ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） combined with western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome， and to explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsEighty-six participants with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group， each group with 43 participants. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group was additionally administered Qingfei Shenshi Decoction orally on the basis of the control group， 1 dose per day. Both groups were treated for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was clinical effectiveness； secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， asthma control test （ACT） score， pulmonary function indices such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEV₁）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， serum inflammatory factor levels including interleukin-4 （IL-4）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and immune function indices including CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD8⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after treatment. Vital signs were monitored， and electrocardiography， blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function tests were performed before and after treatment. Adverse events and reactions during the study were recorded. ResultsA total of 80 patients completed the trial with 40 in each group. The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 97.5% （39/40）， which was significantly higher than that of the control group （85.0%， 34/40， P＜0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased TCM syndrome scores， IL-4， TNF-α， hs-CRP， and CD8⁺ levels， as well as increased ACT scores， CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺， FEV₁， FVC， and PEF levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， the improvements in these indices were more significant in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant abnormalities in safety indicators were observed in either group， and no adverse events or reactions occurred. ConclusionQingfei Shenshi Decoction combined with conventional western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome can effectively improve the clinical symptoms， pulmonary function， and clinical effectiveness， with good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammatory factor levels and regulating T lymphocyte subsets to improve immune function.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is markedly influenced by both immune and inflammatory reactions throughout its progression. Dendritic cells, as pivotal antigen-presenting entities, play a crucial role in the initiation of immune responses and the preservation of immunological homeostasis. Accumulating data indicates that dendritic cells are present in healthy arteries and accumulate significantly in atherosclerotic plaques. Novel immunotherapeutic approaches and vaccination protocols have yielded substantial clinical advancements in managing chronic inflammatory diseases, with dendritic cell-centric modalities emerging for atherosclerotic management. In this review, we delineate the essential functions and underlying mechanisms of dendritic cells and their subsets in the modulation of atherosclerotic inflammation and immune responses. We underscore the immense promise of dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies, including vaccines and innovative combinations with nanotechnological drug delivery platforms for atherosclerosis treatment. We also discuss the challenges associated with dendritic cell immunotherapy and provide perspectives on the future direction of this field.

TCM believes that the main pathogenesis of gastrointestinal dysfunction (GD) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is spleen and stomach weakness, liver and stomach disharmony, liver depression and spleen deficiency, and intestinal depression. Moxibustion in the treatment of GD after LC can avoid the aggravation of gastrointestinal burden caused by oral drugs. The intervention methods mainly include suspension moxibustion, umbilical moxibustion, heat sensitive moxibustion, thunder fire moxibustion, warm acupuncture, partition moxibustion, etc. Moxibustion is often performed on the acupoints in liver meridian, spleen meridian, stomach meridian, small intestine meridian, large intestine meridian and Conception Vessel, such as Taichong (LR3), Ganshu (BL18), Yinlingquan (SP9), Zusanli (ST36), Tianshu (ST25), Wangu (SI4), Hegu (LI4), Zhongwan (CV12), Shenque (CV8) and Qihai (CV6). At present, most studies combined with moxibustion on the basis of conventional Western medicine treatment can significantly improve the efficacy, and have certain advantages in improving gastrointestinal motility decline, intestinal flora imbalance, first exhaust time, gastrointestinal hormone level disorder and intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction. However, there are still some problems in the existing research: small sample size of clinical research, not perfect scoring scale, not unified treatment plan and operation standard, relatively scarce basic research, relatively simple acupoint research, lack of biochemical evaluation indicators, and the research of national moxibustion needs to be explored and improved in the future.

Objective:To explore the medication law of TCM external therapy for the treatment of diabetic foot using data mining methods.Methods:Literature on TCM external treatment for diabetic foot was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Data, and Chongqing VIP from the establishment of the databases to June 30, 2024. Excel 2019 software was used to conduct frequency statistics on drug frequency, properties, tastes and meridian tropism, drug efficacy, and commonly used drug pairs. Ancient and Modern Medical Cases Cloud Platform V3.5 was used for association rules, and SPSS Statistics 27.0 was used for complex network analyses.Results:A total of 425 articles were included, involving 328 prescriptions and 232 drugs. The drugs with higher frequency were Carthami Flos, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Cinnamomi Ramulus, Olibanum, etc. The main tastes were pungent, bitter, and sweet; the main properties were cold and warm; the main meridians were heart, spleen, and liver meridians. The main efficacy was promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, clearing heat, and tonifying deficiency; association rule analysis obtained 20 commonly used drug pairs; clustering analysis resulted in four core drug combinations; complex network analysis led to one core prescription.Conclusions:TCM external therapy for diabetic foot follows the guiding principles of "promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals, tonifying deficiency and clearing heat" with coordinated regulation of the "heart-liver-spleen meridians". The core prescription and stage-specific formulation strategies reflect a trinity diagnostic and therapeutic approach of "disease differentiation-syndrome differentiation-stage differentiation", providing valuable reference and insights for clinical prescription practices.

