BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and may develop earlier in those with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities, potentially impairing self-management and treatment adherence. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and profile of MCI in AF patients, examine its associations with cardiovascular comorbidities, and assess how these comorbidities influence specific cognitive domains. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from AF patients who underwent cognitive assessment between 2017 and 2021. Cognitive status was categorized as MCI or non-MCI based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Associations between comorbidities and MCI were assessed by logistic regression, and cognitive domains were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Of 4136 AF patients (mean age: 64.7 ± 9.4 years, 64.7% male), 33.5% of patients had MCI. Among the AF patients, 31.2% of patients had coronary artery disease, 20.1% of patients had heart failure, and 18.1% of patients had hypertension. 88.7% of patients had left atrial enlargement, and 11.0% of patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Independent factors associated with higher MCI prevalence included older age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, P < 0.001), lower education level (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31-1.73, P < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07-1.52, P = 0.001), heart failure (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.48, P = 0.020), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04-1.98, P = 0.028). A higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.33, P < 0.001; ≥ 2 points vs. < 2 points), and greater atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease burden (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.08, P = 0.040; 2 types vs. 0 type) were linked to increased MCI risk. These above factors influenced various cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS MCI is common in AF and closely associated with cardiovascular multimorbidity. Patients with multiple comorbidities are at higher risk, highlighting the importance of routine cognitive assessment to support self-management and integrated care.

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

This paper summarized the characteristics of constitution， disease， and syndrome of five different phenotypes of bronchial asthma including allergic asthma， cough variant asthma， chest tightness variant asthma， psychological stress asthma， and hormone-dependent asthma， and systematically expounds the application of three-dimensional diagnosis and treatment pattern， that is differentiation of constitution， disease and syndromes in the five phenotypes of bronchial asthma. It is considered that the allergic constitution is the main one of bronchial asthma， which is usually combined with the constitutions of qi-deficiency， yin-deficiency， yang-deficiency， qi-stagnation and others. In the treatment of bronchial asthma， constitution， disease and syndromes should all be taken into account but applied flexibly according to the order of the urgency and priority. The three-dimensional diagnosis and treatment pattern can reflect the essential characteristics and clinical panorama of bronchial asthma more comprehensively and objectively and provide effective intervention measures and management programs for the prevention and treatment by traditional Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Tongxinluo capsules on the use of anti-ischemic drugs in patients with chronic coronary syndrome （CCS） of Qi deficiency and blood stasis. MethodA multicenter，prospective cohort study was conducted，with Tongxinluo capsules intervention as the exposure factor. Patients were divided into an exposed group （combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine） and a non-exposed group （western medicine alone），and followed up for one year. The use of anti-ischemic drugs was observed on the day of enrollment and at 3，6，12 months. ResultA total of 186 patients were enrolled，with 128 in the exposed group and 58 in the non-exposed group. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. At the 3-month follow-up，the types of first-line anti-ischemic drugs used in the exposed group were significantly fewer than those in the non-exposed group （P<0.01），and this difference remained statistically significant at 6 months （P<0.05） but was no longer significant at 12 months. At the 3- and 6-month follow-ups，there were no significant differences between the two groups in the types of second-line anti-ischemic drugs used. However，at the 12-month follow-up，the types of second-line anti-ischemic drugs used in the exposed group were significantly fewer than those in the non-exposed group （P<0.01）. At the 3-month follow-up，both groups showed a reduction in the types of first-line anti-ischemic drugs used compared to baseline （P<0.05），with a more pronounced reduction in the exposed group （P<0.05）. At the 6-month follow-up，the exposed group showed a significant reduction in the types of second-line anti-ischemic drugs used compared to baseline （P<0.05），while no significant changes were observed in the non-exposed group. At the 12-month follow-up，the difference in the types of second-line anti-ischemic drugs between the exposed and non-exposed groups was statistically significant （P<0.05），while there was no significant difference in the types of first-line anti-ischemic drugs. ConclusionTongxinluo capsules can effectively reduce the use of anti-ischemic drugs in patients with CCS of Qi deficiency and blood stasis.

Abortion, Spontaneous/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Caprylates/blood* ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Female ; Fluorocarbons/blood* ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

AIM: To observe the effects of Tangshen formula (TSF) treatment on lipid efflux and uptake in sodium palmitate (PA) induced RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODS: After 200 μmol/L PA induced RAW264.7 macrophages, TSF and PGC-1α-siRNA were given to intervene respectively. The lipid content in the cells was detected by ELISA kit; intracellular lipid droplet deposition was detected by BODIPY 493/503 and Filipin staining. Western blot and Real-time PCR were used to detect the expression of PGC-1α, LXR, ABCA1 and CD36. RESULTS: TSF diminished the levels of TC, TG and intracellular lipid droplet deposition in PA-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Western blot and Real-time PCR analysis showed that TSF could up-regulate the expression of PGC-1α, LXR, ABCA1 and down-regulate the expression of CD36. Furthermore, silencing PCG-1α by SiRNA significantly suppressed the effects of upregulating the expression of PGC-1α, LXR and ABCA1, and downregulating the CD36 expression with TSF treatment. CONCLUSION: TSF may extenuate intracellular lipid droplet deposition in macrophages by upregulating cholesterol efflux through activating the PGC-1α/LXR/ABCA1 pathway and inhibiting lipid uptake through down-regulateing the expression of CD36.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of zoledronate (ZOL) on osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption under high glucose, and the regulation mechanism of p38 mitogen activated kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway in this process. METHODS: RAW264.7 cells were divided into four groups: low group, high group, low+ZOL group and high+ZOL group after induced into osteoclasts. Cell proliferation activity was determined by MTT assay. The migration of RAW264.7 cells were examined Optical microscopy. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to observe the cytoskeleton and sealing zones of osteoclasts. After adding group 5: high + ZOL + SB203580 group, trap staining was used to identify the number of positive osteoclasts in each group. The number and area of resorption lacunae were observed by SEM. The mRNA and protein expression of osteoclast related factors were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: The cells in the 5 groups showed similar proliferative activity. High glucose promoted the migration of RAW264.7 cells ( CONCLUSIONS High glucose inhibits osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. ZOL inhibits osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in high-glucose conditions by regulating p38 MAPK pathway, which can be a new pathway for ZOL to regulate diabetic osteoporosis.
Animals ; Bone Resorption ; Cell Differentiation ; Glucose ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Mice ; NFATC Transcription Factors ; Osteoclasts ; RANK Ligand ; Zoledronic Acid/pharmacology* ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36) on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU) , and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture promoting SGU recovery. METHODS: Thirty-one SPF SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (7 rats), a model control group (8 rats), an acupuncture group (8 rats) and a medication group (8 rats). The rats in the model group, acupuncture group and medication group were selected to applied the improved restraint water-immersion stress method to establish the SGU model. After modeling, the rats in the control group and model group were fixed and restrained for 20 min every day for a total of 5 days; the rats in the acupuncture group were intervented with acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day, 20 min each time, and twisting needle for 30 s every 5 min for a total of 5 days; the rats in the medication group were gavaged by solution of omeprazole enteric-coated tablet (200 mg/mL), 2 mL for each rat, once a day. Guth method was used to calculate the gastric mucosal damage index (GMDI), HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of gastric mucosa, and 16SrDNA identification was used to detect the structural abundance of intestinal flora. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the GMDI of rats in the model group was increased (<0.01), the gastric mucosal pathological changes were significant, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all decreased (<0.05), the diversity index Simpson was increased (<0.05). Compared with the model group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group and medication group was reduced (<0.01, <0.05), the gastric mucosal damage degree was reduced, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all increased (<0.05) and the diversity index Simpson decreased (<0.05). Compared with the medication group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group was reduced (<0.01), the recovery of gastric mucosal injury was better than that of the medication group. CONCLUSION Acupuncture can effectively improve gastric mucosal injury of SGU, and the mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora and promoting the correction of the disordered intestinal flora.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Ulcer ; microbiology ; therapy

The history of medical development shows that oriental medicine, or traditional medicine, was born through medical practice during the times when science and technology were immature and underdeveloped, whereas with the development of science and technology, Western medicine, or modern medicine, was born through experimental analysis and research. With the development of medicine, the pros and cons of both medical systems become increasingly evident. How to integrate them and learn from each other will be the direction of future development of medicine. The formation and development of integrated medicine will, inevitably, usher in a new era for medicine.
Human Body ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Models, Theoretical

Objective: To understand the epidemic trend of tobacco use among junior middle school students in Shunyi District of Beijing in recent 5 years, and to provide scientific basis for formulating adolescent tobacco control strategies and intervention measures. Methods: The two stage sampling method was used to survey 3 junior middle school schools randomly selected from Shunyi District, Beijing, in November 2013, December 2015 and November 2017. The number of students surveyed each year was 1 520, 1 404 and 1 467 respectively. Results: A total of 4 500 questionnaires were distributed and 4 391 questionnaires were valid, with an effective rate of 97.6%. The current smoking rate and the attempting smoking rate in Shunyi District junior high school students increased substantially, the difference was statistically significant(χ2=9.15, 11.54, P<0.01). The exposure rate of second-hand smoke among junior high school students in Shunyi District is increasing year by year. The current smoking rate and the attempting smoking rate of second-hand smoke at home and in public places were higher than those of non-exposed ones. The differences in the current smoking rates of junior high school students (χ2=25.86, 37.61, P<0.01) and the attempting smoking rate (χ2=49.51, 63-86, P<0.01) were statistically significant. The influence of Shunyi District junior high school students through different tobacco information access channels on the current smoking rate of junior high school students increased year by year. Different tobacco information access channels have significant difference in the influence of the junior middle school students’ attempting smoking rate(P<0.05). Conclusion The overall tobacco use of junior high school students in Shunyi District of Beijing is increasing by year. The exposure of second-hand smoke is not optimistic, and the supervision of tobacco information acquisition channels is urgent to be strengthened.