[Objective] To analyze the prevalence of human T-lymphocyte leukemia virus (HTLV) among blood donors in Guangzhou from 2016 to 2021, and provide a basis for blood collection and supply management in this region. [Methods] A total of 2 116 951 voluntary blood donors were screened for anti-HTLV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from March 2016 to December 2021 in Guangzhou, and the reactive cases were further confirmed by Western blotting (WB). Qualitative data were analyzed by χ2 with spss19 software. The trend of the total positive rate of HTLV confirmation test by WB from 2016 to 2021 was analyzed with the Joinpoint software, and the annual percent change (APC) was used to determine whether the trend changes were statistically significant. [Results] From March 2016 to December 2021, the total positive rate for anti-HTLV by ELISA among voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou was 0.019 7% (416/ 2116 951), and the WB confirmed positive rate was 0.001 1% (23/2 116 951). The total positive rate of HTLV among individual voluntary blood donors in the six main districts (0.002 12%, 19/895 301) was higher than that among group voluntary blood donors (0.000 32%, 3/951 947) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total positive rate of HTLV confirmation between the six main districts (0.001 19%) and the three non-main districts (0.000 37%) (P>0.05). The trend of the total positive rate of HTLV infection in the six main districts and the Guangzhou area(including the six main districts and three non-main districts) showed no significant increase or decrease. [Conclusion] The prevalence of HTLV among blood donors in Guangzhou remains at a low level.

Background: and Purpose Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated disorder characterized by demyelinating or axonal injury of the peripheral nerve. Our aim is to determine whether serum amyloid A (SAA) is a biomarker of demyelinating injury and disease severity in patients with GBS. Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 40 patients with either the demyelinating or axonal GBS and sex- and age-matched controls with other neurological diseases as well as healthy subjects. The demographic and clinical features at entry were collected. The serum levels of the SAA isoforms SAA1, SAA2, and SAA4 were determined in the patients with GBS and the controls using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed for the associations between levels of different SAA isoforms and the clinical features of the patients. Results: The levels of SAA2 and SAA4 were significantly higher in patients with GBS than in both the other neurological disease controls and the healthy subjects (p<0.05 for all). The level of SAA1 did not differ between patients with GBS and the controls. The level of SAA2 was considerably higher in GBS patients with antecedent infection than in those without infection (p=0.020). The levels of different SAA isoforms were not associated with the disease severity or other clinical features of patients with GBS (p>0.05 for all). Conclusions Increased levels of SAA2 and SAA4 may only represent the acute inflammatory status and so cannot be utilized as biomarkers of the disease severity or demyelinating injury in patients with GBS.

Background: and Purpose Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated disorder characterized by demyelinating or axonal injury of the peripheral nerve. Our aim is to determine whether serum amyloid A (SAA) is a biomarker of demyelinating injury and disease severity in patients with GBS. Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 40 patients with either the demyelinating or axonal GBS and sex- and age-matched controls with other neurological diseases as well as healthy subjects. The demographic and clinical features at entry were collected. The serum levels of the SAA isoforms SAA1, SAA2, and SAA4 were determined in the patients with GBS and the controls using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed for the associations between levels of different SAA isoforms and the clinical features of the patients. Results: The levels of SAA2 and SAA4 were significantly higher in patients with GBS than in both the other neurological disease controls and the healthy subjects (p<0.05 for all). The level of SAA1 did not differ between patients with GBS and the controls. The level of SAA2 was considerably higher in GBS patients with antecedent infection than in those without infection (p=0.020). The levels of different SAA isoforms were not associated with the disease severity or other clinical features of patients with GBS (p>0.05 for all). Conclusions Increased levels of SAA2 and SAA4 may only represent the acute inflammatory status and so cannot be utilized as biomarkers of the disease severity or demyelinating injury in patients with GBS.

Background: and Purpose Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated disorder characterized by demyelinating or axonal injury of the peripheral nerve. Our aim is to determine whether serum amyloid A (SAA) is a biomarker of demyelinating injury and disease severity in patients with GBS. Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 40 patients with either the demyelinating or axonal GBS and sex- and age-matched controls with other neurological diseases as well as healthy subjects. The demographic and clinical features at entry were collected. The serum levels of the SAA isoforms SAA1, SAA2, and SAA4 were determined in the patients with GBS and the controls using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed for the associations between levels of different SAA isoforms and the clinical features of the patients. Results: The levels of SAA2 and SAA4 were significantly higher in patients with GBS than in both the other neurological disease controls and the healthy subjects (p<0.05 for all). The level of SAA1 did not differ between patients with GBS and the controls. The level of SAA2 was considerably higher in GBS patients with antecedent infection than in those without infection (p=0.020). The levels of different SAA isoforms were not associated with the disease severity or other clinical features of patients with GBS (p>0.05 for all). Conclusions Increased levels of SAA2 and SAA4 may only represent the acute inflammatory status and so cannot be utilized as biomarkers of the disease severity or demyelinating injury in patients with GBS.

