Objective To explore the effects and mechanisms of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (HUC-MSC)-derived exosomes (Exo) pretreated with Huangkui capsules on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Methods HUC-MSCs were cultured in media containing different concentrations of Huangkui capsules for 24 hours to determine cell viability and select an appropriate concentration for subsequent experiments. HUC-MSCs were pretreated with 50 μg/mL Huangkui capsules for 24 hours, and Exo were extracted using an exosome extraction kit. The morphology was observed under a transmission electron microscope, particle size was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis, and the expression of exosomal membrane surface marker proteins was detected by Western blot. Human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) were randomly divided into hypoxia/reoxygenation group (M group), hypoxia/reoxygenation + Exo group (E group), and hypoxia/reoxygenation + Huangkui capsules pretreated Exo group (H group). Western blotting was used to measure the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related proteins, and real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of ERS-related gene messenger RNA (mRNA). Mice were randomly divided into sham operation group (Sham group), ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group), ischemia-reperfusion + Exo group (E group), and ischemia-reperfusion + Huangkui capsules pretreated Exo group (H group). Renal histological assessment, serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) measurement and inflammatory factor detection were performed 24 hours later. Results Both Exo and Huangkui capsules prereated Exo had a bilayer membrane structure and a cup-shaped morphology; their average particle sizes were 116.8 nm and 81.3 nm, respectively. Both expressed CD9, CD63, TSG101. Compared with the M group, the E group had decreased relative expression of transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) proteins, increased mRNA relative expression, increased relative expression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) protein, and decreased mRNA relative expression. Compared with the E group, the H group had decreased relative expression of ATF6, PERK, CHOP proteins, and decreased mRNA relative expression of ATF6 and PERK (all P<0.05). Animal experimental results showed that compared with the Sham group, the I/R group had increased renal tubular injury scores, Scr, BUN, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels. Compared with the I/R group, the E and H groups had decreased renal tubular injury scores and Scr, BUN, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α levels. Compared with the E group, the H group had decreased renal tubular injury scores and Scr, BUN, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α levels (all P<0.05). Conclusions Huangkui capsules pretreatment HUC-MSC-derived Exo may alleviate renal IRI by inhibiting ERS.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and the live birth rate (LBR) using different propensity score methods. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, eligible women who underwent a COH were divided into acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups. The primary outcome was LBR, as determined by propensity score matching (PSM). LBR was defined as the delivery of one or more living infants that reached a gestational age over 28 weeks after embryo transfer. The propensity score model encompassed 16 confounding variables. To validate the results, sensitivity analyses were conducted using three additional propensity score methods: propensity score adjustment, inverse probability weighting (IPW), and IPW with a "doubly robust" estimator. RESULTS: The primary cohort encompassed 9751 patients (1830 [18.76%] in the acupuncture group and 7921 [81.23%] in the non-acupuncture group). Following 1:1 PSM, a higher LBR was found in the acupuncture cohort (41.4% [755/1824] vs 36.4% [664/1824], with an odds ratio of 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.41]). Three additional propensity score methods produced essentially similar results. The risk of serious adverse events did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION This retrospective study revealed an association between acupuncture and an increased LBR among patients undergoing COH, and that acupuncture is a safe and valuable treatment option. Please cite this article as: Zheng XY, Jiang ZY, Li YT, Li CL, Zhu H, Yu Z, Yu SY, Yang LL, Tang SY, Lü XY, Liang FR, Yang J. Association between acupuncture and live birth rates after fresh embryo transfer: A cohort study based on different propensity score methods. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):528-536.
Humans ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Embryo Transfer ; Adult ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy ; Live Birth ; Birth Rate ; Cohort Studies

