Based on spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness as the core pathogenesis of obesity， and integrating recent advances in modern medicine regarding the key role of immune inflammation in obesity， this paper proposes a multidimensional pathogenic network of "obesity-spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness-immune imbalance". Various traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） herbs that strengthen the spleen， regulate qi， and resolve phlegm and dampness can treat obesity by improving spleen-stomach transport and transformation， promoting water-damp metabolism， and regulating immune homeostasis. This highlights immune inflammation as an important entry point to elucidate the TCM concepts of "spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness" and the therapeutic principle of "strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness to treat obesity". By systematically analyzing the intrinsic connection between "spleen deficiency generating dampness， internal accumulation of phlegm dampness" and immune dysregulation in obesity， this paper aims to provide theoretical support for TCM treatment of obesity based on dampness.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Qingre Sanzhuo decoction in treating gouty arthritis （GA） combined with hyperuricaemia （HUA）. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomized into normal， model， colchicine （0.5 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （17， 34， 68 g·kg^-1， respectively） Qingre Sanzhuo decoction groups （n=10）. The rats in other groups except the normal group were treated with the modified method for the modeling of GA combined with HUA. The drug intervention groups were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage in the afternoon every day and the normal group and the model group were administrated with an equal volume of sterile normal saline by gavage. The level of uric acid （SUA） in the serum was measured 2 h after the last administration. The degree of ankle joint swelling was calculated 0.5， 12， 24， 48 h after modeling， and joint inflammation was scored. The pathological changes of ankle joints were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining， and the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， C reactive protein （CRP）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Real-time PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD （ASC）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）， gasdermin D （GSDMD）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in the synovial tissue of ankle joints. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， and Caspase-1 in ankle joints. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of GSDMD and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased SUA in the serum （P<0.05）， ankle joint swelling and joint inflammation （P<0.05）， increased number of blood vessels in the synovium， inflammatory cell foci in the synovial bursa， elevated serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18 （P<0.05）， and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the medium- and high-dose Qingre Sanzhuo decoction groups showed reduced SUA in the serum （P<0.05）， alleviated ankle joint swelling and joint inflammation （P<0.05）， lowered serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18 （P<0.05）， and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints （P<0.05）. However， in terms of ameliorating the pathological changes of ankle joints， only the high-dose Qingre Sanzhuo decoction group showed normal morphology of the synovial membrane of ankle joints and no obvious lesion in the articular cartilage. ConclusionQingre Sanzhuo decoction may play a role in preventing and controlling GA combined with HUA by down-regulating the activity of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 pathway and inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines， such as TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18.

OBJECTIVE To establish HPLC fingerprint for Jianpi hewei formula （JPHWF）， conduct chemical pattern recognition analysis， and determine the contents of seven components in the formula， aiming to provide a scientific basis for quality control and further research of JPHWF. METHODS Taking 15 batches of standard decoctions of JPHWF as samples， the HPLC fingerprint was established using the Similarity Evaluation System of TCM Chromatographic Fingerprint （2012 edition）. Subsequently， similarity evaluation， as well as identification and attribution analysis of chromatographic peaks， were conducted. Using the common peak areas from the 15 batches of samples as variables， chemical pattern recognition analyses were performed on the samples through hierarchical cluster analysis， principal component analysis， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The contents of adenine， 5-hydroxymethylfurfural， tetrahydropalmatine， naringin， dehydrocorydaline， neohesperidin and glycyrrhizic acid in 15 batches of samples were determined by HPLC. RESULTS There were 19 common peaks in the characteristic chromatograms for 15 batches of samples with the similarities of more than 0.95. Results of chemical pattern recognition analysis showed that 15 batches of samples could be clustered into 3 categories， and 3 differential compounds were found [peak 7 （5- hydroxymethylfurfural）， peak 17 （neohesperidin）， and peak 15 （naringin）]. The 7 components were linearly good in the respective concentration ranges （R2≥0.999 4）； RSDs of precision， stability and repeatability tests were less than 2% （n＝6）； the average recovery rate of 98.95%-103.81%， RSD of 0.61%-2.75% （n＝6）； the contents of them were 0.031-0.106， 0.267-0.824， 0.089- 0.144， 1.344-2.091， 0.089-0.178， 1.328-2.028， 0.040-0.150 mg/g， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Established HPLC fingerprinting method coupled with multi-index content determination is validated to be accurate and reliable， and its combination with chemical pattern recognition analysis can be applied to the quality control of JPHWF.

