Objective To investigate the effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)induced by high-fat diet(HFD)on the kidneys of mice and the protective effect and mechanism of Xiayuxue Decoction.Methods A total of 25 healthy controls and 25 NAFLD patients who attended Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2020 to September 2021 were enrolled,and the levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),and uric acid(UA)were measured.A total of 24 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into low-fat diet(LFD)group,HFD group,and HFD+Xiayuxue Decoction group(XYXD group),with 8 mice in each group,and since week 13,XYXD was administered by gavage once a day for 6 weeks till the end of week 18.The level of TC,TG,BUN,and Cr were measured for each group.HE staining and oil red staining were used to observe the pathological changes of the liver and the kidneys;immunohistochemical double staining was used to measure the expression levels of CD68 and alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA);quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1(SREBP1),fatty acid synthase(FASN),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),Desmin,and α-SMA in renal tissue;Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for pairwise comparison;the independent-samples t-test was used for comparison between two groups.Results Compared with the healthy controls,NAFLD patients showed significant increases in the levels of TC,TG,BUN,Cr,and UA(all P<0.05).Compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in body weight,TC,TG,BUN,and Cr(all P<0.001),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group showed significant inhibition of the expression of TC,TG,BUN,and Cr(all P<0.001).Liver pathological examination showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group showed significant increases in hepatic steatosis and inflammatory infiltration,while the XYXD group showed significant alleviation of lesions.Renal pathological examination showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant inflammatory infiltration,steatosis,and collagen formation in renal tissue,and compared with the HFD group,XYXD significantly alleviated inflammatory infiltration and inhibited steatosis and collagen formation.Quantitative real-time PCR showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the relative mRNA expression levels of SREBP1,FASN,IL-6,TNF-α,Desmin,and α-SMA in renal tissue(all P<0.001),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group had significant reductions in the relative expression levels of these indicators(all P<0.001).Western blot showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α(P<0.05),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α(P<0.05).Immunohistochemical staining showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the positive staining or the double positive staining of α-SMA and CD68(P<0.05),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group showed significant reductions(P<0.05).Conclusion HFD can induce renal steatosis,inflammatory infiltration,and collagen formation,and XYXD might exert a protective effect on the kidneys by inhibiting the expression of macrophages and myofibroblasts in renal tissue.

The incidence of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture (OTLVF) in the elderly is gradually increasing. The kyphotic deformity caused by various factors has become an important characteristic of OTLVF and has received increasing attention. Its clinical manifestations include pain, delayed nerve damage, sagittal imbalance, etc. Currently, the definition and diagnosis of OTLVF with kyphotic deformity in the elderly are still unclear. Although there are many treatment options, they are controversial. Existing guidelines or consensuses pay little attention to this type of fracture with kyphotic deformity. To this end, the Lumbar Education Working Group of the Spine Branch of the Chinese Medicine Education Association and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized the experts in the relevant fields to jointly develop Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures with kyphotic deformity in the elderly ( version 2024), based on evidence-based medical advancements and the principles of scientificity, practicality, and advanced nature, which provided 18 recommendations to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Health literacy is critical to improving individual and public health. However, indigenous perceptions of health are largely absent from Western-derived measurements, contributing to disparities in health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. China is the country with the world's largest population and only officially introduced the term "health literacy" in 2008. Current measures of health literacy in China are primarily based on Western-derived constructs, which have been shown to have poor comparability to the unique dual medical system in China. Given its significant importance to health management globally, understanding health perceptions from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective is essential. This review explores the concept and core elements of indigenous health literacy, evaluates the existing definitions and measurement tools as applied to the concept, and proposes a new model of traditional Chinese medicine health literacy. Please cite this article as: Qian Z, Wang GY, Henning M, Chen Y. Understanding health literacy from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(3): 215-220.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Health Literacy ; China

The tiered medical treatment system stands as a cornerstone in the deepening reforms of China′s medical and health sectors, playing a crucial role in building a healthy China. Exploring the harmonious coexistence mechanism of multiple entities on the supply and demand sides of the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, and promoting the formation of a scientific and reasonable tiered diagnosis and treatment order, has become an urgent public proposition that needs to be answered and has significant social impact. Addressing the challenges in China′s tiered medical treatment system, particularly its need for a more systematic, comprehensive, and collaborative approach, this study is informed by a thorough literature review. Based on the harmonious management and symbiosis theories, the authors proposed a theoretical concept and future research path for the formation of a harmonious symbiotic mechanism in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, in order to pave the way for exploring the harmonious symbiotic mechanism in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system.

