ObjectiveTo observe the pharmacodynamic efficacy of phlorizin in improving hepatic glycolipid metabolism disorders in type 2 diabetic mellitus （T2DM） rats and to explore its mechanism of action based on the insulin receptor substrate-1 （IRS-1）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsA high-fat diet and streptozotocin （STZ） were used to establish T2DM rat models. The rats were randomly assigned into six groups： the blank control group， model group， metformin group （300 mg·kg^-1）， and phlorizin high-dose （100 mg·kg^-1） and low-dose groups （25 mg·kg^-1）. The rats were given intragastric administration for 6 weeks. The changes in body weight and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were observed， and the oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was carried out. The levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， glycated serum protein （GSP）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in serum were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The levels of fasting insulin （FINS）， interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-6， and tumour necrosis factor （TNF）-α were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected by the biochemical assays. The pancreas index， liver index， and insulin resistance index were calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to evaluate the pathological changes in liver and pancreatic tissues. The immunofluorescence method was used to detect the changes in insulin and glucagon in pancreatic tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of related proteins in the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt pathway of liver tissue and its downstream glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β） and forkhead box transcription factor O1 （FoxO1） proteins. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the body weight of rats in the model group continued to decrease， while the FBG level increased significantly. The area under the OGTT blood glucose curve （AUC）， GSP， TC， TG， LDL-C， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， MDA， pancreatic index and liver index increased significantly， while the levels of HDL-C， SOD， and FINS decreased significantly （P0.05， P0.01）. Histological results showed that the pancreatic islets of rats in the model group exhibited atrophy and severe structural abnormalities. The insulin-positive β-cells decreased significantly （P0.01）， while the glucagon-positive α-cells increased significantly （P0.01）. Inflammatory cell infiltration and partial necrosis were observed in the liver tissues of the model group rats. The expressions of p-IRS-1/IRS-1， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 proteins in the liver of the model group increased significantly （P0.01）， while the expressions of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt proteins decreased significantly （P0.01）. Compared with the model group， the diabetic symptoms of rats in all administration groups were improved. The changes in body weight and FBG were close to those of the blank control group. The levels of OGTT-AUC， GSP， TC， TG， LDL-C， MDA， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α and the pancreatic index， liver index were obviously reduced （P0.05， P0.01）， while the levels of HDL-C， SOD， and FINS obviously increased （P0.05， P0.01）. The pathological changes of the pancreas and liver in rats in all treatment groups were effectively improved. The insulin-positive β-cells in the pancreas increased significantly （P0.01）， while the glucagon-positive α-cells decreased significantly （P0.01）. The protein expressions of p-IRS-1/IRS-1， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 in the liver were significantly reduced （P0.01）， while the protein expressions of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt significantly increased （P0.01）. ConclusionPhlorizin reversed the weight loss and abnormal increase of FBG in T2DM rats， improved blood lipid profiles， oxidative stress， and inflammatory levels， alleviated insulin resistance， and had certain protective effects on the liver and pancreas. The hypoglycemic mechanism may involve regulating the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to inhibit the activities of GSK-3β and FoxO1， thereby promoting liver glycogen synthesis and suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis， ultimately improving glycolipid metabolism disorders.

ObjectiveTo observe the pharmacodynamic efficacy of phlorizin in improving hepatic glycolipid metabolism disorders in type 2 diabetic mellitus （T2DM） rats and to explore its mechanism of action based on the insulin receptor substrate-1 （IRS-1）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsA high-fat diet and streptozotocin （STZ） were used to establish T2DM rat models. The rats were randomly assigned into six groups： the blank control group， model group， metformin group （300 mg·kg^-1）， and phlorizin high-dose （100 mg·kg^-1） and low-dose groups （25 mg·kg^-1）. The rats were given intragastric administration for 6 weeks. The changes in body weight and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were observed， and the oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was carried out. The levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， glycated serum protein （GSP）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in serum were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The levels of fasting insulin （FINS）， interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-6， and tumour necrosis factor （TNF）-α were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected by the biochemical assays. The pancreas index， liver index， and insulin resistance index were calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to evaluate the pathological changes in liver and pancreatic tissues. The immunofluorescence method was used to detect the changes in insulin and glucagon in pancreatic tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of related proteins in the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt pathway of liver tissue and its downstream glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β） and forkhead box transcription factor O1 （FoxO1） proteins. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the body weight of rats in the model group continued to decrease， while the FBG level increased significantly. The area under the OGTT blood glucose curve （AUC）， GSP， TC， TG， LDL-C， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， MDA， pancreatic index and liver index increased significantly， while the levels of HDL-C， SOD， and FINS decreased significantly （P0.05， P0.01）. Histological results showed that the pancreatic islets of rats in the model group exhibited atrophy and severe structural abnormalities. The insulin-positive β-cells decreased significantly （P0.01）， while the glucagon-positive α-cells increased significantly （P0.01）. Inflammatory cell infiltration and partial necrosis were observed in the liver tissues of the model group rats. The expressions of p-IRS-1/IRS-1， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 proteins in the liver of the model group increased significantly （P0.01）， while the expressions of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt proteins decreased significantly （P0.01）. Compared with the model group， the diabetic symptoms of rats in all administration groups were improved. The changes in body weight and FBG were close to those of the blank control group. The levels of OGTT-AUC， GSP， TC， TG， LDL-C， MDA， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α and the pancreatic index， liver index were obviously reduced （P0.05， P0.01）， while the levels of HDL-C， SOD， and FINS obviously increased （P0.05， P0.01）. The pathological changes of the pancreas and liver in rats in all treatment groups were effectively improved. The insulin-positive β-cells in the pancreas increased significantly （P0.01）， while the glucagon-positive α-cells decreased significantly （P0.01）. The protein expressions of p-IRS-1/IRS-1， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 in the liver were significantly reduced （P0.01）， while the protein expressions of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt significantly increased （P0.01）. ConclusionPhlorizin reversed the weight loss and abnormal increase of FBG in T2DM rats， improved blood lipid profiles， oxidative stress， and inflammatory levels， alleviated insulin resistance， and had certain protective effects on the liver and pancreas. The hypoglycemic mechanism may involve regulating the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to inhibit the activities of GSK-3β and FoxO1， thereby promoting liver glycogen synthesis and suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis， ultimately improving glycolipid metabolism disorders.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice. It has a high prevalence and poor prognosis. The application of antiarrhythmic drugs and even surgery cannot completely treat the disease, and there are many sequelae. AF can be classified into the category of "palpitation" in Chinese medicine according to its symptoms. Acupuncture has a significant effect on AF. The authors find that an important mechanism of acupuncture in AF treatment is to regulate the cardiac vagus nerve. Therefore, this article intends to review the distribution and function of vagus nerve in the heart, the application and the regulatroy effect for the treatment of AF.
Atrial Fibrillation/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Vagus Nerve/physiology* ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differences in indwelling duration, clinical scenarios, and complications between the modified midline catheter (MMC) and the central venous catheter (CVC) in the treatment of patients in the medical intensive care unit (ICU) and the risk factors for complications based on real-world data. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The adult patients admitted to the medical ICU of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and had undergone placement of either a MMC or a CVC between January 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024, were consecutively enrolled by querying the hospital's electronic medical record system. Based on the type of catheter inserted, the patients were divided into the MMC group and the CVC group. The two groups were compared regarding the selection of catheters in the context of different underlying diseases, the actual clinical application after catheterization, catheter-related complications, the international normalized ratio (INR) and platelet count (PLT) during puncture and catheterization, the length of ICU stay, total length of hospital stay, catheter indwelling duration, and mortality during hospitalization. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify independent risk factors for catheter removal. RESULTS: Among the 274 patients, 52 received a MMC and 222 received a CVC. The utilization rate of MMC was significantly higher than that of CVC in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cardiovascular disease, and cancer [ARDS: 92.3% (48/52) vs. 70.3% (156/222), cardiovascular disease: 84.6% (44/52) vs. 54.5% (121/222), cancer: 30.8% (16/52) vs. 17.1% (38/222), all P < 0.05]. However, the use of MMC was significantly lower than CVC when vasoactive drug infusion was required [57.7% (30/52) vs. 79.7% (177/222), P < 0.05]. A significantly higher proportion of patients in the MMC group had a catheter indwelling time ≥ 12 days as compared with the CVC group [32.7% (17/52) vs. 13.5% (30/222), P < 0.05]. There were no statistically significant differences in other underlying diseases, venous access usage, INR and PLT during puncture and catheterization, length of ICU stay, total length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality of patients between the two groups. Regarding catheter-related complications, although the incidence of partial or complete catheter removal in the MMC group was significantly higher than that in the CVC group [36.5% (19/52) vs. 5.4% (12/222), P < 0.05], the incidence of puncture site fluid leakage, puncture site skin allergy, and deep vein thrombosis were significantly lower than those in the CVC group [puncture site fluid leakage: 1.9% (1/52) vs. 22.1% (49/222), puncture site skin allergy: 0% (0/52) vs. 20.7% (46/222), deep vein thrombosis: 3.8% (2/52) vs. 16.7% (37/222), all P < 0.05]. Furthermore, the proportion of patients experiencing three or more types of complications in the MMC group was significantly lower than that in the CVC group [5.8% (3/52) vs. 17.6% (39/222), P < 0.05]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis of risk factors for catheter removal identified the use of a MMC [odds ratio (OR) = 8.518, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 3.710-19.560, P < 0.001] and a catheter indwelling time ≥ 12 days (OR = 3.133, 95%CI was 1.297-7.567, P = 0.011) as independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS MMC was more frequently used in patients with ARDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, whereas CVC was primarily employed for vasoactive drug infusion. The use of MMC and a longer indwelling time were identified as independent risk factors for catheter removal. Despite a higher removal rate, the overall incidence of complications was significantly lower with MMC than with CVC. These findings suggest that MMC could serve as a routine alternative to CVC in most of clinical scenarios, provided that measures are implemented to prevent removal.