Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and stability of a centric relation (CR)-guided approach combined with micro-implant anchorage and long traction hooks for root-controlled retraction of the maxillary anterior teeth in a patient with skeletal maxillary protrusion and dual bite, and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: A case of a 29-year-old female patient with skeletal maxillary protrusion and an asymptomatic discrepancy between the maximum intercuspation position (MIP) and CR (dual bite) was reported. First, the CR was identified and obtained by cone beam computed tomography examination and clinical techniques, then was stabilized by glass ionomer bite registration and myofunctional training. Maintaining the CR, the maxillary micro-implants combined with long traction hooks were used to correct skeletal maxillary protrusion by facilitating maxillary anterior teeth retraction, and finally a new intercuspal occlusion was established to maintain long-term stability. A literature review was conducted to contextualize the treatment rationale and key steps. Results: Post-treatment, a coordinated and stable functional occlusion was established in CR without temporomandibular joint symptoms, and the condylar location was coordinated with the glenoid fossa. Controlled root retraction of the maxillary anterior segment and facial profile improvement were achieved. At 3-year follow-up, both occlusion in the CR and condylar positions remained stable. The literature review indicated that, in patients with CR-MIP discrepancy, prioritizing the identification and stabilization of CR is critical, and micro-implant anchorage with long traction hooks effectively facilitates maxillary anterior teeth retraction and profile improvement. Conclusion For skeletal maxillary protrusion with dual bite, a CR-first strategy combined with micro-implant anchorage and long-hook mechanics for root-controlled anterior retraction can concurrently improve stomatognathic function and facial aesthetics, demonstrating favorable mid- to long-term stability.

Ephedra can improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a main active ingredients of ephedra. It has anti-inflammatory pharmacological properties. Its effect on COPD and its possible mechanism have not been elucidated. The COPD rat model was constructed by systemic cigarette smoke exposure combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) tracheal instillation. BEAS-2B cells were treated using cigarette smoke extract; PSE was administered for treatment. The senescence level of rat lung tissue and bronchial epithelial cells was evaluated through staining, immunofluorescence and western blot.The mitochondrial damage of rats and BEAS-2B cells was detected by transmission electron microscopy, JC-1 probe, MitoSOX Red probe and kits. In addition, the lung function indexes of rats were detected by animal lung function analysis system. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining analyzed the pathological damage. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), kit and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate inflammation and oxidative stress. Western blot detected phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) axis protein. PSE significantly reduced senescent cells, apoptosis rate and P21 level in rat lung tissue and BEAS-2B cells, significantly increased the levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), restored mitochondrial structure, and visible mitochondrial cristae. It also inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and mitochondrial excessive fission. PSE also significantly improved lung function in rats, increased mean alveolar number (MAN), reduced pro-inflammatory factors, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. PSE markedly suppressed p-p85, p-AKT and p-mTOR protein expressions. In addition, the PI3K/AKT agonist 740Y-P weakened the effect of PSE on improving COPD. PSE inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis, improved lung tissue senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction and pathological damage, and reduced airway inflammation and oxidative stress damage, thereby alleviating COPD.

