Objective: To determine the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Piwei Peiyuan Pill (PPP) combined with moxibustion for treating patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome. Methods: Ninety-six CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled at the Department of Spleen and Stomach Diseases of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to December 2023. The patients were randomly divided into a control, a Chinese medicine, and a combined group using a random number table method, with 32 cases in each group (two cases per group were excluded). The control group was treated with rabeprazole combined with folic acid tablets (both thrice daily), the Chinese medicine group was treated with PPP (8 g, thrice daily), and the combined group was treated with moxa stick moxibustion (once daily) on the basis of the Chinese medicine group for 12 consecutive weeks. Gastric mucosa atrophy in the three groups was observed before and after treatment. The gastric mucosal pathological score was evaluated. The Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) scale was used to evaluate the patients′ physical and mental health status and quality of life.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-10, IL-37, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β levels in each group. Real-time fluorescence PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mRNA in each group. Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression levels of proteins related to the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, and the adverse drug reactions and events were recorded and compared. Results: There was no statistical difference in age, gender, disease duration, family history of gastrointestinal tumors, alcohol consumption history, and body mass index among the three groups of patients.The total therapeutic efficacy rates of the control, Chinese medicine, and combined groups in treating gastric mucosal atrophy were 66.67% (20/30), 86.67% (26/30), and 90.00% (27/30), respectively (P<0.05). Compared to before treatment, the pathological and PRO scale scores of gastric mucosa in each group decreased after treatment, and TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, and TGF-β levels decreased. The relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, as well as the relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels decreased (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the control group, the pathological score of gastric mucosa, PRO scale score, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, TGF-β content, relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, and relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels in the Chinese medicine and combined groups after treatment were reduced (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the Chinese medicine group, the combined group showed a decrease in relative STAT3, mTOR mRNA expression levels, and STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels (P<0.05). Conclusion The combination of PPP and moxibustion may regulate the inflammatory mechanism of the body by inhibiting the abnormal activation of the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, upregulating related anti-inflammatory factor levels, downregulating pro-inflammatory factor expression, and increasing related repair factor expression, thereby promoting the recovery of atrophic gastric mucosa, reducing discomfort symptoms, and improving the physical and mental state of CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome.

Syringa pinnatifolia, belonging to the family Oleaceae, is a species endemic to China. It is predominantly distributed in the Helan Mountains region of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia of China. The peeled roots, stems, and thick branches have been used as a distinctive Mongolian medicinal material known as "Shan-chen-xiang", which has effects such as suppressing "khii", clearing heat, and relieving pain and is employed for the treatment of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and joint pain. Over the past five years, significant increase was achieved in research on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects. There were a total of 130 new constituents reported, covering sesquiterpenoids, lignans, and alkaloids. Its effects of anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, sedation, and analgesia were revealed, and the mechanisms of agarwood formation were also investigated. To better understand its medical value and potential of clinical application, this review updates the research progress in recent five years focusing on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of S. pinnatifolia, providing reference for subsequent research on active ingredient and support for its innovative application in modern medicine system.
Medicine, Mongolian Traditional ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Syringa/chemistry*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of children with non-Down-syndrome-related acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (non-DS-AMKL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 17 children with non-DS-AMKL who were admitted to Children's Hospital of The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to December 2023, and their clinical features, treatment, and prognosis were summarized. RESULTS: Among the 17 children with non-DS-AMKL, there were 8 boys and 9 girls. Fourteen patients had an onset age of less than 36 months, with a median age of 21 months (range:13-145 months). Immunophenotyping results showed that 16 children were positive for CD61 and 13 were positive for CD41. The karyotype analysis was performed on 16 children, with normal karyotype in 6 children and abnormal karyotype in 9 children, among whom 5 had complex karyotype and 1 had no mitotic figure. Detected fusion genes included EVI1, NUP98-KDM5A, KDM5A-MIS18BP1, C22orf34-BRD1, WT1, and MLL-AF9. Genetic alterations included TET2, D7S486 deletion (suggesting 7q-), CSF1R deletion, and PIM1. All 17 children received chemotherapy, among whom 16 (94%) achieved complete remission after one course of induction therapy, and 1 child underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and remained alive and disease-free. Of all children, 7 experienced recurrence, among whom 1 child received HSCT and died of graft-versus-host disease. At the last follow-up, six patients remained alive and disease-free. CONCLUSIONS Non-DS-AMKL primarily occurs in children between 1 and 3 years of age. The patients with this disorder have a high incidence rate of chromosomal abnormalities, with complex karyotypes in most patients. Some patients harbor fusion genes or gene mutations. Although the initial remission rate is high, the long-term survival rate remains low.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute/etiology* ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Down Syndrome/complications*