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Intensive Care Units ; Catheterization, Central Venous/methods* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Risk Factors ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Catheters, Indwelling ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and the transmission clusters associated with PDR-related mutations in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients between 2020 and 2023 in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China. METHODS: Demographic information and plasma samples were collected from study participants. PDR was assessed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. The Tamura-Nei 93 model within HIV-TRACE was employed to compute pairwise matches with a genetic distance of 0.015 substitutions per site. RESULTS: Among 948 treatment-naive individuals with eligible sequences, 36 HIV subtypes were identified, with unique recombinant forms (URFs) being the most prevalent (18.8%, 178/948). The overall prevalence of PDR was 12.4% (118/948), and resistance to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 10.7%, 1.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. A total of 91 clusters were identified, among which eight showed evidence of PDR strain transmission. The largest PDR-associated cluster consisted of six CRF01_AE drug-resistant strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations; five of these individuals had initial CD4+ cell counts < 200 cells/μL. CONCLUSION The distribution of HIV subtypes in Dehong is diverse and complex. PDR was moderately prevalent (12.4%) between 2020 and 2023. Evidence of transmission of CRF01_AE strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations was found. Routine surveillance of PDR and the strengthening of control measures are essential to limit the spread of drug-resistance HIV strains.
Humans ; HIV Infections/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use* ; Myanmar/epidemiology* ; Young Adult ; Prevalence ; Adolescent ; Mutation

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health concern in northwest China; however, the impact of particulate matter (PM) exposure during sand-dust storms (SDS) remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between PM exposure on SDS days and COPD hospitalization risk in arid regions. METHODS: Data on daily COPD hospitalizations were collected from 323 hospitals from 2018 to 2022, along with the corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data for each city in Gansu Province. Employing a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression, we analyzed 265,379 COPD hospitalizations. RESULTS: PM exposure during SDS days significantly increased COPD hospitalization risk [relative risk ( RR) for PM _2.5, lag 3:1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.021-1.034], particularly among men and the elderly, and during the cold season. The burden of PM exposure on COPD hospitalization was substantially high in Northwest China, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed a positive correlation between PM exposure during SDS episodes and elevated hospitalization rates for COPD in arid and semi-arid zones in China. This highlights the urgency of developing region-specific public health strategies to address adverse respiratory outcomes associated with SDS-related air quality deterioration.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/chemically induced* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Adult ; Sand ; Air Pollution

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of knee osteoarthritis(KOA)among military personnel in plateau regions and to explore its risk factors.Methods From July 2023 to July 2024,a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was employed to survey the prevalence of KOA and related risk factors among military personnel in the northwest plateau regions of China,covering different altitudes(1500-4500 m)and geographical areas(Gansu,Qinghai,Tibet,and Xinjiang).All study subjects were divided into KOA and non-KOA groups based on the presence or absence of KOA.Variables including age,gender,body mass index(BMI),education level,smoking status,military rank,military branch,service duration,regional altitude,annual average temperature,training duration,perceived training intensity,and history of knee injury were selected for univariate analyses between groups.Variables with P<0.05 in the univariate analyses were included in the binary multifactor logistic regression to identify risk factors for KOA.Results A total of 3000 questionnaires were distributed,and 2854 valid questionnaires were collected,with a response rate of 95.13%.The sample included 2584 males and 270 females,with 510 cases of KOA,resulting in a prevalence rate of 17.9%.Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between KOA and non-KOA groups in terms of age,BMI,smoking status,military rank,military branch,service duration,regional altitude,annual average temperature,training duration,perceived training intensity,and history of knee injury(P<0.05).However,no significant differences were found in gender and education level(P>0.05).Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that older age(OR=1.382,P=0.017),higher BMI(P<0.01),smoking(OR=1.929,P<0.01),higher military rank(OR=1.485,P=0.007),being a member of the Armed Police(P<0.01),longer service duration(P<0.01),higher regional altitude(OR=1.459,P<0.01),lower annual average temperature(OR=1.188,P=0.001),longer training duration(P<0.01),higher perceived training intensity(OR=2.450,P<0.01),and history of knee injury(OR=2.768,P=0.002)were independent risk factors for KOA.Conclusions Older age,overweight/obesity,smoking,higher military rank,being a member of the Armed Police,longer service duration,higher altitude,cold climate,longer training duration,higher training intensity,and history of knee injury are independent risk factors for KOA among military personnel in the northwest plateau regions of China.

