Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of 4'-O-methylbavachalcone(MeBavaC), an active compound from Psoraleae Fructus, in regulating white matter neuroinflammation to improve vascular cognitive impairment. Male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham group, model group, high-dose MeBavaC group(14 mg·kg~(-1)), and low-dose MeBavaC group(7 mg·kg~(-1)). The rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion(CCH) was established using bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. The Morris water maze test was performed to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of the rats. Luxol fast blue staining, Nissl staining, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to observe the morphology and ultrastructure of the white matter myelin sheaths, axon integrity, the morphology and number of hippocampal neurons, and the loss and activation of glial cells in the white matter. Transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the potential mechanisms of white matter injury induced by CCH. Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) assays were conducted to measure the expression levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3), absent in melanoma 2(AIM2), gasdermin D(GSDMD), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1(caspase-1), interleukin-18(IL-18), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), erythropoietin(EPO), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) in the white matter of rats. The results showed that compared with the model group, MeBavaC significantly improved the learning and memory abilities of rats with CCH, improved the damage of white matter myelin sheath, maintained axonal integrity, reduced the loss of hippocampal neurons and oligodendrocytes in the white matter, inhibited the activation of microglia and the proliferation of astrocytes in the white matter, and suppressed the NLRP3/AIM2/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 were significantly reduced, while EPO expression and the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant pathway were notably elevated. In conclusion, MeBavaC can alleviate cognitive impairment in rats with CCH and suppress neuroinflammation in cerebral white matter. The mechanism of action may involve activation of EPO activity, promotion of endogenous antioxidant pathways, and inhibition of neuroinflammation in the white matter. This study suggests that MeBavaC exhibits antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory effects, showing potential application in improving cognitive dysfunction.
Animals ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Rats ; Chalcones/administration & dosage* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/drug therapy* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/metabolism* ; Humans ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term clinical efficacy and safety of closed reduction with Kirschner wire fixation versus open reduction with plate fixation for treating osteoporotic Colles' fractures in middle-aged and elderly patients. METHODS: Between January 2018 and January 2023, 119 patients with Colles fractures were retrospectively analyzed, including 39 males and 80 females, aged from 48 to 74 years old with an average of(60.58±6.71) years old. The time from injury to operation ranged 1 to 13 days with an average of (5.29±2.52) days. According to the surgical method, they were divided into Kirschner wire fixation group (Kirschner wire group) and plate internal fixation group (plate group). In Kirschner wire group, there were a total of 68 patients, comprising 21 males and 47 females. The average age was (61.15±6.24) years old, ranged from 49 to 74 years old. Among them, 41 cases involved the left side while 27 cases involved the right side. In the plate group, there were a total of 51 patients, including 18 males and 33 females. The average age was (59.78±5.71) years old ranged from 48 to 72 years old. Among them, there were 31 cases on the left side and 20 cases on the right side. The following parameters were recorded before and after the operation:operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization days, hospitalization expenses, postoperative complications, and radiographic parameters of distal radius (distal radius height, ulnar deviation angle, palmar tilt angle). The clinical efficacy was evaluated at 3 and 12 months after the operation using Gartland-Werley and disabilites of the arm shoulder and hand (DASH) scores. RESULTS: The patients in both groups were followed up for a duration from 12 to 19 months with an average of(13.32±2.02) months. The Kirschner wire group exhibited significantly shorter operation time compared to the plate group 27.91(13.00, 42.00) min vs 67.52(29.72, 105.32) min, Z=-8.74, P=0.00. Intraoperative blood loss was also significantly lower in the Kirschner wire group than in the plate group 3.24(1.08, 5.40) ml vs 21.91(17.38, 26.44) ml, Z=-9.31, P=0.00. Furthermore, patients in the Kirschner wire group had a shorter length of hospital stay compared to those in the plate group (8.38±2.63) days vs (11.40±2.78) days, t=-3.12, P=0.00. Additionally, hospitalization cost was significantly lower in the Kirschner wire group than in the plate group 10 111.29(6 738.98, 13 483.60) yuan vs 15 871.11(11 690.40, 20 051.82) yuan, Z=-5.62, P=0.00. The incidence of complications was 2 cases in the Kirschner wire group and 1 case in the plate group, with no statistically significant difference(P>0.05). At 3 months postoprative, the radial height of the Kirschner wire group was found to be significantly smaller than that of the plate group, with measurements of (11.45±1.69) mm and (12.11±1.78) mm respectively (t=-2.06, P=0.04). However, there were no statistically significant differences observed in ulnar deviation angle and palmar tilt angle between the two groups (P>0.05). The DASH score and Gartland-Werley score in the Kirschner group were significantly higher than those in the plate group at 3 months post-operation (19.10±9.89) vs (13.47±3.51), t=4.34, P=0.00;(11.15±3.61) vs (6.41±2.75), t=8.13, P=0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at 12 months post-operation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared to plate internal fixation, closed reduction with Kirschner wire support fixation yields a slightly inferior recovery of radial height;however, there is no significant disparity in the functional score of the affected limb at 12 months post-operation. Nonetheless, this technique offers advantages such as shorter operation time, reduced intraoperative blood loss, decreased hospitalization duration, and lower cost.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Bone Wires ; Bone Plates ; Retrospective Studies ; Colles' Fracture/surgery* ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Open Fracture Reduction/methods* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: Several epidemiological observational studies have related particulate matter (PM) exposure to Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but many confounding factors make it difficult to draw causal links from observational studies. The objective of this study was to explore the causal association between PM _2.5 exposure, its absorbance, and IBD. METHODS: We assessed the association of PM _2.5 and PM _2.5 absorbance with the two primary forms of IBD (Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]) using Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the causal relationship. We conducted two-sample MR analyses with aggregated data from the UK Biobank genome-wide association study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms linked with PM _2.5 concentrations or their absorbance were used as instrumental variables (IVs). We used inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the primary analytical approach and four other standard methods as supplementary analyses for quality control. RESULTS: The results of MR demonstrated that PM _2.5 had an adverse influence on UC risk (odds ratio [ OR] = 1.010; 95% confidence interval [ CI] = 1.001-1.019, P = 0.020). Meanwhile, the results of IVW showed that PM _2.5 absorbance was also causally associated with UC ( OR = 1.012; 95% CI = 1.004-1.019, P = 0.002). We observed no causal relationship between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and CD. The results of sensitivity analysis indicated the absence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy, ensuring the reliability of MR results. CONCLUSION Based on two-sample MR analyses, there are potential positive causal relationships between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and UC.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/genetics* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Crohn Disease/genetics* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Risk Factors ; Environmental Exposure

OBJECTIVE: Lipid oxidation is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and may be contribute to the development of Ischemic stroke (IS). However, the lipid profiles associated with IS have been poorly studied. We conducted a pilot study to identify potential IS-related lipid molecules and pathways using lipidomic profiling. METHODS: Serum lipidomic profiling was performed using LC-MS in 20 patients with IS and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Univariate and multivariate analyses were simultaneously performed to identify the differential lipids. Multiple testing was controlled for using a false discovery rate (FDR) approach. Enrichment analysis was performed using MetaboAnalyst software. RESULTS: Based on the 294 lipids assayed, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were used to distinguish patients with IS from healthy controls. Fifty-six differential lipids were identified with an FDR-adjusted P less than 0.05 and variable influences in projection (VIP) greater than 1.0. These lipids were significantly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism (FDR-adjusted P = 0.009, impact score = 0.216). CONCLUSIONS Serum lipid profiles differed significantly between patients with IS and healthy controls. Thus, glycerophospholipid metabolism may be involved in the development of IS. These results provide initial evidence that lipid molecules and their related metabolites may serve as new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for IS.
Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Lipidomics ; Male ; Female ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Ischemic Stroke/blood* ; Aged ; China ; Lipids/blood* ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; East Asian People

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

Objective:To discuss the clinical curative effect and feasibility of the combination therapy of the minimally invasive percutaneous quantitative suture technique eight times and Kirschner wire elastic fixation in the treatment of mallet finger.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with tendon zone Ⅰ rupture of tendinous mallet fingers who underwent surgery in the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital from July 2021 to June 2023. During the procedure, firstly, the extensor digitalis tendon in the zone Ⅰ was sutured percutaneous with 3-0 thread monofilament sutures in the "quantitative 8-stitch method " according to the pre-marked number sequence of 1 to 8, and fixed at the base of the distal phalanx via a constructed bone tunnel. Secondly, the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) was fixed elastically with Kirschner wire, without damage to the articular surface. Four to five weeks after the operation, the Kirschner wire was removed, and flexion and extension of the affected finger were gradually increased. At the last follow-up, the range of motion (ROM) and the total action motion (TAM) of the finger were recorded, and the healthy side of the ROM and TAM slightly differed. Finger function was evaluated following the American Association of Hand Surgeons TAM system. It was divided into four grades: excellent, good, fair and poor. SPSS 15.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Measurement data conforming to normal distribution were expressed as Mean±SD, and a paired sample t-test was used for comparison between the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger. Results:A total of 30 patients (30 digits) were enrolled, including 19 males and 11 females with the age of (38.5±4.3) years (14 to 71 years). All were single closed injuries. Time from injury to operation was (1.1±0.4) d (3 h to 7 d). The distance of tendon break was (8.4±0.5) mm (4 to 12 mm). Mallet finger deformities were all corrected postoperatively. There were no complications such as scar, exposed suture, nail tract infection, or nail removal on the dorsal side of the affected finger. All patients were followed up for (7.5±1.3) months (6-13 months). At the last follow-up, the ROM of DIPJ of the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger were 43.28°±2.03° and 44.15°±1.12°, respectively, with no statistical significance ( t=1.32, P=0.084). TAM of the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger were 240.15°±5.13° and 242.13°±3.11°, respectively, with no significant difference ( t=2.12, P=0.135). According to TAM system evaluation criteria, excellent in 27 cases, good in 3 cases, excellent and good rate was 100% (30/30). Conclusion:The combination of the minimally invasive percutaneous quantitative suture technique eight times and Kirschner wire elastic fixation has a satisfactory treatment outcome in the mallet finger, and there is no damage to the DIPJ surface. It is a simple, safe, effective method with minimal invasion.

