OBJECTIVE: To observe the regulatory effects of moxibustion at "Guanyuan" (CV4) on the synthesis of extragonadal estradiol (E₂) and the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in ovariectomized rats, aiming to explore the mechanism of moxibustion treatment for perimenopausal syndrome. METHODS: Forty-eight SD female rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a model group and a moxibustion group, with 16 rats in each group. The model group and the moxibustion group underwent bilateral ovariectomy by the back incision method. Ten days after surgery, moxibustion was applied at "Guanyuan" (CV4) in the moxibustion group, 30 min each time, once a day for 10 days. After intervention, in the 3 groups, the body mass and uterus weight were measured; the serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and E₂, as well as the skin and hypothalamus levels of E₂ were detected by ELISA; the mRNA expression of aromatase (P450arom) in the skin and hypothalamus was detected by real-time PCR; the expression of ERα and ERβ in the hypothalamus, skin, and uterus was observed by immunofluorescence staining, and the density of positive cells was calculated using the Aipathwell digital pathology image analysis software. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the body mass was increased (P<0.01) and the uterus weight was decreased (P<0.001) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the body mass was decreased in the moxibustion group (P<0.01). Compared with the sham-operation group, in the model group, the serum, hypothalamus and skin levels of E₂ were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the serum levels of FSH and LH were increased (P<0.01); the expression of ERα and ERβ in the skin, hypothalamus and uterus was decreased (P<0.05, P<0.001). Compared with the model group, in the moxibustion group, the serum levels of E₂ and LH, as well as the hypothalamus and skin levels of E₂ were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); the mRNA expression of P450arom, as well as the expression of ERα and ERβ in the skin and hypothalamus were increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Moxibustion at "Guanyuan" (CV4) reduces the body mass of ovariectomized rats by enhancing the synthesis of extragonadal E₂ and increasing the expression of ER in the skin and hypothalamus, yet it does not alleviate uterine atrophy.
Animals ; Female ; Moxibustion ; Rats ; Ovariectomy ; Acupuncture Points ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics* ; Estrogens/metabolism* ; Estradiol/metabolism* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Aromatase/genetics* ; Luteinizing Hormone/blood* ; Skin/metabolism*

The underlying cause of low response rates to existing immunotherapies is that tumor cells dominate tumor immune escape through surface antigen deficiency and inducing tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). Here, we proposed an in situ tumor cell engineering strategy to disrupt tumor immune escape at the root by restoring tumor cell MHC-I/tumor-specific antigen complex (MHC-I/TSA) expression to promote T-cell recognition and by silencing tumor cell CD55 to increase the ICOSL⁺ B-cell proportion and reverse the TIME. A doxorubicin (DOX) and dual-gene plasmid (MAC pDNA, encoding both MHC-I/ASMTNMELM and CD55-shRNA) coloaded drug delivery system (LCPN@ACD) with tumor targeting and charge/size dual-conversion properties was prepared. LCPN@ACD-induced ICD promoted DC maturation and enhanced T-cell activation and infiltration. LCPN@ACD enabled effective expression of MHC-I/TSA on tumor cells, increasing the ability of tumor cell recognition and killing. LCPN@ACD downregulated tumor cell CD55 expression, increased the proportion of ICOSL⁺ B cells and CTLs, and reversed the TIME, thus greatly improving the efficacy of αPD-1 and CAR-T therapies. The application of this in situ tumor cell engineering strategy eliminated the source of tumor immune escape, providing new ideas for solving the challenges of clinical immunotherapy.

Periodontal bone defects, primarily caused by periodontitis, are highly prevalent in clinical settings and manifest as bone fenestration, dehiscence, or attachment loss, presenting a significant challenge to oral health. In regenerative medicine, harnessing developmental principles for tissue repair offers promising therapeutic potential. Of particular interest is the condensation of progenitor cells, an essential event in organogenesis that has inspired clinically effective cell aggregation approaches in dental regeneration. However, the precise cellular coordination mechanisms during condensation and regeneration remain elusive. Here, taking the tooth as a model organ, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to dissect the cellular composition and heterogeneity of human dental follicle and dental papilla, revealing a distinct Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) population with remarkable odontogenic potential. Interestingly, a reciprocal paracrine interaction between PDGFRA⁺ dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs) and CD31⁺ Endomucin⁺ endothelial cells (ECs) was mediated by Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and Platelet-derived growth factor subunit BB (PDGFBB). This crosstalk not only maintains the functionality of PDGFRA⁺ DFSCs but also drives specialized angiogenesis. In vivo periodontal bone regeneration experiments further reveal that communication between PDGFRA⁺ DFSC aggregates and recipient ECs is essential for effective angiogenic-osteogenic coupling and rapid tissue repair. Collectively, our results unravel the importance of MSC-EC crosstalk mediated by the VEGFA and PDGFBB-PDGFRA reciprocal signaling in orchestrating angiogenesis and osteogenesis. These findings not only establish a framework for deciphering and promoting periodontal bone regeneration in potential clinical applications but also offer insights for future therapeutic strategies in dental or broader regenerative medicine.
Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha/metabolism* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology* ; Dental Sac/cytology* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Bone Regeneration ; Animals ; Dental Papilla/cytology* ; Periodontium/physiology* ; Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Regeneration ; Angiogenesis

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

Objective:To investigate the recognition of the post competency index system among rural general practice assistant physicians and its influencing factors.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire survey on the recognition of post competency index system was conducted from October 2020 to September 2021 among rural general practice assistant physicians from 10 provinces/municipalities selected by stratified cluster sampling method. The recognition of rural general practice assistant physicians at all levels of indexs and the factors influencing recognition were analyzed.Results:A total of 1 123 questionnaires were distributed and 1 024 valid ones were collected with a recovery rate of 91.18%. Of the 1 024 respondents, 529 were male(51.7%) and 435 were aged 40-49 years(42.5%), which was the highest proportion by age group. The average overall recognition score of the index system was 4.41, and the scores of the primary indexes were 4.32-4.45. Three primary indexes had the highest recognition scores: professional competence, basic health care services, and interpersonal communication and teamwork. The recognition scores on the second level index were 4.18-4.61, and the proportion of recognition scores greater than 4 was over 80%. There were significant differences in the recognition scores of the index system among assistant physicians with different working years, educational background, professional title and work unit ( F/H=6.41, 14.83, 12.45, 7.53, P<0.01). Educational background(associate degree: B=0.091, P=0.015; bachelor degree and above: B=0.196, P<0.001) and professional title(intermediate professional title and above: B=-0.234, P<0.001) were the independent factors influencing the recognition degree of the index system for rural general practice assistant physicians. Conclusions:The post competency index system is generally recognized by rural general practice assistant physician, and academic qualifications and professional title status may influence its recognition.

Objective:To evaluate the application feasibility of the post competency index system of rural general practice assistant physicians, and to analyze and compare the post competency of rural general practice assistant physicians with different characteristics through a survey among rural general practice assistant physicians in China.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire survey was conducted among rural general practice assistant physicians in 10 provinces/municipalities selected by stratified cluster sampling method from October 2020 to September 2021. The post competency scores were self-evaluated based on the post competency index system of rural general practice assistant physicians. The results of the survey were analyzed and the application feasibility of the index system was evaluated.Results:A total of 1 123 questionnaires were distributed and 1 024 valid questionnaires were returned with a recovery rate of 91.2%. Of the 1 024 respondents, 529 were males (51.7%), 435 were aged 40-49 years (42.5%), 434 had a secondary school education or less (42.4%), and 531 were junior practitioners (51.9%). The Cronbach′s α coefficient of the overall questionnaire was 0.987, and the Cronbach′s α coefficient of the first level index ranged from 0.897 to 0.974. The cumulative variance contribution rate of exploratory factor analysis was 72.012%. The confirmatory factor analysis showed χ2/ df=3.926, RMSEA=0.076, CFI=0.858, IFI=0.859, indicating that the model fit was basically good. The average self-evaluation scores of the first level index ranged from 3.95 to 4.25, and the average self-evaluation scores of the second level index ranged from 3.74 to 4.36. There were significant differences in self-evaluation scores of post competency among rural general practice assistant physicians with different working years, professional titles, working units and economic regions( F=4.67, 10.54, 22.16 and 20.90,all P<0.05). People with low self-evaluation scores of post competency had the following characteristics: working 10-19 years, intermediate or above titles, working in community health service centers, located in the eastern region.People with high self-evaluation scores of post competency had the following characteristics: primary professional title, working in the village clinic. Conclusion:The competency index system of rural general practice assistant physicians has good application feasibility,and it can be used to evaluate post competency for the education and training of rural general practice assistant physicians.

Objective To explore the relevant relationship and specificity between the implicit and explicit loyalty of military cadets in order to provide a theoretical basis and objective indicators for a more comprehensive and objective assessment for individual loyalty.Methods E-Prime 2.0,a classic implicit association paradigm was employed to construct an implicit association loyalty test for 64 military cadets.Simultaneously,an explicit loyalty measurement was conducted using the Chinese Military Personnel Loyalty Scale.Results ① Significant implicit effect was observed in the loyalty assessment of military cadets,indicating a general tendency to perceive higher levels of personal loyalty and lower levels of loyalty to external entities.② Explicit loyalty assessment revealed that the participants had the highest loyalty score towards the Party,the Nation,and the People(4.79±0.34),followed by the loyalty score to their profession(4.38±0.53),and the relatively lower loyalty score towards the unit and leaders(4.03±0.83).Among the 3 dimensions of loyalty,the normative loyalty score ranked highest,while continuance loyalty score took lower.③ There were no correlations among the scores of loyalty to the Party,the Nation,and the People(r=-0.030,P=0.823),to the profession(r=-0.047,P=0.728),to the unit(r=0.050,P=0.710),or to the leaders(r=0.043,P=0.749).Conclusion The implicit effect in the loyalty assessment is significant in military cadets,and there is no significant correlation between explicit and implicit loyalty measurements.Thus,we cannot rely solely on explicit measurements to assess their loyalty attitudes.