ObjectiveTo collate and compare the characteristics and differences in the methods for constructing animal models of different subtypes of gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） based on literature， providing a reference for researchers in this field regarding animal model construction. MethodsExperimental studies related to GERD including reflux esophagitis （RE）， nonerosive reflux disease （NERD） and Barrett's esophagus （BE） model construction from January 1， 2014 to January 27， 2024， were retrieved from databases such as CNKI， Wanfang， VIP， Web of Science， and Pubmed. Information on animal strains， genders， modeling methods including disease-syndrome combination models， modeling cycles were extracted； for studies with model evaluation， the methods of model evaluation were also extracted； then analyzing all those information. ResultsA total of 182 articles were included. SD rats were most frequently selected when inducing animal models of RE （88/148， 59.46%） and NERD （9/14， 64.29%）. For BE， C57BL/6 mice were most commonly used （11/20， 55.00%）. Male animals （RE： 111/135， 82.22%； NERD： 11/14， 78.57%； BE： 10/12， 83.33%） were the most common gender among the three subtypes. The key to constructing RE animal models lies in structural damage to the esophageal mucosal layer， gastric content reflux， or mixed reflux， among which forestomach ligation + incomplete pylorus ligation （42/158， 26.58%） was the most common modeling method； the key to constructing NERD animal models lies in micro-inflammation of the esophageal mucosa， visceral hypersensitivity， and emotional problems， and intraperitoneal injection of a mixed suspension of ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide combined with acid perfusion in the lower esophagus （8/14， 57.14%） was the most common modeling method； the key to constructing BE animal models lies in long-term inflammatory stimulation of the esophageal mucosa and bile acid reflux， and constructing interleukin 2-interleukin 1β transgenic mice （7/25， 28.00%） was the most common modeling method. Adverse psychological stress was the most common method for inducing liver depression. ConclusionsThe construction key principles and methodologies for RE， NERD， and BE animal models exhibit significant differences. Researchers should select appropriate models based on subtype characteristics （e.g.， RE focusing on structural damage， NERD emphasizing visceral hypersensitivity）. Current studies show insufficient exploration of traditional Chinese medicine disease-syndrome combination models. Future research needs to optimize syndrome modeling approaches （e.g.， composite etiology simulation） and establish integrated Chinese-Western medicine evaluation systems to better support mechanistic investigations of traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVE To study the mechanism of action of herb pair of Angelica sinensis-Poria cocos in intervening in allergic rhinitis. METHODS The core targets of herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos in intervening in allergic rhinitis were predicted through network pharmacology. Allergic rhinitis model of rats was established by intraperitoneal injection of aluminum hydroxide and ovalbumin mixture， and the rats were randomly divided into model group， loratadine group （positive control group， 0.9 mg/kg）， and low-， medium-， high-dose groups of herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos （3， 6 and 12 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Another 10 healthy rats were used as the normal group. Each group of rats was intragastrically administered the corresponding liquid or normal saline once a day for 30 consecutive days. After the last administration， the behavioral scores of each group of rats were calculated， the levels of immunoglobulin E （IgE）， histamine， interleukin-4 （IL-4） in serum， and the protein expression levels of IL-6， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2） in nasal mucosa tissue were detected. The pathological morphology changes of nasal mucosa tissue were observed. RESULTS Network pharmacology analysis revealed that IL-6， TNF and PTGS2 might play a key role in the intervention of allergic rhinitis by herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos， and the IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways might be the typical inflammatory signaling pathways intervened by herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos in allergic rhinitis. The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the model group， the behavioral score， the levels of IgE， histamine and IL-4， and the protein expressions of IL-6， TNF-α and PTGS2 in each administration group were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）， and there was a dose-dependent relationship with the herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos （P＜ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The herb pair of A. sinensis-P. cocos can effectively alleviate the symptoms of rats with allergic rhinitis， the mechanism of which may be related to the inhibition of the expressions of IL-6， TNF-α and PTGS2.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.05.019.].

