ObjectiveTo make clear exercise combined with Shenghui Tang interferes in acetylcholine receptor （M1AChR） to improve mitochondrial autophagy and enhance cognition of Alzheimer's disease （AD） model rats through the adenylate activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight male SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， a Shenghui Tang group （9.3 g·kg^-1）， an exercise group， an exercise + Shenghui Tang group （9.3 g·kg^-1）， and a rapamycin group （1.5 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the blank group， the rat model of AD was constructed by injecting amyloid beta （Aβ_1-42） into hippocampus stereotaxically. The exercise group received treadmill exercise for 4 weeks， while the Shenghui Tang group received intragastric administration for 4 weeks， and the exercise + Shenghui Tang group received treadmill exercise and intragastric administration of Shenghui Tang for 4 weeks simultaneously. After the intervention， the Morris water maze test was used to detect the learning and memory ability. Spontaneous behavior was observed in the open field test. The pathological structure of hippocampal neurons was observed by NISSl staining. The expression level of M1AChR in hippocampus was detected by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. The autophagy ultrastructure of hippocampal neurons was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The apoptosis rate was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL）. The expression of Beclin1 and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3β （LC3β） was detected by immunofluorescence （IF）. The protein expression of M1AChR， AMPK， p-AMPK， mTOR， Beclin1， LC3β， and chelate 1 （SQSTM1/p62） in hippocampus was detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly increased platform escape latency on the fifth day （P<0.01） and significantly decreased activity distance in the target quadrant and times of crossing the platform （P<0.01）. The total movement distance in the open field， the time of movement in the central area， and the average speed obviously decreased （P<0.05）. The arrangement of nerve cells in hippocampus CA1 region was dispersed， and the numbers of Nissl bodies and M1AChR positive cells significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The expression of TUNEL positive cells was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The typical autophagic lysosomal structure decreased. The protein expression of M1AChR， p-AMPK/AMPK， p-mTOR/mTOR， Beclin1， LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ in hippocampus was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the protein expression of p62 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the exercise + Shenghui Tang group exhibited obviously improved space exploration and positioning navigation ability （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The total movement distance in the open field， the time of movement in the central area， and the average speed of movement significantly increased （P<0.01）. The number of Nissl bodies significantly increased （P<0.01）. The number of M1AChR positive cells in hippocampus was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The expression of TUNEL positive cells was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The protein expression of M1AChR， p-AMPK/AMPK， p-mTOR/mTOR， Beclin1， LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ in hippocampus was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the protein expression of p62 was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the exercise + Shenghui Tang group， the Shenghui Tang group and the exercise group showed significantly increased platform escape latency on the fifth day （P<0.01） and obviously decreased activity distance in the target quadrant and times of crossing the platform （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The total movement distance in the open field， the time of movement in the central area， and the average speed of movement significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The number of Nissl bodies and the number of M1AChR positive cells significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The expression of TUNEL positive cells was obviously increased （P<0.05）. Ultrastructure of the hippocampal region showed decreased autophagy level. The protein expression of M1AChR， p-AMPK/AMPK， p-mTOR/mTOR， LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the hippocampus was obviously decreased in the Shenghui Tang group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the protein expression of p62 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. In the exercise group， the protein expression of M1AChR， p-AMPK/AMPK， Beclin1， and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ was obviously decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the protein expression of p-mTOR/mTOR and p62 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionExercise combined with traditional Chinese medicine can enhance the expression of M1AChR in the hippocampus of AD model rats， induce autophagy through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway， and improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats.

