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.

OBJECTIVE To explore the efficacy and safe ty of Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside combined with finerenone in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy （DN）. METHODS This study selected 104 DN patients admitted to the Nephrology Department of Handan Central Hospital from January 2023 to May 2024 as the subjects and randomly assigned them into the control group （52 cases） and the combination group （52 cases）. All patients received basic treatment such as lipid-lowering and blood glucose control. On this basis， patients in the control group received finerenone， while those in the combination group received a combination therapy of T. wilfordii polyglycoside and finerenone. Both groups underwent treatment for a duration of three months. The two groups were compared in terms of clinical efficacy， renal function indicators [24-hour urine protein excretion （24 h UPE）， urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）， urinary albumin excretion rate （UAER） ] ， inflammatory factors [high mobility group box 1 protein （HMGB1）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， high-sensitivity C reactive protein （hs-CRP） ] ， and oxidative stress indicators [total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， advanced oxidation protein products （AOPP）， malondialdehyde （MDA） ] before and after treatment. Additionally， the occurrence of adverse drug reactions was recorded. RESULTS In terms of efficacy， the total effective rate of patients in the combination group was higher than that of the control group （ P ＜0.05）. After treatment， the levels of 24-h UPE， UACR， UAER， HMGB1， IL-6， NF-κB， hs-CRP， AOPP and MDA in the two groups were significantly lower than those in the same group before treatment； the levels of T-AOC and SOD in the two groups were significantly higher than those in the same group before treatment， with the combination group showing superior changes in the above indicators compared to the control group at the corresponding time point （ P ＜0.05）. In terms of safety， there was no statistical significance in the total incidence of adverse drug reactions between the two groups （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Compared to finerenone monotherapy， the combination therapy of T. wilfordii polyglycoside and finerenone demonstrates significant efficacy in treating DN. It effectively reduces proteinuria levels， alleviates inflammatory reaction， mitigates oxidative stress， and does not increase the risk of adverse reactions.

Successful cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) faces significant challenges due to epigenetic obstacles. Recent studies have highlighted the roles of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 as potential contributors to these obstacles. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this study, we generated genome-wide maps of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in mouse pre-implantation NT embryos. Our analysis revealed that aberrantly over-represented broad H3K4me3 domain and H3K27me3 signal lead to increased bivalent marks at gene promoters in NT embryos compared with naturally fertilized (NF) embryos at the 2-cell stage, which may link to relatively low levels of H3K36me3 in NT 2-cell embryos. Notably, the overexpression of Setd2, a H3K36me3 methyltransferase, successfully restored multiple epigenetic marks, including H3K36me3, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3. In addition, it reinstated the expression levels of ZGA-related genes by reestablishing H3K36me3 at gene body regions, which excluded H3K27me3 from bivalent promoters, ultimately improving cloning efficiency. These findings highlight the excessive bivalent state at gene promoters as a potent barrier and emphasize the removal of these barriers as a promising approach for achieving higher cloning efficiency.
Animals ; Mice ; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/biosynthesis* ; Histones/genetics* ; Nuclear Transfer Techniques ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Embryo, Mammalian/metabolism*

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among Chinese children aged 3-18 years from 11 provinces, antonomous regions, or municipalities.Methods:This national cross-sectional community health survey utilized a multistage stratified cluster-random sampling method to recruit 193 997 nationally representative participants from 11 provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities between January 2017 and December 2019. All participants underwent physical examinations, and their caregivers completed questionnaires assessing participants′ dietary, lifestyle, familial, and perinatal information. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were employed to identify the potential risk factors.Results:The cohort comprised 193 997 children (102 178 boys, 91 819 girls),aged (10±4) years. Overall prevalence rates were 30 574(15.8%)overweight children and 17 217(8.9%) obesity children. Boys exhibited higher overweight and obesity rates than girls (17.0% (17 368/102 178) vs. 14.4% (13 206/102 178), 11.3% (11 553/91 819) vs. 6.2% (5 664/91 819), χ2=249.12,1 578.69,both P<0.001). The detection rates of obesity in Tanner stage 2 and 3 were the highest in boys and girls, with 13.4%(2 231/16 665) and 8.6%(880/10 221) respectively. Risk factors for obesity included parental overweight (paternal OR=2.34 and maternal OR=2.29), annual household income of 100 000-200 000 yuan (compared with<100 000 yuan, OR=1.04), higher paternal education (compared with below high school,high school and a college education OR=1.09,1.14), birth weight >4.0 kg (≤5 and>5 years old OR=1.74, 1.44,respectively), and western food consumption≥1 time/month (compared with<1, 1-2, 3-4,>4 times/month OR=1.36, 1.30, 1.67(≤5 years), 1.19, 1.16, 1.15 (>5 years), respectively) (all P<0.05). Conversely, coarse grain intake≥1 times/week (compared with<1 times/week, every day, 3-4, 1-2 times/week OR=0.74, 0.80, 0.71 (≤5 years), 0.75, 0.87, 0.90(>5 years), respectively, all P<0.05) was associated with reduced obesity risk. Conclusions:Obesity epidemiology in children demonstrates significant heterogeneity across age, gender, geographic regions, and pubertal stages. It is necessary to establish a personalized prevention and control strategy.

