Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional rehabilitation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 101 patients who needed TKA due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involving both knees from January 2017 to December 2020, including 16 males and 85 females, aged from 41 to 65 years old with an average of (58.13±5.53) years old;body mass index (BMI) ranged from 16.88 to 33.33 kg·m^-2 with an average of (23.16±3.49) kg·m^-2;63 patients with grade 1, 29 patients with grade 2, and 9 patients with grade 3 according to classification of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). According to the latest follow-up results at 12 months after operation, 82 patients returned to work and 19 patients did not return to work. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of pain relief before operation and 12 months after operation, and work, osteoarthritis and joint replacement questionnaire (WORQ) was used to evaluate knee joint activity status of all patients before and after operation, and the working ability index was used to evaluate working ability of all patients before operation and 12 months after operation. For the 82 patients who returned to work, the labor time stopped before operation and within 12 months after operation was compared, and the changes in labor grades, types of work and labor hours of patients before and after operation were recorded. For the 19 patients who did not return to work, the specific reasons for their non-return to work was analyzed;the postoperative satisfaction of patients was evaluated by using Likert satisfaction scale. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. VAS was decreased from (6.49±0.59) before operation to (1.10±0.43) at 12 months after operation (P<0.05);for WORQ questionnaire survey, scores of walking, sitting posture, standing and stair climbing were increased from (1.07±0.35), (1.05±0.29), (1.06±0.34) and (1.14±0.42) before operation to (3.00±0.00), (2.87±0.33), (2.95±0.21) and (2.95±0.21) after operation, respectively, had statistically significant (P<0.05);the labor work index of all patients increased from 1.11±0.46 before operation to 2.99±0.10 at 12 months after operation, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Among the 82 patients who returned to work after operation, regarding the time of stopping labor, 81 patients stopped working within 3 months before operation, 1 patient stopped working for 4 to 6 months after operation, and the number of patients who stopped working was 81, 1, and 0 respectively. Forty patients returned to work within 3 months after operation, 4 to 6 months after operation for 29 patients, and 12 months after operation for 13 patients. 95.1% (78/82) of patients engaged in light labor before operation, and 85.4% (70/82) of patients engaged in moderate labor after operation. At 12 months after operation, the types of jobs and working hours available to all patients increased compared with those before operation. Among 19 patients who did not return to work after TKA, 7 patients had poor control of rheumatoid arthritis, 5 patients still felt pain, swelling and numbness on knee joint, 2 patients had retired, and 5 patients had other reasons. Eighty-six patients (85%) expressed great satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 8 patients (8%) expressed satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 6 patients (6%) expressed acceptance of postoperative working ability, and 1 patient (1%) expressed dissatisfaction with postoperative working ability. CONCLUSION TKA is an effective treatment option for patients with RA. After undergoing TKA, patients could significantly improve pain and functional activities of knee joint, and effectively enhance the quality of life and working ability. For patients whose rehabilitation labor capacity is not fully met, postoperative management and personalized rehabilitation treatment need to be strengthened to achieve the best rehabilitation effect.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/rehabilitation* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult

Spermatogenesis is a fundamental process that requires a tightly controlled epigenetic event in spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). The mechanisms underlying the transition from SSCs to sperm are largely unknown. Most studies utilize gene knockout mice to explain the mechanisms. However, the production of genetically engineered mice is costly and time-consuming. In this study, we presented a convenient research strategy using an RNA interference (RNAi) and testicular transplantation approach. Histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation was dynamically regulated during spermatogenesis. As Jumonji domain-containing protein 1A (JMJD1A) and Jumonji domain-containing protein 2C (JMJD2C) demethylases catalyze histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), we firstly analyzed the expression profile of the two demethylases and then investigated their function. Using the convenient research strategy, we showed that normal spermatogenesis is disrupted due to the downregulated expression of both demethylases. These results suggest that this strategy might be a simple and alternative approach for analyzing spermatogenesis relative to the gene knockout mice strategy.
Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases/metabolism* ; Histones/metabolism* ; RNA Interference ; Testis/metabolism* ; Methylation ; Mice, Knockout ; Histone Demethylases