Objective:To explore the driving mechanisms of doctors′ collaborative willingness and behavior in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, in order to provide reference for promoting the construction of the tiered diagnosis and treatment system.Methods:Based on the harmonious management theory, a theoretical framework for the driving mechanisms of doctors′ collaborative behavior in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system was developed. Through random sampling, a questionnaire survey was conducted among doctors from 40 medical institutions in five prefecture-level cities in Zhejiang province between April and May 2022. The t-test, variance analysis, and non-parametric tests were employed to analyze the differences in collaborative willingness and behavior among doctors based on various demographic characteristics. The structural equation model and stratified linear regression were used to assess the impact of collaborative factors (professional environment and work expectations) and harmonious factors (perception of policy support and perception of management mechanism) on doctors′ collaboration willingness and behavior. Results:A total of 1 959 doctors participated in the survey. Doctors′ collaborative behavior scored 2.13±1.12, indicating a slightly below-average level, whereas their willingness to collaborate scored 3.88±0.79, falling between neutral and somewhat willing. Significant differences in collaborative behavior scores were observed based on the medical institution′s ranking, age, years of experience, monthly average income, and professional titles ( P<0.05). Both collaborative and harmonious factors directly influenced the doctors′ willingness to collaborate, with standardized path coefficients of 0.428 and 0.139, respectively. Similarly, these factors directly impacted their collaborative behavior, with standardized path coefficients of 0.104 and 0.366. The perceptions of policy support and management mechanisms demonstrated a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between doctors′ collaborative willingness and behavior, with effect values of 0.047 and 0.043 respectively ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The collaborative and harmonious elements serve as positive drivers for collaboration among doctors in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system at both the cognitive and behavioral levels. Enhancing and optimizing policy support and management mechanisms can facilitate the transition from intention to actual collaborative actions among doctors from different levels of medical institutions.

Objective:To explore the expression of long-chain noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and myocardial infarction-associated transcription (MIAT) in Leukocyte differentiation antigen (CD)4+T cells in peripheral blood of gastric cancer patients and its value of clinical application.Methods:Peripheral blood CD4+T cells were collected from 124 patients with gastric cancer, 90 benign gastric diseases patients and 80 healthy controls enrolled in Taizhou People′s Hospital from January 2019 to April 2021. The expression levels of MIAT and N6-methyladenosine(m6A) binding to MIAT promoter in CD4+T cells were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR, respectively. Spearman test was used to analyze the correlation between MIAT and clinicopathological features, as well as between MIAT and regulatory T cell levels. The receivor operating characteristic curve (ROC) of the subjects was used to evaluate the MIAT expression level in the auxiliary diagnostic value of gastric cancer.Results:The relative expression levels of MIAT in the gastric cancer patients, the benign gastric diseases patients, and the healthy controls were 2.849 (2.131, 4.062), 1.511 (0.916, 1.855) and 0.963 (0.729, 1.432), respectively. The difference among the three groups was statistically significant ( H=158.25, P<0.001). The relative expression level of MIAT in the gastric cancer patients was significantly higher than the levels in the benign gastric diseases patients and healthy controls. The difference was statistically significant ( Z=100.63, 145.14, P<0.001). The binding activity of m6A to MIAT promoter in patients with early stage (stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ) and end stage (stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ) gastric cancer was 8.590±1.483 and 4.274±0.425, respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( t=6.255, P=0.002). Furthermore, the binding activity of m6A to MIAT promoter in the gastric cancer patients was significantly lower than that in patients with benign gastric diseases (17.267±3.106) and healthy controls (27.637±3.945) ( t=-7.331,-12.832, P<0.001). The relative expression of MIAT in CD4+T cells in peripheral blood of the gastric cancer patients had no significant difference in age(χ2=0.000, P=1.000), gender(χ2=0.000, P=1.000), CEA (χ2=0.648, P=0.421) and CA199(χ2=1.554, P=0.213), but had significant difference with tumor size expression(χ2=9.443, P<0.01), TNM stage(χ2=23.571, P=0.002) and lymph node metastasis (χ2=45.248, P<0.01). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the relative expression of MIAT in CD4+T cells and Treg level ( r2=0.76, P<0.001). The diagnostic efficacies of MIAT in CD4+T cells, CEA and CA199 in the gastric cancer patients were analyzed by ROC curve. When compared with patients with benign gastric diseases, the areas under the curve were 0.879, 0.635 and 0.611, respectively. When compared with healthy patients, the areas under the curve were 0.953, 0.784 and 0.598, respectively. Conclusions:The level of MIAT in CD4+T cells in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer is significantly higher than the levels in patients with benign gastric diseases and the healthy controls, which may be related with the decreased activity of m6A binding to the promoter of MIAT. The level of MIAT in CD4+T cells may be a relevant biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer.