Objective:To evaluate alterations in dopaminergic neurons, cortical metabolism, and functional connectivity networks in patients with early-onset Parkinson′s disease (EOPD) using multimodal neuroimaging.Methods:In this prospective cross-sectional study, 26 patients with EOPD and 16 healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from the PLA General Hospital between April and November 2023. All participants underwent integrated 11C-β-CFT PET/MR, 18F-FDG PET/CT brain imaging and resting-state functional MRI. Clinical assessments were conducted using the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale and Hoehn-Yahr staging. Cognitive status was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Standardized uptake value ratios for both 11C-β-CFT and 18F-FDG PET images were calculated using cerebellar gray matter as the reference region. Voxel-wise two-sample t-tests were performed to identify regions with significant group differences in tracer uptake. Seed regions showing altered 11C-β-CFT or 18F-FDG uptake were used to compute seed-based functional connectivity (FC) with all other brain voxels, and group differences in FC were assessed. Correlations between imaging metrics and clinical scales were evaluated using Pearson or Spearman analyses as appropriate. Results:Compared with HC group, EOPD group showed significantly reduced 11C-β-CFT uptake in the bilateral putamen, globus pallidus, and left temporal pole ( P<0.05), and decreased 18F-FDG uptake in the right superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex ( P<0.05). Relative to HC group, EOPD group exhibited markedly lower FC between the right putamen and the left gyrus rectus as well as the right parahippocampal gyrus; the right superior frontal gyrus and the left gyrus rectus; the anterior cingulate cortex and the olfactory area of the frontal lobe, the left gyrus rectus, and the right superior parietal gyrus; the left temporal pole and the left orbitofrontal cortex as well as the left olfactory area ( P<0.05). Correlation analyses revealed no statistically significant associations between altered FC values and clinical scale scores in the EOPD group. Conclusions:Patients with EOPD demonstrate impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function, regional cortical hypometabolism, and aberrant functional connectivity across multiple brain networks.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM）external treatment methods in alleviating skin pruritus caused by eczema through a Meta-analysis. Methods Randomized clinical trials investigating the use of TCM external treatment methods for skin pruritus caused by eczema were searched in databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）, VIP, Wanfang, Sinomed, PubMed, Embase, LILACS, and Cochrane, up to December 2024. Two reviewers independently screened and entered the statistical data, conducted bias risk assessment by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, version 5.1.0, and performed Meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4.1. Results Ultimately, 14 studies involving 1 788 patients were included. Compared to the control group, TCM external treatment methods （treatment group）showed better improvement in pruritus scores （Z=11.88, P<0.000 01）, better improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index （EASI） scores （Z=23.15, P<0.000 01）, higher overall clinical efficacy rate （Z=6.21, P<0.000 01）, better improvement in TCM symptoms （Z=5.49, P<0.000 01）, and lower clinical recurrence rate （Z=2.88, P=0.004）. Three of the included studies mentioned adverse reactions, with the treatment group showing lower adverse reactions than the control group. Conclusion The external treatment of TCM was more effective in treating skin pruritus caused by eczema compared to the control group. Given the biases and heterogeneity in the included literature, this conclusion needs to be further substantiated by more large-scale, multi-center, randomized, controlled, and double-blind studies.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological quality and reporting quality of published guidelines/consensuses on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）， and to provide a basis for formulating guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD in the future. MethodsDatabases including PubMed， Embase， Web of Science， CNKI， Wanfang Data， and CBM and the websites of China Association of Chinese Medicine and China Association of Integrative Medicine were searched for related articles published up to September 1， 2024. Two clinical researchers independently assessed the methodological quality and reporting quality of the guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD by using Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Ⅱ （AGREE Ⅱ） and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare （RIGHT）. ResultsA total of nine guidelines/consensuses were included after literature screening， with four guidelines and five expert consensuses. The scores of different domains assessed by AGREE Ⅱ for the nine guidelines/consensuses were as follows： scope and purpose （47.1%）， stakeholder involvement （41.0%）， rigor of development （21.6%）， clarity of presentation （40.2%）， applicability （19.0%）， and editorial independence （19.6%）. The recommendation level of the articles was B level （recommended after revision） for four articles and C level （not recommended） for five articles. The RIGHT assessment showed high reporting rates for “Basic Information” and “Background”， while other areas needed to be improved. Currently， there was no international standard for the guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD， and the quality of these guidelines/consensuses needed to be enhanced to ensure comprehensiveness and credibility. ConclusionThere is still potential for improving the quality of guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD， and AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT checklists should be strictly followed to ensure the fairness， scientific rigor， and transparency of these guidelines/consensuses.

