BACKGROUND: Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory airway disease and intermittent hypoxia is increasingly recognized as a factor that may impact disease progression. The present study investigated whether intermittent hypoxia (IH) could aggravate asthma by promoting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3)/interleukin (IL)-1β-dependent pyroptosis and the inflammatory response and further elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS: A total of 49 patients diagnosed with severe bronchial asthma and diagnosed by polysomnography were enrolled at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between January 2022 and December 2022, and their general data and induced sputum were collected. BEAS-2B cells were treated with IL-13 and subjected to IH. An ovalbumin (OVA)-treated mouse model was also used to assess the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) on asthma. Pyroptosis, the inflammatory response, and related signalling pathways were assessed in vivo and in vitro . RESULTS: In this study, as the apnoea and hypopnea index (AHI) increased, the proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma increased. The proportions of neutrophils and the levels of IL-6, IL-8, HIF-1α and NLRP3 in induced sputum were related to the AHI. NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis, which could be mediated by the HIF-1α signalling pathway, was activated in IL-13 plus IH-treated BEAS-2B cells and in the lungs of OVA/CIH mice. HIF-1α downregulation significantly reduced lung pyroptosis and ameliorated neutrophil inflammation by modulating the NLRP3/IL-1β pathway both in vitro and in vivo . Similarly, pretreatment with LW6, an inhibitor of HIF-1α, effectively blocked the generation of inflammatory cytokines in neutrophils. In addition, administration of the NLRP3 activator nigericin obviously increased lung neutrophil inflammation. CONCLUSIONS Obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a risk factor for asthma exacerbation. IH aggravates neutrophil inflammation in asthma via NLRP3/IL-1β-dependent pyroptosis mediated by the HIF-1α signalling pathway, which should be considered a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of asthma with OSAHS.
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Humans ; Asthma/metabolism* ; Animals ; Pyroptosis/physiology* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Male ; Hypoxia/metabolism* ; Female ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Adult ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Middle Aged ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Background: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a prevalent condition that substantially degrades patient quality of life. Acupuncture is recognized as an effective therapeutic approach for various urological diseases. However, there is limited evidence validating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for OABs. Objective: To assess the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture for OAB and to investigate the potential mechanisms by analyzing its effects on relevant urinary biomarkers. Methods: This is a randomized, participants and outcome assessors blinded, sham acupuncture controlled trial. A total of 110 patients with OABs will be randomly divided in a 1:1 ratio between the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. Participants in the acupuncture group will undergo 30-min authentic acupuncture, while their counterparts in the sham acupuncture group will undergo sham acupuncture needling non-acupoints superficially three times weekly for a duration of 8 weeks. The two co-primary outcomes will be the change in the mean number of micturitions per 24 h from baseline to the end of the 8-week treatment and 20-week follow-up. The secondary outcomes will encompass the change in Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, Overactive Bladder Questionnaire Short Form, and average 24 h values of urgency, daytime micturition, nocturia, and mean volume voided per micturition from baseline to weeks 8 and 20. Urinary nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels will be measured at baseline and week 8. Adverse events will also be documented. Discussion The results of this trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the management of OAB.

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential geographic distribution of Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit. in Gansu province, clarify its habitat requirements, and provide a theoretical basis for rational cultivation. METHODS Based on 100 geographic distribution points of Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit. and 39 environmental variables (including 19 bioclimatic variables, 17 soil variables and 3 topographic variables), the maximum entropy model(MaxEnt) and ArcGIS geographic information system software were used to make the habitat suitable for its evaluation and classification of suitable areas, the result of Jackknife test was used to evaluate the environmental variables that affect the habitat of Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit., the area under the ROC curve(AUC) was used to evaluate the degree of reliability of the prediction results. RESULTS The AUC was 0.993, indicating that the prediction results of the MaxEnt model were reliable. Monthly average daily temperature difference, isotherm, standard deviation of seasonal variation of temperature, annual precipitation, the wettest month precipitation, the driest month precipitation, the driest season precipitation, the coldest season precipitation and altitude were the main environmental variables affecting the growth of Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit.. The suitable areas for Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit. in Gansu were mainly concentrated in Longnan, Tianshui and Pingliang, where the areas of high, medium and low suitable areas were 16 180.4, 15 413.96, 21 204.84 km2, respectively. CONCLUSION The research results can provide a theoretical reference for the protection and standardized cultivation of Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit. resources.