Objective To discuss the safety and effectiveness of carotid artery stenting(CAS)via distal radial access(DRA).Methods According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,the patients with carotid artery stenosis,who were treated at the Ganzhou Municipal Hospital of China from July 2023 to June 2024,were collected for this study.CAS via DRA was performed by an experienced neurointerventional physician.Clinical baseline data,surgery-related materials and complications were recorded.Results Fourteen patients with a mean age of(65.4±7.8)years were enrolled in this study.Successful CAS via right DRA was accomplished in 13 patients(92.9％),and only in one patient(7.1％)the right femoral artery access was adopted instead of DRA with successful completion of CAS.After treatment,2 patients(14.3％)developed DRA-related minor hematoma,which disappeared spontaneously without any treatment.One patient(7.1％)developed transient cerebral ischemia and hypoxia during the operation,and the patient fully returned to normal after a brief time period.Neither DRA-related complications(such as postoperative numbness,pain,severe hematoma,and radial artery occlusion within 48 hours),nor a stroke or death occurred.Conclusion CAS via DRA is clinically safe and effective.DRA is an alternative approach for CAS.

PURPOSE: Bone cement-reinforced fenestrated pedicle screws (FPSs) have been widely used in the internal fixation and repair of the spine with osteoporosis in recent years and show significant improvement in fixation strength and stability. However, compared with conventional reinforcement methods, the advantages of bone cement-reinforced FPSs remain undetermined. This article compares the effects of fenestrated and conventional pedicle screws (CPSs) combined with bone cement in the treatment of osteoporosis. METHODS: A clinical control study of FPSs and CPSs combined with bone cement reinforcement in osteoporotic vertebral internal fixation was performed using the database PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, the Wanfang, and the China Biomedical Literature Service System. Two evaluators screened the relevant literature in strict accordance with the inclusion criteria (diagnosis of participants, type of clinical study, treatment with FPS and CPS, and outcome indicators) and exclusion criteria (duplicate literature and missing or incorrect data) and independently conducted data extraction and quality evaluation. Clinical control studies of direct comparison between FPS and CPS combined with bone cement reinforcement in patients who were definitively diagnosed with thoracolumbar fractures or spinal degenerative diseases were included. Quality evaluation was conducted using the Cochrane risk bias evaluation tool for randomized controlled studies and using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for retrospective case-control studies. RevMan software (version 5.3) was used for the meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy, radiological results, and related complications of the 2 methods. RESULTS: A total of 13 articles were included, including 7 randomized controlled studies and 6 retrospective case-control studies. There were 909 patients in these studies, 451 in the FPS and polymethyl methacrylate (FPS & PMMA) group and 458 in the CPS and polymethyl methacrylate (CPS & PMMA) group. The results of the meta-analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in operation time, hospital stay, visual analogue score, Japanese orthopaedic association score, Oswestry disability index score, Cobb angle, vertebral body deformation index and fusion rate (p > 0.05). The mean difference of intraoperative bleeding volume was -10.45, (95% confidence intervals (CI) (-16.92, -3.98), p = 0.002), the mean difference of loss height of the anterior edge of the vertebral body after surgery was -0.69 (95% CI (-0.93, -0.44), p < 0.001), and the relative risk (RR) of overall complication rate was 0.43 (95% CI (0.27, 0.68), p < 0.001), including the RR of bone cement leakage rate was 0.57 (95% CI (0.39, 0.85), p = 0.005). The screw loosening rate (RR = 0.26, 95% CI (0.13, 0.54), p < 0.001) of the FPS group was significantly lower than that of the CPS group. CONCLUSION The existing clinical evidence shows that compared with the CPS combined with bone cement, the use of FPS repair in the internal fixation of an osteoporotic vertebral body can reduce the amount of intraoperative bleeding, be more conducive to maintaining the height of the vertebral body, and significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative complications such as bone cement leakage and screw loosening.
Humans ; Pedicle Screws ; Bone Cements ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation*