AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose transscleral cyclophotocoagulation(TSCP)in the management of persistent ocular hypertension after an acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma(AACG).METHODS:This retrospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with persistent ocular hypertension after an acute AACG attack at the No.988 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese PLA between September 2023 and September 2024. All patients underwent low-dose TSCP using a semiconductor diode laser. Subsequent cataract surgery combined with goniosynechialysis was performed once intraocular pressure(IOP)was stabilized. Changes in anterior chamber depth(ACD), best-corrected visual acuity(VA), and IOP were compared before and after TSCP, as well as before and after phacoemulsification. Post-TSCP complications were also documented.RESULTS: A total of 21 patients(21 eyes)were enrolled, including 8 males and 13 females, with a mean age of 67.95±7.25 y. Compared with pre-cyclophotocoagulation values, ACD increased significantly at 3 d post-TSCP(1.49±0.18 vs 1.22±0.21 mm; P<0.001). BCVA and IOP decreased significantly at 1 d post-TSCP, pre-phacoemulsification, 1 wk post-phacoemulsification, and 1 mo post-phacoemulsification compared with pre-TSCP IOP(all P<0.01). Regarding postoperative complications, 2 eyes experienced pain on the day of the procedure, 5 eyes developed mild corneal endothelial folds, 2 eyes exhibited moderate anterior chamber inflammatory reaction, and 12 eyes showed shallow ciliary body detachment. No serious complications occurred during the 1-month follow-up period.CONCLUSION:Low-dose TSCP appears to be an effective bridging therapy for patients with persistent ocular hypertension following an AACG attack. It facilitates rapid IOP reduction, alleviates symptoms, and helps preserve visual function with a favorable safety profile, thereby reducing the risks associated with subsequent intraocular surgery.

Aging has emerged as a cutting edge and hotspot in global life science field， with anti-aging and geriatric disease prevention and treatment becoming critical issues urgently demanding solutions in international medical communities. In the face of the challenge of accelerating global population aging， in-depth exploration of aging mechanisms and the development of effective intervention strategies hold significant scientific and clinical value. This study supported by the national key research and development program of China， employed the essence-Qi-spirit theory of Qiluo doctrine as its guiding framework， focusing on the key scientific issue of the core traditional Chinese pathogenesis of aging， namely "depletion of kidney essence， deficiency of primordial Qi， and impairment of body and spirit". The treatment principle of "tonifying the kidney to replenish essence， harmonizing Yin and Yang， warming and invigorating primordial Qi， and nourishing the body and spirit" was established. Centered on holistic aging， systemic aging， and aging-related diseases， the research integrated multidisciplinary research approaches to construct multi-modal aging models and a multi-dimensional evaluation system， and it utilized multi-omics technologies to deeply analyze aging mechanisms. By systematically reviewing historical kidney-tonifying and anti-aging formulas and combining big data with artificial intelligence technologies， an information database of anti-aging traditional Chinese medicine substance was developed to reveal the differences and synergistic effects of various treatment methods and formulas on anti-aging. Based on this treatment method， the research integrated two millennia of kidney-tonifying medicinal experience to develop the innovative anti-aging traditional Chinese medicine， namely Bazhi Bushen capsules. It was validated that this capsule can delay holistic and systemic aging through multiple targets and mechanisms， thereby elucidating the scientific connotation of the essence-Qi-spirit theory of Qiluo doctrine in guiding anti-aging research from multiple dimensions and providing robust support for leveraging the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine to occupy the commanding heights of international anti-aging research.

Diabetic retinopathy（DR）， as one of the most common and serious microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus， seriously threatens human health， and belongs to "Xiaoke eye diseases" in traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）， which has been richly experienced by medical practitioners through the ages， but is mostly recorded in a piecemeal manner and has not been systematically researched. This disease is featured by long course and repeated attack， and is refractory， which belongs to the research category of "persistent illness entering collaterals". Systematic establishment of TCM collateral disease theory for guiding prevention and treatment of DR has important clinical value. On the basis of close correlation between tertiary collaterals at the terminal of collaterals and capillaries and microcirculation， the concept of "tertiary collaterals-microvascular" is proposed. It is pointed out that DR falls within the scope of "tertiary collaterals-microvascular" diseases， and presents four types of micro-pathological characteristics， including stasis， insufficiency， growth and bleeding of tertiary collaterals. It is concluded that "deficiency of both Qi and Yin" is the basic pathogenesis of DR， and "blood stasis and collateral obstruction" is the important pathogenesis and key factor. Thus， the treatment method of "dispersing blood stasis， dredging collateral， tonifying Qi and Yin， stopping hemorrhage and improving eyesight" is determined， and the formula of Tongluo Mingmu capsules is developed. The article tightly focuses on the pathological changes such as stasis， growth， insufficiency and bleeding of collaterals， addresses both symptoms and root causes， and plays a synergistic role of both dispersing stasis and stopping bleeding. In this way， it can realize the purpose of tonifying Qi and Yin to replenish the essence， dispersing stasis and dredging collaterals to meet the requirement， as well as stopping hemorrhage and improving eyesight to deal with changes. Fundamental researches demonstrate that Tongluo Mingmu capsules has synergy effects of protecting both retinal capillaries and retinal cells. Phase-Ⅲ clinical trial of new drug has proven definite clinical efficacy and good safety， which provides a new drug choice for enhancing clinical effect of DR， and further supports the scientific value of Luobing theory in preventing and treating DR and other clinically significant diseases.

