Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture on intestinal flora and inflammatory factor interleukin(IL)-6 in ulcerative colitis(UC)model rats and to explore the related mechanism of acupuncture in treating UC.Methods:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control(NC)group,a model(MO)group,a mesalazine(ME)group,and an acupuncture(AC)group,with 8 rats in each group.Rats,except those in the NC group,were given a 2.5%sodium dextran sulfate solution to establish UC models.After successful modeling,rats in the ME group were treated with mesalazine by gavage twice a day for 7 continuous days;rats in the AC group received acupuncture at bilateral Tianshu(ST25)and Zusanli(ST36)with needles retained for 20 min each time,once a day for 7 consecutive days.After intervention,changes in the intestinal flora diversity,colon tissue damage degree,and inflammatory factor expression in each group of rats were evaluated.Results:The body mass increased slowly in the MO group compared to the NC group.After intervention,the body mass increased more significantly,colon injuries recovered,and intestinal flora diversity improved in the ME and AC groups compared to the MO group(P<0.05).The IL-6 expression level was higher in the MO group compared to the NC group(P<0.05).The IL-6 expression level decreased in the AC group compared to the MO group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture at Tianshu(ST25)and Zusanli(ST36)improves body mass loss and colon injuries,regulates intestinal flora diversity,and reduces the expression of inflammatory factor IL-6 in the colon tissue of UC rats,therefore alleviating the disease severity of UC.

Objective To evaluate the clinical outcome of posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)recon-struction using ligament augmentation and reconstruction system(LARS)artificial ligament,and ana-lyze factors affecting the prognosis.Methods A total of 45 patients(31 males and 14 females,with an average age of 38.0±12.8 years)underwent PCL reconstruction using LARS artificial ligament in China-Japan Friendship Hospital in years from 2018 to 2021 were analyzed retrospectively.Their aver-age time from injury to surgery of 2.8±4.2 months.They were followed up for no less than 1 year about the stability of knee,Lysholm score and Tegner score,as well as the patient's satisfaction.Moreover,the effect of patient's age,time from injury to surgery,and complications of other ligament injuries of the knee on the final outcomes were analyzed.Results For all the 45 patients,the mean follow-up time was 35.0±14.1 months,with their satisfaction rate of 91.1%.There were 31 cases of 3° instability and 14 cases of 2° instability before surgery,which improved significantly as only 4 cas-es were of 2° instability,22 cases of 1° instability at the final follow-up(χ2=77.56,P<0.000).More-over,the average Lysholm and Tegner scores increased significantly from 37.2±15.2 and 0.9±0.9,to 85.3±12.7 and 4.4±1.3,respectively(t=16.34,P<0.000;t=15.72,P<0.000).What's more,the age of over 40 years had effect on the prognosis,while the time from injury to surgery and the com-plicated ligament injuries of the knee did not.Conclusion Using LARS artificial ligament as graft for PCL reconstruction can achieve satisfactory clinical results on the short-term.

Objective:To explore the application value of integrated Chinese and western medicine in the treatment of sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) induced by bacterial pneumonia sepsis.Methods:A total of 60 inpatients with bacterial pneumonia and sepsis admitted to the Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from October 2023 to June 2024 were collected in a cross-sectional study. Serum samples were collected, and immune indexes, coagulation function and some laboratory test results of the patients were detected or recorded. Sepsis Associated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score were evaluated.Results:Among the 60 patients, 71.7%( n=43) were associated with coagulation disorder, 65%( n=39) showed hemorrhagic SIC; A total of 37 patients (61.7%) were treated with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine, and 23 patients (38.3%) were treated with Western medicine. The main types of syndrome differentiation were toxic-heat syndrome ( n=48, 80.0%) and blood-stasis syndrome ( n=11, 18.3%). Serum human monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and platelet count (PLT) in patients with blood stasis syndrome were significantly lower than those in toxic-heat syndrome (all P<0.05). In patients with bacterial pneumonia sepsis, the total score of syndrome of excess of fu-viscera (Fu-shi-zheng) was positively correlated with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) ( r=0.293, P=0.023) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) ( r=0.436, P=0.001). The total score of toxin-heat syndrome ( r=0.323, P=0.016) and excess of fu-viscera syndrome ( r=0.354, P=0.008) were positively correlated with prothrombin time (PT). PD-1 was positively correlated with SOFA score ( r=0.343, P=0.007) and APACHE Ⅱ score ( r=0.354, P=0.006). The PD-1 level and SOFA and APACHE Ⅱ scores of the patients treated with integrated Chinese and western medicine were significantly lower than those treated with Western medicine alone (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The combined intervention of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine based on " Fuzheng Touxie Jiedu (The method of strengthening the body and removing the toxin)" has strong clinical guiding significance, and can effectively improve the immune function and prognosis of bacterial pneumonia SIC.

Objective To investigate the function of glymphatic system in patients with mild traumatic brain injury via diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space(DTI-ALPS)index and its relationship with clinical features.Methods The clinical and imaging data from 163 patients with mild traumatic brain injury were retrospectively collected,including 31 cases with MRI-negative findings and 132 cases with MRI-positive findings.In addition,29 healthy individuals underwent physical examinations were included as a control group.The differences in DTI-ALPS index and clinical features between mild traumatic brain injury and control group,as well as among subgroups of traumatic brain injury were analyzed.Results The DTI-ALPS index in patients with mild traumatic brain injury were significantly higher than those in control group(P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis showed that DTI-ALPS index of traumatic brain injury patients with MRI-negative findings and MRI-positive findings were all significantly higher than those of control group(P=0.023 and 0.004,respectively).Compared to control group,DTI-ALPS index in mild traumatic brain injury patients gradually increased with the progression of injury,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.008).Conclusion Patients with mild traumatic brain injury exhibit increased functional activity of glymphatic system,as indicated by increased DTI-ALPS index,which further increase with the progression of injury.

Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture on intestinal flora and inflammatory factor interleukin(IL)-6 in ulcerative colitis(UC)model rats and to explore the related mechanism of acupuncture in treating UC.Methods:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control(NC)group,a model(MO)group,a mesalazine(ME)group,and an acupuncture(AC)group,with 8 rats in each group.Rats,except those in the NC group,were given a 2.5%sodium dextran sulfate solution to establish UC models.After successful modeling,rats in the ME group were treated with mesalazine by gavage twice a day for 7 continuous days;rats in the AC group received acupuncture at bilateral Tianshu(ST25)and Zusanli(ST36)with needles retained for 20 min each time,once a day for 7 consecutive days.After intervention,changes in the intestinal flora diversity,colon tissue damage degree,and inflammatory factor expression in each group of rats were evaluated.Results:The body mass increased slowly in the MO group compared to the NC group.After intervention,the body mass increased more significantly,colon injuries recovered,and intestinal flora diversity improved in the ME and AC groups compared to the MO group(P<0.05).The IL-6 expression level was higher in the MO group compared to the NC group(P<0.05).The IL-6 expression level decreased in the AC group compared to the MO group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture at Tianshu(ST25)and Zusanli(ST36)improves body mass loss and colon injuries,regulates intestinal flora diversity,and reduces the expression of inflammatory factor IL-6 in the colon tissue of UC rats,therefore alleviating the disease severity of UC.

Objective:To explore the application value of integrated Chinese and western medicine in the treatment of sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) induced by bacterial pneumonia sepsis.Methods:A total of 60 inpatients with bacterial pneumonia and sepsis admitted to the Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from October 2023 to June 2024 were collected in a cross-sectional study. Serum samples were collected, and immune indexes, coagulation function and some laboratory test results of the patients were detected or recorded. Sepsis Associated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score were evaluated.Results:Among the 60 patients, 71.7%( n=43) were associated with coagulation disorder, 65%( n=39) showed hemorrhagic SIC; A total of 37 patients (61.7%) were treated with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine, and 23 patients (38.3%) were treated with Western medicine. The main types of syndrome differentiation were toxic-heat syndrome ( n=48, 80.0%) and blood-stasis syndrome ( n=11, 18.3%). Serum human monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and platelet count (PLT) in patients with blood stasis syndrome were significantly lower than those in toxic-heat syndrome (all P<0.05). In patients with bacterial pneumonia sepsis, the total score of syndrome of excess of fu-viscera (Fu-shi-zheng) was positively correlated with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) ( r=0.293, P=0.023) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) ( r=0.436, P=0.001). The total score of toxin-heat syndrome ( r=0.323, P=0.016) and excess of fu-viscera syndrome ( r=0.354, P=0.008) were positively correlated with prothrombin time (PT). PD-1 was positively correlated with SOFA score ( r=0.343, P=0.007) and APACHE Ⅱ score ( r=0.354, P=0.006). The PD-1 level and SOFA and APACHE Ⅱ scores of the patients treated with integrated Chinese and western medicine were significantly lower than those treated with Western medicine alone (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The combined intervention of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine based on " Fuzheng Touxie Jiedu (The method of strengthening the body and removing the toxin)" has strong clinical guiding significance, and can effectively improve the immune function and prognosis of bacterial pneumonia SIC.

Objective To investigate the function of glymphatic system in patients with mild traumatic brain injury via diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space(DTI-ALPS)index and its relationship with clinical features.Methods The clinical and imaging data from 163 patients with mild traumatic brain injury were retrospectively collected,including 31 cases with MRI-negative findings and 132 cases with MRI-positive findings.In addition,29 healthy individuals underwent physical examinations were included as a control group.The differences in DTI-ALPS index and clinical features between mild traumatic brain injury and control group,as well as among subgroups of traumatic brain injury were analyzed.Results The DTI-ALPS index in patients with mild traumatic brain injury were significantly higher than those in control group(P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis showed that DTI-ALPS index of traumatic brain injury patients with MRI-negative findings and MRI-positive findings were all significantly higher than those of control group(P=0.023 and 0.004,respectively).Compared to control group,DTI-ALPS index in mild traumatic brain injury patients gradually increased with the progression of injury,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.008).Conclusion Patients with mild traumatic brain injury exhibit increased functional activity of glymphatic system,as indicated by increased DTI-ALPS index,which further increase with the progression of injury.