Objective:To explore the impact of age on the genetic variant spectrum and prognosis of patients with previously untreated Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and follow-up information of 254 previously untreated DLBCL patients from 14 hospitals in the Jiangsu Cooperative Lymphoma Group (JCLG) enrolled from July 2018 and July 2023. Following extraction of DNA from tumor tissue samples, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique was employed to analyze the genetic variant spectrum of the DLBCL patients, with an evaluation of the relationship between age and genetic variants as well as prognosis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (Ethics No.: 2023-K048-01).Results:The median age of the 254 DLBCL patients was 62 years old, with 55% of patients aged 60 years or above. Clinical evaluation showed that younger (< 60 years) patients had higher complete response (CR) (70% vs. 59%), and objective response rate (ORR) (88% vs. 79%) than older patients, though the difference between the two groups was not statistically. Survival analysis indicated that both the five-year overall survival (OS) (82.7% vs. 71.7%, P=0.006) and progression-free survival (PFS) (70.6% vs. 50.2%, P<0.05) rates were significantly higher in younger patients. NGS showed that 99.6% of the patients harbored genetic variants, with PIM1, KMT2D, TP53, MYD88, and CD79B being the most common genes. Age significantly affected the variant frequency of certain genes, with MYC variants serving an adverse prognostic factor for OS in younger patients ( P=0.001), while TP53 ( P=0.024) and BCL2 ( P=0.002) variants significantly impacted OS in older patients. Prognostic analysis identified age ≥ 60 years ( HR=3.439, 95% CI=1.318~9.874), presence of B symptoms ( HR = 2.871, 95% CI=1.133~7.307), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase ( HR=3.528, 95% CI=1.231~10.66) as independent adverse prognostic factors. Conclusion:Age, genetic variants, and clinical factors may significantly affect the prognosis of the DLBCL patients. Younger patients have better survival compared to older patients. Variants of the MYC, BCL2, and TP53 genes are closely associated with poor prognosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms of action of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan in treating viral pneumonia by combining network pharmacology and molecular docking with in vivo experimental validation. MethodsNetwork pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict the core components， target genes， and major pathways of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan. Molecular docking was then applied to verify the interactions between the core components and key targets. Sixty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into six groups （n = 10 per group）， including blank， model， dexamethasone， and Ganlu Xiaodu Dan low-， medium-， and high-dose groups. The blank and model groups were gavaged with physiological saline （10 mL·kg^-1） every 12 h. The dexamethasone group received intraperitoneal injections of dexamethasone （5 mg·kg^-1）. The low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan were gavaged with solutions at concentrations of 7.2， 14.4， and 21.6 g·kg^-1， respectively， every 12 h. Lung wet/dry weight ratio （W/D） was measured. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-17， and IL-1β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K） and protein kinase B （Akt） in lung tissue for further validation. ResultsTwelve potential active components of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan were identified through network pharmacology. A total of 306 overlapping target genes were obtained between Ganlu Xiaodu Dan and viral pneumonia. PPI network analysis identified the top 20 key targets， and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed the top 20 signaling pathways. An “active component–target–pathway” network was constructed. Molecular docking demonstrated strong affinity between the core components of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan and key targets related to viral pneumonia. In animal experiments， compared with the blank group， the model group showed severe bronchial epithelial damage， disordered alveolar structure， massive inflammatory cell infiltration， widened alveolar septa， and obvious interstitial edema. W/D， levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and IL-17 in BALF， and protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in lung tissue were all significantly increased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， lung injury in the Ganlu Xiaodu Dan groups and the dexamethasone group was alleviated. W/D and TNF-α levels were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. IL-1β and IL-17 levels were significantly reduced in the medium- and high-dose groups and the dexamethasone group， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in lung tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. ConclusionGanlu Xiaodu Dan can alleviate lung injury in viral pneumonia by suppressing the inflammatory response， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt pathway activation.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms of action of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan in treating viral pneumonia by combining network pharmacology and molecular docking with in vivo experimental validation. MethodsNetwork pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict the core components， target genes， and major pathways of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan. Molecular docking was then applied to verify the interactions between the core components and key targets. Sixty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into six groups （n = 10 per group）， including blank， model， dexamethasone， and Ganlu Xiaodu Dan low-， medium-， and high-dose groups. The blank and model groups were gavaged with physiological saline （10 mL·kg^-1） every 12 h. The dexamethasone group received intraperitoneal injections of dexamethasone （5 mg·kg^-1）. The low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan were gavaged with solutions at concentrations of 7.2， 14.4， and 21.6 g·kg^-1， respectively， every 12 h. Lung wet/dry weight ratio （W/D） was measured. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-17， and IL-1β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K） and protein kinase B （Akt） in lung tissue for further validation. ResultsTwelve potential active components of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan were identified through network pharmacology. A total of 306 overlapping target genes were obtained between Ganlu Xiaodu Dan and viral pneumonia. PPI network analysis identified the top 20 key targets， and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed the top 20 signaling pathways. An “active component–target–pathway” network was constructed. Molecular docking demonstrated strong affinity between the core components of Ganlu Xiaodu Dan and key targets related to viral pneumonia. In animal experiments， compared with the blank group， the model group showed severe bronchial epithelial damage， disordered alveolar structure， massive inflammatory cell infiltration， widened alveolar septa， and obvious interstitial edema. W/D， levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and IL-17 in BALF， and protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in lung tissue were all significantly increased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， lung injury in the Ganlu Xiaodu Dan groups and the dexamethasone group was alleviated. W/D and TNF-α levels were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. IL-1β and IL-17 levels were significantly reduced in the medium- and high-dose groups and the dexamethasone group， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in lung tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. ConclusionGanlu Xiaodu Dan can alleviate lung injury in viral pneumonia by suppressing the inflammatory response， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt pathway activation.

