ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

BACKGROUND:Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur are particularly common in elderly and osteoporosis patients,and treatment often requires internal fixation surgery to stabilize the fracture and promote healing. However,internal fixation surgery may occasionally fail,leading to serious problems such as nonunion of fractures,malunion,or re-fracture.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of artificial total hip arthroplasty on postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur and the influencing factors of postoperative occult blood loss.METHODS:Totally 86 patients with failed internal fixation of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur who were treated in First People's Hospital of Yangquan City from May 2019 to September 2022 and had complete follow-up data were collected. Using artificial total hip arthroplasty for treatment,relevant clinical indicators of the patient were recorded,and Harris score,visual analog scale score,and SF-36 score were compared and analyzed before and after surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted on the factors affecting occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression models and neural network models were established to predict occult blood loss. The predictive performance and accuracy of the two models were compared by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Totally 86 patients with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were successfully treated with artificial total hip arthroplasty after internal fixation failure. (2) There were statistically significant differences in Harris score,visual analog scale score,SF-36 score,and hip active range of motion between patients before and 3,6,and 12 months after surgery (P<0.05). (3) The age,hypertension ratio,diabetes ratio,osteoporosis ratio,operation time,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease in the high occult blood loss group were significantly higher than those in the low occult blood loss group (P<0.05). The proportion of bone cement type prostheses,anterior approach,and 2-3 grade hip jointspace in the low occult blood loss group were higher than those in the high occult blood loss group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender ratio,body mass index,proportion of chronic bronchitis,proportion of sides,anesthesia method,and acetabular cup diameter (P>0.05). (4) Through multivariate logistic regression analysis,age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease were the risk factors for high occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty (P<0.05). (5) After incorporating influencing factors into the logistic regression model and neural network model for predicting occult blood loss,the receiver operating characteristic curves of the two models were plotted with area under curve values of 0.882 and 0.923,sensitivity values of 0.879 and 0.886,specificity values of 0.854 and 0.908,Youden index values of 0.733 and 0.794,and accuracy values of 0.867 and 0.897,respectively. The area under curve,Youden index,and accuracy of both models were higher than those of neural network models. (6) It is concluded that total hip arthroplasty has a significant clinical effect on treating postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur,with good recovery of hip joint range of motion. Age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease are important factors for the high risk of occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression model and neural network model based on risk factors have little difference in the prediction results of occult blood loss,and neural network model is higher.

