The syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency (DSSD) is relatively common globally. Although the pathogenesis of DSSD remains unclear, evidence has suggested that the gut microbiota might play a significant role. Radix Astragali, used as both medicine and food, exerts the effects of tonifying spleen and qi. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) comprises a macromolecule substance extracted from the dried root of Radix Astragali, which has many pharmacological functions. However, whether APS mitigates the immune disorders underlying the DSSD syndrome via regulating gut microbiota and the relevant mechanism remains unknown. Here, we used DSSD rats induced by high-fat and low-protein (HFLP) diet plus exhaustive swimming, and found that APS of moderate molecular weight increased the body weight gain and immune organ indexes, decreased the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and endotoxin, and suppressed the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-‍κB (TLR4/NF-‍κB) pathway. Moreover, a total of 27 critical genera were significantly enriched according to the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). APS increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and changed its composition, such as reducing the relative abundance of Pseudoflavonifractor and Paraprevotella, and increasing that of Parasutterella, Parabacteroides, Clostridium XIVb, Oscillibacter, Butyricicoccus, and Dorea. APS also elevated the contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Furthermore, the correlation analysis indicated that 12 critical bacteria were related to the body weight gain and immune organ indexes. In general, our study demonstrated that APS ameliorated the immune disorders in DSSD rats via modulating their gut microbiota, especially for some bacteria involving immune and inflammatory response and SCFA production, as well as the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. This study provides an insight into the function of APS as a unique potential prebiotic through exerting systemic activities in treating DSSD.
Rats ; Animals ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Spleen ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Astragalus Plant/metabolism* ; Immune System Diseases/drug therapy* ; Body Weight

Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of a school based comprehensive intervention for childhood obesity and to provide scientific basis for formulating and promoting efficient and economic intervention measures for childhood obesity. Methods: In a cluster randomized controlled trial, 12 primary schools (1 889 students from grade 3 to 5) in Dongcheng District in Beijing were selected and randomly assigned to the intervention (6 schools, 930 students) and control group (6 schools, 959 students). Students in the intervention group received a one year school based comprehensive intervention for childhood obesity, including development of school level policies, health education activities, improvement of physical activity, and improvement of healthy diet. A cost analysis method from a social perspective was used to evaluate the implementation costs of the intervention. Cost effectiveness analysis was used by calculating incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) on obesity related knowledge, number of days completing no less than 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week, students consuming sugar sweetened beverage. Results: The material cost and human cost were 46 376.24 yuan and 46 197.32 yuan, respectively. The total cost of the intervention was 92 573.56 yuan and the average cost was 99.54 yuan per student in the intervention group. ICER on obesity related knowledge, number of days completing no less than 60 minutes of MVPA per week, percentage of students consuming sugar sweetened beverage were 52.39%, 71.61% and 2.26%, respectively. Conclusion The school based comprehensive intervention for childhood obesity shows a good cost effectiveness promoting students obesity related knowledge, as well as dietary and physical activity behaviors.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of TDP （specific electromagnetic wave） combined with Osteoking in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis of Qi stagnation and blood stasis type. MethodA total of 104 patients with knee osteoarthritis of Qi stagnation and blood stasis type， who received conservative therapy in The Third People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from July 2019 to December 2021， were randomized into the control group and study group with the random number table method， 52 cases in either group. The control group was treated with TDP， and the study group with TDP and Osteoking. The treatment lasted 1 week for both groups， with 1-month follow-up. Subjective indexes of visual analog scale （VAS） score and Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index （WOMAC） score， and objective indexes of visual tenderness index and visual knee range of motion were determined before and after treatment to evaluate the pain and functions of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score was calculated. The serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR） and high sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP） were detected before and after treatment， and the total clinical effective rate was calculated. ResultBefore treatment， the baseline information and all the scores of the two groups were comparable. After treatment， the VAS score， WOMAC score， tenderness index， knee range of motion， and TCM syndrome score were improved in both groups （P<0.01）. After the treatment， the VAS score and WOMAC score of the study group were lower than those of the control group （P<0.01） and the improvement of tenderness index in the study group was better than that in the control group （P<0.05）. The knee range of motion in the study group was better than that in the control group （P=0.061）. The TCM syndrome score of study group was lower than that of control group （P<0.01） after treatment. The post-treatment serum ESR and hs-CRP level in the two groups decreased significantly after treatment， and the study group were lower than those of the control group （P<0.01）. The total clinical effective rate of the study group was 90.4%（47/52）， as compared with the 53.8%（28/52） in the control group （P<0.05）. No obvious adverse events occurred during treatment in both groups. ConclusionThe clinical efficacy of TDP combined with Osteoking in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis of Qi stagnation and blood stasis type is remarkable， which can improve knee pain and functions， alleviate TCM syndrome， and reduce inflammatory indexes， with high safety.

