The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding acupuncture direction published from January 1st, 2013, to November 7th, 2023 were searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and VIP Chinese Journal Database. As a result, 21 RCTs were included. The problems identified included conceptual misunderstandings regarding acupuncture direction, incomplete selection strategies, confounding research factors, and inaccuracies in reporting. Based on the findings, four strategic approaches for enhancing therapeutic efficacy through acupuncture direction were summarized: aligning needle direction with the meridian pathway, directing the needle toward the lesion site, orienting the needle toward adjacent acupoints, and targeting special anatomical structures. Two additional strategies were proposed for optimizing the procedure: simplifying acupuncture operations and directing the needle toward safe anatomical sites. Recommendations were made to improve the rationality of research factor settings and the completeness of acupuncture operation reporting. Furthermore, three methods for reporting acupuncture direction were discussed: reporting the tip-pointed position, reporting the insertion angle and orientation, and reporting azimuth and polar angles, aiming to promote greater standardization and completeness in acupuncture practice and reporting.
Acupuncture Therapy/standards* ; Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Meridians

Dendritic cells (DCs) serve as the primary antigen-presenting cells in autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and exhibit distinct signaling profiles due to antigenic diversity. Type II collagen (CII) has been recognized as an RA-specific antigen; however, little is known about CII-stimulated DCs, limiting the development of RA-specific therapeutic interventions. In this study, we show that CII-stimulated DCs display a preferential gene expression profile associated with migration, offering a new perspective for targeting DC migration in RA treatment. Then, saikosaponin D (SSD) was identified as a compound capable of blocking CII-induced DC migration and effectively ameliorating arthritis. Optineurin (OPTN) is further revealed as a potential SSD target, with Optn deletion impairing CII-pulsed DC migration without affecting maturation. Function analyses uncover that OPTN prevents the proteasomal transport and ubiquitin-dependent degradation of C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), a pivotal chemokine receptor in DC migration. Optn-deficient DCs exhibit reduced CCR7 expression, leading to slower migration in CII-surrounded environment, thus alleviating arthritis progression. Our findings underscore the significance of antigen-specific DC activation in RA and suggest OPTN is a crucial regulator of CII-specific DC migration. OPTN emerges as a promising drug target for RA, potentially offering significant value for the therapeutic management of RA.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a risk prediction model for left ventricular adverse remodeling (LVAR) based on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: A total of 329 acute STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI at 8 medical centers from January, 2018 to December, 2021 were prospectively enrolled. The parameters of CMR, performed at 7±2 days and 6 months post-PCI, were analyzed using CVI42 software. LVAR was defined as an increase >20% in left ventricular end-diastolic volume or >15% in left ventricular end-systolic volume at 6 months compared to baseline. The patients were randomized into training (n=230) and validation (n=99) sets in a 7∶3 ratio. In the training set, potential predictors were selected using LASSO regression, followed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression to construct a nomogram. Model performance was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: LVAR occurred in 100 patients (30.40%), who had a higher incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events than those without LVAR (58.00% vs 16.16%, P<0.001). Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS; OR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.95, P=0.015) and left atrial active strain (LAAS; OR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.67-0.92, P=0.003) were protective factors for LVAR, while infarct size (IS; OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.10, P=0.017) and microvascular obstruction (MVO; OR=1.26, 95% CI: 1.01-1.59, P=0.048) were risk factors for LVAR. The nomogram had an AUC of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86-0.94) in the training set and an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.94) in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS LVGLS, LAAS, IS, and MVO are independent predictors of LVAR in STEMI patients following PCI. The constructed nomogram has a strong predictive ability to provide assistance for management and early intervention of LVAR.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prospective Studies ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/diagnostic imaging* ; Ventricular Remodeling ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Risk Assessment