The fungal bioluminescence pathway (FBP) catalyzes the oxidation of endogenous caffeic acid to produce green bioluminescence through an enzymatic cascade. Genetic engineering of FBP into plants creates autoluminescent specimens that circumvent the substrate limitations of conventional reporter systems. These transgenic plants serve dual functions as aesthetic displays and versatile biosensing platforms, enabling applications in real-time gene expression monitoring, continuous environmental surveillance, and non-invasive bioimaging, offering novel opportunities for horticultural production, environmental conservation, and bioengineering applications. This review synthesizes current advances in plant FBP engineering and explores how machine learning approaches can optimize autoluminescent phenotypes, thereby accelerating innovation in agricultural biotechnology, environmental sensing, and synthetic biology applications.
Fungi/genetics* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Genetic Engineering ; Biosensing Techniques ; Luminescent Measurements ; Caffeic Acids/metabolism* ; Luminescence

Obesity, as a chronic recurrent disease, has become a major public health challenge in China. To implement the requirements of the Healthy China Initiative (2019—2030), under domestic guidelines or consensus statements on overweight and obesity, and in alignment with the latest scientific advances globally, the Quality control protocol for adult overweight and obesity screening in health management (examination) institutions (2025 edition) was developed. This protocol was drafted by the Health Management Center of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital and formulated through multiple rounds of deliberation by experts in China’s health examination quality control field. The protocol establishes unified standards for screening facilities, personnel qualifications, and measurement or testing procedures. It defines specific screening items, outlines a standardized screening pathway, and sets requirements for the final medical review, ensuring the scientific validity, effectiveness, and safety of the screening process. The implementation of this protocol will enhance the consistency of weight management practices for adults across health examination institutions and strengthen the quality control of overweight and obesity screening programs.

Objective To investigate the effect of Jisuikang formula-medicated serum for promoting spinal cord injury (SCI) repair in rats and explore the possible mechanism. Methods Thirty adult SD rats were randomized into sham-operated group, SCI (induced using a modified Allen method) model group, and Jisuikang formula-medicated serum treatment group. After the operations, the rats were treated with normal saline or Jisuikang by gavage on a daily basis for 14 days, and the changes in hindlimb motor function of the rats was assessed with Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scores and inclined-plate test. The injured spinal cord tissues were sampled from the SCI rat models for single-cell RNA sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the target genes of Jisuikang, spinal cord injury and glycolysis. In the cell experiment, cultured astrocytes from neonatal SD rat cortex were treated with SOX2 alone or in combination with Jisuikang-medicated serum for 21 days, and the protein expressions of PKM2, p-PKM2 and YAP and colocalization of PKM2 and YAP in the cells were analyzed with Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Results The SCI rats with Jisuikang treatment showed significantly improved BBB scores and performance in inclined-plate test. At the injury site, high PKM2 expression was detected in various cell types. Bioinformatic analysis identified the HIPPO-YAP signaling pathway as the target pathway of Jisuikang. In cultured astrocytes, SOX2 combined with the mediated serum, as compared with SOX2 alone, significantly increased PKM2, p-PKM2 and YAP expressions and entry of phosphorylated PKM2 into the nucleus, and promoted PKM2 and YAP co-localization in the cells. Conclusion Jisuikang formula accelerates SCI repair in rats possibly by promoting aerobic glycolysis of the astrocytes via activating the PKM2/YAP axis to induce reprogramming of the astrocytes into neurons.

AIM:To investigate the optimal time of blood collection and the best concentration of Ganlong capsule(GLC)-containing serum for steatohepatitis.METHODS:Sixty C57BL/6J mice were gavaged with GLC at a dose of 90 mg/kg body weight,twice a day for 7 days.Control mice were administered the same volume of 0.9%saline.After 0.5,1,2 and 4 h from the last gavage,blood was collected to prepare GLC-containing serum.The LC-MS/MS was used to detect the inosine content of blank and drug-containing serum at different blood collection times to determine the optimal time.Subsequently,NCTC1469 cells stimulated with palmitic acid(PA)were treated with different concentrations of the GLC-containing serum.Nile Red staining was used to detect lipid droplet formation,and RT-qPCR was employed to as-sess the expression of intracellular fatty acid synthesis(Fabp1,Scd1)and fatty acid β-oxidation gene(Pparα).RE-SULTS:(1)LC-MS/MS detection revealed that the inosine concentration peaked 2 h after the last administration.(2)Nile red staining demonstrated that the GLC-containing serum exerted a dose-dependent decreasing trend of lipid droplets in hepatocytes induced by PA.(3)GLC-containing serum significantly downregulated the mRNA expression levels of lipo-genesis-genes(Fabp1 and Scd1)with a dose-dependent decreasing trend in the PA-induced NCTC1469 cells.The mRNA expression of genes associated with fatty acid β-oxidation(Pparα)were upregulated with a dose-dependent increasing trend.CONCLUSION:The 10%GLC-containing serum collected 2 hours after the last administration in mice has the best therapeutic effect for steatohepatitis.