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in understanding the effects of different acupoints and treatment methods (acupuncture and moxibustion) on microcirculatory changes in the lumbar region. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the thermal effects of acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40), with acupuncture at Chize (LU5) and moxibustion at both acupoints as control interventions. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 healthy participants were equally divided into four groups: acupuncture at BL40 (Acu-BL40), acupuncture at LU5 (Acu-LU5), moxibustion at BL40 (Mox-BL40) and moxibustion at LU5 (Mox-LU5). Participants underwent a 30-minute session of their assigned treatment. Infrared thermal imaging was used to collect temperature data on the areas of interest for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure was the change in average temperature of the observed area after the intervention. The secondary measures included periodic temperature changes every 5 min and the temperature changes of the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian in the observed area after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant interactions were observed between treatments and acupoints affecting temperature (P < 0.001). The Acu-BL40 group showed a notably higher increase in mean temperature after 30 min compared to the Acu-LU5 and Mox-BL40 groups, with increases of 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17 to 0.41) and 0.24 (95% CI = 0.08 to 0.41) °C, respectively. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at BL40 acupoint can significantly increase the mean temperature in the observed area, highlighting the specific thermal effect of acupuncture compared to moxibustion in the lumbar area. This suggests a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture at BL40 for managing lumbar conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05665426). Please cite this article as: Zheng SY, Wang XY, Lin LN, Liu S, Huang XX, Liu YY, Yu XS, Pan W, Fang JQ, Liang Y. Lumbar temperature change after acupuncture or moxibustion at Weizhong (BL40) or Chize (LU5) in healthy adults: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 145-151.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Body Temperature ; Healthy Volunteers ; Lumbosacral Region/physiology* ; Moxibustion ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between eight serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and regional fat depots, we analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018 cycles. METHODS: Multiple linear regression models were developed to explore the associations between serum PFAS concentrations and six fat compositions along with a fat distribution score created by summing the concentrations of the six fat compositions. The associations between structurally grouped PFASs and fat distribution were assessed, and a prediction model was developed to estimate the ability of PFAS exposure to predict obesity risk. RESULTS: Among females aged 39-59 years, trunk fat mass was positively associated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Higher concentrations of PFOS, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoate (PFDeA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and n-perfluorooctanoate (n-PFOA) were linked to greater visceral adipose tissue in this group. In men, exposure to total perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) and long-chain PFSAs was associated with reductions in abdominal fat, while higher abdominal fat in women aged 39-59 years was associated with short-chain PFSAs. The prediction model demonstrated high accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9925 for predicting obesity risk. CONCLUSION PFAS exposure is associated with regional fat distribution, with varying effects based on age, sex, and PFAS structure. The findings highlight the potential role of PFAS exposure in influencing fat depots and obesity risk, with significant implications for public health. The prediction model provides a highly accurate tool for assessing obesity risk related to PFAS exposure.
Humans ; Fluorocarbons/blood* ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Environmental Pollutants/blood* ; Abdominal Fat ; Nutrition Surveys ; Alkanesulfonic Acids/blood* ; Obesity ; Environmental Exposure

Objective:To investigate the distribution characteristics of urinary tract pathogens in patients with community-acquired urinary tract infection and their sensitivity to nenoxacin and levofloxacin.Methods:This prospective, multicenter clinical trial included patients with community-acquired urinary tract infection who were admitted to urological clinics at 9 clinical research centers from November 2021 to August 2022.Inclusion criteria: Patients aged 18-70 years with community-acquired acute uncomplicated cystitis(AUC), recurrent acute episodes of urinary tract infection(rUTI), and non-febrile complicated urinary tract infection(cUTI) with signs of urinary tract irritation and abnormal elevation of routine white blood cells in urine. Exclusion criteria: ①Patients who received effective antimicrobial therapy within 72 h before enrollment and lasted for more than 24 h. ②Fever (>37.3℃) or symptoms of upper urinary tract infection such as low back pain, tapping pain in the kidney area, etc. ③Indwelling urinary catheter. At the first visit, clean midstream urine samples were taken for bacterial culture, and the distribution characteristics of urinary pathogens of different types of urinary tract infections were analyzed. Extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were measured for Gram-negative bacteria. The susceptibility of nenoxacin and levofloxacin to urinary tract pathogens was determined by disk diffusion method. Drug resistance rate, sensitivity rate were analyzed between different disease groups.Results:There were 404 enrolled patients from 9 hospitals, including 364 (90.1%) females and 40 (9.9%) males. A total of 177 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated, among which the highest proportion of Escherichia coli was 66.1% (117/177).Klebsiella pneumoniae was followed by 6.8% (12/177) and Streptococcus agalactis 5.1% (9/177). The bacterial spectrum distribution of AUC and rUTI were similar, and the proportions of Escherichia coli were 70.6% (85/119) and 65.9% (29/44), respectively. However, the proportions of Escherichia coli isolated from cUTI patients were only 28.6% (4/14) and Enterococcus faecalis 7.1%(1/14). The overall detection rate of ESBLs in Gram-negative bacteria was 30.9%(43/139). The sensitivity rate of nenoxacin was 74.6%(91/122), and the resistance rate was 25.4%(31/122). The overall sensitivity rate of levofloxacin was 44.9%(70/156) and the resistance rate was 36.5%(57/156). The rate of resistance of urinary tract pathogens to levofloxacin was 48.2% (27/56) in patients with previous urinary tract infection history, and 30.0% (30/100) in patients with no previous urinary tract infection history, the difference was statistically significant( P=0.023).The sensitivity rate of Gram-negative bacteria to nenofloxacin was 70.7% (65/92) and that to levofloxacin was 50.0% (46/92, P<0.001). The sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria to nenofloxacin was 80.0% (16/20), and that to levofloxacin was 70.0% (14/20, P=0.009). Conclusions:The bacterial profile of out-patient community acquired urinary tract infection varies greatly according to different diseases. The proportion of Escherichia coli in AUC and rUTI patients is higher than that in cUTI. The detection rate of ESBLs in Gram-negative bacteria was lower than the domestic average.Patients with a history of urinary tract infection had a high risk of treatment failure with levofloxacin. The sensitivity of common urinary tract pathogens to nenofloxacin was higher than levofloxacin.