Acute lateral ankle sprain (ALAS) is one of the most common sport injuries, with high incidence, recurrence and disability rates. Currently, exercise rehabilitation-based non-surgical treatment is the primary management approach for ALAS. However, there remain improper practices such as excessive immobilization or uncontrolled activity, which contribute to recurrent sprains and chronic ankle instability, significantly impairing patients′ athletic function and quality of life. To standardize the non-surgical management of ALAS, improve the cure rates, and reduce the recurrence and disability rates, Chinese Sports Rehabilitation Medicine Training Project of Chinese Medical Association, Foot and Ankle Basics and Orthopedics Group, Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and Sports Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate Expert consensus on non-surgical treatment for acute lateral ankle sprain ( version 2025), following the principles of scientific vigor, practicality, and innovation. Thirteen recommendations were proposed for standardized treatment protocols across different healing phases, aiming to provide references for standard management of ALAS and improve the therapeutic outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of secondary primary cancer (SPC) after cervical cancer and to construct a nomogram model for predicting the prognosis.Methods:The data of 3 790 patients with primary cervical cancer from the 3rd edition of the International Classification of Diseases Oncology (ICD-O-3) number C53.9 between 2000 and 2020 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were retrospectively analyzed, and SPC occurred in 2 036 cases out of 3 790 patients. Standardized incidence rate (SIR) of patients with cervical cancer was calculated by using SEER*Stat software; Cox proportional hazards model was used to make the univariate and multivariate analysis on the influencing factors of the overall survival (OS) in patients with SPC after cervical cancer. By using the "rms" package of R software, nomogram models for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates in SPC patients after cervical cancer were constructed based on prognostic independent influencing factors. The prediction efficacy and consistency of the model were verified by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the calibration curve.Results:The cervical cancer patients with the age of diagnosis of 20-34 years old (SIR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.57-1.98), black race (SIR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.61-1.90), the interval period of 2 primary tumors: 6-11 months (SIR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.50-1.90), histologic grade Ⅳ (SIR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1 30-2.00), chemotherapy (SIR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.56-1.71), radiotherapy (SIR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.53-1.66), unmarried (SIR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.41-1.54) had high SIR. Multivariate Cox regression analysis results of 2 036 SPC patients after cervical cancer showed that unmarried, SEER stage of regional lesion phase, distant metastasis phase and unknown, histologic grade of Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ and the unknown, unknown lymph node dissection, other sites expert for lymphoma in SPC sites were independent risk factors of OS in SPC patients after cervical cancer (all P < 0.05); receiving surgery for SPC (compared to those not receiving surgery, HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.32-0.45, P = 0.001), radiotherapy (compared to those not receiving radiotherapy or unknown, HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56-0.78, P = 0.001), and chemotherapy (compared to those not receiving chemotherapy or unknown, HR = 0.86, 95% CI:0.74-0.99, P = 0.034) were independent protective factors of OS in SPC patients after cervical cancer. The results of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the differences in the OS of SPC patients after cervical cancer with different marriage status, SEER stage, histologic grade, lymph node dissection, surgery for SPC, primary sites of SPC and whether receiving radiochemotherapy were all statistically significant (all P < 0.001). Based on the 8 variables including marital status, SEER stage, histologic grade, whether lymph nodes have been cleared, whether SPC has been treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and the primary sites of SPC, a nomogram model for predicting the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates of SPC patients after cervical cancer was established. The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of the model for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates was 0.841, 0.847, and 0.847, respectively. The calibration curves showed a good consistency between the predicted results of model and the actual results. Conclusions:A prognostic prediction nomogram model for SPC after cervical cancer constructed based on the data in the SEER database has a high clinical application value and calibration.

BACKGROUND:The development of artificial intelligence in the medical field is rapidly advancing,with increasing research on its applications in the field of bone trauma.Through bibliometric analysis,this paper analyzed the research hotspots of artificial intelligence in the field of bone trauma in recent years,and predicted the future research trend. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the development history,research status,hot spots,and future development trends of artificial intelligence technology in the field of bone trauma to provide new insights for future research. METHODS:This study selected relevant literature from the Web of Science core database,covering the period from the inception to August 2023,and retrieved 420 articles related to the application of artificial intelligence,machine learning,and deep learning in the field of bone trauma.After manual screening,202 articles related to this article were exported,and Citespace software was used for visual analysis of cooperation of countries,institutions,cited journals,citation analysis,keyword co-occurrence,and other aspects. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The overall number of publications from the 202 selected articles showed an upward trend,indicating significant research potential for future studies.The country with the highest centrality and the highest publication volume was the United States.The University of California(USA)was the most prolific research institution.(2)The top five most commonly used keywords in bone trauma research using artificial intelligence were deep learning,artificial intelligence,bone density,machine learning,and diagnosis.The keyword with the highest centrality was bone density,and the keyword with the highest frequency was deep learning.(3)The top 10 most cited reference papers provided comprehensive insights into the feasibility of applying artificial intelligence techniques to the diagnosis of bone trauma from various perspectives.Among them,eight papers focused on bone and joint injuries and deep convolutional neural networks.One paper discussed the use of deep learning in detecting osteoporosis in CT scans to prevent fragility fractures,while another paper explored the correlation between the application of artificial intelligence in identifying changes in skin texture and the recognition of bone characteristics.(4)In the future,the research hotspots of artificial intelligence will mainly focus on the specific study of fractures caused by bone and joint trauma and osteoporosis.The research trend mainly focuses on improving the performance of artificial intelligence algorithms,using new artificial intelligence technologies to accurately classify and quickly and efficiently diagnose bone injuries,especially for the diagnosis of complex and hidden fractures.By establishing finite element analysis models,more standardized evaluations of bone injuries can be achieved.