Zhusha Anshenwan is a classical traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） formula originating from LI Dongyuan's Treatise on the Differentiation of Endogenous and Exogenous Injuries （Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun） of the Jin-Yuan period. It is composed of five medicinal ingredients： Cinnabaris （Zhusha）， Coptidis Rhizoma （Huanglian）， Angelicae Sinensis Radix （Danggui）， Rehmanniae Radix （Shengdihuang）， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （Gancao）. Under the guidance of TCM theory， this formula is used to treat syndromes of disturbed spirit， including insomnia， palpitations， and anxiety， caused by hyperactivity of heart fire and deficiency of Yin-blood， and it also exerts auxiliary anticonvulsant effects in epilepsy and related conditions. However， the potential neurotoxicity， hepatotoxicity， and nephrotoxicity of its monarch drug， Cinnabaris （mainly composed of mercuric sulfide， HgS）， together with the risk of in vivo accumulation， have rendered its clinical application controversial， and it has not yet been formally included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. In addition， restrictions imposed by the Minamata Convention on Mercury have led to an increasing shortage of natural medicinal Cinnabaris resources， making the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of synthetic Cinnabaris particularly urgent. This contradiction highlights the complexity of safety evaluation for traditional medicines. Existing studies indicate that Zhusha Anshenwan exhibits definite pharmacological activities in calming the mind， improving sleep， and regulating emotional disorders. Moreover， other components of the formula may exert antagonistic effects on the toxicity of Cinnabaris， and reports of severe mercury poisoning caused by standardized clinical use of this prescription are extremely rare. Research suggests that other ingredients in the compound formula， such as Rehmanniae Radix， Coptidis Rhizoma， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， may effectively alleviate the hepatorenal toxicity of Cinnabaris through mechanisms including modulation of the gut microbiota， formation of mercury complexes， and direct protection of target organs. This article aims to systematically review the progress in pharmacodynamic research on Zhusha Anshenwan， to explore its mechanisms of action in depth， and to analyze the toxicokinetic characteristics and safety risks of Cinnabaris， as well as the scientific connotations of toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement achieved through compound compatibility. In addition， it compares Zhusha Anshenwan with other commonly used sedative formulas， with the aim of providing a scientific basis and forward-looking perspectives for the safe and rational application and in-depth development of this classical prescription in a modern context， and of emphasizing the important value of holistic research on TCM compound formulas in addressing the challenges of single-component toxicity.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms through which Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction ameliorates spermatogenic dysfunction and sperm quality degradation caused by propylthiouracil （PTU） via the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway in rats. MethodsSixty male rats were randomly assigned into six groups： a control group， a model group， low- （6.75 g·kg^-1）， medium- （13.5 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose （27 g·kg^-1） Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction groups， and an L-carnitine （0.27 g·kg^-1） group， with ten rats in each group. Other groups except the control group were administrated with PTU （10 mg·kg^-1） by gavage for 12 consecutive days. After the completion of modeling， rats were administrated with corresponding agents or normal saline （control group） via gavage for 28 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration， rats were sacrificed， and the body and organ （testis， epididymis， and seminal vesicle） weights were measured to calculate the organ indices. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the testes and epididymis， and the testicular spermatogenic function of rats was scored. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH）， triiodothyronine （T3）， thyroxine （T4）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， testosterone （T）， estradiol （E₂）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） and the activities of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） in the rat serum. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling was adopted to assess the rate of testicular cell apoptosis. Western blot was conducted to determine the expression levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）， CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein （CHOP）， phosphorylated protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （p-PERK）， protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK）， phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase （p-EIF2α）， eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase （EIF2α）， and activating transcription factor 4 （ATF4） in the testicular tissue of rats. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group exhibited reductions in volumes and indexes of testes， epididymides， and seminal vesicles （P<0.01）， pathological damage of testes and epididymides， and declines in spermatogenic function and sperm density and motility （P<0.01）. In addition， the model group demonstrated elevated serum levels of TSH and MDA， lowered levels of T3， T4， FSH， LH， T， and E₂， decreased activities of SOD and GSH-Px （P<0.05， P<0.01）， an increased apoptosis rate of testicular cells （P<0.01）， and up-regulated expression of GRP78， CHOP， p-PERK/PERK， p-EIF2α/EIF2α， and ATF4 in the testicular tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction at different doses improved the morphology and indexes of testes， epididymides， and seminal vesicles （P<0.05）， restored the spermatogenic function （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the sperm density and motility （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and decreased the percentage of apoptotic testicular cells （P<0.05）. Furthermore， the decoction lowered the serum level of MDA， elevated the serum levels of FSH， LH， T， and E₂， and increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the expression levels of GRP78， CHOP， p-PERK/PERK， p-EIF2α/EIF2α， and ATF4 in the testicular tissue were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionShugan Bushen Yulin decoction can ameliorate the spermatogenic dysfunction and sperm quality degradation induced by PTU in a rat model of hypothyroidism by repairing the testicular oxidative damage and regulating the PERK/EIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway， thereby alleviating spermatogenic cell apoptosis.

