ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Tianma Goutengyin on the tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）/α1-antichymotrypsin C-terminal tail fragment （α1ACT） signaling pathway and A1-type astrocytes in a rat model of vascular dementia. MethodsSeventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups （n=12 per group）： Sham-operated group， model group， Tianma Goutengyin high-， medium-， and low-dose groups （5.13， 10.26， and 20.52 g·kg^-1）， and a nimodipine group （8.1 mg·kg^-1）. The vascular dementia model was established by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion， followed by 4 weeks of intervention. Learning and memory ability were evaluated using the novel object recognition test， and behavioral performance was assessed using the forced swimming test. Levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 （CCL2） in hippocampal tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hippocampal neuronal morphology was observed by Nissl staining， and apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）， and myelin basic protein （MBP）. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNF receptor 1 （TNFR1）， phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3）， α1ACT， IL-6， complement component 3 （C3）， BDNF， S100 calcium-binding protein A10 （S100A10）， and GFAP in hippocampal tissue. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， the model group showed a significantly reduced relative recognition index in the novel object recognition test （P<0.01）， prolonged immobility time and increased immobility frequency in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）. Hippocampal IL-6 and CCL2 levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Nissl staining revealed a marked reduction in neuronal number and loss of Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. MBP-positive expression was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， apoptosis was significantly increased （P<0.01）， BDNF-positive expression was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and GFAP-positive expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）. In addition， the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNFR1， p-STAT3， α1ACT， IL-6， and C3 were significantly elevated （P<0.01）， while BDNF and S100A10 expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Tianma Gouteng yin dose groups exhibited a significant increase in the relative recognition index （P<0.05）， shortened immobility time and reduced immobility frequency （P<0.05， P<0.01）. IL-6 and CCL2 levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， neuronal number was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and MBP-positive expression was significantly enhanced （P<0.01）. Apoptosis was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， BDNF-positive expression was significantly increased （P<0.05）， and GFAP-positive expression was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Moreover， the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNFR1， p-STAT3， α1ACT， IL-6， and C3 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while BDNF and S100A10 protein expression levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionTianma Goutengyin may inhibit A1-type astrocyte activation in rats with vascular dementia through the TNF-α/STAT3/α1ACT signaling pathway， thereby reducing neuronal apoptosis and improving learning and memory function.

Owing to its inherent advantages—such as being non-destructive, rapid, highly molecule-specific, and minimally interfered with by moisture—Raman spectroscopy has been widely adopted in the fields of skin barrier function assessment, monitoring the transdermal penetration of active cosmetic ingredients, and the identification and quality control of cosmetic products. Despite these strengths, the practical application of this technique faces a significant bottleneck: the strong fluorescence background generated by endogenous skin components and exogenous cosmetic additives. Endogenous skin substances, such as structural proteins (e.g., collagen and elastin), metabolic coenzymes (e.g., nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and pigments (e.g., melanin), together with exogenous cosmetic constituents like organic colorants, chemical sunscreens, and fragrances, often possess strong absorption and emission characteristics. When excited by lasers, these components produce a fluorescence background that can be 10⁶ to 10⁸ times stronger than the Raman scattering signals, effectively masking the inherently weak vibrational fingerprint information. In recent years, driven by the rapid development of optoelectronic hardware and artificial intelligence algorithms, fluorescence suppression strategies have evolved from isolated, single-method approaches into comprehensive, multi-level synergistic systems. These systems are categorized into three distinct tiers: sample preparation, signal acquisition, and data processing. At the sample preparation level, techniques such as photobleaching and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are employed to eliminate or bypass the generation of fluorescence at the source. At the signal acquisition level, instrumental improvements—including the use of long-wavelength near-infrared excitation (typically 785 nm or 1 064 nm), confocal spatial filtering, and shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS)— are utilized to physically isolate Raman signals from the fluorescence background. Furthermore, at the data processing level, numerical baseline correction methods such as polynomial fitting, penalized least squares (e.g., airPLS, arPLS), wavelet transform, and derivative algorithms are increasingly integrated into the analytical pipeline to extract Raman spectral features from mixed signals without increasing hardware costs or acquisition time. This review provides a systematic categorization and critical evaluation of these fluorescence suppression methods, detailing their underlying principles, technical advantages, and inherent limitations in diverse experimental setups. By focusing on critical application scenarios—including skin barrier assessment, percutaneous absorption monitoring, the routine quality control of cosmetics, and the emerging field of portable on-site detection—this paper explores the current state of technique selection and optimization. Finally, the article discusses future development trends, emphasizing the necessity of constructing adaptive, tiered suppression strategies, developing intelligent and automated data processing algorithms, and promoting the integration of portable, multi-modal diagnostic devices. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive technical reference to facilitate the transition of Raman spectroscopy from a specialized laboratory tool into a routine, robust analytical platform for advancements in skin science and cosmetic research.

