This study examined the effect of islet macrophages on β-cell function changes during type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progression based on the traditional Chinese medicine theory that " moderate fire generating qi, hyperactive fire consuming qi" . T2DM is closely associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, with islet macrophages playing a central role in this process. Under physiological conditions, islet macrophages secrete anti-inflammatory and growth factors to regulate the immune response, promote cell proliferation, and support islet β-cell survival and function, reflecting the concept of " moderate fire generating qi" . However, during the pathological process of T2DM, islet macrophages become over-activated and dysfunctional, secreting large amounts of pro-inflammatory factors that trigger severe inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. This process damages islet β-cells, disrupts the islet microenvironment and blood supply, exacerbates local inflammation and structural damage, and worsens the survival environment of β-cells. Ultimately, this leads to fewer β-cells and function loss, aligning with the " hyperactive fire consuming qi" theory, where excessive fire depletes qi and blood. This study enhances the understanding and application of traditional Chinese medicine theories in modern medicine, offering a new perspective on T2DM prevention and treatment. Regulating islet macrophage function and reducing their pro-inflammatory responses may become key strategies for preserving β-cell function and slowing T2DM progression.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is considered the standard treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer.The most commonly used drugs in this therapy are gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and GnRH antagonists. Both types of drugs exert their therapeutic effects through the endocrine system，but their mechanisms of action differ significantly. GnRH agonists activate the GnRH receptor，leading to a negative feedback mechanism，whereas GnRH antagonists directly bind to the GnRH receptor and block the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). These differences result in varying clinical outcomes. This paper provides a systematic comparison of the two types of drugs in terms of efficacy，safety，adverse events，and improvements of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in different clinical scenarios. Additionally，the paper also discusses the benefits of switching between these two treatment options and the future directions of ADT，aiming to offer practical insights to clinicians for the optimal use of these therapies.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factor POU2F1 regulates the expression levels of microRNAs in neoplasia. However, the miR-29b1/a cluster modulated by POU2F1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. METHODS: Gene expression in GC cells was evaluated using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to evaluate protein interactions. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological behavior of GC cells. MiR-29b1/a cluster promoter analysis and luciferase activity assay for the 3'-UTR study were performed in GC cells. In vivo tumor metastasis was evaluated in nude mice. RESULTS: POU2F1 is overexpressed in GC cell lines and binds to the miR-29b1/a cluster promoter. POU2F1 is upregulated, whereas mature miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p are downregulated in GC tissues. POU2F1 promotes GC metastasis by inhibiting miR-29b-3p or miR-29a-3p expression in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, PIK3R1 and/or PIK3R3 are direct targets of miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p , and the ectopic expression of PIK3R1 or PIK3R3 reverses the suppressive effect of mature miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p on GC cell metastasis and invasion. Additionally, the interaction of PIK3R1 with PIK3R3 promotes migration and invasion, and miR-29b-3p , miR-29a-3p , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 regulate migration and invasion via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway in GC cells. In addition, POU2F1 , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 expression levels negatively correlated with miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p expression levels in GC tissue samples. CONCLUSIONS The POU2F1 - miR-29b-3p / miR-29a-3p-PIK3R1 / PIK3R1 signaling axis regulates tumor progression and may be a promising therapeutic target for GC.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/physiology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mice ; Octamer Transcription Factor-1/metabolism* ; Mice, Nude ; Class Ia Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics* ; Male ; Immunohistochemistry ; Female

OBJECTIVE: To develop a clinical automated diagnostic system for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) based on the diagnostic criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) to assist dentists in making rapid and accurate clinical diagnosis of TMD. METHODS: Clinical and imaging data of 354 patients, who visited the Center for TMD & Orofacial Pain at Peking University Hospital of Stomatology from September 2023 to January 2024, were retrospectively collected. The study developed a clinical automated diagnostic system for TMD using the DC/TMD, built on the. NET Framework platform with branching statements as its internal structure. Further validation of the system on consistency and diagnostic efficacy compared with DC/TMD were also explored. Diagnostic efficacy of the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system for degenerative joint diseases, disc displacement with reduction, disc displacements without reduction with limited mouth opening and disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening was evaluated and compared with a specialist in the field of TMD. Accuracy, precision, specificity and the Kappa value were assessed between the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system and the specialist. RESULTS: Diagnoses for various TMD subtypes, including pain-related TMD (arthralgia, myalgia, headache attributed to TMD) and intra-articular TMD (disc displacement with reduction, disc displacement with reduction with intermittent locking, disc displacement without reduction with limited opening, disc displacement without reduction without limited opening, degenerative joint disease and subluxation), using the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system were completely identical to those obtained by the TMD specialist based on DC/TMD. Both the system and the expert showed low sensitivity for diagnosing degenerative joint disease (0.24 and 0.37, respectively), but high specificity (0.96). Both methods achieved high accuracy (> 0.9) for diagnosing disc displacements with reduction and disc displacements without reduction with limited mouth opening. The sensitivity for diagnosing disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening was only 0.59 using the automated system, lower than the expert (0.87), while both had high specificity (0.92). The Kappa values for most TMD subtypes were close to 1, except the disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening, which had a Kappa value of 0.68. CONCLUSION This study developed and validated a reliable clinical automated diagnostic system for TMD based on DC/TMD. The system is designed to facilitate the rapid and accurate diagnosis and classification of TMD, and is expected to be an important tool in clinical scenarios.
Humans ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Facial Pain/diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Young Adult

Background::Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of death from prostate cancer (PCa) in recent decades, bringing a great disease burden worldwide. Men with preexisting CVD have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events when treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The present study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk evaluation of CVD among people with newly diagnosed PCa in China.Methods::Clinical data of newly diagnosed PCa patients were retrospectively collected from 34 centers in China from 2010 to 2022 through convenience sampling. CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and others. CVD risk was estimated by calculating Framingham risk scores (FRS). Patients were accordingly divided into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical variables. Results::A total of 4253 patients were enrolled in the present study. A total of 27.0% (1147/4253) of patients had comorbid PCa and CVD, and 7.2% (307/4253) had two or more CVDs. The enrolled population was distributed in six regions of China, and approximately 71.0% (3019/4253) of patients lived in urban areas. With imaging and pathological evaluation, most PCa patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage, with 20.5% (871/4253) locally progressing and 20.5% (871/4253) showing metastasis. Most of them initiated prostatectomy (46.6%, 1983/4253) or regimens involving ADT therapy (45.7%, 1944/4253) for prostate cancer. In the present PCa cohort, 43.1% (1832/4253) of patients had hypertension, and half of them had poorly controlled blood pressure. With FRS stratification, as expected, a higher risk of CVD was related to aging and metabolic disturbance. However, we also found that patients with treatment involving ADT presented an originally higher risk of CVD than those without ADT. This was in accordance with clinical practice, i.e., aged patients or patients at advanced oncological stages were inclined to accept systematic integrative therapy instead of surgery. Among patients who underwent medical castration, only 4.0% (45/1118) received gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists, in stark contrast to the grim situation of CVD prevalence and risk.Conclusions::PCa patients in China are diagnosed at an advanced stage. A heavy CVD burden was present at the initiation of treatment. Patients who accepted ADT-related therapy showed an original higher risk of CVD, but the awareness of cardiovascular protection was far from sufficient.