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze the clinical symptoms and imaging manifestations in patients with temporomandibular disorder syndrome (TMD), who are sensitive to sudden temperature drop. METHODS: One hundred and nineteen patients with TMD who attended the Department of Stomatology of the First Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from December 2022 to December 2023 were included, including 44 males and 75 females, with a mean age of 32.4±13.7 years.The questionnaire was used to determine whether they were sensitive to temperature drop, and the TMD patients were divided into a temperature plunge-sensitive group and a temperature drop insensitive group. The clinical symptoms and imaging manifestations of patients in the two groups were observed. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the gender and age of patients in the temperature plunge-sensitive group (50 patients) and the insensitivity group (69 patients) (P>0.05). The percentage of patients with pain was slightly higher in the temperature plunge-sensitive group [86.0% (43/50)] than in the insensitive group [68.1% (47/69)], and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=5.031, P=0.025), while the differences in joint murmur and mouth opening limitation between the two groups were not statistically significant. A total of 238 lateral joints were detected in both groups, the percentage of osteoarthropathic imaging changes was significantly higher in the temperature plunge-sensitive group [82.0% (82/100)] than in the insensitive group [53.6% (74/138)] (χ²=20.675, P<0.001). Magnetic imaging showed that the percentage of joint effusion was higher in patients in the temperature plunge-sensitive group [66.0% (33/50)] than in the insensitive group [42.0% (29/69)], and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=5.602, P=0.018). CONCLUSIONS TMD patients with maxillofacial pain symptoms, joint effusions, and abnormal imaging of osteoarticular structures are more likely to be sensitive to sudden temperature drops.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/diagnosis* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Temperature ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between clinical symptoms and unilateral chewing habits in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) accompanied by tinnitus. METHODS: A total of 285 patients diagnosed with TMD at the Department of Stomatology of the First Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between December 2020 and May 2024 were included and divided into two groups: tinnitus group and non-tinnitus group. Analysis was conducted on the proportion of patients with unilateral chewing habits in both groups, the correlation between the side of tinnitus and the side of unilateral chewing, and the correlation of tinnitus with TMD clinical symptoms (joint clicking, joint pain, and limited mouth opening) and unilateral chewing habits. The correlation of the type of disc displacement with unilateral chewing and tinnitus was also examined. RESULTS: In the tinnitus group, the proportions of patients with and without unilateral chewing habits were 90.70% (39/43) and 9.30% (4/43), respectively. In the non-tinnitus group, the proportions of patients with and without unilateral chewing habits were 76.03% (184/242) and 23.97% (58/242), respectively. The proportion of patients with unilateral chewing habits in the tinnitus group was significantly higher than in the non-tinnitus group (χ²=4.613, P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between tinnitus and unilateral chewing habits (P<0.05). In the left-sided tinnitus group, the proportion of left-sided unilateral chewers [54.55% (12/22)] was higher than that of right-sided unilateral chewers [45.45% (10/22)]. In the right-sided tinnitus group, the proportion of right-sided unilateral chewers [81.82% (9/11)] was higher than that of left-sided unilateral chewers [18.18% (2/11)]. The difference was statistically significant (χ²=7.282, P<0.05). A positive correlation was also found between the side of tinnitus and the side of unilateral chewing habits (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with pain was significantly higher in the tinnitus group than in the non-tinnitus group (P<0.05). No significant difference in the proportion of joint clicking or limited mouth opening and disc displacement (no disc displacement, unilateral disc displacement, bilateral disc displacement, reducible disc displacement, or irreducible disc displacement) was found between the tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS TMD with unilateral chewing habits may be a contributing factor to unexplained tinnitus. Unexplained tinnitus is correlated with joint pain in patients with TMD.
Humans ; Tinnitus/physiopathology* ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/physiopathology* ; Mastication ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Habits

AIM: To report three cases of viral keratitis caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).METHODS: Slit lamp, intraocular pressure, corneal fluorescence staining, anterior segment photography, in vivo confocal microscopy(IVCM), and routine fundus screening were performed in the three confirmed patients. Treatment involved Ganciclovir, artificial tears and glucocorticoid eye drops.RESULTS: Three patients with SARS-CoV-2 keratitis(SCK)recovered well after standard treatment.CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 keratitis typically presents as corneal subepithelial infiltration and can result in a decrease in corneal subepithelial nerve fiber density and an increase in dendritic cells(DC). Antiviral therapy in combination with glucocorticoid has proven to be effective.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation and consistency between quantitative coronary flow fraction (QFR) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in assessing myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary heart disease (CAD).