The development of medical technology and the extension of lifespan have promoted population aging, and malignant blood diseases are gradually becoming common in the elderly. Among them, the most common is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with a median age at diagnosis of 68 years old. Due to poor clinical conditions, severe comorbidities, poor tolerance to intensive therapy, as well as unfavorable or complex cytogenetics and multidrug resistance, elderly AML patients have a poorer prognosis and increased risks of treatment-related toxicity and mortality. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is one of the optimal treatment strategies for elderly AML patients. With improvements in reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC), the expansion of donor selection, the optimization of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prevention regimen, and the progress of supportive care, more elderly AML patients have been choosing allo-HSCT. This article reviews the recent applications of allo-HSCT in elderly AML patients.
Humans ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy* ; Aged ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplantation Conditioning

Several types of arthritis share the common feature that the generation of inflammatory mediators leads to joint cartilage degradation. However, the shared mechanism is largely unknown. H2BK120ub1 was reportedly involved in various inflammatory diseases but its role in the shared mechanism in inflammatory joint conditions remains elusive. The present study demonstrated that levels of cartilage degradation, H2BK120ub1, and its regulator WW domain-containing adapter protein with coiled-coil (WAC) were increased in cartilage in human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients as well as in experimental RA and OA mice. By regulating H2BK120ub1 and H3K27me3, WAC regulated the secretion of inflammatory and cartilage-degrading factors. WAC influenced the level of H3K27me3 by regulating nuclear entry of the H3K27 demethylase KDM6B, and acted as a key factor of the crosstalk between H2BK120ub1 and H3K27me3. The cartilage-specific knockout of WAC demonstrated the ability to alleviate cartilage degradation in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CIOA) mice. Through molecular docking and dynamic simulation, doxercalciferol was found to inhibit WAC and the development of cartilage degradation in the CIA and CIOA models. Our study demonstrated that WAC is a key factor of cartilage degradation in arthritis, and targeting WAC by doxercalciferol could be a viable therapeutic strategy for treating cartilage destruction in several types of arthritis.

To explore the protective mechanisms of a novel molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanozyme in alleviating inflammation-related endothelial cell injury by regulating mitochondrial dynamic, flower like-MoS₂ nanosheets were prepared by hydrothermal method, and its antioxidant enzyme-mimic activities were assessed via electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. It was shown that MoS₂ nanosheets had strong scavenging ability for hydroxyl radical (·OH) and singlet reactive oxygen species (¹O₂) in a dose-dependent manner. Using an in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced vascular endothelial cell injury model, the protective roles of MoS₂ nanozyme on cytotoxicity and apoptosis of endothelial cells were examined by MTT and Annexin V-FITC/PI assay, respectively. Mitochondrial fission/fusion of endothelial cell were observed by Mito-Tracker green probe. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) probe DCFH-DA and superoxide anion probe DHE were used to detect the level of oxidative stress in vitro. Plasmid GFP-LC3 transfection using colocalization analysis was applied to assess the autophagy of endothelial cells. The results showed that MoS₂ nanozyme could significantly reduce the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of endothelial cells stimulated by LPS, and prevent the impairment mitochondrial dynamics of endothelial cells, thus maintaining mitochondrial dynamics. In addition, MoS₂ nanozyme was also shown to alleviate LPS-mediated endothelial mitochondrial autophagy, thus protecting endothelial cells from inflammatory stress. These results established that MoS₂ nanozyme protected endothelial cells injury from inflammatory stress by regulating mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondrial autophagy of endothelial cells, which is expected to expand the use of MoS₂ nanozyme in the prevention and treatment of inflammation-related vascular endothelial diseases.