BACKGROUND:Angiogenesis is the main treatment target of cardiovascular diseases.Bone morphogenetic protein 2 can modulate angiogenesis,but the regulatory effect of endothelial cell-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 on angiogenesis is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of endothelial-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 on angiogenesis. METHODS:(1)Bioinformatics analysis:Cellular expression specificity and abundance of bone morphogenetic protein 2 were meta-analyzed by the PanglaoDB single-cell transcriptome database.The endothelial cell transcriptome sequencing dataset of the mouse hindlimb model and endocardial transcriptome dataset of mice overexpressing bone morphogenetic protein 2 were reanalyzed to evaluate the effect of endothelial cell bone morphogenetic protein 2 on the angiogenesis pathway.(2)Validation in vivo:After establishing the mouse hindlimb model,we compared the blood perfusion between the affected and sham limb at 7,14,and 21 days.The expression of the colocation of bone morphogenetic protein 2 and CD31 was explored by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining.(3)Validation in vitro:The cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro were divided into a control group,a hypoxia group,and a bone morphogenetic protein 2 inhibitor Noggin intervention group.After being cultured for 24 hours,the angiogenesis of endothelial cells in each group was observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Endothelial cells are an important cell subgroup expressing bone morphogenetic protein 2.Both in the mouse hindlimb ischemia model and endocardial cells overexpressing bone morphogenetic protein 2,bone morphogenetic protein 2 was significantly up-regulated,and the angiogenesis pathway was significantly activated.(2)In the mouse hindlimb model,bone morphogenetic protein 2-positive blood vessels around neoangiogenesis increased significantly at 7 days of ischemia(P<0.05),and decreased significantly after 2 weeks of ischemia(P<0.001).(3)In umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured in vitro,after hypoxic intervention,the migration and sprouting of endothelial cells increased significantly,and the expression of angiogenesis factors vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor was significantly increased.Noggin significantly reduced hypoxia-induced endothelial cell angiogenesis(P<0.001)and down-regulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor(P<0.01).(4)These findings verify that endothelial cell-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 can regulate angiogenesis,and targeting endothelial cell bone morphogenetic protein 2 is a promising way to improve angiogenesis.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in Shenzhen City in 2024, so as to provide insights into formulation of the preventive and control measures for dengue fever. Methods The epidemiological data of dengue cases reported in Shenzhen City in 2024 were extracted from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System and field epidemiological survey data of dengue fever in Shenzhen City, and the temporal, regional and population distributions of dengue fever cases, source of acquire dengue virus infections, disease diagnosis and treatment and outbreaks were analyzed. The dengue virus nucleic acid was tested and the serotypes of dengue virus were characterized using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay, and the dengue virus gene was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, the surveillance on the density of Aedes albopictus was performed using Breteau index (BI) and mosquito oviposition index (MOI). Results A total of 1 735 dengue fever cases were reported in Shenzhen City in 2024, including 952 local cases and 783 imported cases. Most imported dengue fever cases acquired infections from eight cities of Foshan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, and Zhuhai in the Pearl River Delta region (664 cases, 84.8% of total imported cases) into Baoan, Longgang, and Nanshan districts. The epidemic exhibited an early onset and rapid progression, peaking during the period between September and November (1 632 cases, 94.1% of total cases), and dengue fever cases were distributed across 73 subdistricts in 10 districts, with most cases reported in densely populated central and western regions. The dengue fever cases had a male-to-female ratio of 1.9∶1.0, and a median age of 37 (21) years, with a higher median age among local cases than among imported cases [40 (20) years vs. 33(15) years; Z = -10.30, P < 0.05]. Housework, unemployment, workers, and business service were predominant occupations (1 405 cases, 81.0% of total cases), and there was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of occupations between local and imported cases (χ² = 92.30, P < 0.05). Among the 1 735 dengue fever cases, the median duration from onset to definitive diagnosis was 3.3 (2.9) days, and 1 686 cases (97.2%) were identified in healthcare facilities, with a low rate of hospitalization and isolation seen in 1 701 inpatients with available epidemiological data (485 cases, 28.5% of total inpatients). A total of 29 outbreaks of dengue fever occurred in Shenzhen City across 2024, which primarily in construction sites (27 outbreaks, 93.1% of total). Dengue virus type I was the dominant serotype causing dengue fever in Shenzhen City in 2024. Sequencing showed that the genomes of dengue virus from multiple dengue fever cases in Shenzhen City shared a high sequence homology with those from cities neighboring Shenzhen City, and there might be intra-city transmission of dengue virus among multiple construction sites in Shenzhen City. The Aedes albopictus density was significantly higher in Shenzhen City in 2024 than in 2023, peaking from May to September. The annual MOI values ranged from 0.9 to 14.0, and the BI values ranged from 0.6 to 6.0. Conclusions The overall epidemic of dengue fever was severe in Shenzhen City in 2024, which was greatly affected by case importation from neighboring cities, construction sites-centered local transmission, and the effectives of routine mosquito vector control was not satisfactory. Integrated dengue fever control measures should be implemented, focusing on regional joint prevention and control mechanisms, capacity building for mosquito vector control, addressing challenges in epidemic containment at construction sites, and strengthening case detection and management systems.

