Objective To explore the application of plasma 7 microRNA (miR7) testing in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods This study is a multicenter real-world study. Patients with single hepatic lesion (maximum diameter≤2 cm) who underwent plasma miR7 testing at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Anhui Provincial Hospital, and Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2019 and December 2024 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into very early-stage HCC group and non-HCC group, and the clinical pathological characteristics of the two groups were compared. The value of plasma miR7 levels, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage HCC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). In patients with both negative AFP and DCP (AFP＜20 ng/mL, DCP＜40 mAU/mL), the diagnostic value of plasma miR7 for very early-stage HCC was analyzed. Results A total of 64 528 patients from 4 hospitals underwent miR7 testing, and 1 682 were finally included, of which 1 073 were diagnosed with very early-stage HCC and 609 were diagnosed with non-HCC. The positive rate of miR7 in HCC patients was significantly higher than that in non-HCC patients (67.9% vs 24.3%, P＜0.001). ROC curves showed that the AUCs for miR7, AFP, and DCP in distinguishing HCC patients from the non-HCC individuals were 0.718, 0.682, and 0.642, respectively. The sensitivities were 67.85%, 43.71%, and 44.45%, and the specificities were 75.70%, 92.78%, and 83.91%, respectively. The pairwise comparison of AUCs showed that the diagnostic efficacy of plasma miR7 detection was significantly better than that of AFP or DCP (P＜0.05). Although its specificity was slightly lower than AFP and DCP, the sensitivity was significantly higher. Among patients negative for both AFP and DCP, miR7 maintained an AUC of 0.728 for diagnosing very early-stage HCC, with 67.82% sensitivity and 77.73% specificity. Conclusions Plasma miR7 testing is a potential molecular marker with high sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of small hepatic nodules. In patients with very early-stage HCC lacking effective molecular markers (negative for both AFP and DCP), miR7 can serve as a novel and effective molecular marker to assist diagnosis.

In this report, the protective effect and molecular mechanism of Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum on corticosterone(CORT)-induced mitochondrial damage in pheochromocytoma(PC12) cells was studied based on CORT-induced rat PC12 cell model. The cultured cells were divided into five groups: blank control group, CORT group(400 μmol·L~(-1) CORT), Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum group(400 μmol·L~(-1) CORT + 10% Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum), control serum group(400 μmol·L~(-1) CORT + 10% control serum), and fluoxetine group(400 μmol·L~(-1) CORT + 10% fluoxetine-containing serum). The study was carried out by cell activity detection, mitochondrial morphology observation, membrane potential measurement, energy metabolism analysis, and mitochondrial dynamics-related protein detection. The results showed that CORT treatment significantly reduced the survival rate of PC12 cells, altered mitochondrial morphology, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and adenosine triphosphate(ATP) synthetic rate. Both Chaihu Shugan San-and fluoxetine-containing serum significantly increased the survival rate of CORT-treated PC12 cells and the ATP synthetic rate in the mitochondria. Unlike fluoxetine, Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum significantly inhibited the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential caused by CORT and increased the oxygen consumption rate(OCR) values of both mitochondrial maximum respiration and reserve respiration capacity. Western blot analysis showed that CORT induced upregulated protein expressions of dynamin-related protein 1(Drp1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α(PGC-1α) in PC12 cells and specific protein expression of optic atrophy protein 1(OPA1), yet it repressed the protein expressions of silent information regulator 1(SIRT1) and mitochondrial fusion protein 1(Mfn1) in PC12 cells. Both Chaihu Shugan San-and fluoxetine-containing serum significantly inhibited the protein expression of Drp1. However, only Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum could significantly inhibit the CORT-induced upregulation protein of PGC-1α. RESULTS:: herein suggest that Chaihu Shugan San-containing serum can alleviate CORT-induced damage in PC12 cells, which may be related to the mitochondrial fragmentation/lipid peroxidation protection by Drp1 inhibition, as well as mitochondrial dynamics and energy metabolism mediated by PGC-1α/SIRT1 signaling pathway.
Animals ; PC12 Cells ; Rats ; Mitochondrial Dynamics/drug effects* ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Corticosterone/adverse effects* ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Protective Agents/pharmacology* ; Cell Survival/drug effects*