ObjectiveTo elucidate the potential mechanisms by which the classic prescription Anmeidan alleviates cognitive impairment in insomnia model rats through metabolic profiling. MethodsA total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups： blank group， model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose Anmeidan groups， and the Suvorexant group， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， the insomnia model was established in all other groups via intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine. The Suvorexant group was administered Suvorexant solution （30 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） by gavage， while the low-， medium-， and high-dose Anmeidan groups received Anmeidan decoction （4.55， 9.09， 18.18 g·kg^-1·d^-1） by gavage. The blank group received an equivalent volume of normal saline. The open field test was used to assess spatial exploration and anxiety/depressive-like behaviors in rats. Serum levels of epidermal growth factor （EGF）， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， and vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify differential metabolites in rat serum， and systematic biological methods were applied to analyze the potential targets and pathways of Anmeidan. ResultsCompared to the blank group， the model group exhibited significant reductions in total distance traveled， average speed， number of entries into the central area， time spent in the central area， and frequency of upright events （P<0.01）， along with significant decreases in VIP， EGF， and BDNF levels （P<0.05，P<0.01）. A total of 100 differential metabolites were identified between the model and blank groups. Compared to the model group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose Anmeidan groups showed significant increases in total distance traveled， average speed， number of entries into the central area， time spent in the central area， and frequency of upright events （P<0.05，P<0.01）， as well as a significant increase in VIP levels （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Anmeidan significantly reversed abnormal changes in 67 metabolites compared to the model group. A combined analysis identified 134 potential targets of Anmeidan， with network topology analysis suggesting that Caspase-3， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-2 （IL-2）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， among others， may serve as key targets of Anmeidan. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway analysis revealed major enriched pathways， including the cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP） signaling pathway， hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathway， and IL-17 signaling pathway. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that Anmeidan can recalibrate abnormal metabolic profiles in insomnia model rats to mitigate cognitive impairment， with its mechanisms of action potentially involving the regulation of immune-inflammatory responses， energy metabolism， and apoptosis-related pathways.

Metastatic dissemination is the major cause of death from breast-cancer (BC). Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n) is widely enriched in BC and has recently been identified as one of the high-risk factors for promoting BC metastasis. Here, with an experimental model, we demonstrated that intratumoral F.n induced BC aggressiveness by transcriptionally activating Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes. Therefore, the F.n may be a potential target to prevent metastasis. Given the fact that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in BC and located near blood vessels, we report an optogenetic system that drives CAF to in situ produce human antibacterial peptide LL37, with the characteristics of biosafety and freely intercellular trafficking, for depleting intratumoral F.n, leading to a 72.1% reduction in lung metastatic nodules number without affecting the balance of the systemic flora. Notably, mild photothermal treatment was found that could normalize CAF, contributing to synergistically inhibiting BC metastasis. In addition, the system can also simultaneously encode a gene of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand to suppress the primary tumor. Together, our study highlights the potential of local elimination of tumor pathogenic bacteria to prevent BC metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. extract (HCE) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. METHODS: Components identification of HCE was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish asthmatic model, and dexamethasone was used as positive control. Respiratory reactivity, white cells counting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood, cytokine level measurement in serum and lung tissue, and histologic examination were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of HCE on asthma. Network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Western blotting and untargeted lipidomics method were applied for mechanism validation. RESULTS: Fifty-two compounds were identified in HCE, predominantly terpenoids and flavonoids. HCE markedly reduced airway resistance, the eosinophil infiltration in lung tissues, and the levels of immunoglobulin E, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interleukin-13. Network pharmacology analysis suggested phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) may be key proteins of HCE in the treatment of allergic asthma. Western blot results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated PI3K, JNK, and P38 were downregulated in HCE-treated group. Moreover, HCE significantly upregulated the levels of ceramide and sphingomyelin and downregulated the level of phosphatidylcholine. CONCLUSION HCE inhibited allergic asthma via PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.

