasted for 90 min,with no significant bleeding observed under the bronchoscope.The total radiation dose during the operation was 384 mGy.The patient recovered well postoperatively,with only a small amount of blood in the sputum and no pneumothorax or other complications.A follow-up chest CT on the first day post operation showed that the ablation area completely covered the lesion,and the patient was discharged successfully.
Humans ; Bronchoscopy/methods* ; Catheter Ablation/methods* ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Electromagnetic Phenomena ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To evaluate and compare the success rate and short-term clinical prognosis of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TF-TAVR)for patients with pure aortic regurgitation(PAR)of different annulus sizes.Methods This study is a single center retrospective study,selecting symptomatic PAR patients who received TF-TAVR treatment at Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University from September 2019 to September 2023.Based on preoperative CT results,all patients were divided into three groups:Group A(aortic annulus circumference＜80 mm),Group B(80 mm≤aortic annulus circumference＜85 mm),and Group C(aortic annulus circumference≥ 85 mm).The primary endpoint was success rate and 30d all-cause mortality,while the secondary endpoint was TAVR related complications.Results A total of 61 PAR patients were included in this study,including 27 in Group A,21 in Group B,and 13 in Group C.The overall success rate is 82.0％,and the 30 d all-cause mortality rate is 3.3％.The success rate of Group C patients was significantly lower(P=0.012),with higher rates of conversion to surgery and valve-in-valve implantation(P=0.022 and P=0.040).In terms of secondary endpoint events,there were no significant differences among the three groups in major bleeding events,major vascular complications,stroke,myocardial infarction,newly developed atrial fibrillation,implantation of new pacemakers,coronary artery occlusion,and postoperative moderate to severe perivalvular leakage(all P＞0.05).Conclusions The circumference of the aortic valve annulus is a key factor affecting the success rate of TF-TAVR in PAR,and PAR patients with an aortic valve annulus circumference less than 85mm may be more suitable for TF-TAVR.

For the past 30 years,percutaneous balloon mitral valve dilatation has been performed under the guidance of X-rays and bedside ultrasound.However,there are still some cases of mitral valve stenosis in the large atrium where balloon dilation failed.Intraperitoneal ultrasound-guided percutaneous balloon mitral valve plasty is accurate and feasible,which can reduce the occurrence of complications and improve the success rate of such elderly complex cases.Two patients with severe mitral stenosis underwent percutaneous balloon mitral valve plasty guided by intracardiac ultrasound.The operations were successful without any complications,which can provide reference for clinical treatment of mitral stenosis.

Heart failure(HF)is the end stage of almost all cardiovascular diseases,including coronary heart disease and structural heart disease.For end-stage HF,medications and cardiac assist devices have limited therapeutic effects,and heart transplantation is associated with donor shortage and immune rejection.Alginate hydrogel has the ability to mechanically support and induce cardiac tissue regeneration and repair.In March 2021,we conducted the world's first transcatheter endocardial alginate-hydrogel implantation in patients with end-stage heart failure,and explored the safety and feasibility of the treatment.Given that patients with heart failure who had undergone cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator(CRT-D)were excluded from previous studies,this paper is the first to report a case of transcatheter endocardial alginate-hydrogel implantation in a patient with heart failure who did not respond to CRT-D,with a significant reduction in the number of visits to the doctor and a significant improvement in the quality of life during the post-procedure follow-up,which may expand the indications for the use of this technology.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation(TAVR).Methods This was a single-center,retrospective study enrolling a total of 30 patients with reduced LVEF undergoing TAVR from January 2020 to January 2024.Of these,12 patients underwent TAVR with ECMO.Baseline clinical characteristics,preprocedural echocardiographic and computed tomographic(CT)measurements,TAVR procedural details,and follow-up data at 60-day and 6-month were collected.Results Among the 30 patients,there were 20 males with an average age of(67.0±10.4)years,an average STS score of(8.2±1.8)points,and an average LVEF of(21.2±5.3)％.This study included 11 AR patients,all of whom were in the group without ECMO implantation,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.027).During the operation,there were 0 cases of circulatory collapse in the ECMO group,and 5 cases(5/18)of circulatory collapse in the non ECMO group.All 5 patients underwent emergency ECMO placement.There were statistically significant differences(P＜0.05)in the comparison of two groups with circulatory collapse and salvage ECMO implantation.The technical success rate of 30 patients was 76.7％(23/30),and the instrument success rate was 60.0％(18/30).Among them,the technical success rate and instrument success rate of the ECMO group were higher than those of the non ECMO group,but the differences were not statistically significant(both P＞0.05).During a 30 day follow-up,there were 0 all-cause deaths in the ECMO group and 9 all-cause deaths(9/18)in the non ECMO group.Among them,7 cases(7/18)died from cardiovascular causes.The differences in all-cause and cardiovascular cause deaths between the two groups were statistically significant(both P＜0.05).During a 6-month follow-up,one patient with ECMO died due to extensive cerebral infarction.The all-cause mortality rate during the 6-month follow-up was 1/12(8.3％),while the all-cause mortality rate without ECMO was 9/18(5.0％).The difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.024).The incidence of stroke with ECMO was 1/12(8.3％),while without ECMO it was 0.There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.978).Conclusions In patients with reduced LVEF undergoing TAVR,periprocedural ECMO support does seem to improve patient outcome.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

Objective To investigate the effect of intraoperative renal artery resistance index(RI)in predicting postoperative acute kidney injury(AKI)in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopul-monary bypass(CPB).Methods Forty-four patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with CPB,21 males and 23 females,aged ≥18 years,BMI 18.5-30.0 kg/m2,ASA physical status Ⅰ-Ⅲ,were select-ed.Left renal artery peak systolic velocity(PSV)and end-diastolic velocity(EDV)were measured by transesophageal echocardiography(TEE)20 minutes after general anesthesia induction(T1)and 30 minutes after CPB cessation(T2).RI was calculated as(PSV-EDV)/PSV.Patients were divided into two groups:the AKI group and the non-AKI group,according to whether occurred AKI by the diagnostic criteria of the kidney disease:improving global outcomes organization(KDIGO).Logistic multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for AKI occurrence.Results Sixteen patients(36％)oc-curred AKI.Compared with the non-AKI group,the CPB duration and aortic cross-clamp duration were sig-nificantly prolonged(P＜0.05),the renal artery RI at T,and T2 were significantly increased in the AKI group(P＜0.05).Multivariate logstic analysis showed that RI at T2 was an independent risk factor for AKI occurrence after cardiac surgery,the AUC was 0.893(95％CI 0.794-0.991,P＜0.010),the sensitivity and specificity were 84.5％and 78.6％,respectively,and the cut-off value was 0.720.Conclusion Intra-operative renal artery RI in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is an independent risk factor for AKI after cardiac surgery,and renal artery RI＞0.720 at 30 minutes after CPB cessation can serve as a predictive in-dicator for AKI after cardiac surgery.