Objective:To investigate the expression characteristics and clinical significance of FOXC1 in colon cancer,and decipher its mo-lecular mechanism in regulating tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis.Methods:The GEPIA database was employed to analyze the expres-sion of FOXC1 and its correlation with prognosis in colon cancer.Differential expression of FOXC1 was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot in colon cancer cells(HCT116 and SW620)and normal colon epithelial cells(NCM460),and stable FOXC1-knockdown(sh-FOXC1)cell lines were established.Western blot,flow cytometry,CCK-8,and plate colony formation assays were performed to analyze the effects of FOXC1 knockdown on cell proliferation,cell cycle,and apoptosis.Furthermore,the downstream signaling pathway was verified using Rap1 overexpression rescue experiments.Results:FOXC1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in colon cancer tissues than in normal tissues(P<0.001).FOXC1 overexpression was nearing significance in relation to tumor staging(P=0.053),and patients with high FOXC1 expression had a shorter overall survival(Log-rank P=0.013).After FOXC1 knockdown,the expression of CyclinD1 and Bcl-2 decreased,whereas the ex-pression of Bax increased(P<0.01).The proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase increased,while the proportion of cells in the S phase de-creased(P<0.001),and the cell proliferation activity and number of colonies formed decreased(P<0.001).Mechanistic studies demonstrated that after FOXC1 knockdown,Rap1 expression was reduced,while the expression of Rap1GAP increased(P<0.05).After restoration of Rap1 expression in FOXC1-knockdown cells,the downregulation of CyclinD1 and Bcl-2 expression and the increase in Bax expression were re-versed(P<0.05),the S phase ratio was increased(P<0.05),and cell proliferation activity and colony formation abilities were also re-scued.Conclusion:FOXC1 promotes colon cancer progression by facilitating Rap1 expression and downregulating Rap1GAP.Targeted inter-vention of the FOXC1-Rap1 signaling axis may emerge as a potential therapeutic strategy.

Objective To analyze the current status and emerging technology trends in domestic medical drainage tube patents,so as to explore possible factors for low patent conversion rates.Methods Patents associated with"drainage tube","medical drainage tube","surgical drainage tube"and related terms were retrieved from the National Intellectual Property Administration Database and the Innojoy Patent Search Engine,covering the period from 2010 to 2020.Screening and visual analysis were conducted using Excel and SPSS 27.0.Results A total of 2 895 relevant patents were identified,comprising 2 489 utility model patents,367 invention patents and 39 design patents.The number of patent applications demonstrated a year-on-year growth trend,with a higher concentration in eastern coastal regions and provinces housing numerous top-tier hospitals and medical institutions.Approximately 49.26％of the patents filed by individuals were affiliated with hospitals,universities,or enterprises.Innovation hotspots included the design,functionality,performance,and safety aspects of drainage tubes and probes.Of the patents,72.61％were invalid,and 61.73％had a survival period of three years or less.Only 5.15％were commercially utilized through transfers,pledges,or licensing.Conclusion Domestic patent applications for medical drainage tubes have seen rapid growth,with a focus on enhancing tube structures such as sleeves,balloons,drainage holes,and threaded designs.However,the unsatisfactory situation of patent conversion and operation have been mainly limited by factors such as weak core technology of patents,insufficient awareness of achievements conversion,poor operation of patent conversion mechanism,insufficient market promotion,and insufficient integration of industry,academia,and research.To address this issue,enhancing intellectual property protection,revitalizing valid patents,and expanding transformation channels would benefit patients and facilitate hospitals'high-quality development,injecting new vitality into the health industry.