Objective To analyze the hotspots and development trends in the international field of apraxia of speech(AOS). Methods Relevant literature on AOS was retrieved in the Web of Science Core Collection database from January,2004 to December,2023,and was analyzed with CiteSpace 6.2 R. Results A total of 893 articles were included,with a fluctuating upward trend in publication volume.The United States and Australia exhibited significant influence in the field of AOS research.Mayo Clinic and the University of Syd-ney showed high centrality in the network,while Joseph R Duffy ranked among the top authors in terms of publi-cation volume.Over the past five years,research hotspots mainly focused on Parkinson's disease,the classifica-tion of AOS,and studies on treatment intensity. Conclusion The research interest in AOS is on the rise.Significant progress has been made in areas such as neuroimag-ing,clinical acoustic assessment and articulatory-phonetic intervention.Further exploration is needed in the path-ological mechanisms and treatment methods of AOS.

It is believed that the endoscopic manifestations of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome （IC/BPS） such as extensive bleeding and Hunner's ulcers as well as its recurrent and prolonged condition are in line with the characteristics of sores and ulcers in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and the treatment can be referred to TCM theory of sores and ulcers. The mechanism of IC/BPS is characterized by root deficiency and branch excess. The root cause is deficiency of the spleen and kidney qi， while the manifesting factors are dampness-heat and blood stasis. The treatment is based on the principles of promoting and supplementing， combining with resolving therapy， so that the symptoms could be relieved by promoting blood circulation and clearing heat， unblocking the collaterals and relieve pain. In clinical practice， modified Neituo Shengji Powder （内托生肌散） was commonly used to boost qi and invigorate blood， expel swollen sore and express toxin； combining with Sijunzi Decoction （四君子汤） or Suoquan Pill （缩泉丸） based on specific symptoms to strengthen the spleen and kidneys， thereby reinforcing healthy qi； according to concurrent symptoms like blood stasis， dampness heat， prescription with Sanleng （Cyperus rotundus）， Ezhu （Curcuma aromatica Salisb） to invigorate blood and dissolve stasis， or Yiyiren （Coix lacryma-jobi）， Zexie （Alisma plantago-aquatica） to clear heat and drain dampness.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)is a group of clinical syndromes related to severe acute liver function damage and multiple organ failure caused by various acute inducing factors on the basis of chronic liver disease.Due to its serious condition,rapid progression and high mortality,it has attracted more and more attention.Recent studies have shown that the pathogenesis of ACLF mainly includes direct injury and immune injury.As the main immune cells in the liver,the immunoregulatory role of liver macrophages in ACLF has been increasingly recognized.Liver macrophages have excellent phenotype conversion function and plasticity characteristics under the influence of epigenetic reprogramming or local microenvironment.This adaptive expression ability can use key mediators to promote the early conversion of anti-inflammatory phenotype to alleviate liver injury.A large number of studies have shown that liver macrophages have a certain potential in reversing the process of ACLF.Therefore,from the perspective of the plasticity characteristics of liver macrophages,this paper expounds the role of liver macrophages in ACLF and the research on the intervention of ACLF disease process,and summarizes its potential significance in the treatment of ACLF.

Chronic skin diseases have complex pathogeneses and prolonged courses, and have long adverse impacts on the physical and mental health, as well as the normal life of patients. It is necessary to develop evidence-based strategies and measures for effective prevention and control of chronic skin diseases. However, related studies are limited in China. This article proposes a population medicine research plan for health promotion and equity, and disease prevention, diagnosis, control, treatment, and rehabilitation to establish a collaborative platform for strengthening research on the prevention and treatment of chronic skin diseases in China.

ObjectiveBased on network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques， the mechanism of essential oil from Chimonanthus nitens leaves （CLO） in the treatment of acute lung injury （ALI） was predicted， and a rat model of ALI was established to verify the mechanism of CLO. MethodThe composition of CLO was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The component targets were obtained from PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction databases， ALI-related targets were obtained from GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） and DisGeNET， cross-over analysis with differential expressed genes （DEGs） of ALI obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus （GEO） on the Venny 2.1.0 platform yielded potential anti-ALI targets of CLO. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） analysis of potential targets was carried out by STRING 11.5. The tissue expression profiles of potential targets were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information （NCBI） and the target tissue distribution maps were constructed. Potential targets were analyzed for Gene Ontology （GO） function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment by RStudio 4.0.0 software. Composition-target-pathway network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.9.1 software， and key components and pathways were screened out and verified by molecular docking. ALI model was established by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） induction， levels of interleukin （IL）-6 and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α in serum of rats were measured， the expression levels of IL-17 protein in the lung tissue of ALI rats were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. ResultA total of 19 components of CLO were identified by GC-MS， and 18 potential targets were obtained by target screening. After PPI analysis， 15 target proteins with interaction relationship were obtained， further analysis showed that they were highly expressed in lung and thymus. The network diagram of component-target-pathway was analyzed to obtain the key components， including bornyl acetate， linalool， elemol， geranyl isobutyrate， and the core targets of matrix metalloproteinase 13 （MMP13）， S100 calcium binding protein A9 （S100A9）， spleen tyrosine kinase （SYK）， as well as the main signaling pathways， such as IL-17 and TNF. The results of molecular docking showed that the key components were stably bound to MMP13 and S100A9 of IL-17 signaling pathway. The results of pharmacological experiment confirmed that CLO could significantly inhibit the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum of ALI rats， and decrease the expression of IL-17 protein in lung tissue of ALI rats. ConclusionCLO can achieve the therapeutic effect on ALI and protect lung tissue， the mechanism may be related to the decrease of the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and the inhibition of the activation of IL-17 signaling pathway in lung tissue of ALI rats.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of kinesio taping(KT)in the treatment of pain,function,range of motion and muscle strength in patients with knee articular osteoarthritis(OA).Method Forty patients with knee articular OA diagnosed in our hospital from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected.We randomly divided them into two groups,each with 20 cases.The observation group received KT therapy,while the control group received sham bandage therapy.Visual Analogue Scale/Score(VAS)was used to assess the degree of activity and nocturnal pain,KOOS score was used to assess the functional status of patients,digital goniometer was used to measure the range of activity and hand-held force meter was used to assess muscle strength.The evaluation time includes before treatment and on the 12th day of treatment.Result Compared with before treatment,the pain,function,range of motion,and muscle strength of patients in the control group and KT group were significantly improved after treatment.And compared with the control group,the KT group also significantly improved the above indicators after treatment.Conclusion KT therapy has significant efficacy in relieving short-term pain and improving functional limitations in knee osteoarthritis.

This article reports the prenatal diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) in two consecutive pregnancies of a woman. Echocardiography on the first fetus at 24 +4 gestational weeks identified the right aortic arch, and right-sided ductus arteriosus with aberrant left subclavian artery. Subsequently, an amniocentesis was performed, and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) of amniotic fluid revealed a 2.181 Mb heterozygous microdeletion of 22q11.21, which indicated the presence of 22q11.2 DS in the fetus. After genetic counseling, the pregnant woman decided to terminate the pregnancy and declined genetic testing. During her second pregnancy, ultrasound at 21 +5 weeks detected interrupted aortic arch type B with aberrant left subclavian artery, ventricular septal defect, and enlarged posterior fossa in the fetus and further CMA of amniotic fluid indicated fetal 22q11.2 DS. CMA was performed on peripheral blood of the woman, which found the same deletion on 22q11.21. The woman had nasal sounds and velopharyngeal insufficiency with normal phenotype. Following the genetic counseling regarding the risk of recurrence, the pregnant woman opted to terminate the pregnancy and was suggested to undergo preimplantation genetic diagnosis in future pregnancies. One year after the second pregnancy termination, the woman's father developed heart failure at the age of 53 and was also found to have nasal sounds. Low-depth whole genome copy number variation sequencing in venous blood confirmed 22q11.2 DS in her father. For those with a prenatal diagnosis of 22q11.2 DS, genetic testing of the fetal parents is recommended to help assess the risk of recurrence and facilitate genetic counseling.