OBJECTIVE: As an age-related neurodegenerative disease, the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) increases with age. Within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine, spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome (SKDS) is recognized as the most frequent MCI subtype. Due to the covert and gradual onset of MCI, in community settings it poses a significant challenge for patients and their families to discern between typical aging and pathological changes. There exists an urgent need to devise a preliminary diagnostic tool designed for community-residing older adults with MCI attributed to SKDS (MCI-SKDS). METHODS: This investigation enrolled 312 elderly individuals diagnosed with MCI, who were randomly distributed into training and test datasets at a 3:1 ratio. Five machine learning methods, including logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), naive Bayes (NB), support vector machine (SVM), and gradient boosting (GB), were used to build a diagnostic prediction model for MCI-SKDS. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1 score, and area under the curve were used to evaluate model performance. Furthermore, the clinical applicability of the model was evaluated through decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The accuracy, precision, specificity and F1 score of the DT model performed best in the training set (test set), with scores of 0.904 (0.845), 0.875 (0.795), 0.973 (0.875) and 0.973 (0.875). The sensitivity of the training set (test set) of the SVM model performed best among the five models with a score of 0.865 (0.821). The area under the curve of all five models was greater than 0.9 for the training dataset and greater than 0.8 for the test dataset. The DCA of all models showed good clinical application value. The study identified ten indicators that were significant predictors of MCI-SKDS. CONCLUSION The risk prediction index derived from machine learning for the MCI-SKDS prediction model is simple and practical; the model demonstrates good predictive value and clinical applicability, and the DT model had the best performance. Please cite this article as: Ai YT, Zhou S, Wang M, Zheng TY, Hu H, Wang YC, Li YC, Wang XT, Zhou PJ. Development of a machine learning-based risk prediction model for mild cognitive impairment with spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome in the elderly. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 390-397.
Humans ; Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnosis* ; Aged ; Male ; Female ; Machine Learning ; Spleen ; Aged, 80 and over ; Kidney ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Five novel nor-eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoids, peniroqueforins E-H and J (1-4 and 7), two new eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoids, peniroqueforins I and K (5 and 8), and a new eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid, peniroqueforin L (9), along with four known compounds (6 and 10-12), were isolated and characterized from fungus Penicillium roqueforti (P. roqueforti). The structures and absolute configurations of these compounds were determined through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data analyses, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The anti-multi-drug resistance (MDR) cancer activity of these compounds was evaluated using SW620/Ad300 cells. Notably, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of paclitaxel (PTX) combined with 1 in SW620/Ad300 cells was 50.36 nmol·L^-1, which was 65-fold more potent than PTX alone (IC₅₀ 3.26 μmol·L^-1). Subsequent molecular docking studies revealed an affinity between compound 1 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), suggesting that this nor-eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoid (1) could serve as a potential lead for MDR reversal in cancer cells through P-gp inhibition.
Penicillium/chemistry* ; Humans ; Sesquiterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Molecular Structure ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple/drug effects* ; Molecular Docking Simulation

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment of "biaoben acupoint combination" on cardiomyocyte mitochondrial fission in the rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and explore its mechanism. METHODS: Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a model group, an EA pretreatment group, an EA pretreatment + Compound C group and an EA pretreatment+ML385 group, 10 rats in each group. In the EA pretreatment, the EA pretreatment + Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group, EA was delivered at bilateral "Neiguan" (PC6), "Zusanli" (ST36) and "Guanyuan" (CV4) for 20 min, with continuous wave and 2 Hz of frequency, 1 mA of current, once daily for consecutive 7 days. On day 8, in the EA pretreatment + Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group, 30 min before model preparation, the intraperitoneal injection with Compound C (0.3 mg/kg) and ML385 (30 mg/kg) was administered respectively. Except in the sham-operation group, the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery was performed to prepare MIRI rat model in the rest groups. In the sham-operation group, the thread was not ligated. After modeling, the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the ischemic area was measured by flow cytometry, superoxide dismutase (SOD) was detected using xanthine oxidase method, and malondialdelyde (MDA) was detected using thiobarbituric acid (TBA) chromatometry. The morphology of myocardial tissue in the ischemic area was observed with HE staining, and the mitochondria ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes observed under transmission electron microscopy. Using immunofluorescence analysis, the positive expression of mitochondrial fission factor (MFF), mitochondrial fission 1 protein antibody (Fis1) and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) was detected; and with immunohistochemical method used, the protein expression of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), nuclear factor E2-associated factor2 (Nrf2) and Drp1 in the ischemic area was detected. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the content of ROS and MDA in the myocardial tissue of the ischemic area, and the positive expression of MFF, Fis1 and Drp1 increased in the model group (P<0.01); the content of SOD and the protein expression of AMRK and Nrf2 decreased (P<0.01), and the protein expression of Drp1 elevated (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the content of ROS and MDA in the myocardial tissue of the ischemic area, and the positive expression of MFF, Fis1 and Drp1 were dropped in the EA pretreatment group (P<0.01); the content of SOD and the protein expression of AMRK and Nrf2 rose (P<0.01), and the protein expression of Drp1 declined (P<0.01); and in the EA pretreatment+Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group, the positive expression of MFF, Fis1 and Drp1, and the protein expression of Drp1 were all reduced (P<0.01). When compared with the EA pretreatment + Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group, the content of ROS and MDA in the myocardial tissue of the ischemic area, and the positive expression of MFF, Fis1 and Drp1 were dropped in the EA pretreatment group (P<0.01); the content of SOD and the protein expression of AMRK and Nrf2 rose (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the protein expression of Drp1 decreased (P<0.05). In comparison with the model group, the EA pretreatment+Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group, the cardiac muscle fiber rupture, cell swelling and mitochondrial disorders were obviously alleviated in the EA pretreatment group. The morphological changes were similar among the model group, the EA pretreatment+Compound C group and the EA pretreatment+ML385 group. CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture pretreatment of "biaoben acupoint combination" attenuates myocardial injury in MIRI rats, probably through promoting the phosphorylation of AMPK and Nrf2, inhibiting the excessive mitochondrial fission induced by Drp1, and reducing mitochondrial dysfunction caused by mitochondrial fragmentation and vacuolation.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/physiopathology* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology* ; Rats ; Acupuncture Points ; Mitochondrial Dynamics ; Humans ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of moxibustion in treating patients with central obesity of phlegm-dampness constitution. METHODS: A total of 66 patients with central obesity of phlegm-dampness constitution were randomly assigned to a moxibustion group (n=33, 3 cases dropped out) and a sham moxibustion group (n=33, 4 cases dropped out). The moxibustion group received mild moxibustion combined with lifestyle intervention; the moxibustion was applied at Shenque (CV8) and bilateral Zusanli (ST36), 30 min per session, maintaining a local skin temperature of (43±1) ℃. The sham moxibustion group received simulated moxibustion combined with lifestyle intervention; the simulated moxibustion was applied at the same acupoints, with the same session length, but with a maintained skin temperature of (37±1) ℃. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week for 8 consecutive weeks. Obesity-related physical indicators (waist circumference, hip circumference, body weight, body fat percentage, body mass index [BMI]), constitution evaluation indicators (phlegm-dampness constitution conversion score, symptom score), the impact of weight on quality of life-lite (IWQOL-Lite), the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and the incidence of adverse events were measured before and after treatment, and after 4 weeks of follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, both groups showed significant reductions in waist circumference, hip circumference, body weight, body fat percentage, BMI, phlegm-dampness constitution conversion score and symptom score, IWQOL-Lite, and both anxiety and depression subscale scores of HADS after treatment and at follow-up (P<0.001). These improvements were significantly greater in the moxibustion group than those in the sham moxibustion group (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.05). One patient in the moxibustion group experienced a mild burn that resolved with routine care; the incidence of adverse reactions was 3.0% (1/33) in the moxibustion group and 0% (0/33) in the sham moxibustion group, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION On the basis of lifestyle intervention, moxibustion effectively improves obesity-related physical indicators, enhances quality of life, alleviates anxiety and depression, and improves the phlegm-dampness constitution in patients with central obesity. These benefits persist for at least 4 weeks after treatment.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Obesity, Abdominal/psychology* ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged ; Quality of Life ; Young Adult ; Body Mass Index