Astrocytes are a crucial type of glial cells in the central nervous system, not only maintaining brain homeostasis, but also actively participating in the transmission of information within the brain. Astrocytes have a complex structure that includes the soma, various levels of processes, and end-feet. With the advancement of genetically encoded calcium indicators and imaging technologies, researchers have discovered numerous localized and small calcium activities in the fine processes and end-feet. These calcium activities were termed as microdomain calcium activities, which significantly differ from the calcium activities in the soma and can influence the activity of local neurons, synapses, and blood vessels. This article elaborates the detection and analysis, characteristics, sources, and functions of microdomain calcium activities, and discusses the impact of aging and neurodegenerative diseases on these activities, aiming to enhance the understanding of the role of astrocytes in the brain and to provide new insights for the treatment of brain disorders.
Astrocytes/cytology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Calcium Signaling/physiology* ; Brain/physiology* ; Aging/physiology* ; Membrane Microdomains/physiology* ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/physiopathology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the sequence of intermediate instrumentation and distraction-reduction of the injured vertebra on the surgical efficacy of short-segment percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for thoracolumbar burst fractures with high rate of spinal canal encroachment. METHODS: From January 2016 to January 2022, 38 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures with high rate of spinal canal encroachment (spinal canal encroachment rate >40%, complete posterior longitudinal ligament, no flipping bone block in the posterior marginal of the vertebra) without spinal cord injury who were were treated with short-segment percutaneous pedicle screw fixation were retrospectively analyzed. During the operation, 18 cases were used distraction-reduction first and then intermediate instrumentation on injured vertebral and sequential distraction-reduction again(the distraction-reduction first group) including 8 females and 10 males with a mean age of 46.5 (38.5, 50.0) years old, and the other 20 cases were used intermediate instrumentation on injured vertebral first and then direct distraction-reduction(the intermediate instrumentation first group) including 10 males and 10 females with a mean age of 46.0 (35.8, 50.8) years. The anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra, local Cobb's angle of the injured vertebrae, the spinal canal encroachment rate, and the improvement rate of spinal canal encroachment were compared and evaluated. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for more than 1 year, and no complications such as spinal cord and root injury, screw loosening and screw rod fracture were found. The anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra, local Cobb' angle of the injured vertebra in the two groups were significantly improved compared with preoperative data(P<0.05), and those at 3 months and 1 year after operation was lost compared with that at the previous time point(P<0.05). Although the spinal canal encroachment rate of the two groups 1 day and 1 year after operation was improved compared with that before operation(P<0.05), the improvement of spinal canal volume in the distraction-reduction first group was significantly better than that in the intermediate instrumentation first group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION In the treatment of patients with thoracolumbar fractures with high rate of spinal canal encroachment, short-segment percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation with distraction-reduction first and then intermediate instrumentation and sequential distraction-reduction again can more effectively reduce the bony encroachment in the spinal canal and achieve indirect decompression effect better.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Thoracic Vertebrae/surgery* ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Pedicle Screws ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Canal/surgery*

Despite therapy with potent antiviral agents, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients remain at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While metabolites have been rediscovered as active drivers of biological processes including carcinogenesis, the specific metabolites modulating HCC risk in CHB patients are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that baseline plasma from CHB patients who later developed HCC during follow-up exhibits growth-promoting properties in a case-control design nested within a large-scale, prospective cohort. Metabolomics analysis reveals a reduction in long-chain acylcarnitines (LCACs) in the baseline plasma of patients with HCC development. LCACs preferentially inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro at a physiological concentration and prevent the occurrence of HCC in vivo without hepatorenal toxicity. Uptake and metabolism of circulating LCACs increase the intracellular level of acetyl coenzyme A, which upregulates histone H3 Lys14 acetylation at the promoter region of KLF6 gene and thereby activates KLF6/p21 pathway. Indeed, blocking LCAC metabolism attenuates the difference in KLF6/p21 expression induced by baseline plasma of HCC/non-HCC patients. The deficiency of circulating LCACs represents a driver of HCC in CHB patients with viral control. These insights provide a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce HCC risk further in the antiviral era.