Objective To establish a stable,reliable,and clinically relevant porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).Methods Ten 8-month-old male Bama minipigs were deeply sedated,followed by invasive mechanical ventilation and electrocardiographic monitoring.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was intravenously pumped at 600 μg/(kg·h)for 3 hours,then maintained at 15 μg/(kg·h)thereafter.Dynamic monitoring was performed at five time points after LPS injection(LPS 0,1,3,5,and 8 h),including arterial blood gas analysis and chest computed tomography(CT)scans.Pathological examination of lung tissues obtained via bronchoscopic biopsy(HE staining and transmission electron microscopy)was conducted.These indicators were comprehensively used to evaluate the success of the animal model.Results At 5 hours after LPS administration,8 minipigs developed symptoms such as skin cyanosis,elevated body temperature,and respiratory distress.The oxygenation index decreased to<300 mmHg.Chest CT scans showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates.Histopathology revealed alveolar edema and hyaline membrane formation.Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated disruption of pulmonary blood-air barrier,depletion of lamellar bodies in type Ⅱ pneumocytes,inflammatory cell infiltration,and exudation of plasma proteins and fibrin.Compared with LPS 0 h,at LPS 8 h,the oxygenation index and arterial blood pH were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while blood lactic acid and serum potassium were significantly increased(P<0.05);serum calcium and base excess were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the lung injury score based on HE-stained lung sections was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion The porcine ARDS model established by continuous LPS injection can dynamically simulate the pathophysiological characteristics and typical pathological manifestations of clinical septic ARDS,making it an effective tool to study the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment strategies of septic ARDS.

Hyperuricemia is a chronic metabolic disease resulting from purine metabolic dysfunction and is classified under the category of"blood turbidity"in traditional Chinese medicine.Our team termed it"acid turbidity,"and its pathogenesis is closely related to the dynamic evolution of the clear and the turbid components.With the change of modern people's diet structure,the incidence of hyperuricemia is increasing annually owing to the intake of fatty,sweet foods and alcohol.Therefore,this paper explores hyperuricemia from the"indigestion of spleen and stomach"theory.The core pathogenesis of hyperuricemia is indigestion of spleen and stomach,the inversion of clear and turbid substances,and endogenous acid turbidity.The initial manifestation of hyperuricemia is the internal retention of acid turbidity and ascending-descending disharmony;the gradual manifestation of this disease is that indigestion causes heat,and acid turbidity transforms into poison;the final manifestation of this disease is that secular indigestion causes deficiency and the inversion of clear and turbid substances.It can be summarized into three syndromes:syndromes of internal retention of dampness-turbidity,dampness-heat toxin amassment,and dampness-heat due to spleen deficiency.Therefore,this paper proposes to treat the disease according to different syndromes,with ascending the clear and descending the turbid as the core of treatment.And the therapeutic approach employs the flexible application of three methods:transportation,resolving,and transformation.For syndrome of internal retention of dampness-turbidity,treatment focuses on promoting spleen transportation to eliminate dampness;for syndrome of dampness-heat toxin amassment,the strategy is to resolve indigestion and purge heat;and for syndrome of dampness-heat due to spleen deficiency,the aim is to resolve turbidity and clear heat.By ascending the clear and descending the turbid,so that"returning the clear and the turbid to the original,"the spleen and stomach regain harmony,functions of ascending and descending are reestablished,and hyperuricemia can be effectively managed.

Objective To observe the impact factors of vascular heat sink effect during in vitro microwave ablation(MWA)of porcine lung.Methods Simulation models were established using in vitro porcine lung tissue blocks based on isobaric inflation with an air pump and cyclic perfusion of duck blood with a glass tube and peristaltic pump,etc.MWA was performed under 8 different combining conditions(vessel diameter of 3 or 5 mm,blood perfusion of 30 or 50 cm/s,as well as distance between vessel and ablation antenna of 5 or 10 mm)each for 3 times.The highest temperature TV on vessel side and TC on control side during MWA,and ablation depth DV on vessel side and DC on control side after MWA were recorded.Multi-factor linear regression equations were constructed based on simulated vessel diameters,blood perfusion and distance between vessel and ablation antenna,and the impact factors of|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|were screened,respectively.Results Simulated vessel diameter showed linear positive correlation with both|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|(both P＜0.001).Simulated distance between vessel and ablation antenna showed linear negative correlation with both|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|(both P＜0.001),and the latter had more obvious impact on vascular heat sink effect than the former.Meanwhile,no significant linear relationship was found between simulated blood perfusion and|TC-TV|nor|DC-DV|(both P＞0.05).Conclusion Simulated vessel diameter and distance between vessel and ablation antenna were both impact factors of vascular heat sink effect during in vitro MWA of porcine lung,and the latter was more influential,whereas simulated blood perfusion showed no significant impact on it.