Objective:To explore the causal relationship between 1 400 blood metabolites and hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism by using Mendelian randomization(MR) approach.Methods:This study employed a bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis and sourced data of blood metabolites related to hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism from the genome-wide association study(GWAS) database. R software and TwoSampleMR software package were used for analysis. The inverse variance weighting method(IVW) was used as the main method, and MR-Egger regression, weighted median method, simple mode and weighted mode were used as supplementary methods to analyze the causal relationship between blood metabolites and hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The false-positive rate was corrected by false discovery rate(FDR, FDR<0.2) to control for false positives; Meta-analysis of different sample pools was performed for overall assessment. Results:The analysis found three blood metabolites significantly linked to hypothyroidism: pregnenediol disulfate(IVW: OR=1.068, 95% CI 1.032-1.106, P<0.001), 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-2-linoleoyl-GPE(IVW: OR=0.891, 95% CI 0.840-0.944, P<0.001), and linoleic-arachidonic glycerin(IVW: OR =0.923, 95% CI 0.885-0.963, P<0.001). Glutamine was also noted(IVW: OR=0.998, 95% CI 0.997-0.999, P<0.001). Reverse MR showed no significant correlation between hyperthyroidism and the four metabolites(IVW: P>0.05). Validation from FinnGen Biospecimen Library and UKB Biospecimen Library confirmed these findings. Conclusions:Among 1 400 blood metabolites, pregnenediol disulfate showed a positive correlation with hypothyroidism. In contrast, 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-2-linoleoyl-GPE and linoleic-arachidonic glycerin exhibited negative correlations with hypothyroidism, while glutamine showed a negative correlation with hyperthyroidism. This study offers insights into the pathogenesis, early screening, and treatment of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

Objective To evaluate the clinical outcome of posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)recon-struction using ligament augmentation and reconstruction system(LARS)artificial ligament,and ana-lyze factors affecting the prognosis.Methods A total of 45 patients(31 males and 14 females,with an average age of 38.0±12.8 years)underwent PCL reconstruction using LARS artificial ligament in China-Japan Friendship Hospital in years from 2018 to 2021 were analyzed retrospectively.Their aver-age time from injury to surgery of 2.8±4.2 months.They were followed up for no less than 1 year about the stability of knee,Lysholm score and Tegner score,as well as the patient's satisfaction.Moreover,the effect of patient's age,time from injury to surgery,and complications of other ligament injuries of the knee on the final outcomes were analyzed.Results For all the 45 patients,the mean follow-up time was 35.0±14.1 months,with their satisfaction rate of 91.1%.There were 31 cases of 3° instability and 14 cases of 2° instability before surgery,which improved significantly as only 4 cas-es were of 2° instability,22 cases of 1° instability at the final follow-up(χ2=77.56,P<0.000).More-over,the average Lysholm and Tegner scores increased significantly from 37.2±15.2 and 0.9±0.9,to 85.3±12.7 and 4.4±1.3,respectively(t=16.34,P<0.000;t=15.72,P<0.000).What's more,the age of over 40 years had effect on the prognosis,while the time from injury to surgery and the com-plicated ligament injuries of the knee did not.Conclusion Using LARS artificial ligament as graft for PCL reconstruction can achieve satisfactory clinical results on the short-term.

Objective:To explore the causal relationship between 1 400 blood metabolites and hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism by using Mendelian randomization(MR) approach.Methods:This study employed a bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis and sourced data of blood metabolites related to hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism from the genome-wide association study(GWAS) database. R software and TwoSampleMR software package were used for analysis. The inverse variance weighting method(IVW) was used as the main method, and MR-Egger regression, weighted median method, simple mode and weighted mode were used as supplementary methods to analyze the causal relationship between blood metabolites and hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The false-positive rate was corrected by false discovery rate(FDR, FDR<0.2) to control for false positives; Meta-analysis of different sample pools was performed for overall assessment. Results:The analysis found three blood metabolites significantly linked to hypothyroidism: pregnenediol disulfate(IVW: OR=1.068, 95% CI 1.032-1.106, P<0.001), 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-2-linoleoyl-GPE(IVW: OR=0.891, 95% CI 0.840-0.944, P<0.001), and linoleic-arachidonic glycerin(IVW: OR =0.923, 95% CI 0.885-0.963, P<0.001). Glutamine was also noted(IVW: OR=0.998, 95% CI 0.997-0.999, P<0.001). Reverse MR showed no significant correlation between hyperthyroidism and the four metabolites(IVW: P>0.05). Validation from FinnGen Biospecimen Library and UKB Biospecimen Library confirmed these findings. Conclusions:Among 1 400 blood metabolites, pregnenediol disulfate showed a positive correlation with hypothyroidism. In contrast, 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-2-linoleoyl-GPE and linoleic-arachidonic glycerin exhibited negative correlations with hypothyroidism, while glutamine showed a negative correlation with hyperthyroidism. This study offers insights into the pathogenesis, early screening, and treatment of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.