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*

DPP4 is a serine exopeptidase that is immobilized on the cell membrane and plays a crucial regulatory role in various physiological and pathological activities within the human body.In addition to acting as a transcription factor to regulate the tran-scription and expression of downstream target genes,DPP4 also functions as a transcription-independent regulator through pro-tein-protein interactions.In recent studies,DPP4 has been strongly linked to various diseases,and several substances with the potential to target DPP4 have been identified.This paper mainly reviews the multifunctionality of DPP4 in regulating vari-ous aspects of energy metabolism,inflammation,tissue repair and carcinogenesis in the body.It also reviews the screening of in vitro inhibitors of DPP4 and its research progress in regulating chronic liver disease,based on the pathological development process of chronic liver disease.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of posterior reduction and fixation combined with pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) kyphotic deformity complicated by upper cervical spine injury.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 8 patients with AS kyphotic deformity complicated by upper cervical spine injury, who were admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from October 2010 to December 2022. All were males, aged 32-58 years [(46.9±8.7)years]. Acute injury was found in 1 patient and chronic injuries in 7 patients, including 3 with cervicothoracic kyphotic deformity and 5 with thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity. Five patients were complicated by odontoid fractures, 1 by C 2-C 3 fracture and 2 by atlantoaxial dislocation. According to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale, 2 patients were with grade C, 3 with grade D, and 3 with grade E. The patients were treated with posterior upper cervical reduction and fixation combined with cervicothoracic PSO or thoracolumbar PSO respectively according to the location of the deformity. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. Neck disability index (NDI), visual analogue scale (VAS), C 0-C 2 angle, C 1-C 2 angle, cervical lordosis angle (CL), head tilt angle (HT), chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA), cervical sagittal vertical axis (CSVA), and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were compared before surgery, at 1 week and 3, 6, 12 months after surgery, and at the last follow-up. The healing of fractures and fusion of osteotomy site were recorded at 12 months after surgery. Recovery of neurological function was observed at the last follow-up. Incidence of complications was observed. Results:Patients were all followed up for 12-24 months [(17.0±5.4)months]. The operation time was 5.5-7.2 hours [(6.2±0.6)hours] and the intraoperative blood loss was 480-800 ml [(629.4±124.0)ml]. The NDI scores at 1 week and 3, 6, 12 months after surgery, and at the last follow-up were (14.6±2.6)points, (13.6±2.8)points, (12.8±2.4)points, (12.8±2.7)points, and (12.8±2.6)points respectively, significantly lower than (29.6±8.5)points preoperatively ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in NDI scores at various time points after surgery ( P>0.05). The VAS scores were 2.0(1.0, 3.0)points, 1.5(1.0, 2.0)points, 0.5(0.0, 1.8)points, 0.5(0.0, 1.7)points, and 0.5(0.0, 1.8)points respectively, significantly lower than 3.5(3.0, 4.8)points preoperatively ( P<0.01). The VAS score at 3 months postoperatively was lower than that at 1 week postoperatively ( P<0.05), and the VAS score at 6 months postoperatively was lower than that at 3 months postoperatively ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in VAS scores at 6, 12 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between C 0-C 2 angle and C 1-C 2 angle preoperatively and at different time points postoperatively ( P>0.05). At 1 week and 3, 6, 12 months postoperatively and at the last follow-up, the CL values were -8.5(-5.3, -11.9)°, -8.6(-5.5, -11.9)°, -8.4(5.2, -12.1)°, -8.8(-5.6, -12.4)°, and -8.7(-5.3, -12.5)° respectively, significantly higher than 1.2(9.5, -4.8)° preoperatively ( P<0.01); the HT values were 6.1(4.5, 9.6)°, 6.1(4.3, 9.4)°, 6.0(4.2, 8.9)°, 6.0(4.2, 9.2)°, and 6.1(4.3, 9.2)° respectively, significantly lower than 17.0(10.3, 