AIM: To evaluate the application value of artificial intelligence-assisted systems in diagnosing diabetic retinopathy(DR)by Meta-analysis.METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP database were searched to collect relevant literature on the diagnostic value of artificial intelligence-assisted systems for DR from January 2019 to September 2024. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies, and Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 and Meta Disc 1.4 software.RESULTS: A total of 23 studies were included. The results of Meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio were 0.92(95% CI: 0.89-0.94), 0.94(95% CI: 0.91-0.96), 15.6(95% CI: 10.6-22.9), 0.09(95% CI: 0.07, 0.12), 174(95% CI: 112-271), respectively, and the area under the ROC curve(AUC)was 0.97(95% CI: 0.96-0.98). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses indicated that the heterogeneity of the studies originated from study type, patient type, patient source, and AI algorithm type. Deeks' funnel plot test suggested no significant publication bias(P=0.15), indicating that the results were robust.CONCLUSION: The artificial intelligence-assisted system demonstrates high diagnostic value for DR, and can be widely implemented in the early screening and diagnosis of DR.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

The ability of cells to sense and adapt to metabolic changes and environmental variations is essential for their functions. Recent advances in synthetic biology have uncovered increasing mechanisms through which cells detect changes in metabolism and environmental conditions, leading to broader applications. However, a systematic review on the regulation of cellular metabolism and environmental adaption is currently lacking. This article presents a comprehensive overview of this field from three perspectives. First, it introduces key transmembrane and sensor proteins involved in the cellular perception of metabolic and environmental changes. Next, it summarizes the adaptive regulation mechanisms that natural cells employ when confronted with intracellular and extracellular metabolic changes. Finally, the review explores the application scenarios based on cellular adaptive regulation in three aspects: dynamic control, rational metabolic engineering, and adaptive evolution and makes an outlook on the future development directions in this field. This review not only provides a comprehensive perspective on the mechanisms by which cells sense metabolic and environmental variations, but also lays a theoretical foundation for further innovations in the field of synthetic biology. With the continuous advancement of future technologies, a deeper understanding of cellular adaptive regulation mechanisms holds great potential to drive the development and application of novel biomanufacturing platforms.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Synthetic Biology ; Metabolic Engineering/methods* ; Environment ; Bacteria/genetics*

Treatment based on meridian differentiation is a characteristic method in clinical acupuncture diagnosis and treatment. Accurately defining and explaining its main content and core concepts is essential for effective clinical guidance. This paper reviews the historical and contemporary understanding, concepts, and primary content of treatment based on meridian differentiation. It proposes a four-step process for clinical application: meridian examination, treatment based on meridian differentiation, acupoint selection, and appropriate treatment methods, with TCM syndrome differentiation applied throughout. Constructing a diagnostic and treatment system which is based on meridian differentiation and suited to clinical acupuncture is significant for enhancing therapeutic efficacy and maximizing the benefits of acupuncture in disease treatment.
Humans ; Meridians ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The chemical constituents were systematically separated from the roots of Berberis polyantha by various chromatographic methods, including silica gel column chromatography, HP20 column chromatography, polyamide column chromatography, reversed-phase C_(18) column chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic techniques(1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, MS, and CD). Four phenylpropanoids were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of B. polyantha, and they were identified as(2R)-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), methyl 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoate(2),(+)-syringaresinol(3), and syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4). Compound 1 was a new compound, and other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was evaluated based on the release of nitric oxide(NO) in the culture of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. At a concentration of 10 μmol·L~(-1), all the four compounds inhibited the LPS-induced release of NO in RAW264.7 cells, demonstrating potential anti-inflammatory properties.
Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Animals ; Mice ; Berberis/chemistry* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Molecular Structure ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*