Objective:To discuss the clinical curative effect and feasibility of the combination therapy of the minimally invasive percutaneous quantitative suture technique eight times and Kirschner wire elastic fixation in the treatment of mallet finger.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with tendon zone Ⅰ rupture of tendinous mallet fingers who underwent surgery in the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital from July 2021 to June 2023. During the procedure, firstly, the extensor digitalis tendon in the zone Ⅰ was sutured percutaneous with 3-0 thread monofilament sutures in the "quantitative 8-stitch method " according to the pre-marked number sequence of 1 to 8, and fixed at the base of the distal phalanx via a constructed bone tunnel. Secondly, the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) was fixed elastically with Kirschner wire, without damage to the articular surface. Four to five weeks after the operation, the Kirschner wire was removed, and flexion and extension of the affected finger were gradually increased. At the last follow-up, the range of motion (ROM) and the total action motion (TAM) of the finger were recorded, and the healthy side of the ROM and TAM slightly differed. Finger function was evaluated following the American Association of Hand Surgeons TAM system. It was divided into four grades: excellent, good, fair and poor. SPSS 15.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Measurement data conforming to normal distribution were expressed as Mean±SD, and a paired sample t-test was used for comparison between the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger. Results:A total of 30 patients (30 digits) were enrolled, including 19 males and 11 females with the age of (38.5±4.3) years (14 to 71 years). All were single closed injuries. Time from injury to operation was (1.1±0.4) d (3 h to 7 d). The distance of tendon break was (8.4±0.5) mm (4 to 12 mm). Mallet finger deformities were all corrected postoperatively. There were no complications such as scar, exposed suture, nail tract infection, or nail removal on the dorsal side of the affected finger. All patients were followed up for (7.5±1.3) months (6-13 months). At the last follow-up, the ROM of DIPJ of the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger were 43.28°±2.03° and 44.15°±1.12°, respectively, with no statistical significance ( t=1.32, P=0.084). TAM of the affected finger and the corresponding healthy finger were 240.15°±5.13° and 242.13°±3.11°, respectively, with no significant difference ( t=2.12, P=0.135). According to TAM system evaluation criteria, excellent in 27 cases, good in 3 cases, excellent and good rate was 100% (30/30). Conclusion:The combination of the minimally invasive percutaneous quantitative suture technique eight times and Kirschner wire elastic fixation has a satisfactory treatment outcome in the mallet finger, and there is no damage to the DIPJ surface. It is a simple, safe, effective method with minimal invasion.

The inflammatory effect of dietary is strongly related to the development of cancer,therefore,the diet-related inflammatory index was developed as a methodological tool to investigate the relationship between dietary,inflammation and tumors.In this paper,we summarized the results on diet-related inflammatory indices and common cancers of the digestive system based on relevant cancer epidemiological studies.The available epidemiological evidence suggests that pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal malignancies,with the strongest association with colorectal cancer,followed by esophageal and gastric cancers,and then pancreatic cancer,and the least evidence of studies with liver cancer.Among these studies,the level of evidence for esophageal cancer is lower than colorectal cancer,the study of gastric cancer has gender differences and problems in adjusting for confounders,and the study of pancreatic cancer has heterogeneous results.In view of the current research progress and deficiencies,prospective studies or population-based cohort studies,as well as strengthening nutritional epidemiological studies related to common tumors such as liver cancer could be considered in the future.This review is expecting to provide basic information and scientific basis for strengthening the related healthy eating behavior promotion in the prevention and control of digestive system tumors.