Background Nitrosamines (NAms) are highly carcinogenic and frequently detected in drinking water systems in China, indicating potential human health risk through drinking water. Objective To analyze the distribution of NAms in drinking water in Shanghai and to evaluate relevant human health risk. Methods A total of 94 samples of source water and 120 samples of finished water were collected in February (dry period) and August (wet period) of 2021 from 30 drinking water plants in Shanghai, and eight NAms were quantitatively analyzed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry after solid phase extraction. Cancer risks for different age groups caused by NAms exposure through water were evaluated using Monte Carlo probabilistic method and carcinogens risk assessment model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Results The concentrations of total NAms in source and finished water were 12.56-65.86 ng·L⁻¹ and 8.52-57.38 ng·L⁻¹, respectively. The average concentration of total NAms was higher in source water (33.50 ng·L⁻¹) than in finished water (22.07 ng·L⁻¹, P<0.05) during dry season, and lower in source water (16.90 ng·L⁻¹) than in finished water (21.02 ng·L⁻¹, P<0.05) during wet season. The average concentration of total NAms in source water during dry season was twice of that during wet season. The positive rate of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was the highest (100%) among the eight NAms. The cancer risk of exposure to NAms in finished water in Shanghai was mainly from the ingestion route, which was mostly caused by NDMA. The cancer risk from exposure to NAms in water for children (median=4.32×10⁻⁵) was slightly higher than that for adults (median=3.34×10⁻⁵) and adolescents (median=2.27×10⁻⁵). The cancer risks of exposure to NAms in water for people of different ages were mainly (80% - 95%) at an acceptable level (1×10⁻⁶ - 1×10⁻⁴). Conclusion NAms contamination is positive in Shanghai’s drinking water and NDMA is the main contaminant. The removal of NAms in water by current water treatment process is season-dependent. The cancer risk of children exposed to NAms in water was slightly higher than that of adults and adolescents, but all at acceptable levels.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Gancao Fuzitang （GCFZ）in inhibiting the bone destruction of collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） model in mice. MethodThirty male DBa/1J mice were randomly divided into normal group， CIA group， low-dose GCFZ group （GCFZ-L， 2.4 g·kg^-1）， high-dose GCFZ group （GCFZ-H， 4.8 g·kg^-1）， and methotrexate group （MTX， 1 mg·kg^-1）， with six mice in each group. The CIA model was induced by secondary immunization method. The arthritis index of mice in each group was observed and recorded， and the histopathological changes in ankle joint were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The damage to ankle cartilage was detected by safranin O-fast green staining. Micro-CT scanning was used to detect the bone destruction of ankle joint， and the expression of nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65）， p-NF-κB p65， inhibitory-κB kinase α/β （IKKα/β）， and p-IKKα/β was observed by immunohistochemical staining. ResultCompared with the normal group， the CIA group showed manifest joint swelling and increased arthritis index score （P<0.01）. Compared with the CIA group， the groups with drug intervention could inhibit joint swelling and reduce arthritis index score （P<0.05， P<0.01）. As revealed by HE staining and safranine O-green staining， compared with the CIA group， the groups with drug intervention could inhibit synovial invasion and reduce the destruction of articular cartilage. Micro-CT scanning analysis showed that compared with the CIA group， the GCFZ-H group and the MTX group showed reduced bone destruction scores （P<0.01）. The immunohistochemical results showed that compared with the normal group， the CIA group showed increased optical density values of NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， IKKα/β， and p-IKKα/β（P<0.01）. Compared with the CIA group， the GCFZ-H group and the MTX group showed reduced optical density values of NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， IKKα/β， and p-IKKα/β（P<0.05，P<0.01）. In the GCFZ-L group， only the NF-κB p65 optical density value decreased（P<0.01）. ConclusionGCFZ may inhibit bone destruction in CIA mice by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly will seriously reduce their quality of life and life expectancy. For osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, spinal reconstruction is necessary, which should comprehensively consider factors such as the physical condition, fracture type, clinical characteristics and osteoporosis degree. While there lacks relevant clinical norms or guidelines on selection of spinal reconstruction strategies. In order to standardize the concept of spinal reconstruction for osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, based on the principles of scientificity, practicality and progressiveness, the authors formulated the Clinical guideline for spinal reconstruction of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in elderly patients ( version 2022), in which suggestions based on evidence of evidence-based medicine were put forward upon 10 important issues related to the fracture classification, non-operative treatment strategies and surgical treatment strategies in spinal reconstruction after osteoporosis thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, hoping to provide a reference for clinical treatment.