Objective:To explore the clinical safety and effectiveness of self-draining ureteral stent with thread in kidney transplant recipients in renal transplantation.Methods:This study is a prospective cohort clinical study in the Department of Urology of Peking University People's Hospital from November 2022 to January 2024.The ureteral stent with thread group,in which a 2-0 Mersilene suture of 20-30 cm was used at the bladder end of the ureteral stent during the operation.On the 9th day after the opera-tion,the suture attached to the end of the ureteral stent was expelled out of the urethral orifice with the urine when the catheter was removed.The ureteral stent could be removed along with the suture.As to the cystoscope group,a ureteral stent was routinely placed during kidney transplantation,and the ureteral stent was removed under local infiltration anesthesia through cystoscopy after the operation.The pain scores[numerical rating scale(NRS)-11]during catheter removal and the incidence of urinary tract in-fections were observed and compared between the two groups.t test was used to compare the pain scores of indwelling ureteral stents and ureteral stents removal between the two groups,and Chi-square test was used to compare the occurrence of urinary system complications within 3 months after operation between the two groups.P＜0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:As of March 2024,all the re-cipients were followed up for an average of 6 months(3 to 12 months)postoperatively.A total of 46 kid-ney transplantation patients were included,with 21 in the ureteral stent with thread group and 25 in the cystoscope group.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age distri-bution,male-to-female ratio,and deceased versus live donor grafts.Three months after renal transplanta-tion,there were 15 cases of urinary tract infection in the cystoscope group and 4 cases in the ureteral stent with thread group(P=0.007).No significant urinary fistula,wound infection,or ureteral stenosis occurred in either group.No stent-related complications,stent migration,or stone formation were ob-served.The postoperative bladder spasm symptom scores for indwelling ureteral stents in the cystoscope group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 4.4±2.5 and 4.6±2.4,respectively,with no sta-tistically significant difference(t=0.29,P=0.773).However,the pain scores during ureteral stent re-moval were 4.9±1.6 and 3.0±1.0 in the two groups,respectively,with a statistically significant diffe-rence(t=5.017,P＜0.001).The total costs of indwelling and removing ureteral stents in the cystosco-py group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 6 452.0(5 539.5,6 452.0)yuan and 3 225.0(3 225.0,3 225.0)yuan,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).Conclusion:Compared with the conventional transplanted kidney ureteral stent,the self-discharge ure-teral stent technique with sutures is simpler,has a shorter ureteral stent inlay time,reduces the symptoms of bladder spasms,significantly reduces the cost of catheterization,and has fewer postoperative urinary system complications.It is a worthy improved surgical method to be promoted.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jiawei Simiao powder (JWSMP) combined with celecoxib for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Databases, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Wanfang, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception until December 2023. Continuous variables were analyzed using the mean difference (MD) for analysis, and dichotomous variables were used as risk ratios. Data with similar characteristics were pooled for meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was assessed using I2. The Cochrane Handbook was used to assess the risk of bias and quality. RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform the meta-analysis. Results: Thirteen RCTs involving 1007 patients were included in the study. The quality of the included studies was low (unclear randomization processes and insufficient blinding reporting). The group receiving JWSMP combined with celecoxib showed significantly lower levels of serum uric acid (SUA, MD = −66.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): −80.97 to −51.67, P < .001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, MD = −6.05, 95% CI: −8.29 to −3.82, P < .001), C-reactive protein (CRP, MD = −7.39, 95% CI: −11.15, −3.63, P < .001), and joint pain score (VAS score, MD = −2.14, 95% CI: −2.4 to −1.88, P < .001) compared to celecoxib alone. Additionally, the JWSMP combined group had a higher total effective rate (risk ratio = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.29, P < .001) and fewer adverse compared to celecoxib alone. Conclusions JWSMP combined with celecoxib is more effective than celecoxib alone in improving the total efficacy rate, alleviating joint pain, and improving SUA, ESR, and CRP levels. JWSMP also reduced the occurrence of adverse events caused by celecoxib. However, the quality of the included studies was low, highlighting the need for further high-quality research with larger sample sizes and robust methodologies, such as double-blind randomization, to confirm these findings.

Objective:To summarize the best evidence for the use of ankle pump exercises in preventing perioperative lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients undergoing joint replacement surgery and to evaluate its clinical application.Methods:This study utilized an evidence-based continuous quality improvement model. A systematic search was conducted for relevant clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from both domestic and international sources. The best evidence was evaluated and summarized, and audit indicators were developed for baseline assessments. Facilitating and hindering factors were analyzed based on the baseline results. From December 2022 to April 2023, the evidence was applied in the Department of Orthopedics at Henan Provincial People's Hospital. The pre-evidence group for baseline assessments included 36 joint replacement patients and 18 nurses from the orthopedic unit between December 2022 and January 2023, while the post-evidence group included 36 joint replacement patients and the same 18 nurses between March and April 2023. The knowledge level of nurses, the effectiveness of ankle pump exercises, the execution rate, and patient compliance were compared before and after evidence-based practice.Results:A total of 12 articles were included in the study, comprising one clinical practice guideline, five expert consensus papers, one systematic review, and five RCTs. Ten best practices were summarized in terms of applicable populations, exercise assessment, exercise positions, timing, methods, frequency, and patient education. After implementing evidence-based practice, the knowledge scores of nurses on ankle pump exercises significantly improved from (70.56±9.98) to (82.78±8.26) ( P<0.01). The compliance rates of audit items 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 among nurses increased from 0, 22.2%, 0, 27.8%, and 11.1% respectively, to 94.4%, 94.4%, 83.3%, 100.0%, and 100.0% respectively ( P<0.01). On the patient side, the compliance rates for audit items 7 and 8 increased from 5.6% and 0 to 86.1% and 94.4%, respectively ( P<0.01) . Conclusions:Implementing evidence-based ankle pump exercises to prevent DVT in joint replacement patients can significantly improve nurses' knowledge of evidence-based practice, standardize the practice of ankle pump exercises, and explore balanced educational strategies that enhance patient compliance, ensuring clinical practices are evidence-based.