OBJECTIVE: To construct and validate a predictive model for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Tongdu Yangxin prescription (acupoint prescription for promoting the circulation of the governor vessel and nourishing the heart) on insomnia, so as to develop an open-access interactive artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted decision-making platform. METHODS: Clinical data of 139 insomnia patients treated with Tongdu Yangxin acupuncture therapy were included. All the patients had received acupuncture at Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV24⁺), bilateral Shenmen (HT7), and bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP6); and electric stimulation was attached to Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV24⁺), using a continuous wave and a frequency of 2 Hz. The treatment was delivered once every other day, 3 treatments a week, and for 2 consecutive weeks. Patients with Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score reduction rate <50% were classified as the "no response group", and those with ≥50% were as the "response group". Outliers were addressed using the 1.5×IQR rule, and missing values were imputed via predictive mean matching. Key features were selected by intersecting the feature importance results from eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and random forest algorithms. After balancing class distribution using the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE), 20% of the data was reserved as a validation set. The remained data underwent the stratified sampling iterations to generate 200 pairs of 3∶1 training-test sets, which was employed for training and internal validation of 8 machine learning algorithms. The optimal algorithm and data partitioning strategy were selected to construct the final model, followed by external validation. The best-performing model was deployed online via Streamlit to create an interactive AI platform. RESULTS: Key predictive features for model construction included insomnia duration, the total PSQI score, PSQI sleep efficiency subscore, the proportion of N1 and N2 sleep stages in total sleep duration, and the maximum pulse rate during sleep. The CatBoost-based model achieved an AUC of 0.92, the average precision of 0.77, and accuracy, average recall, and average F1-score of 0.75 on the test set. On the validation set, it attained an AUC of 0.84, with accuracy, average precision, average recall, and average F1-score all at 0.72, demonstrating robust predictive performance. An interactive AI platform was subsequently developed (https://tdyx-catboost.streamlit.app/). CONCLUSION This study successfully establishes and validates a CatBoost-based efficacy prediction model for Tongdu Yangxin acupuncture therapy in treatment of insomnia. The developed AI platform provides data-driven decision support for acupuncture-based insomnia management.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Artificial Intelligence ; Aged ; Young Adult

Background: Epimedii Folium, first recorded in the Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing), is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) known for its effects of “benefiting Qi and strengthening the heart.” Icariside II (ICS II) is one of the main active components of Epimedii Folium, possessing cardiovascular protective and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential mechanisms of ICS II on myocardial ischemia (MI) remain unclear. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II in treating isoproterenolinduced MI in rats. Methods: A rat model of MI was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol. Electrocardiography, echocardiography, myocardial enzymes analysis, heart weight index, triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, histopathology, TUNEL staining, RT-qPCR, and Western blot were employed to evaluate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II on MI rats. Results: Pharmacodynamic studies suggested that ICS II inhibited ST-segment elevation in electrocardiograms, improved cardiac function, reduced heart weight index and myocardial enzyme levels, decreased myocardial infarct size, alleviated cardiac histological damage, and inhibited apoptosis, thereby exerting cardioprotective effects in MI rats. Further studies revealed that ICS II may partially inhibit the expression of NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis-related targets at both protein and mRNA levels. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ICS II exerts anti-MI effects, and its preliminary molecular mechanisms may be related to inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis to alleviate inflammatory responses.