Objective:To compare the localization accuracy of interictal 18F-FDG and 18F-flumazenil (FMZ) PET/CT imaging for focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 22 patients (12 males, 10 females; age 8-36 years) with pathologically confirmed FCD who underwent surgical resection at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from July 2021 to June 2023. All patients underwent 18F-FDG and 18F-FMZ PET/CT scans before surgery. Surgical pathological diagnosis was used as the gold standard. Visual scoring was used to analyze the images. The accuracy of the two imaging methods in the localization of FCD was compared, and subgroup analysis (FCD Ⅱa, FCD Ⅱb) of different pathological type was further performed. Paired- t test, χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test was used to analyze the data. Results:The visual score of 18F-FMZ PET/CT was higher than that of 18F-FDG (3.00±0.82 vs 2.27±0.92; t=4.17, P=0.020). The accuracy of interictal 18F-FMZ PET/CT was 77.27%(17/22), which was higher than that of 18F-FDG PET/CT (36.36%, 8/22; χ2=7.50, P=0.006). Subgroup analysis showed that within the cohort of patients diagnosed with FCD Ⅱa ( n=18), 18F-FMZ PET/CT outperformed 18F-FDG in terms of accuracy for localization (15/18 vs 6/18; P=0.006). Conclusion:Compared to 18F-FDG, 18F-FMZ PET/CT demonstrates clearer and more accurate identification of lesion borders, and exhibits higher precision, which provides valuable guidance for preoperative localization.

Abstract: Malaria is one of the deadliest vector-borne infectious diseases in Africa, seriously endangering human life and health. Among them, cerebral malaria (CM) has a higher morbidity and mortality rate in children, with clinical manifestations primarily involving neurological symptoms, and comprehensive treatment mainly using artemisinin derivatives. When children with cerebral malaria are complicated by congenital heart disease and induce acute hypoxic attacks, the diagnosis and treatment face great difficulties in the absence of effective examination and monitoring treatments. Similar cases have rarely been reported at home and abroad. The paper summarizes and reports a case of a child with cerebral malaria combined with cyanotic congenital heart disease, treated during an aid mission to Africa, who was improved and discharged from the hospital after receiving multidisciplinary anti-malarial, intracranial pressure lowering, neurotrophic and symptomatic supportive treatment. This paper also discusses the diagnosis and treatment process of this child under difficult conditions, combined with current literature reports, in hopes of providing a reference for clinical treatment.

Humans ; Prognosis ; Treatment Outcome ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

【Objective】 To investigate the anemia status of infants and toddlers aged 6 - 24 months in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, and to comprehensively evaluate the differences in feeding behaviors between anaemic and normal children through the infant and child feeding index (ICFI) and feeding knowledge scores, so as to provide reference for the guidance of infants and young children feeding in ethnic minority areas and the promotion of children′s growth and development. 【Methods】 Taking infants and young children aged 6 - 24 months in Linxia Prefecture as the study subjects, a multi-stage random sampling method was used to select children who met the requirements from 5 townships and 5 villages in 7 counties in 2019 and 2020.Periphral blood samples were collected to test the level of hemoglobin, so as to determine the anemia status.Meanwhile, physical examination was performed and a questionnaire survey of guardians was conducted to analyze the association betweenanaemia and feeding patterns 【Results】 A total of 3 901 infants and children were included in this study, of whom 729 (18.70%) were anaemic, with a mean ICFI score of 12.56±2.70 and a mean feeding knowledge score of 1.97±1.01.There was no statistically significant association of low feeding knowledge score and low ICFI with anaemia after adjusting for confounders (P>0.05), Unqualified meat addition in ICFI was a risk factor for anaemia (OR=1.355, P=0.042), while non-bottle feeding in the past 24 hours (OR=0.762, P=0.021), and breastfeeding in the past 24 hours of infants and toddlers aged 12 - 24 months (OR=0.228, P=0.018) were protective factor for anemia in infants and toddlers aged 12 - 24 months. 【Conclusions】 The average prevalence of anemia in infants and toddlers aged 6 - 24 months in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province is high, but the level of infant feeding and the level of feeding knowledge of caregivers are low.Early adherence to breastfeeding, timely addition of supplementary food, and more comsumpution of meat for children are conducive to preventing anemia.

‍Traditionally， the progression from compensated liver cirrhosis to decompensated liver cirrhosis has been considered an irreversible point in the natural history of the disease； however， with the suppression of underlying etiology， cure， and disease regression， this view is challenged by an increasing number of new evidence， and the idea of “recompensation of liver cirrhosis” is gradually being accepted. In recent years， scholars in China and globally have been exploring the specific definition of recompensation of liver cirrhosis and the clinical features of patients. By summarizing the recent studies on recompensation of liver cirrhosis in China and globally， integrating existing views， and analyzing related research evidence， this article points out the main challenges in the field of recompensation at this stage， including the lack of in－depth clinical and basic research， the need to define recompensation in the context of NAFLD， and related ethical issues， in order to provide new directions for future research in this field.

OBJECTIVES: Shelter hospital was an alternative way to provide large-scale medical isolation and treatment for people with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Due to various reasons, patients admitted to the large shelter hospital was reported high level of psychological distress, so did the healthcare workers. This study aims to introduce a comprehensive and multifaceted psychosocial crisis intervention model. METHODS: The psychosocial crisis intervention model was provided to 200 patients and 240 healthcare workers in Wuhan Wuchang shelter hospital. Patient volunteers and organized peer support, client-centered culturally sensitive supportive care, timely delivery of scientific information about COVID-19 and its complications, mental health knowledge acquisition of non-psychiatric healthcare workers, group activities, counseling and education, virtualization of psychological intervention, consultation and liaison were exhibited respectively in the model. Pre-service survey was done in 38 patients and 49 healthcare workers using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item (PHQ-2) scale, and the Primary Care PTSD screen for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (PC-PTSD-5). Forty-eight healthcare workers gave feedback after the intervention. RESULTS: The psychosocial crisis intervention model was successfully implemented by 10 mental health professionals and was well-accepted by both patients and healthcare workers in the shelter hospital. In pre-service survey, 15.8% of 38 patients were with anxiety, 55.3% were with stress, and 15.8% were with depression; 16.3% of 49 healthcare workers were with anxiety, 26.5% were with stress, and 22.4% were with depression. In post-service survey, 62.5% of 48 healthcare workers thought it was very practical, 37.5% thought more practical; 37.5% of them thought it was very helpful to relief anxiety and insomnia, and 27.1% thought much helpful; 37.5% of them thought it was very helpful to recognize patients with anxiety and insomnia, and 29.2% thought much helpful; 35.4% of them thought it was very helpful to deal with patients' anxiety and insomnia, and 37.5% thought much helpful. CONCLUSIONS Psychological crisis intervention is feasible, acceptable, and associated with positive outcomes. Future tastings of this model in larger population and different settings are warranted.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Crisis Intervention ; Psychosocial Intervention ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Mental Health ; Depression/epidemiology* ; Health Personnel/psychology* ; Anxiety/etiology*

OBJECTIVES: To explore the role of mitochondrial CYB 15024G>A mutation in the development of essential hypertension. METHODS: Mitochondrial genome sequences of hypertensive patients were obtained from previous studies. Clinical and genetic data of a hypertensive patient with mitochondrial CYB 15024G>A mutation and its pedigree were analyzed. Lymphocytes derived from patient and family members were transformed into immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines, and the levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected. RESULTS: The penetrance of this essential hypertension family was 42.9%, and the age of onset was 46-68 years old. Mitochondrial genome sequencing results showed that all maternal members carried a highly conserved mitochondrial CYB 15024G>A mutation. This mutation could affect the free energy of mitochondrial CYB for secondary and tertiary structure and protein folding, thereby changing its structural stability and the structure of the electron transfer function area around the mutation site. Compared with the control, the cell line carrying the mitochondrial CYB 15024G>A mutation showed significantly decreased levels of mitochondrial CYB, ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased levels of ROS (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Mitochondrial CYB 15024G>A mutation may affect the structure of respiratory chain subunits and mitochondrial function, leading to cell dysfunction, which suggests that the mutation may play a synergistic role in essential hypertension.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Essential Hypertension/genetics* ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Cell Line ; Mutation