Objective:This multicenter retrospective study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological features of duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA) and identify prognostic factors for postoperative survival.Methods:Demographic characteristics, clinicopathological features, treatment outcomes and survival of DA patients undergoing surgical treatment at 18 Chinese medical centers from January 2012 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 2 056 DA patients included, 46.8% (963) had extra-ampullary DA (EA-DA), and 53.2% (1 093) had peri-ampullary DA (PA-DA). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for patients who underwent radical surgery were 93.2%, 71.0%, and 57.2%, respectively. The median overall survival was 76 months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 65 months. No differences in survival were observed between the laparotomy group and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) group either before or after propensity score matching (OS: 76 vs. 75 months before PSM, P=0.986; OS: 75 vs. 75 months after PSM, P=0.602). Furthermore, there were no significant differences between-group in operation time and postoperative complications ( P＞0.05). The MIS group experienced less intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stays. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced age ( HR=1.43,95% CI:1.18-1.73), elevated carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels ( HR=1.24,95% CI:1.02-1.51), perineural invasion ( HR=1.44,95% CI:1.14-1.81), vascular invasion ( HR=1.35,95% CI:1.07-1.71), advanced T stage (T3-4 vs. T1-2: HR=1.86,95% CI:1.49-2.31), regional lymph node metastasis ( HR=1.93,95% CI:1.58-2.36), preoperative biliary drainage ( HR=1.26,95% CI:1.04-1.53), intraoperative blood loss ( HR=1.34,95% CI:1.11-1.62), clinically significant postoperative pancreatic fistulas ( HR=1.53,95% CI:1.12-2.09), and postoperative hemorrhage ( HR=1.62,95% CI:1.14-2.29) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis after surgery (all P＜0.05). Conclusions:Radical surgery is associated with favorable overall survival among DA patients, and no difference in survival is observed between EA-DA and PA-DA patients. MIS is a reliable alternative for DA treatment.

AIM:To investigate the impact of interleukin-17(IL-17D)knockout on lipid phagocytosis in ath-erosclerosis(AS)and bone marrow-derived macrophages.METHODS:Twenty 8-week-old ApoE-/-C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups(10 mice per group).The experimental group was subjected to a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce AS,while the control group received a normal diet.Additionally,fifteen 8-week-old ApoE-/-IL-17D-/-and ApoE-/-mice were also fed a high-fat diet for the same duration.Body weight and blood lipid levels were measured.Aortas were harvested,and IL-17D expression was assessed using RT-qPCR.Bone marrow cells were iso-lated and differentiated into macrophages with colony-stimulating factors.Oil red O staining was employed to visualize lip-id deposition in aortic plaques and macrophages.To stimulate macrophages,oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL)was used,and RT-qPCR along with Western blot analyses were conducted to evaluate the expression of lipid phagocytosis-related genes and the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.Dehydrocorydaline(DHC),a p38 MAPK activator,was adminis-tered to IL-17D-/-macrophages,and the expression of CD36 and lipid phagocytosis were assessed.RESULTS:IL-17D ex-pression was significantly elevated in the aortas of AS mice and in oxLDL-treated macrophages(P<0.01).IL-17D-/-mice exhibited notably lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels(P<0.01),along with a sig-nificant reduction in plaque area in the aortas and aortic roots(P<0.01).Macrophages lacking IL-17D demonstrated de-creased expression of CD36,LOX-1,IL-1β,and IL-6(P<0.01)and showed diminished lipid phagocytosis.These mac-rophages also exhibited reduced phosphorylation of p38(P<0.01)compared to wild-type macrophages.Activation of p38 MAPK by DHC significantly countered the inhibitory effects of IL-17D knockout on CD36 expression(P<0.01)and en-hanced lipid phagocytosis in macrophages.CONCLUSION:Knockout of IL-17D may modulate lipid phagocytosis in macro-phages via the p38/CD36 signaling pathway,potentially inhibiting the formation and progression of aortic plaques in mice.