Objective To investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of the growth differentia-tion factor 15(GDF-15)/glial-derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like(GFRAL)pathway on the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mice.Methods Eight 8-week-old male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into control group and rGDF-15 group.The mice in the control group received an injection of phosphate-buffered saline via tail vein once a week after 4 weeks of high-fat diet feeding,and those in the rGDF-15 group received an injection of recombinant GDF-15(0.05 mg/kg)via tail vein once a week after 4 weeks of high-fat diet feeding.The mice were fed with high-fat diet for another 8 weeks,the body weight was monitored during this period.After 12 weeks'feeding,the mice were euthanized.Another 4 normal mice(at the same age,20 weeks old)were subjected and served as normal control group.The levels of fasting blood glucose,blood lip-ids,cortisol,and aldosterone were compared among the three groups.Oil red O staining was used to evaluate plaque size in the aorta,and immunohistochemistry was employed to assess the expression of GDF-15 and GFRAL in the brain tissue.Results The serum level of GDF-15 was higher in the rGDF-15 group than in the control group(52.59±2.90 ng/ml vs 20.09±1.27 ng/ml,P＜0.01).The weight of mice was significantly lower in the rGDF-15 group than the con-trol group during Week 11(28.60±0.22 g vs 29.47±0.25 g,P＜0.01)and 12(28.98±0.22 g vs 30.35±0.13 g,P＜0.01).The rGDF-15 group had a statistically lower level of triglycerides(0.22±0.02 mmol/L vs 0.38±0.09 mmol/L,P＜0.05),lighter plaque burden[(22.22±2.58)％vs(31.61±3.51)％,P＜0.01],and enhanced expression levels of GDF-15 and GFRAL in the brain tissue(0.088±0.007 vs 0.030±0.006,0.031±0.003 vs 0.010±0.001,P＜0.01).The levels of cor-tisol and aldosterone in the control group and rGDF-15 group were significantly higher than those in the normal group(P＜0.01).The aldosterone level in the rGDF-15 group was significantly re-duced compared to the control group(22.013.67 mg/ml vs 87.29±8.63 mg/ml,P＜0.01).Conclusion GDF-15 may regulate body weight and triglyceride and aldosterone levels through GFRAL,and then affect the progression of atherosclerosis.

italic>Salmonella has emerged as a promising tumor-targeting strategy in recent years due to its good tumor targeting ability and certain safety. In order to further optimize its therapeutic effect, scientists have tried to modify Salmonella, including its attenuation and drug loading. This paper summarizes the mechanism and research progress of Salmonella-mediated targeted tumor therapy, and introduces the strategies and related progress of its modification and optimization. At the same time, the advantages, current challenges and future development directions of Salmonella-mediated tumor therapy are summarized.