Incomplete debridement of chronic osteomyelitis is the main factor leading to recurrence. For the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis, the complete elimination of the source of infection is the key to preventing recurrence. This process includes not only the complete removal of infected lesions, dead bone, accreted scar tissue and granulation tissue, but also the elimination of dead space and improved local blood circulation. In these steps, debridement is a core procedure, and judging the scope of debridement is the premise of whether it could be completely debridement. This article systematically reviewed the application of different imaging techniques in evaluating the scope of chronic osteomyelitis infection, and discusses its future development trend. Although traditional plain X-ray film could preliminarily indicate osteomyelitis, it is difficult to determine the infection scope. CT scan has the function of accurate anatomic localization, which is important for preoperative assessment of the scope of bone infection, but the recognition of soft tissue information is limited. MRI, with its high sensitivity, clearly distinguishes between infected bone and soft tissue, which plays an important role in the evaluation of soft tissue infection, but may overestimate the extent of bone infection. Nuclide techniques such as 18F-FDG PET/CT and SPECT/CT show great potential for accurately assessing the extent of infection before surgery. In the future, by optimizing the combination of different imaging technologies, combining clinical symptoms, intraoperative conditions and pathological results, and developing an image analysis platform based on artificial intelligence, it will be able to more accurately assess the scope of infection, provide more effective and personalized treatment plans for patients with chronic osteomyelitis, enhance treatment effects, and significantly improve quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Osteomyelitis/diagnosis* ; Chronic Disease ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with newly diagnosed HL from January 2011 to December 2023 at four hospitals: Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University Zhangzhou Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Children's Hospital. Patients were categorized into low-risk (R1), intermediate-risk (R2), and high-risk (R3) groups based on HL staging and pre-treatment risk factors. The patients received ABVD regimen or Chinese Pediatric HL-2013 regimen chemotherapy. Early treatment response and long-term efficacy were assessed, and prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The overall complete response (CR) rates after 2 and 4 cycles of chemotherapy were 42% and 68%, respectively. Compared with the ABVD regimen group, patients treated with the HL-2013 regimen in the R1 group showed significantly higher CR rates after both 2 and 4 cycles (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences in CR rates were observed between the two regimens in the R2 and R3 groups (P>0.05). The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) rate, overall survival rate, and freedom from treatment failure rate were 83%±4%, 97%±2%, and 88%±4%, respectively. Cox analysis indicated that the presence of a large tumor mass at diagnosis and failure to achieve CR after 4 cycles of chemotherapy were independent risk factors for lower EFS rates (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Pediatric HL generally has a favorable prognosis. The presence of a large tumor mass at diagnosis and failure to achieve CR after 4 cycles of chemotherapy indicate poor prognosis.
Humans ; Hodgkin Disease/pathology* ; Male ; Child ; Female ; Adolescent ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Analysis ; Infant

The transcription factor HOXB13 plays crucial roles in cancer development. HOXB13 is abnormally expressed in most cancers, which makes it a valuable therapeutic target for cancer therapy. The level of HOXB13 differs significantly between healthy and cancer tissues, which indicates that the level of HOXB13 is closely related to carcinogenesis. The regulatory network mediated by HOXB13 in cancer proliferation, metastasis, and invasion has been systematically investigated. Moreover, HOXB13 variants play distinct roles in different cancers and populations. By understanding the molecular mechanisms and mutation features of HOXB13, we provide a comprehensive overview of carcinogenesis networks dependent on HOXB13. Finally, we discuss advancements in anticancer therapy targeting HOXB13 and the roles of HOXB13 in drug resistance to molecular-targeted therapies, which serves as a foundation for developing HOXB13-targeted drugs for clinical diagnosis and cancer therapies.
Humans ; Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism* ; Carcinogenesis/genetics* ; Mutation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics*

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in understanding the effects of different acupoints and treatment methods (acupuncture and moxibustion) on microcirculatory changes in the lumbar region. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the thermal effects of acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40), with acupuncture at Chize (LU5) and moxibustion at both acupoints as control interventions. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 healthy participants were equally divided into four groups: acupuncture at BL40 (Acu-BL40), acupuncture at LU5 (Acu-LU5), moxibustion at BL40 (Mox-BL40) and moxibustion at LU5 (Mox-LU5). Participants underwent a 30-minute session of their assigned treatment. Infrared thermal imaging was used to collect temperature data on the areas of interest for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure was the change in average temperature of the observed area after the intervention. The secondary measures included periodic temperature changes every 5 min and the temperature changes of the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian in the observed area after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant interactions were observed between treatments and acupoints affecting temperature (P < 0.001). The Acu-BL40 group showed a notably higher increase in mean temperature after 30 min compared to the Acu-LU5 and Mox-BL40 groups, with increases of 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17 to 0.41) and 0.24 (95% CI = 0.08 to 0.41) °C, respectively. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at BL40 acupoint can significantly increase the mean temperature in the observed area, highlighting the specific thermal effect of acupuncture compared to moxibustion in the lumbar area. This suggests a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture at BL40 for managing lumbar conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05665426). Please cite this article as: Zheng SY, Wang XY, Lin LN, Liu S, Huang XX, Liu YY, Yu XS, Pan W, Fang JQ, Liang Y. Lumbar temperature change after acupuncture or moxibustion at Weizhong (BL40) or Chize (LU5) in healthy adults: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 145-151.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Body Temperature ; Healthy Volunteers ; Lumbosacral Region/physiology* ; Moxibustion ; Adolescent

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of national bloodstream infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，9 035 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 51 hospitals，of which 7 895（87.4%）were Enterobacteriaceae and 1 140（12.6%）were non-fermenting bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（ n=4 510，49.9%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（ n=2 340，25.9%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（ n=534，5.9%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（ n=405，4.5%）and Enterobacter cloacae（ n=327，3.6%）. The ESBLs-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus spp. were 47.1%（2 095/4 452），21.0%（427/2 033）and 41.1%（58/141），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（58/4 510）and 13.1%（307/2 340）；62.1%（36/58）and 9.8%（30/307）of CREC and CRKP were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 59.5%（241/405），while less than 5% of Acinetobacter baumannii complex was resistant to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 18.4%（98/534）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of main Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CRKP and CRPA（ χ2=20.489 and 20.252， P<0.001）. The prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA，CRAB，ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in provinicial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=11.953，81.183，10.404，5.915，12.415 and 6.459， P<0.01 or <0.05），while the prevalence of CRPA was higher in economically developed regions（per capita GDP ≥ 92 059 Yuan）than that in economically less-developed regions（per capita GDP <92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=6.240， P=0.012）. Conclusions:The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections shows an increasing trend，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of CRKP decreases continuously with time. Decreasing trends are noted in ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Low prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and high prevalence in CRAB complex have been observed. The composition ratio and antibacterial spectrum of bloodstream infections in different regions of China are slightly different，and the proportion of main drug resistant bacteria in provincial hospitals is higher than those in municipal hospitals.

Objective:To learn about the clinical manifestations, laboratory characteristics and treatment of patients with acute and chronic brucellosis.Methods:Clinical data of 153 brucellosis patients admitted to the Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University from 2012 to 2022 were retrospectively collected, including general information, epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, imaging examination results, treatment and prognosis. According to the course of disease < 180 d and ≥180 d, these patients were divided into acute brucellosis group and chronic brucellosis group, and the clinical data of the two groups of patients were compared and analyzed.Results:A total of 153 patients with brucellosis were included, including 119 in the acute brucellosis group and 34 in the chronic brucellosis group. The age was (46.2 ± 13.8) years old, with 115 males (75.2%) and 38 females (24.8%), and 85 patients (55.6%) were occupational exposed. Complications occurred in 90 patients (58.8%), and the incidence of complications in the acute brucellosis group was lower than that in the chronic brucellosis group [76.5% (26/34) vs 53.8% (64/119), χ 2 = 5.62, P = 0.018]. The most common clinical manifestations were fever and arthralgia, with 128 cases (83.7%) and 124 cases (81.0%), respectively. The incidence of fever in the acute brucellosis group was higher than that in the chronic brucellosis group [87.4% (104/119) vs 70.6% (24/34), χ 2 = 5.46, P = 0.019], while the incidence of arthralgia was lower than that in the chronic brucellosis group [77.3% (92/119) vs 94.1% (32/34), χ 2 = 4.83, P = 0.027]. In laboratory tests, the positive rate of blood culture was 59.5% (91/153), and it was higher in the acute brucellosis group than that in the chronic brucellosis group [67.2% (80/119) vs 32.4% (11/34), P < 0.05]. The incidence of elevated procalcitonin [PCT, 58.6% (58/99) vs 24.1% (7/29), χ 2 = 10.65, P = 0.001] and the incidence of liver dysfunction [33.9% (40/118) vs 15.2% (5/33), χ 2 = 4.33, P = 0.037] in the acute brucellosis group were higher than those in the chronic brucellosis group. In the imaging examination, 61 patients (39.9%) experienced bone destruction, and the incidence of bone destruction in the chronic brucellosis group was higher than that in the acute brucellosis group [55.9% (19/34) vs 35.3% (42/119), χ 2 = 4.68, P = 0.031]. All patients were treated with antibiotics, with a median of 3 and 4 types of antibiotics used in the acute and chronic brucellosis groups, respectively. The overall incidence of adverse drug reactions was 5.2% (8/153). After treatment, 65 cases (42.5%) recovered, 70 cases (45.8%) improved, and 18 cases (11.8%) did not recover. Conclusions:The main clinical manifestations of brucellosis patients are fever and arthralgia, with a high incidence of complications. All patients are treated with combined antibiotics therapy. Patients in acute brucellosis group have a higher incidence of fever, positive blood culture, elevated PCT and abnormal liver function, while patients in chronic brucellosis group have a higher incidence of complications, arthralgia and bone destruction.