Objective : To investigate the effect and mechanism of M2 macrophage polarization induced by HCT116 with highly metastatic colorectal cancer cells on immune escape in colorectal cancer. Methods : After the co-culture of colorectal cancer cells conditioned medium(CM) and PMA-induced M0 macrophages, the polarization of M2 macrophages was observed by flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction(qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) experiments. The CMM0, CMSW480-Mφ and CMHCT116-Mφ were co-cultured with HCT116 cells, and the expression of programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1) was detected by Western blot and qPCR. At the same time, the stimulated HCT116 cells were co-cultured with human T lymphocytes to detect the survival of HCT116 cells and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ). The difference of kruüppel-like factor 4(KLF4) expression between SW480 and HCT116 cells was detected by Western blots, qPCR and ELISA. After pretreatment of HCT116 cells with KFL4 inhibitor Kenpaullone(Ken), the CMHCT116 and CMHCT116+Ken were co-cultured with M0 macrophages and the polarization of M2 macrophages was observed by flow cytometry, qPCR and ELISA. The CMHCT116-Mφ and CM_((HCT116+Ken)-Mφ) was co-cultured with HCT116 cells, and the PD-L1 expression of HCT116 cells was detected by Western blot and qPCR. Results: After the stimulation of M0 macrophages with CM, the proportion of CD11b+CD206+ cells in HCT116-Mφ cells was higher, and the expression of M2 macrophage markers interleukin(IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) were higher. Compared with the CMSW480-Mφ group, the PD-L1 protein expression level was higher in the CMHCT116-Mφ group. After co-culture with T lymphocytes, the cell survival rate are the most in CMHCT116-Mφ group, while the levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ were the lowest. After the addition of Ken, the polarization ratio and markers of M2 macrophages decreased. Compared with CMHCT116-Mφ group, the expression of PD-L1 in HCT116 cells of the CM_((HCT116+Ken)-Mφ) group decreased. Conclusion Highly metastatic colorectal cancer cells induce polarization of M2 macrophages by secreting KLF4, promote PD-L1 expression in colorectal cancer cells, facilitate tumor immune escape, and provide potential targets for clinical immunotherapy.

Objective To investigate the effect of cinobufacini on inhibiting colorectal cancer metastasis by regula-ting the polarization of M2 macrophages.Methods THP-1 was induced into M0 type macrophages.The condi-tioned medium of HCT116 cells was collected to stimulate M0 type macrophages.The polarization of M2 type mac-rophages was observed by flow cytometry,real-time quantitative PCR and ELISA experiments.The conditioned me-dium of M0 type macrophages and HCT116-Mφ cells was collected to stimulate HCT116 cells.The ability of migra-tion and invasion was observed by wound healing assay and Transwell assay.The effect of cinobufacini on the via-bility of HCT116 cells was detected by CCK-8 assay.The conditioned medium of HCT116 and HCT116+cinobufa-cini was collected to stimulate M0 type macrophages.The polarization of M2 type macrophages was observed by flow cytometry,real-time quantitative PCR and ELISA experiments.The conditioned media of HCT116-Mφ cells and(HCT116+cinobufacini)-Mφ cells were collected to stimulate HCT116 cells.The changes of migration and inva-sion ability were observed by wound healing assay and Transwell assay.Results After stimulation of M0 type mac-rophages in HCT116 cell conditioned medium,the morphology of M0 macrophages turned into fusiform cells,the proportion of CD11b+CD206+cells increased,and the expression of M2 macrophage markers IL-10 and TGF-β in-creased.The migration and invasion ability of HCT116 cells were significantly enhanced after stimulation in the conditioned medium of HCT1 16-Mφ cells.After the addition of cinobufacini,not only the polarization proportion of M2 macrophages decreased,but also the metastatic effect mediated by M2 macrophages was inhibited.Conclusion HCT116 cells can induce the polarization of M2 macrophages,while cinobufacini can inhibit the tumor metastasis mediated by M2 macrophages by inhibiting the polarization of M2 macrophages.

BACKGROUND:Multiple clinical observational studies have suggested a close relationship of serum trace elements and nutrients with osteonecrosis,but it remains unclear whether there is a genetic causal effect between serum trace elements and nutrients on osteonecrosis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the causal effects of serum trace elements and nutrients on osteonecrosis using the Mendelian randomization approach. METHODS:The exposure factors of serum trace elements and vitamins with mononucleotide polymorphisms were obtained from the published UK Biobank database and publicly available databases of genome-wide association studies.The outcome event of osteonecrosis was derived from the FinnGen Biobank database.Mendelian randomization methods were employed to explore the causal relationship between seven trace elements and three nutrients with osteonecrosis.Causal inference was conducted using inverse variance weighting,MR-Egger,and weighted median methods.F-statistic was calculated to ensure the robustness of instrumental variables.Cochran's Q test and leave-one-out method were used for heterogeneity testing.MR-Egger regression and MR-PRESSO were employed for horizontal pleiotropy testing.PhenoScanner database was utilized to remove mononucleotide polymorphisms with horizontal pleiotropy to ensure the reliability of the results. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Causal relationships were found between serum selenium,phosphate,vitamin C,vitamin E,and osteonecrosis through Mendelian randomization analysis.Serum selenium,vitamin C,and vitamin E were found to have a protective effect on osteonecrosis,while excessive intake of phosphate increased the risk of osteonecrosis.No heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was observed during the study,and Mendelian randomization statistical power(Power value>80%)indicated the reliability of the aforementioned four results.These findings have important clinical implications for the development of targeted preventive and therapeutic measures for osteonecrosis.