Objective To classify traumatic triangular fibrocartilage complex(TFCC)injury based on 3.0T MR.Methods A total of 46 patients with definite history of wrist trauma admitted were collected.All patients underwent MRI scanning within 3 days after trauma,and the MRI findings were classified as follows according to the Palmer classification criteria:the focal structures of triangular fibro-cartilage(articular disc)(TFC)injury,the horizontal of the articular disc tear,injuries of ulnar styloid attachment and ulnar fovea attach-ment in TFC,ulnolunate and ulnotriquetral ligaments injuries,injury of the radial sigmoid notch junction,meniscal homologous inju-ry.The presence of TFCC injury was eventually confirmed by surgery in all patients.Results Of 46 patients,38 patients could be classified by Palmer,and there were 10 cases with type ⅠA,23 cases with type ⅠB,3 cases with type ⅠC and 2 cases with type ⅠD.A total of 8 patients were not suitable for Palmer type,and there were 3 patients with horizontal tears in the articular disc and 5 patients with meniscus homologous injuries.Conclusion The 3.0T MR can not only show various subtypes of Palmer classification,but also refine and supplement the classification based on the original classification,such as the injuries of ulnar styloid attachment and ulnar fovea attachment at the ulnar end of the articular disc,horizontal tear of the articular disc,meniscus homologous injury,etc.

【Objective】 To explore the role of ZFP36 in cardiomyocyte injury and autophagy induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) so as to clarify its molecular regulatory mechanism. 【Methods】 H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes were infected with ZFP36 overexpressing lentivirus (OE-ZFP36) or its negative control lentivirus (OE-ZFP36 NC) to construct stable cell lines, respectively. Transfection of ATG4D overexpression plasmid (OE-ATG4D) improved the expression of ATG4D. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) induced myocardial cell injury. H9C2 cells were mainly divided into control group, H/R group, OE-ZFP36 NC+H/R group, OE-ZFP36+H/R group, OE-ATG4D NC+H/R group, OE-ATG4D+H/R group, OE-ZFP36+OE-ATG4D NC+H/R group, and OE-ZFP36+OE-ATG4D+H/R group. The protein expressions of ATG4D, Beclin1, LC3 and ZFP36 in H9C2 cells were detected by Western blotting. The mRNA levels of ZFP36 and ATG4D in H9C2 cells were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). The viability of H9C2 cells was detected by CCK-8 assay. The levels of interleukin (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in H9C2 cells were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H9C2 cells were detected by DCFH-DA method. SOD detection kit was used to detect the SOD level in H9C2 cells. The apoptosis of H9C2 cells was detected by flow cytometry. LC3 autophagosomes in H9C2 cells were detected by cellular immunofluorescence. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect the binding of ZFP36 and ATG4D mRNA in H9C2 cells. 【Results】 Compared with control group, H/R group showed decreased cell viability, increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels, increased ROS levels and decreased SOD levels, increased cell apoptosis. Up-regulated ATG4D and Beclin1 protein expression, increased LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ ratio, as well as upregulated ZFP36 expression were found in H/R group (all P<0.05). Compared with OE-ZFP36 NC+H/R group, elevated cell viability, decreased IL-6 and TNF-α levels, decreased ROS levels and increased SOD levels, reduced cell apoptosis (P<0.05), and downregulated ATG4D and Beclin1 protein expression, decreased LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ ratio were shown in OE-ZFP36+H/R group (all P<0.05). Compared with infection with OE-ZFP36 NC lentivirus, infection with OE-ZFP36 lentivirus decreased the luciferase activity of ATG4D 3′-UTR reporter gene, decreased the stability of ATG4D mRNA, and downregulated the H/R-induced ATG4D mRNA expression (all P<0.05). Compared with OE-ATG4D NC+H/R group, OE-ATG4D+H/R group had upregulated ATG4D mRNA and protein expression, decreased cell viability, increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels, increased ROS levels, decreased SOD levels and elevated cell apoptosis (all P<0.05). Compared with OE-ZFP36+OE-ATG4D NC+H/R group, OE-ZFP36+OE-ATG4D+H/R group had decreased cell viability, increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels, increased ROS levels, decreased SOD levels and elevated cell apoptosis (all P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 The expression of ZFP36 is upregulated in H/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury. The overexpression of ZFP36 inhibits H/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury and autophagy by regulating ATG4D, thus resisting cardiomyocyte H/R injury. It proves that ZFP36 is an important regulatory molecule against MI/RI.