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of coronary heart disease patients who underwent load CMR examination and coronary angiography at the Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from August 2017 to March 2022. CMR examination includes cardiac cine, load/rest myocardial perfusion imaging, and delayed enhancement sequence. According to the results of CMR examination, the patient′s left ventricular myocardial segments were divided into normal segment group and abnormal segment group (further divided into ischemic segment group and infarcted segment group). On the basis of coronary angiography, an artificial intelligence based platform (AngioPlus system) was applied to calculate the preoperative coronary artery QFR value of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention treatment. Kappa test was used to evaluate the consistency of QFR and CMR in diagnosing abnormal myocardium; Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the differences in QFR between groups; The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of QFR in diagnosing abnormal myocardium; Spearman correlation analysis was used to clarify the relationship between myocardial infarction area and QFR value of the supplying coronary artery in patients.Results:Among the 70 CAD patients enrolled, there were 60 males and 10 females, aged (54.1±11.1)years. At the vascular level, the consistency between QFR and CMR in diagnosing myocardial injury (including ischemia and infarction) is moderate (Kappa value=0.514). The sensitivity and specificity of detecting abnormal myocardial segments in CAD patients were 57% and 91%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) value of QFR predicting abnormal myocardium in CAD patients was 0.769, and the optimal cutoff value was QFR=0.865. At this time, the sensitivity and specificity of QFR predicting myocardial injury in CAD patients were 67.2% and 84.3%, respectively. The difference in vascular QFR between the normal segment group, ischemic segment group, and infarcted segment group was statistically significant ( P<0.001), with the infarcted segment group having significantly lower QFR values than the other two groups (all P<0.01). The range of myocardial infarction was negatively correlated with the QFR value of the supplying coronary artery ( r=-0.45, P<0.001). At the patient level, the consistency between QFR and CMR in diagnosing myocardial injury (including ischemia and infarction) was moderate (Kappa value=0.445), with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 81% for diagnosing myocardial injury in CAD patients. Conclusions:Compared with CMR, QFR has better specificity in detecting myocardial injury in CAD patients. The QFR value of the infarcted segment group is significantly lower than that of the ischemic group and the normal group. The area of myocardial infarction is negatively correlated with the QFR value of the supplying coronary artery.

Objective To describe the clinical characteristics of acute dichlorvos poisoning and analyzed the risk factors affecting patient prognosis,in order to provide important treatment guidance and theoretical reference for reducing the mortality of patients with acute dichlorvos poisoning.Methods A retrospective study method was conduct to collect the clinical data of patients admitted to the department of emergency of Fuyang People's Hospital from November 2019 to November 2023 and analyze the clinical poisoning characteristics.The patients were divided into death group and survival group according to the prognosis to compare the differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with different outcomes.This study conducted binary multifactor Logistic regression analysis of statistically significant indicators to select the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients,and drew the receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve to predict value of the risk factors on the prognosis.Results In 82 patients,22(26.83%)died,39(47.56%)developed capillary leak syndrome(CLS),31(37.80%)had acute respiratory failure,and 35(42.68%)had shock.Compared with the survival group,patients in the death group were older(years:57.73±17.67 vs.44.25±13.74),the proportion of gastric lavage,cholinesterase activity,Glasgow coma scale(GCS),albumin,pH value were all significantly decreased[proportion of gastric lavage:81.82%(18/22)vs.100.00%(60/60),cholinesterase activity(U/L):235.96(200.00,401.67)vs.450.00(240.26,739.25),GCS scores:4.00(3.00,6.00)vs.12.00(4.00,15.00),albumin(g/L):39.35±12.02 vs.45.21±4.51,pH value:7.14(7.04,7.26)vs.7.38(7.28,7.40)],dichlorvos concentration,dipterex concentration,sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA),acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ),alanine transaminase(ALT),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(SCr),MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase(CK-MB),blood lactate acid(Lac),and concurrent acute respiratory failure,shock,CLS ratio were significantly increased[dichlorvos concentration(μg/L):271.00(49.25,908.25)vs.64.00(16.75,211.00),dipterex concentration(μg/L):1 337.50(397.25,3 614.00)vs.494.00(71.00,1 679.80),SOFA score:12.50(9.00,15.50)vs.2.00(0.00,6.75),APACHEⅡscore:28.50(23.00,32.50)vs.6.50(2.25,19.00),ALT(U/L):40.40(17.28,66.33)vs.19.65(13.70,34.68),BUN(mmol/L):6.30±2.78 vs.5.05±1.48,SCr(μmol/L):87.59±39.67 vs.58.87±14.85,CK-MB(U/L):164.80(86.13,284.85)vs.116.05(81.65,160.60),Lac(mmol/L):3.00(1.68,9.15)vs.1.20(1.00,2.40),the proportion of concurrent acute respiratory failure:95.45%(21/22)vs.33.33%(20/60),proportion of concurrent shock:100.00%(22/22)vs.21.67%(13/60),proportion of concurrent CLS:95.45%(21/22)vs.30.00%(18/60)],the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The binary multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age,SOFA score,and CLS were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of dichlorvos poisoning[age:odds ratio(OR)=1.090,95%credibility interval(95%CI)was 1.019-1.167;SOFA score:OR=1.454,95%CI was 1.159-1.825;CLS:OR=122.473,95%CI was 7.954-1 885.787,all P<0.05].The ROC curve analysis shows that the age,SOFA score and CLS had a certain predictive value for the prognosis of patients with acute dichlorvos poisoning[area under the curve(AUC)were 0.752,0.864,0.827,95%CI were 0.622-0.881,0.767-0.960,0.735-0.919,the Youden index were 0.453,0.681,0.655,sensitivity were 63.6%,86.4%,95.5%,specific features were 81.7%,81.6%,70.0%,all P<0.05].Conclusions Age,SOFA score,and CLS are independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with acute dichlorvos poisoning.In particular,CLS is the most important risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients.When managing acute dichlorvos poisoning,it is crucial to closely monitor the occurrence of CLS and administer prompt,proactive treatment.