Objective:To construct the clinical management model of a new type of smoke-purifying temperature-controlled moxibustion device based on the whole life cycle theory,and to explore its management effect on the new type of smoke-purifying temperature-controlled moxibustion device.Methods:The clinical management model of a new type of smoke purification and temperature-controlled moxibustion device was constructed based on the whole life cycle theory with the architecture of the basic layer,access layer,service layer,data layer and application layer.Eighteen new type of smoke purification and temperature-controlled moxibustion devices in clinical use in the Shijiazhuang Pingan Hospital from 2021 to 2022 were selected,and the conventional new smoke-purifying temperature-controlled moxibustion device management scheme(referred to as the conventional management mode)and the new smoke purification and temperature-controlled whole life cycle management model(referred to as the whole life cycle management mode)were adopted respectively according to different management modes.The management effect of the new smoke-purifying temperature-controlled moxibustion therapy device and the satisfaction of the relevant management personnel were compared between the two management modes.Results:The average scores of the management quality,temperature control effect,smoke control effect and moxa smoke purification effect of the new smoke purification moxibustion device using the whole life cycle management mode were(89.37±3.48)points,(93.53±4.26)points,(0.13±0.04)points and(0.11±0.03)points,respectively,the average scores of management quality and temperature control effect were higher those of the conventional management mode,and the average scores of smoke control effect and moxa smoke purification effect were lower than those of the conventional management mode,the difference was statistically significant(t=11.744,14.850,11.266,24.593,P<0.05).The satisfaction scores of engineers,medical staff and patients in the use of the new smoke purification and temperature control moxibustion therapy device adopting the whole life cycle management model were(95.69±6.62)points,(96.82±5.87)points and(95.34±5.14)points,respectively,which were higher than those of conventional management mode,the difference was statistically significant(t=9.334,19.549,33.694,P<0.05).Conclusion:The application of the clinical management model of a new type of smoke-purifying temperature-controlled moxibustion device based on the whole life cycle theory to new type of smoke purification and temperature control moxibustion therapy device can effectively improve the quality of equipment management,improve the temperature control effect of the new smoke and temperature control moxibustion device,and improve the satisfaction of relevant users.

Objective:To compare the effectiveness and safety of in vitro fenestration and in situ fenestration for reconstruction of the left subclavian artery in patients with aortic arch diseases.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 patients with thoracic aortic dissection, aortic aneurysm, and aortic intramural hematoma involving the left subclavian artery at our center from Jan 2020 to Oct 2023.Results:Thirty-eight patients underwent in vitro fenestration to reconstruct the left subclavian artery, while 42 patients underwent in situ laser fenestration to reconstruct the left subclavian artery. The technical success rates were 97.4% and 97.6% respectively, without statistically significance ( P>0.05). Postoperative CTA examination showed that the primary rupture of the dissection was completely closed, 3 cases had type Ⅱ endoleak in vitro fenestration, and 2 cases had type Ⅱ endoleak in laser in situ fenestration. The blood flow inside the fenestration stent was fluent. During the perioperative period, one patient in the in vitro fenestration group experienced mild cerebral infarction (2.6%), one patient had mild paraplegia, and no related complications occurred in the other patients. Conclusion:For patients with aortic arch diseases, both in situ laser fenestration and in vitro fenestration are safe and effective.

Methods To investigate how the timing of cooling therapy affects organ injuries in rats with exertional heat stroke(EHS)and explore the possible mechanisms.Methods A total of 60 adult male Wistar rat models of EHS were randomized into model group without active cooling after modeling,immediate cooling group with cold water bath immediately after modeling,delayed cooling groups with cold water bath at 5,15 and 30 min after modeling,with another 12 mice without EHS as the normal control group.The changes in core body temperature of the mice were recorded and the cooling rate was calculated.After observation for 24 h,the mice were euthanized and blood samples were collected for detection of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,IL-10,and interferon-γ,followed by pathological examination of the vital organs.The rats that died within 24 h were immediately dissected for examination.Results The number of deaths of the model rats within 24 h increased significantly with the time of delay of cooling treatment.The delay of cooling was positively correlated(r=0.996,P=0.004)while the cooling rate negatively correlated with the mortality rate(r=-0.961,P=0.009).The inflammatory cytokine levels presented with different patterns of variations among the cooling intervention groups.All the rat models of EHS had significant organ damages characterized mainly by epithelial shedding,edema,effusion,and inflammatory cell infiltration,and brain and renal injuries reached the peak level at 24 h after EHS.Conclusion EHS causes significant nonspecific pathologies of varying severities in the vital organs of rats,and the injuries worsen progressively with the delay of cooling.There is a significant heterogeneity in changes of serum inflammatory cytokines in rats with different timing of cooling intervention following EHS.