Abstract On 18 May 2021, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of X District in P City, Z Province received a co-investigation of a suspected case of intentional HIV transmission from the public security branch, and conducted epidemiological investigations on Zhao and Wang (both males). Wang was confirmed HIV-positive in 2019. Zhao had unprotected sexual encounters several times with Wang in March 2021 without being informed of Wang's HIV infection. Zhao developed fever, sore throat and other symptoms of acute infection phase on 28 March, and were confirmed HIV positive by the CDC of P City on 11 May. Zhao did not have sex with anyone else before or after having sex with Wang. In addition, Zhao had no history of surgery, blood transfusions, drug use or any other history of HIV exposure. Laboratory tests conducted by the CDC of Z Province showed that the HIV nucleic acid sequences between the samples of Zhao and Wang had a high degree of homology. Combined with the epidemiological investigation, laboratory testing and the evidence from the public security branch, it was concluded that Wang intentionally transmitted HIV to Zhao through unprotected anal sex without disclosing his HIV infection status.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases are common clinical conditions. The number of patients with TMJ diseases is large, and the etiology, epidemiology, disease spectrum, and treatment of the disease remain controversial and unknown. To understand and master the current situation of the occurrence, development and prevention of TMJ diseases, as well as to identify the patterns in etiology, incidence, drug sensitivity, and prognosis is crucial for alleviating patients′suffering.This will facilitate in-depth medical research, effective disease prevention measures, and the formulation of corresponding health policies. Cohort construction and research has an irreplaceable role in precise disease prevention and significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment levels. Large-scale cohort studies are needed to explore the relationship between potential risk factors and outcomes of TMJ diseases, and to observe disease prognoses through long-term follw-ups. The consensus aims to establish a standard conceptual frame work for a cohort study on patients with TMJ disease while providing ideas for cohort data standards to this condition. TMJ disease cohort data consists of both common data standards applicable to all specific disease cohorts as well as disease-specific data standards. Common data were available for each specific disease cohort. By integrating different cohort research resources, standard problems or study variables can be unified. Long-term follow-up can be performed using consistent definitions and criteria across different projects for better core data collection. It is hoped that this consensus will be facilitate the development cohort studies of TMJ diseases.

In the past decades, we have witnessed considerable advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases. However, there still remain significant challenges, such as the regeneration of functional oral tissues. Therefore, new approaches are urgently needed. The oral is a complex biomechanical system where mechanics plays an essential role in the development and functioning of tissues and organs, as well as in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Thus, the integration of mechanics into oral disease diagnostics and therapeutics warrants greater attention. To date, the potential of mechanics in oral healthcare has not been sufficiently explored. Recent advancements in biomechanics and mechanobiology within oral medicine have underscored the growing relevance of mechanical theories, analytical methods, innovative technologies, and novel biomaterials in disease diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, this paper proposes the concept of "Oral Mechanomedicine" by summarizing research progress both domestically and internationally. It systematically describes the influence and mechanisms of mechanics in the etiology, progression, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases across four domains, i.e., oral biomechanics, oral mechanobiology, oral mechanodiagnostics, and oral mechanotherapy. Our aim is to enable more precise diagnoses, effective treatments, and comprehensive oral disease management. Additionally, this paper offers insights into the future trajectory of Oral Mechanomedicine, proposing new theoretical viewpoints and practical approaches to advance the field of oral medicine.