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in patients treated with PCI for chronic total occlusion (CTO) was still undetermined. METHODS: All CTO vessels treated with successful anatomical PCI in patients from PANDA III trial were retrospectively measured for post-PCI QFR. The primary outcome was 2-year vessel-oriented composite endpoints (VOCEs, composite of target vessel-related cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was conducted to identify optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting the 2-year VOCEs, and all vessels were stratified by this optimal cutoff value. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Among 428 CTO vessels treated with PCI, 353 vessels (82.5%) were analyzable for post-PCI QFR. 31 VOCEs (8.7%) occurred at 2 years. Mean value of post-PCI QFR was 0.92 ± 0.13. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis shown the optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting 2-year VOCEs was 0.91. The incidence of 2-year VOCEs in the vessel with post-PCI QFR < 0.91 (n = 91) was significantly higher compared with the vessels with post-PCI QFR ≥ 0.91 (n = 262) (22.0% vs. 4.2%, HR = 4.98, 95% CI: 2.32-10.70). CONCLUSIONS Higher post-PCI QFR values were associated with improved prognosis in the PCI practice for coronary CTO. Achieving functionally optimal PCI results (post-PCI QFR value ≥ 0.91) tends to get better prognosis for patients with CTO lesions.

Eightly-four novel thioheterocyclic nucleoside derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Most of the compounds inhibited the growth of HCT116 and HeLa cancer cells in vitro, among them 33a and 36b exhibited potent activity against HCT116 cells (IC₅₀ = 0.27 and 0.49 μmol/L, respectively). Both compounds 33a and 36b inhibited cell metastasis, arrested the cell cycle in the G₂/M phase, and induced apoptosis in vitro. Mechanistic studies revealed that 33a and 36b increased ROS levels, led to DNA damage, ER stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction, and inhibited autophagy in HCT116 cells. Biological information analysis, RNA-sequencing, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and SPR experiments identified that compounds 33a and 36b showed antitumor activity by suppressing the c-MYC pathway. c-MYC silencing assays indicated that c-MYC proteins participated in 33a-mediated anticancer activities in HCT116 cells. More importantly, compound 33a presented favorable pharmacokinetic properties in mice (T _1/2 = 6.8 h) and showed significant antitumor efficacy in vivo without obvious toxicity, showing promising potential for further clinical development.

The evolution of acupuncture anesthesia (AA) has spanned six decades. Cardiothoracic surgery serves as a representative case study to illustrate this evolution. Reflecting on its historical development, the use of AA in cardiothoracic surgery has advanced from basic AA procedures in the 1960s to combined acupuncture and drug anesthesia techniques in the early 1980s. Since 2005, the innovative use of non-intubation AA combined anesthesia has been implemented extensively in cardiothoracic surgery. As the medical industry continues to evolve, the techniques applied in AA have expanded to encompass the entire perioperative period in cardiothoracic surgery, leading to the introduction of the concept of modern AA. The use of AA in cardiothoracic surgery exemplifies the ongoing advances and integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Moving forward, it is imperative to enhance the theoretical framework of AA through the execution of rigorous multicenter clinical trials, to further strengthen the body of evidence supporting evidence-based medicine, and to finally explore the underlying mechanisms of AA. Please cite this article as: Wu XD, Wei XQ, Chen TY, Zhou WX, Wang K, Zhou J. From pioneering to innovation: A comprehensive review of acupuncture anesthesia in cardiothoracic surgeries. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):623-629.
Humans ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Anesthesia/methods* ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures

This article explores the application of Professor Zhou Zhongying's"focus on the core pathogenesis"concept in the con-text of epidemic hemorrhagic fever and examines how Academician Tong Xiaolin has inherited and developed Professor Zhou's experi-ences.Influenced by Professor Zhou Zhongying's academic thoughts and considering the contemporary context,Academician Tong Xia-olin,drawing on years of clinical experience,has proposed a new set of Nineteen Pathogenic Factors.Building upon the foundation of the Nineteen Pathogenic Factors in the The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic,this new framework enriches and expands the understanding of disease location,etiology and pathogenesis,disease classification,and pays attention to a comprehensive understanding of diseases.It emphasizes that the process of seeking the underlying mechanisms should be approached from three aspects:dynamic,state,and condition,rather than solely focusing on the immediate clinical manifestations.This comprehensive approach to understand-ing disease development offers a fresh perspective and contributes to the application of traditional Chinese Medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of modern diseases.

Objective To survey and analysis of cephalometric indicators of Wa adults in China.Methods Cephalometric parameters were measured in 1996 cases(858 males and 1138 females)of Wa adults in China,including 927 cases(381 males and 546 females)of the Baraoke ethnic group,564 cases(241 males and 323 females)of the A Wa ethnic group,and 505 cases(236 males and 269 females)of the Wa ethnic group by using sliding caliper and spreading caliper.Seventeen direct cephalofacial parameters and one indirect parameter for each of the three dialect ethnic groups were derived separately and analyzed for age correlations,inter-sex u-tests,and multiple comparisons.Finally,the three dialect ethnic groups were subjected to cluster analysis and principal component analysis with 15 ethnic groups in China.Results Nose breadth,mouth breadth and physiognomic ear length were significantly and positively correlated with age for both sexes in the three Wa dialect ethnic groups,while head breadth and lip height were significantly and negatively correlated with age.Except for the interocular breadth,there were gender differences between males and females in the cephalometric parameters of the three Wa dialect ethnic groups.The cephalofacial features of the Baraoke,A Wa and Wa ethnic groups were different,as evidenced by the fact that males and females of the Baraoke and Wa dialect ethnic group had higher lip height,wider nasal breadth and wider mouth breadth,while males and females of the A Wa ethnic group had lower nasal height.Conclusion The cephalofacial features of the three Wa dialect ethnic groups are close to those of the Khmus and Mang,who have their origins in the ancient Baipu people and are also members of the Mon-Khmer language group of the Austroasiatic linguistic.

Objective To explore the value of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction(ddPCR)in the etiological diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)patients with suspected bloodstream infection(BSI).Methods SAP patients admitted to the department of critical care medicine in a hospital July to September 2022 were enrolled.When BSI was suspected,venous blood was collected for both ddPCR detection and blood culture(BC)with antimi-crobial susceptibility testing(AST)simultaneously.The time required for two detection methods was recorded,and the detection results of ddPCR and BC were compared.The etiological diagnostic efficacy of ddPCR was calculated,and the correlation between the value of pathogen load detected by ddPCR and the level of infection parameters was explored.Results A total of 22 patients were included in the analysis,and 52 venous blood specimens were collec-ted for detection.BC revealed 17 positive specimens(32.7％)and 29 pathogenic strains,while ddPCR showed 41 positive specimens(78.8％)and 73 pathogenic strains.Detection time required for ddPCR was significantly lower than that of BC([0.16±0.03]days vs[5.92±1.20]days,P＜0.001).Within the detection range of ddPCR and taking BC results as the gold standard,the sensitivity and specificity of ddPCR were 80.0％and 28.6％,respective-ly.With the combined assessment of BSI based on non-blood specimen microbial evidence within a week,the sensi-tivity and specificity of ddPCR detection increased to 91.9％and 76.9％,respectively.ddPCR detected resistance genes of blaKPC,blaNDM/IMP,VanA/VanM,and mecA from 19,9,6,and 5 specimens,respectively.Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between pathogen load and levels of C-reactive protein as well as procalcitonin(r=0.347,0.414,P＜0.05).Conclusion As a supplementary detection method for BC in BSI diagnosis,ddPCR has the advantages of higher sensitivity and shorter detection time,and is worthy of further exploration in clinical application.