22.0)° preoperatively ( P<0.01); the CBVA values were (23.2±5.0)°, (23.1±4.8)°, (23.0±4.7)°, (23.1±4.7)°, and (23.1±4.9)° respectively, significantly lower than (44.1±9.8)° preoperatively ( P<0.01); the CSVA values were 5.2(4.2, 7.5)cm, 5.4(4.1, 7.1)cm, 4.7(4.0, 7.4)cm, 5.4(4.1, 7.0)cm, and 5.1(4.3, 6.5)cm respectively, significantly shorter than 9.0(7.8, 9.3)cm preoperatively ( P<0.01); the SVA values were 7.7(6.2, 13.7)cm, 7.5(6.0, 13.4)cm, 7.6(6.2, 13.2)cm, 7.4(6.3, 13.1)cm, and 7.5(6.2, 13.2)cm respectively, significantly shorter than 16.8(8.2, 27.2)cm preoperatively ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences among CL, HT, CBVA, CSVA, and SVA values at different time points after surgery ( P>0.05). All the fractures healed at 12 months after surgery and Bridwell grade I healing was achieved at all the osteotomy sites. At the last follow-up, all the patients were classified as ASIA grade E, significantly improved compared with preoperatively ( P<0.01). One patient had transient C 8 nerve paralysis after surgery and recovered after 4 weeks′ treatment. The remaining patients did not develop any infection or internal fixation-related complications, such as broken rods, broken screws, or loose screws. Conclusion:For AS kyphosis deformity complicated with upper cervical injury, posterior reduction and fixation combined with cervicothoracic or thoracolumbar PSO can effectively promote functional recovery, relieve pain, maintain overall trunk balance, improve neurological symptoms, and reduce the incidence of complications.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of single posterior osteotomy in the correction of rigid cervical spine deformities (CSD) and to explore the indications and key surgical techniques involved.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 9 patients with rigid CSD who underwent single posterior osteotomy correction between June 2012 and June 2023 in the Department of Spine Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. The cohort comprised 4 males and 5 females, with a mean age of 19.8±27.2 years (range, 7-48 years). Among these, 5 cases were congenital CSD, 3 were post-tuberculosis deformities, and 1 was iatrogenic. Various coronal and sagittal alignment parameters were measured, including C 1, 2 angle, cervical lordosis (CL), structural scoliosis angle (SSA), structural kyphosis angle (SKA), head tilt (HT), C 2-C 7 sagittal vertical axis (CSVA), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), coronal balance distance (CBD), T 1 slope (T 1S), and the difference between T 1 tilt and cervical lordosis (T 1S-CL). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the neck disability index (NDI), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire (SRS-22). Results:The average operation time was 273.9±76.1 min, with an average blood loss of 472.2±128.8 ml. All 9 patients were followed up for an average of 45.2±41.8 months (range, 12-116 months). A total of 7 patients underwent single-segment osteotomies (C 3, C 6 and C 7: 1 case each; C 5: 4 cases), and 2 patients underwent double-segment osteotomies (C 2 and C 7, C 3 and C 4). Four cases involved pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), while 7 cases required vertebral column resection. The upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) was located at the occiput in 1 case and in the cervical spine in 8 cases. The lower instrumented vertebra (LIV) was located in the upper thoracic spine in 6 cases and in the cervical spine in 3 cases, with 2 of the latter cases having both UIV and LIV in the cervical spine. The average number of fused segments was 7.6±4.4 segments (range, 2-12 segments). All patients achieved successful bone fusion within an average of 8.8±3.2 months (range, 6-12 months). Preoperatively, the mean values for CL, SSA, SKA, HT, and CBD were 19.8° (17.2°, 30.5°), 27.4°(23.3°, 30.4°), 28.4°(25.6°, 30.1°), 9.0°(6.2°, 12.3°), and 18.5(12.3, 23.6) mm, respectively. Postoperative improvements were noted with values of -11.1°(-8.8°, -14.4°), 1.3°(0.8°, 1.6°), -11.1°(-8.6°, -14.5°), 1.6°(0.5°, 2.2°), and 9.4 (4.8-13.5) mm, respectively. At the final follow-up, these parameters were maintained, with values of -11.0°(-8.8°, -14.3°), 1.2°(0.8°, 1.5°), -11.0° (-8.6°, -14.3°), 1.5°(0.5°, 2.2°), and 9.4(4.8, 13.4) mm, respectively. Statistically significant improvements were observed between