OBJECTIVE:There are many kinds of biological scaffolds used for pulp revascularization in clinical practice,and the difference of efficacy between different scaffolds is controversial.The efficacy of nine kinds of biological scaffolds in endodontic revascularization was evaluated by Bayesian network meta-analysis.METHODS:The computer was used to search the literature in CNKI,VIP,WanFang,China Biomedical Literature Service System,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,Embase,and Scopus databases.Randomized controlled trials of different biological scaffolds for the treatment of pulp revascularization in young permanent teeth meeting inclusion criteria were collected from each database up to April 1,2024.Two researchers sifted through the literature,data collection,sorting and extraction were completed independently,and the quality of the included literature was assessed for risk of bias.A network meta-analysis was performed using BUGSnet1.1.1 package of R4.2.0 software.RESULTS:A total of 22 studies with 926 affected teeth and 9 different interventions were included in this study.The results of network meta-analysis showed that:(1)Clinical success rate(primary goal):platelet-rich fibrin was superior to blood clot[OR=1.45,95％CI(0.32,2.69)],and the top three ranking results were:concentrated growth factor(82.77％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(75.38％)＞modified platelet-rich fibrin(62.39％).(2)Increased root length(secondary goal):There was no difference among the 7 biological scaffolds at 1-6 months of follow-up(P＞0.05),the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:concentrated growth factor(86.25％)＞platelet-rich plasma(53.76％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(51.11％).When followed up for＞6 months and＜12 months,concentrated growth factor was superior to blood clot[MD=9.59,95％CI(0.52,18.40)],the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:concentrated growth factor(92.42％)＞platelet-rich plasma(56.03％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(55.76％).When followed up for more than 12 months,concentrated growth factor was superior to modified platelet-rich fibrin[MD=11.01,95％CI(0.02,22.72)],the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:concentrated growth factor(86.95％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(68.61％)＞blood clot combined with collagen(52.5％).(3)Increased root wall thickness(secondary goal):at 1-6 months of follow-up,platelet-rich fibrin was superior to blood clot[MD=11.37,95％CI(4.74,17.71)],the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:platelet-rich fibrin(93.66％)＞concentrated growth factor(63.11％)＞modified platelet-rich fibrin(50.48％).At＞6 months and＜12 months of follow-up,there was no difference among the 6 biological scaffolds(P＞0.05),the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:modified platelet-rich fibrin(73.63％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(62.36％)＞concentrated growth factor(56.25％).When followed up for more than 12 months,there was no difference among the 9 biological scaffolds(P＞0.05),and the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:blood clot combined with collagen(81.9％)＞platelet-rich plasma(62.67％)＞modified platelet-rich fibrin(59.49％).(4)Pulp vitality(third-level goal):there was no difference among the 6 biological scaffolds(P＞0.05),and the top 3 ranking results of rank probability were:blood clot combined with collagen(84.22％)＞concentrated growth factor(67.71％)＞platelet-rich fibrin(48.79％).CONCLUSION:Existing evidence shows that the clinical success rate of different scaffolds is higher in pulp revascularization,among which platelet-rich fibrin is better than blood clots.In terms of comprehensive comparison of root length and root wall thickness increase,concentrated growth factor performs best in the follow-up period of 1-6 months and＞6 months and＜12 months,while blood clot combined with collagen performs best after follow-up of more than 12 months;concentrated growth factor performs outstandingly in all levels of goals,and may be more conducive to the continued development of the tooth root than other scaffolds,and has great potential in pulp regeneration treatment.Limited by the quality and quantity of literature,the above conclusions still need to be verified by more high-quality studies.