This article gives a review on domestic and foreign researches on the non-drug intervention for patients with perimenopausal depression published from 2012 to 2022， so as to provide a reference for clinical treatment and nursing. Currently， pharmacotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for perimenopausal depression， while many existing problems remain to be solved such as the variation in treatment effect and the difficulty in maintaining emotional stability. however，high safety and relatively low cost are the characteristics of non-drug intervention， so this article expounds on the non-drug intervention measures for perimenopausal depression， such as music therapy， dietary therapy， exercise therapy， acupuncture therapy and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation （rTMS）.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most common pathological type in head and neck tumor. It can evade immune response through various mechanisms such as immune tolerance, immune escape, high expression of immune checkpoint molecules in tumor cells and T cell signal destruction. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has made a breakthrough in HNSCC patients. From second-line therapy to first-line therapy in recurrent and metastatic HNSCC, then adjuvant therapy in locally advanced HNSCC patients, several clinical studies of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy have been showed good therapeutic effects. In addition, a variety of combination therapies such as ICI combination with targeted therapy, ICI, radiotherapy and other methods currently being studied. However, the beneficiaries of immune checkpoint inhibitors are still unclear, and how to effectively combine immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and surgery is currently being explored. In the period of individualized treatment, the treatment strategies for HNSCC are experiencing new changes, facing more options and challenges. In this article, we will review some major clinical studies of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in recent years.

Although mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-exos) have been shown to have therapeutic effects in experimental periodontitis, their drawbacks, such as low yield and limited efficacy, have hampered their clinical application. These drawbacks can be largely reduced by replacing the traditional 2D culture system with a 3D system. However, the potential function of MSC-exos produced by 3D culture (3D-exos) in periodontitis remains elusive. This study showed that compared with MSC-exos generated via 2D culture (2D-exos), 3D-exos showed enhanced anti-inflammatory effects in a ligature-induced model of periodontitis by restoring the reactive T helper 17 (Th17) cell/Treg balance in inflamed periodontal tissues. Mechanistically, 3D-exos exhibited greater enrichment of miR-1246, which can suppress the expression of Nfat5, a key factor that mediates Th17 cell polarization in a sequence-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that recovery of the Th17 cell/Treg balance in the inflamed periodontium by the local injection of 3D-exos attenuated experimental colitis. Our study not only showed that by restoring the Th17 cell/Treg balance through the miR-1246/Nfat5 axis, the 3D culture system improved the function of MSC-exos in the treatment of periodontitis, but also it provided a basis for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by restoring immune responses in the inflamed periodontium.
Colitis ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Periodontitis/therapy* ; Periodontium ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Th17 Cells