Objective:To compare the application effect of whole-process seamless nursing and conventional nursing in the perioperative period of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with kyphosis complicated by cervical spine fracture.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 64 patients with AS with kyphosis complicated by cervical spine fracture admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from April 2017 to December 2022, including 37 males and 27 females, aged 27-73 years [(49.8±14.6)years]. There were 43 patients with vertebral fractures and 21 with intervertebral space fractures. All patients underwent reduction and fixation or correction and fixation. Thirty-two patients admitted from April 2017 to August 2019 received conventional care (conventional nursing group), and 32 patients admitted from September 2019 to December 2022 received whole-process seamless care (seamless nursing group). The two groups were compared concerning the visual analog scale (VAS) before, at 12 hours, 24 hours, 1 month, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up, the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score before surgery, at 1 and 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up, the health survey questionnaire (SF-36) score and patient satisfaction score before surgery and at the last follow-up, as well as the incidence of postoperative complications.Results:All patients were followed up for 6-12 months [(9.8±3.2)months]. There was no statistical difference in preoperative VAS between the two groups ( P>0.05). The values of VAS in the seamless nursing group were (3.9±1.9)points, (4.2±0.7)points, (2.7±0.9)points, (2.6±0.6)points, and (1.7±0.8)points at 12 hours, 24 hours, 1 month, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up, respectively, lower than those of the conventional nursing group [(5.7±1.2)points, (5.8±1.1)points, (3.6±1.2)points, (3.2±1.1)points, and (2.4±1.0)points] ( P<0.05 or 0.01). The VAS of the seamless nursing group at 12 hours, 24 hours, 1 month, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up was lower than that before surgery (all P<0.05). The VAS at 1 and 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up was lower than those before and at 12, 24 hours after surgery and the VAS at the last follow-up was lower than those at 1, 3 months after surgery (all P<0.05). The differences among VAS of the conventional nursing group before and at 12, 24 hours after surgery were statistically insignificant (all P>0.05). The VAS of the conventional nursing group at 1 and 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up was lower than those before surgery and at 12, 24 hours after surgery and the VAS at the last follow-up was lower than those at 1, 3 months after surgery (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in VAS of the two groups between 12 hours and 24 hours after surgery, and between 1 month and 3 months after surgery (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the ASIA scores before surgery between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were significant improvements in ASIA scores in the seamless nursing group at 1, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up compared with those of the conventional nursing group ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in preoperative SF-36 score and patient satisfaction score between the two groups (all P>0.05). At the last follow-up, the SF-36 score and patient satisfaction score of the seamless nursing group were (47.4±6.2)points and (99.5±1.2)points, respectively, which were higher than those of the conventional nursing group [(42.2±7.3)points and (98.1±1.6)points] (all P<0.05). At the last follow-up, the SF-36 score and patient satisfaction score of the seamless nursing group were higher than those before surgery (all P<0.01). The SF-36 score of the conventional nursing group was higher than that before surgery ( P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in patient satisfaction score ( P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the seamless nursing group was 6.3% (2/32), lower than that of the conventional nursing group [25.0% (8/32)] ( P<0.05). Conclusion:For AS with kyphosis complicated by cervical spine fracture, whole-process seamless nursing is associated with alleviated postoperative pain, improved spinal nervous function, quality of life and degree of satisfaction, and reduced incidence of complications compared with the conventional nursing.

Objective:To construct a post competency index system for rural general practice assistant physicians.Methods:On the basis of previous literature research and behavioral event interviews, the questionnaire of Delphi consultation was designed. Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were conducted from October 2019 to January 2020 to develop an index system of post competency for rural general practice assistant physicians, and the analytic hierarchy process methods was used to calculate the weight of each index.Results:A total of 26 experts were included, with an average age of (48.7±8.6) years and an average working seniority of (22.8±8.8) years. After 2 rounds of consultation, the competency index system was developed, including 6 first level items and 60 seconds level items. The positive coefficient of experts in the 2 rounds was 87% and 100%, respectively; the expert authority coefficient was 0.7-1.0; the coordination coefficient was 0.312 and 0.241, respectively ( P<0.001). According to the order of weight, the first level items were basic medical and health services (0.311 1), basic public health services (0.196 0), medical knowledge and lifelong learning (0.196 0), interpersonal communication and team cooperation (0.138 6), professional quality (0.102 8), information utilization and management ability (0.055 5). The top 2 secondary indexes were clinical expertise (0.079 2), learning awareness and ability (0.055 3). The last 2 secondary indexes were achievement orientation (0.001 6) and inductive thinking (0.002 0). Conclusion:A post competency index system for rural general practice assistant physicians has been preliminary constructed in this study, which may provide reference for the selection, training and assessment of relevant medical workers.