Objective:To evaluate the role of a single PET-CT scan in predicting survival and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who did not undergo surgery but received radiotherapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 23 NSCLC patients treated at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from May 2022 to June 2024. All patients were pathologically confirmed, received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, did not undergo surgery for various reasons, and instead received radiotherapy. Each patient underwent only one PET-CT scan after neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy and before radiotherapy. According to the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) on PET-CT, patients were divided into the low-uptake group (SUV max < 8, n=12) and high-uptake group (SUV max ≥ 8, n=11). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with survival curves plotted. Univariate analysis of influencing factors of survival was conducted using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of the two groups were compared, including progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results:The 1-year PFS rates were 100% in the low-uptake group, 54.5% in the high-uptake group. This difference was statistically significant ( P=0.007). The 1-year and 2-year OS rates were both 100% in the low-uptake group, the 1-year and 2-year OS rates were both 90.9% in the high-uptake group, with no statistically significant difference ( P=0.394). Univariate Cox analysis identified age as an independent factor affecting PFS. Conclusions:For NSCLC patients who did not undergo surgical resection but received radiotherapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, a single PET-CT scan before radiotherapy has potential value in predicting PFS. However, clinical studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up are required to evaluate its predictive value for OS.

The amino-terminal pro-C-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proCNP)is a diagnostic inflam-matory marker clinically used for diagnosing bacterial infections.This study aims to establish a phage display library of single-chain variable fragment(scFv)antibodies against canine NT-proC-NP and to screen for scFvs with high binding affinity to NT-proCNP.Initially,NT-proCNP was prepared using prokaryotic expression system and was used to immunize New Zealand White rab-bits.Upon achieving the desired serum titer,total RNA was extracted from the splenocytes of rab-bits and reverse transcribed into cDNA.Using this cDNA as a template,degenerate primers were employed to amplify the genes of the rabbit antibody light chain variable region(VL)and heavy chain variable region(VH).The VL and VH regions were spliced together to form a complete scFv fragment via overlap extension PCR.The scFv was then ligated into the phagemid pComb3XSS and electroporated into competent E.coli TG1 cells to construct a rabbit-derived anti-NT-proCNP scFv immunological library.This library underwent four rounds of enrichment and screening to isolate specific single-chain antibodies.The selected antibody was subsequently ex-pressed in a soluble form within a prokaryotic system,and its immunological activity was evalua-ted.Using phage display technology,this study successfully identified a single-chain antibody scFv-1-CNP with strong antigen-binding activity and genetic sequence characteristics of scFvs,providing a research direction for further exploration of scFv applications in the detection of NT-proCNP.

Malonylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins.In this work,a comprehensive malonylation proteomics study on hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)tumorous and non-tumorous tissues using antibody enrichment combined with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for discovery of early diagnostic biomarkers or potential new drug targets of HCC was performed.A total of 1299 malonylated peptides containing 1064 malonylated sites were identified from HCC tissues,corresponding to 511 malonylated proteins.Quantitative results showed that 56 and 80 malonylated proteins were up-regulated and down-regulated in HCC tissues,including 60 and 101 malonylated sites,respectively.Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis showed that these differentially modified proteins were involved in various important pathways such as metabolic pathways,fatty acid degradation,and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.As a key enzyme in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1(PCK1)was malonylated at lysine 244(K244)and the malonylation was only detected in HCC tumorous tissues.More importantly,the K244 site served as a binding site for Mn2+and highly conserved across different species.Therefore,it could speculate that the malonylation of K244 would affect its activity and played a role in liver cancer by affecting its binding with Mn2+,which requied further verification through site mutation experiments.Western blot analysis by malonylation pan antibody showed that the malonylation level reduced markedly in HCC tumorous tissues compared with adjacent non-tumorous tissues,which was consistent with mass spectrometry data.In addition,the proliferation and invasion of PLC/PRF/5 cell was significantly inhibited and protein malonylation level was increased obviously when treated with sodium malonate.All the evidence indicated that protein malonylation played an important role in HCC pathogenesis,and its molecular mechanism deserved further investigation.Furthermore,the 136 differentially malonylated proteins provided rich source of candidate targets for further research on HCC pathogenesis.

In recent years,micro photoionization detectors(μPID),with their rapid response speed and excellent sensitivity,have attracted widespread attention in both scientific research and industry.This study developed a portable gas chromatograph based on μPID technology(GC-μPID),and examined its key performance characteristics such as reproducibility,sensitivity,and online analytical capability.The results showed that the method's relative standard deviation(RSD)was controlled within 2.7%,demonstrating good reproducibility;for the standard curves of 27 kinds of volatile organic compounds(VOCs),the linearity was excellent(R2≥0.99),with detection limits of≤10 μg/m3 and benzene series compounds reaching detection limits as low as 0.5 μg/m3.In field applications at an industrial park,this method successfully identified and quantified 17 kinds of VOCs,accurately capturing their diurnal concentration variations.The results above validated that the method developed here had the capability of onsite real-time monitoring and provided an effective tool for in situ monitoring atmospheric pollutants.

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