Background: Epimedii Folium, first recorded in the Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing), is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) known for its effects of “benefiting Qi and strengthening the heart.” Icariside II (ICS II) is one of the main active components of Epimedii Folium, possessing cardiovascular protective and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential mechanisms of ICS II on myocardial ischemia (MI) remain unclear. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II in treating isoproterenolinduced MI in rats. Methods: A rat model of MI was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol. Electrocardiography, echocardiography, myocardial enzymes analysis, heart weight index, triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, histopathology, TUNEL staining, RT-qPCR, and Western blot were employed to evaluate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II on MI rats. Results: Pharmacodynamic studies suggested that ICS II inhibited ST-segment elevation in electrocardiograms, improved cardiac function, reduced heart weight index and myocardial enzyme levels, decreased myocardial infarct size, alleviated cardiac histological damage, and inhibited apoptosis, thereby exerting cardioprotective effects in MI rats. Further studies revealed that ICS II may partially inhibit the expression of NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis-related targets at both protein and mRNA levels. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ICS II exerts anti-MI effects, and its preliminary molecular mechanisms may be related to inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis to alleviate inflammatory responses.

Background: Epimedii Folium, first recorded in the Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing), is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) known for its effects of “benefiting Qi and strengthening the heart.” Icariside II (ICS II) is one of the main active components of Epimedii Folium, possessing cardiovascular protective and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential mechanisms of ICS II on myocardial ischemia (MI) remain unclear. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II in treating isoproterenolinduced MI in rats. Methods: A rat model of MI was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol. Electrocardiography, echocardiography, myocardial enzymes analysis, heart weight index, triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, histopathology, TUNEL staining, RT-qPCR, and Western blot were employed to evaluate the effects and preliminary molecular mechanisms of ICS II on MI rats. Results: Pharmacodynamic studies suggested that ICS II inhibited ST-segment elevation in electrocardiograms, improved cardiac function, reduced heart weight index and myocardial enzyme levels, decreased myocardial infarct size, alleviated cardiac histological damage, and inhibited apoptosis, thereby exerting cardioprotective effects in MI rats. Further studies revealed that ICS II may partially inhibit the expression of NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis-related targets at both protein and mRNA levels. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ICS II exerts anti-MI effects, and its preliminary molecular mechanisms may be related to inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis to alleviate inflammatory responses.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of age on the genetic variant spectrum and prognosis of patients with previously untreated Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and follow-up information of 254 previously untreated DLBCL patients from 14 hospitals in the Jiangsu Cooperative Lymphoma Group (JCLG) enrolled from July 2018 and July 2023. Following extraction of DNA from tumor tissue samples, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique was employed to analyze the genetic variant spectrum of the DLBCL patients, with an evaluation of the relationship between age and genetic variants as well as prognosis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (Ethics No.: 2023-K048-01). RESULTS: The median age of the 254 DLBCL patients was 62 years old, with 55% of patients aged 60 years or above. Clinical evaluation showed that younger (< 60 years) patients had higher complete response (CR) (70% vs. 59%), and objective response rate (ORR) (88% vs. 79%) than older patients, though the difference between the two groups was not statistically. Survival analysis indicated that both the five-year overall survival (OS) (82.7% vs. 71.7%, P = 0.006) and progression-free survival (PFS) (70.6% vs. 50.2%, P < 0.05) rates were significantly higher in younger patients. NGS showed that 99.6% of the patients harbored genetic variants, with PIM1, KMT2D, TP53, MYD88, and CD79B being the most common genes. Age significantly affected the variant frequency of certain genes, with MYC variants serving an adverse prognostic factor for OS in younger patients (P = 0.002), while TP53 (P = 0.024) and BCL2 (P = 0.002) variants significantly impacted OS in older patients. Prognostic analysis identified age ≥ 60 years (HR = 3.439, 95%CI: 1.318~9.874), presence of B symptoms (HR = 2.871, 95%CI = 1.133~7.307), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (HR = 3.528, 95%CI = 1.231~10.66) as independent adverse prognostic factors. CONCLUSION Age, genetic variants, and clinical factors may significantly affect the prognosis of the DLBCL patients. Younger patients have better survival compared to older patients. Variants of the MYC, BCL2, and TP53 genes are closely associated with poor prognosis.
Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Prognosis ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Genetic Variation