Objective To explore the effective target and active ingredient prediction of premature ovarian insufficiency(POI)treated by Tiaojing decoction by ferroptosis pathway by network pharmacokogy and bioniformatics.Methods The active ingredients and target genes of Tiaojing decoction were obtained through traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform(TCMSP)and bioinformatics analysis tool for molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine databases,disease targets for POI were obtained by using GeneCards,therapeutic target database and Drugbank,and intersection targets were obtained by Venn.Core target gene network of Tiaojing decoction in treatment of POI were constructed through the ferroptosis pathway by ferroptosis database,Cytoscape and STRING software.Then,the DAVID database was used to perform gene ontology and biological pathway enrichment analysis on the predicted targets related to ferroptosis of POI treated with Tiaojing decoction.Subsequently,differential genes in biology related to POI were obtained through the gene expression omnibus(GEO)database for further extraction of key targets,and the binding affinity of active small molecule drug components were verified through molecular docking.Results A total of 154 active ingredients,101 targets related to POI and 23 genes related to ferroptosis were selected from 13 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines in Tiaojing decoction.The enrichment analysis showed that the main involved pathways were phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt)signaling pathway and hypoxia inducible factor-1 signaling pathway.Through GEO database screening,the key targets of Tiaojing decoction in intervening POI through ferroptosis pathway were glycogen synthase kinase-3 β(GSK-3 β),caveolin-1(CAV1),mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)and protein kinase C alpha gene(PRKCA),all expression of which reduced in POI.The results of molecular docking showed that CAV1-quercetin and GSK-3β-luteolin had stable binding ability.Conclusion The network pharmacology results suggest that the ferroptosis pathway may be an important mechanism of Tiaojing decoction in treatment of POI,GSK-3β,CAV1,mTOR,PRKCA and other targets,as well as PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,may play important roles in them.

Objective To investigate associations between three-dimensional(3D)morphology of cervical vertebrae and skeletal mat-uration by cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT)and establish corresponding regression models for quantitatively evaluating cervical vertebral maturation(CVM).Methods The analyzed sample consisted of 358 CBCT images(175 male,183 female),of which 277 images were randomly selected as the model development group and 81 as the performance test group.Twenty-one 3D morphological pa-rameters were defined and measured,incorporating all parts of the cervical vertebrae,including the cervical vertebral bodies,transverse processes,spinous processes,pedicles,lamina,and articular processes.The cervical vertebral maturation index(CVMI)was determined by experienced orthodontists as reference standard.Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and multivariable stepwise regression analysis were used to identify the associations and build regression models.The performance test group was employed to ex-amine each model's reliability.Paired-samples Wilcoxon signed-rank test compared the CVMI of the model prediction with the reference standard.Results Three-dimensional morphological changes in various parts of the cervical vertebrae correlated with CVMI(P＜0.05).Six 3D morphometric parameters were each recognized for male and female models,three of which were identical.The adjusted R2 was 0.899 for males and 0.902 for females,with corresponding accuracies of 85.0%and 85.4%,respectively.These models showed no difference as compared with the reference standard(P＞0.05).Con-clusion New associations were found between 3D morphology of cer-vical vertebrae and skeletal maturation.The 3D-driven morphometric CVM assessment method and corresponding regression models exhibited good credibility and high consistency with experts.