Objective:To explore the value of predicting new-onset heart failure events in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features based on machine learning algorithms.Methods:The study was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HCM who underwent CMR examinations at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from May 2017 to March 2021 were selected and randomly divided into the training set and the validation set in a ratio of 7∶3. Clinical data and CMR parameters (including conventional parameters and radiomics features) were collected. The endpoint events were heart failure hospitalization and heart failure death, with follow-up ending in January 2023. Features with high stability and P value<0.05 in univariate Cox regression analysis were selected. Subsequently, three machine learning algorithms—random forest, decision tree, and XGBoost—were used to build heart failure event prediction models in the training set. The model performance was then evaluated using the independent validation set, with the performance assessed based on the concordance index. Results:A total of 462 patients were included, with a median age of 51 (39, 62) years, of whom 332 (71.9%) were male. There were 323 patients in the training set and 139 in the validation set. The median follow-up time was 42 (28, 52) months. A total of 44 patients (9.5% (44/462)) experienced endpoint events (8 cases of heart failure death and 36 cases of heart failure hospitalization), with 31 events in the training set and 13 in the validation set. Univariate Cox regression analysis identified 39 radiomic features, 4 conventional CMR parameters (left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, left ventricular end-systolic volume index, left ventricular ejection fraction, and late gadolinium enhancement ratio), and 1 clinical feature (history of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia) that could be included in the machine learning model. In the prediction models built with the training set, the concordance indices for the random forest, decision tree, and XGBoost models were 0.966 (95% CI 0.813-0.995), 0.956 (95% CI 0.796-0.992), and 0.973 (95% CI 0.823-0.996), respectively. In the validation set, the concordance indices for the random forest, decision tree, and XGBoost models were 0.854 (95% CI 0.557-0.964), 0.706 (95% CI 0.399-0.896), and 0.703 (95%CI 0.408-0.890), respectively. Conclusion:Integrating clinical and CMR features of HCM patients through machine learning aids in predicting heart failure events, with the random forest model showing superior performance.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of global longitudinal strain(GLS)measured by cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)feature-tracking technique for left ventricular remodeling(LVR)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI).Methods A total of 403 patients undergoing PCI for acute STEMI were prospectively recruited from multiple centers in China.CMR examinations were performed one week(7±2 days)and 6 months after myocardial infarction to obtain GLS,global radial strain(GRS),global circumferential strain(GCS),ejection fraction(LVEF)and infarct size(IS).The primary endpoint was LVR,defined as an increase of left ventricle end-diastolic volume by≥20%or an increase of left ventricle end-systolic volume by≥15%from the baseline determined by CMR at 6 months.Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of CMR parameters for LVR.Results LVR occurred in 101 of the patients at 6 months after myocardial infarction.Compared with those without LVR(n=302),the patients in LVR group exhibited significantly higher GLS and GCS(P<0.001)and lower GRS and LVEF(P<0.001).Logistic regression analysis indicated that both GLS(OR=1.387,95%CI:1.223-1.573;P<0.001)and LVEF(OR=0.951,95%CI:0.914-0.990;P=0.015)were independent predictors of LVR.ROC curve analysis showed that at the optimal cutoff value of-10.6%,GLS had a sensitivity of 74.3%and a specificity of 71.9%for predicting LVR.The AUC of GLS was similar to that of LVEF for predicting LVR(P=0.146),but was significantly greater than those of other parameters such as GCS,GRS and IS(P<0.05);the AUC of LVEF did not differ significantly from those of the other parameters(P>0.05).Conclusion In patients receiving PCI for STEMI,GLS measured by CMR is a significant predictor of LVR occurrence with better performance than GRS,GCS,IS and LVEF.