preoperative and postoperative measurements ( P<0.05), except for C 1, 2 angle, CSVA, SVA, T 1S, and T 1S-CL ( P>0.05). NDI and SRS-22 scores showed significant improvements postoperatively ( P<0.05), while VAS scores did not show a significant change ( P>0.05). Postoperative complications included transient nerve injury in two patients, one case of right central retinal artery occlusion, and one case of vertebral artery injury. Conclusion:This study confirms the safety and efficacy of single posterior osteotomy for treating rigid CSD of various etiologies. Standard PSO or modified techniques are effective for correcting cervical kyphosis, while hemivertebra resection and concave-side distraction are recommended for congenital scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis.

This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between immune antibodies and pelvic inflammatory disease(PID)using retrospective analysis.Cases were selected from 171 patients who met the diagnosis of PID in Liuzhou People's Hospital of Guangxi Province from January 2022 to March 2023,and the PID patients were further divided into simple PID group(53 cases)and in PID combined with reproductive tract infection group(118 cases)according to the presence or absence of reproductive tract infections,while 83 cases of women who did not meet the specific diagnostic criteria of PID and did not have reproductive tract infections were selected as the control group during the same period.The positive rate of immune antibodies in the three groups were observed and compared to explore the relationship between immune antibodies and PID.Data showed that the positive rates of immune antibodies were significantly higher in the PID alone group and the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group than that in the control group.Furthermore,the positive rate of immune antibody TPOAb was significant difference in the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group and the PID alone group(P<0.05).In conclusion,TPOAb is closely associated with reproductive tract infections.

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of novel bioabsorbable vascular scaffold(BVS)in the treatment of patients with complex coronary artery disease.Methods This was a retrospective,matched,single-center observational study.45 patients with coronary atherosclerotic cardiopathy received BVS treatment in the cardiovascular medicine department Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University from June 2020 to June 2021(BVS),and 45 patients treated with drug-eluting stents(DES)group were selected according to matching study requirements during the same period.Baseline,surgical,and follow-up data were compared between the two groups to evaluate safety and efficacy.The main measures of safety were:surgical time,intraoperative adverse events,etc.,and the end point of efficacy was target lesion failure(TLF),including cardiac death,target vessel myocardial infarction,and ischa-driven target lesion revascularization.Results A total of 90 patients were enrolled in this study,all of whom were followed up for at least 3 years.There were 20 cases of bifurcation lesions and 25 cases of diffuse long lesions in the two groups,and 50 cases of imaging were reviewed among the 90 patients.The proportion of stable coronary heart disease,history of diabetes,history of hypertension,history of smoking,pre-dilated balloon pressure and postoperative diastolic blood pressure in BVS group was higher than that in DES group,and the proportion of family history was lower than that in DES group(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of cardiac death,target vessel myocardial infarction,and ischemia-driven revascularization of target lesions between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Binary Logistic regression model analysis showed that the diameter stenosis ratio of target lesions was an independent risk factor for intrastent restenosis(OR 2.786,95％CI 1.096-7.081,P=0.031).Conclusions Compared with traditional DES,BVS implantation has consistent safety and efficacy in the treatment of complex coronary artery disease within 3 years.The diameter stenosis ratio of target lesions was an independent risk factor for intrastent restenosis.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95％ confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.