The liver has a very special dual blood supply, including the portal vein (65%~75%) and hepatic artery (25%~35%). The hepatic veins returns blood to the systemic circulation via the portal vein, and hepatic artery after hepatic sinusoidal confluence. The lesions on the hepatic vein and its branches can cause ischemia and hypoxia or obstruction of the drainage system, portal hypertension, upper gastrointestinal variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, and so on. Clinically, hepatic vascular diseases are relatively rare, so the diagnosis and treatment are relatively difficult. Herein, we review the diseases related to the hepatic vascular system.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of Kwak and ACR( 2017 ) thyroid imaging reporting and data systems ( T I‐RADS ) for thyroid nodules . Methods Cases of thyroid nodule who underwent surgery from January 2015 to M arch 2018 in 15 hospitals in Sichuan province were collected and the ultrasonographic features of thyroid nodules were retrospectively analyzed by trained senior ultrasound physicians using Kwak and ACR T I‐RADS classification methods . Totally ,12 712 thyroid nodules were observed ,7 023 thyroid nodules in 7 023 cases with complete ultrasound and surgical and pathological data were eventually enrolled in the study . T hyroid nodules with solid ,hypoechoic or very hypoechoic ,tall/wide ratio ≥ 1 , margin ill‐defined and microcalcification were classified as malignant signs of ultrasound . M alignant percentage was calculated and diagnostic tests were performed . Results ① T here was a statistical difference between the benign and malignant nodules in the two types of T I‐RADS classification ( P＜0 .01) . ② T he area under ROC curve of Kwak and ACR in the diagnosis of malignant nodules were 0 .89 and 0 .84 ,respectively . T he Youden index of Kwak and ACR were 0 .66 and 0 .57 ,respectively . ③Taking Kwak T I4B and ACR T R4 as critical points for malignancy ,the sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Kwak T I 4B were 75 .0% ,90 .9% ,83 .2% ,and 85 .9% , respectively . T he accuracy of Kwak T I4B was 84 .9% ; T he sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of ACR T R4 were 88 .2% ,68 .9% ,62 .9% ,and 90 .8% ,respectively . T he accuracy of ACR T R4 was 76 .2% . T he Kappa value of Kwak TI4B and ACR T R4 was 0 .52 . T he χ2 value of Kwak T I4B and ACR T R4 was 2 174 .6 ( P ＜ 0 .01 ) . Conclusions T he diagnostic values of two T I‐RADS classification methods for thyroid malignant nodules are high . T he overall efficiency of Kwak T I‐RADS classification method is better than that of ACR TI‐RADS classification method .

Objective: To investigate the incidence of malnutrition in children and adolescents aged between 8 and 16 years in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province and to explore the impact of lower body mass index in early childhood on malnutrition in children and adolescents. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 2 188 students with complete data on weight and height from grade one in primary school to grade one in high school in Zhongshan were included in this analysis. Normal weight individuals with BMI lower than the 50th percentiles (P50) were defined as lower BMI, according to "Report on the Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance of Chinese School Students" in 2005. Screening Standard for Malnutrition of School-age Children and Adolescents in 2014 (WS/T 456—2014) was used to define malnutrition. Prevalence and incidence of malnutrition was calculated, and chi-square test was used to compare the difference of the incidence of malnutrition between children with BMI Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 15.08% for children in grade one of primary school, which reached highest of 16.32% in grade two of primary school and decreased to 7.27% in grade one in high school. The annual incidence of malnutrition among students with normal weight decreased from 8.37% in grade two in primary school to 1.22% in grade one in high school. Boys with lower BMI in grade one in primary school had the incidence of malnutrition with 12.47% in grade two in primary school, while those with BMI ≥P50 had the incidence of 0.63%. Girls with lower BMI had higher incidence of malnutrition than those with BMI ≥P50. Conclusion Incident malnutrition between grade one in primary school and grade one in high school is more likely to occur in early childhood. Lower BMI in early childhood significantly increases the risk of malnutrition in children and adolescents. Malnutrition prevention should be implemented from early childhood, especially for those with lower BMI.

Objective This exploratory study aimed to assess effectiveness with ethylene oxide treatment for removing DNA contamination. Methods 98 different spiked samples such as saliva, dander, skin cell, hair, blood and cartilage were conducted with ethylene oxide treatment. After extraction of samples, the dna was amplified and then the STR analysis was performed with 3130xl or 3500xl. Results A 6h EO treatment results showed that two saliva stains of 44 samples STR profile were detected; Just one hair of 54 samples treated with ethylene oxide was detected contaminating DNA with EO treatment for 8 hours. Conclusion This work suggested that it was more successful to reduce DNA contamination by using ethylene oxide treatment.